He buried his head in my neck. “Never.”
Then something hit me. I drew back. “You saw that?” I asked, searching his violet eyes. “The white barrier?”
“I think everyone from here to the other side of Maine saw that.” He beamed at me. Then his forehead creased, and he ran his thumb over my neck. “Dez…”
“I’m all right,” I assured him. “But does it look that bad?”
His eyes moved from my neck to my face, tracing my features, and his eyes brightened. “You’re beautiful. Nothing could ever change that.”
My heart swelled, but then I heard heavy footfalls coming toward us. Jace, Lana, Nick, and Devon ran up. “It’s almost over,” Jace said, panting. “The Feyan are taking out the rest.”
He threw his bruised arms around me and hugged me tightly. The rest of them gang-hugged me from the side and behind. We laughed, the tension from the fight melting away. After I disentangled myself from their embrace, they jumped up and down, cheering into the predawn light. I watched my friends in awe.
Reese walked up beside me and took my hand in his. Jace looked over at us. Then he came forward. My heart constricted as both of them stood on either side of me, staring one another down.
Then Jace stretched out his hand toward Reese. “Nice job.”
Reese’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “You, too.”
I looked between them, my heart lifting. I squeezed Reese’s hand and spun us toward the ocean. Then I tugged Jace’s arm, and he turned toward our gaze. “You did it, Dez. And we won,” Jace said.
“No, we did it,” I said, giving him a smile. Then my face fell. “But only the battle. We’ve yet to see the war.” I shivered as my eyes trailed after the airships floating off into the distance—the smoke from their Daimler engines puffing dark clouds against the sunrise. “Drevan will be back. He’s not giving up that easy.”
The conversation I’d had with Drevan echoed in my mind. He’d searched too long, gone to too many extreme measures to quit now. I shuddered. Father or not, he was my enemy. But befre we confronted each other again, I needed to understand my power and what it could mean for the Kythan.
“Then we’ll be prepared,” Reese said. He clasped my face between his palms and tenderly pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around him, savoring the kiss I’d thought I’d lost forever. For us, it was only the beginning.