Page 84 of After the Fall
“Very good,” Jax said.
The pops of gunfire began to subside, but my ears still ached from the ongoing explosions. A youthful-looking man with white hair hanging past his knees appeared in the doorway, flanked by some of Wyatt’s crew.
“Ayan,” the Yeti woman said. “You bring good news, I trust?”
“Ekaterina,” he said. He bowed first to her, and then to Wyatt and Jax. “It is done. The building is contained.”
My shoulders sagged in relief as the sasquatches broke into calls of triumph. Their hollering thundered off the cubicles, cracking the overhead lights.
The Yeti man continued to speak over the noise. “All are accounted for. Including this prisoner we found in one of the labs.” He curled his finger, gesturing behind him.
As if on cue, Atticus strode into the room. He looked slightly beat up, but seemed fine. The cheering from the sasquatches grew louder at their brother’s safe return.
“Is it really over?” Savannah asked, tears streaming down her face. We embraced, sobbing into each other’s arms.
“I think so,” I said. The Carders’ reign of terror was finally over.
As I released Savannah from my arms, I caught Wyatt’s gaze. Although no words passed between us, his eyes spoke volumes, filled with a tenderness I hadn’t seen before. But now wasn’t the time. There were far bigger things to deal with, and he ripped his eyes away from me, turning instead to the man who had bared the brunt of his wrath. Joe.
He extended his hand, shaking.
My dad accepted the peace offering, grasping Wyatt’s hand.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “I don’t know what to say…”
“It wasn’t your fault, son.” He patted Wyatt on the back, a fatherly gesture, even though Wyatt was the taller and bigger of the two. “You couldn’t help yourself. Besides, I’m the one that owes you an apology; that owes youallan apology. I’m the reason you’re in this mess in the first place.” He reached to the back of his head, and before anyone could stop him, pulled a similar-looking implant from the back of his skull. The sound of ripping hair and skin was more jarring than nails on a chalkboard.
Wyatt gave an approving nod. “How were you able to fight the implant, anyway?”
He stared at the thick chunk of metal in his hand. “It was Harper. Her singing helped me come back. The lyrics must have triggered some kind of oxytocin release in my brain, one that their chips couldn’t hold up against. I guess it’s true what they say. The love of family is stronger than anything.”
His words settled around me like a thick, cozy blanket.Family.
He was right. In the end, family was what mattered. Just like I was able to save my father, it was Jax who was able to get through to Wyatt when it mattered most. Jax was Wyatt’sbrother, in the truest sense of the word – loyal, supportive, and steadfast.
“Fiona,” Wyatt barked.
Fiona straightened, bracing herself for reprimand. “Yes, Boss?”
“Can I trust you to get them back to Seattle?” He gestured to Savannah, Dad and me.
“You got it, Boss.”
As Wyatt continued to bark out orders, I grabbed Dad’s hand. He had regained some of his features now that he wasn’t being controlled by the implant, but he was still a sasquatch. I had to accept that even though the Carders’ reign had ended, some things were forever changed. In my other hand, I gripped Savannah’s.My family, I thought, following Fiona out the door, past the bumbling Carders.
I paused at the doorway just long enough to catch Wyatt’s eye. “See you at home,” I mouthed, catching a glimmer of hope spark in his eyes before I disappeared down the hallway.
Throughout the evening,the mansion grew louder and more rambunctious, as more sasquatches and Yeti joined the festivities. It was a night of celebration, and the upbeat rhythms of the samba music blasted at full volume. It felt like the entire house was shaking, but for once, I didn’t mind. They had good reason to celebrate.
My dad was treated like a hero. Word had spread about his sacrifice in exchange for Atticus, and he’d spent most of the evening pounding back vodka shots with the Yeti, exchanging stories about the Amazon rainforest with the South Americans, and challenging some of Wyatt’s more youthful crew membersto arm wrestling. It was refreshing to see this side of him, a side that I barely remembered from my own youth.
Savannah had gone home to piece together the apartment. Connor would be back soon, without the extra ammo – or any of his comrades. Bannon and the wolves were staying in the Dakotas, though it sounded as though the sasquatches and wolves had come to some kind of agreement should either side ever require backup. While they’d never be friends, they’d learned to co-exist in the world.
The true star of the night was Wyatt. I watched from the shadows as he conversed throughout the mansion with ease, the Wyatt Westwood charm that had made him so infamous on full display. Although ultimately, it was Jax who’d saved the day. But Jax didn’t seem to care for any attention or celebration. He was completely smitten with his new fiancée, who straddled his lap passionately on the couch by the fireplace. As she tugged her fingers through his thick hair, I had to turn away, blushing at such a public display of intimacy. Phoebe and Atticus were passionately kissing in the opposite corner, and I left the room before it could turn into a big sasquatch orgy.
I kept bouncing from room to room, not really fitting in anywhere, and trying to avoid the one person I truly despised – Valentina. I still hadn’t had a moment alone with Wyatt, and my mind raced with all the words I longed to say. But as the clock ticked closer to midnight, I felt myself yawning, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. I would go hide out in the library, where I wouldn’t be missed.
Without Savannah, it was lonely. I was an outsider, the only human in a house filled with supernatural creatures. Even my dad belonged more than me.