I flicked a glob of shadows at the lock. "I got this."
"Rain," Jack bragged softly.
"Yep," Bracken agreed. "That's our girl, Jack. I think we got a good one."
"Dad-Jack-Rain!" the bird agreed, nodding as big as he could.
I managed to help Bracken inside and all the way to the couch. There, he sort of dropped into it sideways, but he wasn't exactly a little guy! While he got himself positioned, I hurried to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge for the one thing I knew would be there: a beer.
"Ok, this should help you relax," I said just as the door opened.
"Brack!" Liam called, rushing into view. "Keir said you'd be - " He stopped to huff in relief. "Oh, thank fuck."
"Your daughter," Bracken said with a playfully accusatory tone, "risked her life to save me. I am trying my hardest to figure out how I can yell at her for that, but it's a little difficult to do when I'm whole, healthy, and sitting on my own couch."
"Baby," Liam breathed, leaning in so he could kiss Bracken hard. "I love you so much, but you're a damned fool if you think I'm going to yell at Rain for this. You are herfather, Brack. Of course she'll risk everything for you."
"I..." Embarrassment was taking over. "Jack made me realize you were inside, and Aspen made a shield to keep the heat away. She was in there too, but she couldn't get close because of the iron - "
"What iron?" Liam demanded.
"It was Ms. Hawthorne," Bracken said, pulling Liam down on the couch beside him, then lifting his hand to accept the beer I was still holding. "She was the one corrupting kids and vowing them to silence."
"I knew her ties to the Survivors of the Exodus couldn't be good!" Liam hissed.
"The what?" I asked.
"The parents of those kids," Liam said. "Tag and I have been trying to find anything to prove it, but they cover their tracks too well."
"Magic," Bracken pointed out. "And Ivy really wanted her to be innocent. She was one of the first teachers here, but Rain stopped it. She stepped up, and I don't think anyone will forget this."
"But did I kill Camila?" I asked.
"Maybe," Bracken said, tapping Liam so he'd move over and make space for me between them. "If you did, it's not your fault, though. That's how war works, Rain. No different than that hunter you killed. Death is a reality, and they chose their side. You chose the side of all, and that makes you a hero."
"I didn't mean to hurt her," I admitted. "Not really. I was just so sick of the bullshit."
"I think we all are," Liam assured me. "And you did the right thing, Rain."
"You weren't there."
"No," he agreed, "but I heard enough on my way here. I can also see that Bracken is fine, and in my book, that means you did the right thing. I don't care if anyone else agrees. This? Saving him? It's what Iwantyou to do."
"He's not a big fan of those heroes who put 'right' over 'good,'" Bracken fake-whispered.
"I'm not even worried about good," Liam admitted. "If I was, I'd spend a lot less time lying to foster parents and manipulating the system to get these kids here. No, sometimes the wrong thing does end up the right one, and you fae should understand that better than anyone else."
"Yeah..." Bracken said. "But babe? Rain's presents were out there."
"I don't need presents," I assured them.
"The graduation one, you do," Liam told me. "But we'll deal with it. It's an easy fix, Brack."
And now I was curious, but that was a good thing. It meant I wasn't worried about my dads anymore. I still felt like too much had happened, but this was going to be ok. My fathers were on my side, my friends were safe, and The Silent had been stopped, right? I only wished winning felt more like winning when it happened.
"You know what sucks the most about this?" I asked, looking over at Liam. "I was in the middle of my math test, and I was actually doing well. Now I'm going to have to do it all over again!" Then I looked at Bracken. "But I think you're worth it, Zez."
"Thanks, kiddo," Bracken said. "And I mean that. Thank you, Rain le Fae, for saving my life."
