The night was perfect.
Clear skies stretched above the jungle clearing, a canopy of stars so dense they seemed to spill into each other like spilled glitter. The fire Chad's men had built crackled softly, its warmth pushing back the jungle's damp chill. And sitting on a fallen log, close enough to touch but not quite touching, were Lily and Theo.
Lily had never been on a date before.
She'd spent her childhood in the before-times, too young for such things. Then the Architects had taken her, and for nine years, there had been nothing but white walls and pain and the slow erosion of self. Romance wasn't just impossible—it was inconceivable.
But now, sitting beside this boy who looked at her like she mattered, she was beginning to understand what she'd missed.
"So," Theo said, his voice slightly too high, betraying his nervousness. "The stars are... nice tonight."
Lily laughed—a small, genuine sound. "They are."
"Like, really nice. Super nice. The nicest stars I've ever seen."
"Theo."
"Yeah?"
"You're rambling."
He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I know. I'm sorry. I just—you're—and I'm—" He took a breath. "I'm going to stop talking now."
"Don't stop talking." Lily's voice was soft. "I like hearing you talk."
Theo peeked through his fingers. "Really?"
"Really. You're... real. Everyone else is so serious all the time. Wolfen with his jokes that aren't really jokes. Eva with her responsibility. Maya with her... Maya-ness." She smiled. "But you just... are. It's nice."
Theo lowered his hands, a slow grin spreading across his face. "I can work with 'nice.'"
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the stars. A night bird called somewhere in the distance. The fire popped.
"Theo?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I tell you something?"
He turned to face her fully, his expression soft. "Anything."
Lily looked down at her hands, gathered in her lap. "I spent nine years in that place. Nine years of white rooms and experiments and people who looked at me like I was a thing, not a person. I forgot what it felt like to be... seen."
She looked up, meeting his eyes.
"You see me. I don't know why, or how, but you do. And it's terrifying, because every time someone sees me, they leave. Or they get taken. Or they die." Her voice cracked, just slightly. "I don't want you to leave."
Theo reached out, slowly, giving her time to pull away. She didn't. His hand covered hers, warm and solid and real.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly. "I can't promise nothing bad will happen—this world doesn't let anyone promise that. But I can promise that as long as I'm breathing, I'll be here. With you. If you want."
Lily's eyes glistened. "I want."
They sat like that for a long moment, hands together, watching the stars. Then Theo cleared his throat.
"So, um. Hypothetically. If I were to, say, try to kiss you right now—"
"You'd miss because you're too busy talking."
"Rude. But fair." He grinned. "How about I stop talking?"
Lily's smile was the brightest thing in the darkness. "I'd like that."
---
Fifty yards away, hidden in the shadow of a massive tree, Wolfen watched.
He was sprawled on a branch like a cat, his golden eyes fixed on the couple below. His expression was unreadable, but something in his posture had softened—the perpetual tension in his shoulders eased, the watchful wariness momentarily forgotten.
"Attaboy, Theo," he murmured to himself. "Don't screw it up."
Theo didn't screw it up.
The kiss was gentle, tentative—a question more than a statement. When they pulled apart, Lily was blushing, and Theo looked like he'd just won the lottery.
Wolfen smiled. It was a small thing, barely a curve of his lips, but it was real.
He'd spent so long fighting, so long killing, so long being the monster so others didn't have to. Watching two young people find a moment of happiness in this broken world—it made some of it feel almost worth it.
Almost.
He settled back against the branch, keeping watch, letting them have their moment.
They deserved at least this.
---
Back at the cave, Eva sat up in the darkness, her heart pounding.
Lily was gone.
She was on her feet in an instant, scanning the shadows, her Prime senses reaching out—
"Don't worry." Maya's voice came from the corner, quiet and tired. "Wolfen's watching them."
Eva turned, finding Maya sitting with her head between her knees, her posture radiating exhaustion.
"What do you mean? Watching who?"
"Theo and Lily." Maya didn't look up. "They're on a date. Wolfen's... supervising."
Eva blinked. A date. Lily was on a date. Her little sister, who she'd spent years searching for, who she'd rescued from hell, who she'd held while she cried—was on a date.
"Oh," she said. Then, softly: "Oh."
She sat down near Maya, processing this new information. The silence stretched.
"You sound sad, Maya." Eva's voice was gentle. "Are you okay?"
Maya was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was muffled.
"Yeah."
It wasn't convincing. But Eva didn't push. Some things couldn't be fixed with words.
They sat together in the darkness, each lost in their own thoughts, waiting for the night to pass and the others to come home.