I jumped, finding Jonathon wrapped around me instead of Mr. Tanner. I'd been so absorbed by Auguste's first moments of sunlight, I hadn't even noticed them shift.
"It is my gift to him. It can't be taken away," Amon said solemnly, his wings folding again.
Auguste let out a choked laugh, eyes opening wide again. "A gift," he breathed, laughing. "A gift is… This is rebirth, Amon."
Amon's head ducked and I rushed, throwing myself at him and taking a deep kiss. "Thank you."
"I should've done it—"
"Amon, hush. Thank you."
Amon sighed and returned my kiss softly. "My pleasure, little star."
"The dayrest?" Auguste gasped. "It's not… I'm not—"
"You are free," Amon said, both of us turning to see Auguste turning slowly in the light like a child. "You still need blood—"
Auguste let out another delirious laugh, his cheeks so wide with his smile, it made me equally giddy. And for some reason, the happiness made me hurt too, a vision of Auguste pinned to the tree, of Birsha's lost face snarling above me. I tried to stifle the sob, but it was too quick, too determined.
"Oh, mon coeur," Auguste murmured. In a moment, I was surrounded by them all, Auguste shrouded in our shadows again, my face lifted to accept the kisses being dropped from every angle. "No more partings now, oui?"
"No more partings, please," I whispered, nodding fervently, catching kisses on my brow, my lips, my chin, my cheeks.
"No," Amon agreed. "And now we need to return to the house. You will have plenty of time for sunbathing, vampire."
Auguste snorted, but he clapped a friendly hand onto Amon's shoulder as the five of them herded me into the carriage, bundling me up in their arms.
* * *
Steady breaths surrounded me,although Auguste was still and quiet in front of me, mine and Jonathon's arms crossed over his bare chest. The curtains of the bedroom were open, and there was sunlight painted over Auguste's pale skin until it was almost translucent.
Upon arriving back at the new house, Amon and Jonathon had hurried to speak with Magdalena, Khepri, and the staff. The rest of us were ushered upstairs to be washed, and for Ezra's wounds treated with an ointment to soothe the burns. The reunion was soft and quiet, weary even, and by the time we'd all returned to the bed, the adrenaline was burning away under the warmth of the sun.
"Auguste?" I whispered, suddenly afraid that Auguste's stillness was more than sleep.
"Mmm?"
I sighed, tucking my face into his shoulder, Jonathon's hand sliding up to cover mine.
"I'm here, mon coeur," Auguste said, twisting to bump his forehead against mine.
"I don't—I don't know what I would've done if…" My voice dried up in my throat, a watery sigh replacing it, and Auguste lifted a hand to stroke and comb into my hair. Behind me, Ezra snuggled in closer, and Amon and Booker began to shift on the bed, the six of us returning to our nested circle we'd shared once.
"I love you," I breathed, and Auguste stiffened. I turned my hand over to press my palm to Jonathon's. "I love you all, I—"
Auguste groaned and then rolled, circling me with his arms and legs, tea sweet lips folding between mine and kissing me, his tongue stroking in. "Je t'aime, ma petite. I love you."
"We love you, little girl," Jonathon growled out with a hint of my Mr. Tanner in his voice.
"My sweet little puisín, mo grá."
"My star, my love."
"My Esther."
I giggled at Booker's final claiming, and Auguste's mouth moved down to my throat, never needing to break his kiss for breath. Amon had shifted to the head of the bed, and he bent and caught my mouth before anyone else could, Ezra and Auguste licking and nipping and feasting on my throat and shoulders, down to my breasts, and then back up again.
It was sexual, but simpler too, pure comfort and union. The room around us was warm and bright. Safe. Their hands passed over me, grounding me to the bed, to the moment with them.
"Say it again," Auguste whispered, kisses slowing.
I grinned, craning my neck to look at each of them. "I love you."
"Mmm, not quite sure I've earned my luck with you, puisín," Ezra said, snuggling up again, nosing at the back of my ear and then kissing there.
"You have now," Amon said solemnly before I even got the chance. "You may be a scoundrel, but you are loyal. And protective. I admire that, MacKenna."
"He's taking a shine to me," Ezra whispered in my ear.
Amon huffed and I snorted, reaching one arm back to link fingers with my sphinx. My legs parted and Booker made room for himself there, his head carefully pillowed on my thigh.
"What do we do now?" I asked, frowning up at the bright ceiling.
The others were quiet for a long moment before Ezra finally spoke up. "Booker and I go where you go, you are our tie."
"While you were in the bath, I arranged for Auguste's home as well as my house and practice to be sealed up and protected," Jonathon said immediately.
Auguste and Ezra had to tighten their hold on me to keep me from scrambling upright with surprise. "What?! But—"
"Birsha only knew Mr. Tanner, but if he wanted to, he could certainly discover my identity. And now, after everything…" Jonathon propped himself up on his side and shrugged. "I think it's time for me to move on from treating any female hysteria but yours." He grinned at my glare and chuckled.
"You're blocking my sun," Auguste said to him.