Page 18 of Blade and Arrow Origins

As they head back to the house, both of them smiling, Leo’s rumbly voice carries across the lawn. “Just so you know, I let you win.”

Warmth fills my chest.

I missed this.

I missed my team.

I won’t let them down again.

A quick series of knocks sound at the door and I turn away from the window, then head across the room to open it. From the lightness of the sound, I can tell it’s Nora, no doubt checking to see if I’m up and ready for our meeting. No matter how many times I tell her I have my morning routine down to a science—a minute to get up and into the shower, two minutes max to wash up, another thirty seconds to pour my already waiting coffee—she still gives me a hard time about it.

This morning is no different. I open the door to Nora, who mimes shock as she sees me fully dressed and holding an empty cup of coffee. Clapping her hand to her chest, she asks, “Am I seeing things? Is this a doppelgänger of the real Finn? Are you actually ready early?”

“Funny,” I grumble, but I can’t hide my smile.

It’s such a relief to see Nora this way—lighthearted and joking—instead of fragile and wounded like she was months ago. When Cole and I went to see her in California, I knew it wasn’t going to be good, but nothing prepared me to find my teammate—my best friend—wasting away, her hold on life weakening by the day.

Now, she’s almost like the Nora I remember from before. Back to her punishing workout routine, joking with the team, calling me out on my shit, smiling again…

But she’s quieter now. There are shadows in her eyes that weren’t there before. There’s a slump to her shoulders when she thinks no one’s looking. And sometimes her gaze goes distant and sad, like she’s caught in her memories but wishes she wasn’t.

I know that feeling all too well.

Pushing the negative thoughts to the side, I grin at Nora and say, “I’m insulted. Are you implying I’m usually late?”

She shakes her head, sending her braid swinging. “Not late. Just… barely on time.” Then she adds more solemnly, “I know you wouldn’t be late. But I was just sitting around my apartment, and the quiet… it just…”

“I know.” My tone gentles. I give her braid a little tug, the only place I’ll touch Nora now. “Why don’t we go down to the conference room? Surprise everyone when I’m not the last to arrive.”

“Sounds good.” Nora flashes me a thankful look. Then her gaze moves beyond me, scanning the apartment. “Finn. You barely have any furniture. Or decorations.”

“I’ve been busy,” I retort. “Decorating my apartment is last on the list.”

As I set my empty mug on the table by the door, she says, “Still. We should get some pictures up. Photos. It can help, having things around to look at.”

I don’t really care about having a bunch of stuff on my walls, but if it makes Nora happy… “Okay. If you come over tonight, we can order some stuff online.”

“Or we could head into Sleepy Hollow,” Nora suggests as we head down the hallway. “The downtown is really nice. I was checking it out the other day with Leo. He wanted to buy something for his mother’s birthday. We went to this store with these gorgeous pictures of Rockefeller Park and the Catskills. Plus, there were some cool Headless Horseman sculptures. You could get one of those.”

“A guy without a head riding a horse? I’m not sure that’s very relaxing.”

“Maybe not. But it’s part of the town’s history. So that’s interesting.”

“True.” I’m still not sold on having a weird headless guy in my apartment. “We can go look. And you can help me pick out something. Maybe after, we can check out that new brewpub. The Hop-less Horseman, I think.”

“Definitely.” Nora smiles at me. “It would be nice to find a place we can all hang out. Play pool and darts and stuff.”

“Who’s playing darts?” Rylan jogs up from behind us and falls in beside Nora. “Are you leaving me out because you know I’ll win?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “There’s no guarantee you’ll win. Maybe I’ve been practicing.”

Nora laughs. “Have you?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

Rylan shakes his head at me. “Even if you have been practicing darts, which I highly doubt, I’ll still beat you. Even with my back still messed up.”

Shit. How could I have forgotten? Ry had surgery on his back, and he’s mentioned—reluctantly—how his upper back still hurts and stiffens up sometimes.

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