And outside that cave, the air shifts.
Lighter.
Cleaner.
And for the first time in years—I feel free.
Epilogue
Dante
Roman died days after we brought Knox to the cave.
Summer came.
We rebuilt the base. Reinforced the walls. Cleaned the blood, the bones, the past. Knox changed rooms, burned the mattresses Bryn tainted.
And now?
Winter’s arriving.
The first snow starts to fall as Knox and Max return just past sundown. Their boots hit the ground heavily. Their bags slung low. Dirt and ash on their hands. But they’re alive.They came home.
“How was it?” I ask, pushing off the wall. I already know something’s wrong before either of them speaks. It’s in the way Knox’s jaw ticks; in the way Max doesn’t smile.
Knox drops his gear. “Rough run-in.”
“With whom?” My arms cross tight. My pulse climbs.
Max lifts a brow. “Remember those bastards with the skull and snake logo on their jackets?”
I nod slowly. “Roman’s crew?”
Knox grunts. “Apparently not.”
I step closer. “They weren’t his?”
“No,” Max says. “Separate. They knew who we were, though. One of them called us BloodHawks.”
That chills me deeper than it should.
“Think they’ll be a problem?” I glance toward the hall; ears perked for any sound from Aspen in the showers.
“If they are,” Knox mutters, pulling off his shirt, “we’ll bury them next.”
Max doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to.
Ryker walks in with that grin he only saves for Max. He leans in and kisses him roughly.
“Where’s Aspen?” Max asks, already tugging at his boots.
“Showers,” I say.
Knox raises a brow, his face lighting with something wicked. “You know… we’ve got a whole fucking big shower in this base, and we haven’t fucked her in it yet.”
I smirk because he’s not wrong.
But as I trail behind them, toward warmth, water, and her, I can’t shake the feeling crawling beneath my skin.
