Page 116 of Crossing Between
I watched them from across the table, my chosen family bathed in the warm glow of candlelight. Varon had brought an obscenely expensive bottle of wine as requested, though Zoey's cooking hadn't been the disaster Elias predicted. The lasagna was only slightly burned around the edges, practically a culinary triumph by my standards.
"And then," Elias continued, his cheeks flushed from laughter and wine, "Bradley walks in with this completely straight face and says, 'Ma'am, I regret to inform you that summoning hellhounds in a residential area violates at least four city ordinances.' The poor woman nearly fainted!"
Zoey snorted into her glass while Varon's lips curled into that almost-smile I'd grown to cherish. The rare one that reached his eyes, softening the hard edges of his immortal face.
I leaned back in my chair, savoring the moment. My oni senses picked up everything with heightened clarity. Zoey's citrus perfume mingling with the rich tomato sauce, the steady rhythm of Elias's heartbeat beside me, the electric current of Varon's controlled power across the table. These details I'd once taken for granted now felt like precious gifts.
Beneath the table, I extended my awareness, focusing on the magical threads that had been increasingly visible to me since Zoey had entered our lives.
I closed my eyes briefly, letting my other sight take over.
They appeared slowly, shimmering like spider silk caught in morning sunlight. Red threads, vibrant and pulsing with life, connecting each of us to the others. The strongest one bound me to Zoey, no surprise there. I'd seen her in my visions for years before we met. But the intensity of the connections between all four of us still took my breath away.
Varon's thread was thick and sturdy with ancient power flowing through it. It had started as the thinnest strand when I first joined his team, so fragile I feared it might snap with his next disapproving glance. Now it hummed with unspoken promises.
Elias's connection glowed with a steady, calming blue-tinged light, the kraken's influence changing the very nature of the bond. His thread had formed gradually, woven together strand by strand through quiet conversations, friendship that was meant to be more, and shared battles.
And at the center of it all was Zoey. Our little soulbinder, who didn't truly realize her every touch, every laugh, and every moment spent in her presence was a gift.
"Kenji? Hello? Earth to oni!" Zoey's voice pulled me back to the present, her fingers snapping playfully in front of my face.
"Sorry," I grinned, blinking away the magical sight. "Just thinking."
"Well, that's dangerous," Varon drawled, refilling my wine glass.
"Very funny, vampire boy." I winked at him. "I'll have you know I was having deep, philosophical thoughts."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "About?"
The truth spilled from my lips before I could stop it. "About how fucking lucky I am."
A brief silence fell over the table, notuncomfortable but weighted with meaning. Zoey's eyes softened as she reached to squeeze my hand.
"We're the lucky ones," her voice gentle.
The sudden tightness in my chest threatened to overwhelm me. I, who had spent years wandering alone before finding Varon's team, now sat surrounded by people who gave a damn if I lived or died. People who knew what I was, all that I was, and chose to stay anyway.
Without warning, I stood up and moved around the table to Zoey. She looked up at me, surprise and warmth mingling in her expression. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her, pouring every ounce of gratitude and love I couldn't verbalize into the pressure of my lips against hers.
She responded immediately, her hands sliding up to grip my shoulders. I tasted wine and tomato sauce and that indefinable sweetness that was Zoey. When I pulled back, her eyes were slightly dazed, lips parted.
"What was that for?" She whispered.
"Because I can," I then turned to Elias beside me.
The kraken's eyes were already darkening, the irises expanding as they always did when his emotions ran high. I tangled my fingers in his braided blonde hair and pulled him toward me, claiming his mouth with the same fierce tenderness. He tasted of the ocean, wild and deep, a perfect contrast to Zoey's sunshine warmth.
When I released him, I cast a deliberately provocative glance at Varon across the table. The vampire's eyes had gone molten, pupils dilated with desire he was too proud to openly acknowledge.
"You're next, ancient one," I promised, my voice dropping to a husky register that made Zoey shiver visibly beside me. "As soon as you finishyour wine."
Elias
I sank my hands into the warm, soapy water, feeling the tension of the last few days slowly melting away. The kitchen was quiet save for the soft clinking of dishes and the low hum of conversation from the living room.
Now, as everyone relaxed in various states of food coma, I'd volunteered for cleanup duty. There was something meditative about washing dishes by hand, even when Varon's kitchen undoubtedly housed a top-of-the-line dishwasher somewhere.
I sensed her before I heard her, a subtle shift in the energy of the room, a warmth that seemed to radiate toward me. Then came the soft padding of bare feet across tile, and finally, a playful bump against my hip.
