The rest of the day’s trek passed in relative silence, with occasional breaks for Maya to relieve herself. Since her near-miss with the cliff, she’d clung to Henry like a shadow, which did wonders for our pace.

  When we stopped for the night, though, she lingered in the middle of camp, toeing the ground. Nerves poured off her in waves, her small hand clinging tightly to Henry’s. He knelt to her height, offering an encouraging smile.

  “Do you have something to say, Maya?”

  Everyone paused in their preparations to watch as she swallowed hard, let go of Henry, and inched toward me. Stopping a few feet away, she gave a deep bow. “I’m sorry for running off earlier. Thank you for saving me.”

  Oh, so that’s why she kept staring at me during the walk.

  Copying Henry’s gesture, I knelt to her level and gently straightened her. “It’s alright. I know you were just curious and didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. Just try to listen to your father from now on, alright?”

  She frowned, tilting her head. “Father?”

  Dominicus cleared his throat. “He means Adan. Listen to your Adan.”

  Right, right. Guess it was my turn to slip up.

  Understanding dawned across her face, and she nodded earnestly before hurrying back to Henry’s side. “I will!” To prove it, she clung to his hand. He shook his head, amused but silent.

  I chuckled and went back to setting up my bedroll, one Henry had kindly provided. As I worked, though, I felt Maya’s stare pressing into the side of my head. When she didn’t look away even after I finished, I met her gaze with a hum.

  “Do you have something else you want to say?”

  She let out a quiet squeak and half-hid behind Henry. He glanced at her, curious but unconcerned. “Sweetling, Nikolas is a friend. If you have something to say, he won’t be mad.”

  I nodded. “He’s right. I’m a healer—I work around kids all the time. I doubt there’s anything you could say that’d offend me unless you really tried.”

  Maya bit her lip, studying me in silence. I waited patiently, knowing that with kids, sometimes you just had to let them work things out on their own time.

  Finally, she lifted a finger and pointed at my head.

  “What beastfolk are you?”

  Henry winced. “Maya, that’s rude—”

  I waved him off with a chuckle. “It’s fine. At least in my case. Maybe don’t ask others, though—some might take offense.”

  Raising a hand, I brushed my fingers over my ears, considering them for the first time. Karma never actually told me which beast she’d fashioned me after… They felt soft, round—

  Thankfully, Time cut in, sparing me the guesswork. “His ancestry is that of a direbear, judging by his ears.”

  A direbear.

  …I’d asked Karma for something not scary for kids, and she picked a direbear?!

  Henry blinked, taken aback. “I’ve never seen a direbear hybrid before, though I’ve heard rumors of the beast itself. They grow taller than the trees and usually live deep in the forests to avoid mortals.”

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  Taller than the trees. What the fuck, Karma?!

  Time’s lips twitched, barely suppressing amusement. He changed the subject smoothly. “Nexus is full of formidable beasts. We should be at our best to handle them. Nikolas, you mentioned thorns to remove?”

  Still reeling from my newfound ancestry, I nodded numbly. “Yeah. Some are gonna be fun to reach, though.” I could feel the little bastards digging into my back…

  Time stood, gesturing toward the trees. “Then I will help you. Besides, we should take advantage of the river to clean up while we can.”

  I hesitated, glancing at Dominicus and his wings. “Are you going to need help too?”

  Tracing a hand over one wing, he sighed. “Most likely. They took the brunt of the fall.” A reluctant grimace flickered across his face.

  “I’ll try to be quick so you can head back. And hey, at least you don’t have to take off your top.” I offered, hoping to lighten the mood.

  He blinked, surprised, before shaking his head with a wry smile. “I don’t mind being seen partially nude, but I appreciate the consideration. My wings are painfully sensitive in certain areas. Removing thorns from them will be… unpleasant.”

  Before he could follow us, Eleanor spoke up.

  “If they’re only in your wings, I can help. I know where the most sensitive spots are and can be extra careful.”

  He studied her for a moment before nodding. “That would likely be for the best. No offense, Nikolas.”

  I waved him off. “None taken. I’ll take a day or two to learn wing anatomy so I can help next time. For now, this makes sense.”

  With that settled, we split up. The soft rush of the river provided a soothing backdrop as Time and I walked. After a moment, I snorted and shook my head.

  “A direbear. I asked her for something not scary for kids, and that’s what she picked?”

  I’d expected something small and harmless. A rabbit, maybe!

  Time’s lips twitched again, his tone tinged with fondness. “My wife has always favored the more… dangerous beasts of Nexus. To her, direbears are the height of comfort and safety. They are strong and fiercely protective of their young—much like she herself is.”

  His chuckle deepened, tinged with nostalgia. “You would be staggered by how often she cooed over them—and other creatures of similar ilk. My wife is truly one of a kind.”

  I sighed, rubbing my ears again. “At least they’re harmless enough. I’d probably scare the life out of kids if I had sharp canines or something.” Just to be sure, I ran my tongue over my teeth, relieved to find them flat.

  Time settled near the water with a wave. “She knew what she was doing. Mortals who know of direbears may be wary of you, but children will only see a pair of fluffy ears.”

  Ah. So this was another piece of my ‘luring out assholes’ plan. Perfect. I’d thank her later.

  Sitting beside him, I pulled at my top—only for the scars underneath to tug. Clearing my throat, I muttered, “I should probably warn you, Mr. Bugel left a pretty nasty mark.”

  Time’s smile faded into a slight frown. “I have seen more than my fair share of scars, Nikolas.”

  I shrugged. “Just figured I’d warn you.”

  The fabric came off without a fight. I ignored the itch of being watched, half-expecting Time to tense when he saw the damage. But he only grunted, nudging me to shift.

  “Move this way, I will need full access to your back to remove the thorns.”

  I did, focusing on pulling thorns from my arms while he worked on my back. Tiny stings followed, but I ignored them, letting the peace of the moment settle in.

  This was far from how I’d imagined my second day in Nexus going, but all things considered… it could’ve been worse.

  Still, curiosity nagged at the corner of my mind. After a moment, I glanced over my shoulder.

  “What was Nexus like before… everything?”

  Time’s hand stilled on my shoulder. Tension filled the air, pressing around us like a heavy blanket.

  Then, he sighed. “Before the old gods and the Corruption shattered, it was… nice. Peaceful.” A pause. “Afterward, everything changed. And not for the better.”

  He resumed plucking thorns, his tone grim. “It is not an era I enjoy thinking about. Leave it at that.”

  I nodded, the weight of his words sinking in.

  I hadn’t thought about it before, but the old gods were, in a way, his parents. I didn’t know if they’d been close, but either way… it had to be lonely.

  Time and I had spent most of our time bickering like siblings, but something twisted in my chest at the thought of him dealing with their loss alone.

  He hadn’t said how long it had been between then and Karma’s rise as a spirit. For his sake, I hoped it hadn’t been long.

  I knew first hand how awful being alone was and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.