Three days had passed since Kai and I decided on divine marriage. Three days of international calls, diplomatic protocols, and endless meetings about supernatural confederation frameworks. Three days of everyone treating us like we'd already figured everything out.
But I kept waking up at 3 AM with this tight feeling in my chest.
"You're doing it again," Kai said from the kitchen doorway. I was standing at the window in our shared suite, watching pre-dawn darkness settle over Silver Creek territory. The international delegates wouldn't arrive for another week, but somehow I felt like I was running out of time.
"Doing what?"
"That thing where you pretend everything's perfect when something's eating at you." He moved closer, bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. "Coffee?"
"Sure." I didn't turn around. Through the glass, I could see the stone circle where Elder Celeste had transferred her knowledge to me. Where everything had changed. "Kai, can I ask you something?"
"Always."
