At Orion’s house, they were met by the four cats. All of them wore a serious expression—except for Sammy, who purred and wove his way around Orion’s ankles.

“Food? Food? Forgot the food.” His pitch shifted with each word.

“Hey Spekkie. Yeah yeah, I’ll get you something to eat.” Orion knelt down, scratching the cat behind the ears before letting his hand glide down his back.

“Spekkie?” Cody asked, confused. “Not Sammy?” The name struck him as a little unkind. (* I don't know how to translate this properly, in Dutch, Spekkie has different meanings: bacon, marshmallow, but it also means chubby)

“The other cats picked their own names as soon as they learned how to speak. Spekkie wanted one too.”

“I love spekkies.” He made a sound that was somewhere between a giggle and a cough.

Cody gave a faint smile as the cat lumbered toward the kitchen. Orion followed, and after a few steps, glanced back over his shoulder. “You hungry too?”

“I’m good for now. The berries took the edge off.” What he really wanted was to know what the cats had discovered. No doubt Orion did too, but he was a courteous host.

Cody took a seat and let his gaze wander over the cats. All three looked alert. Merlin sat on a chair with his front paws resting on the table. Basil was perched upright on the tabletop, tracking Orion’s every move. Nezumi sat on the windowsill, licking her scales and fluttering her wings now and then.

The wooden floor creaked as Moss stepped closer and stopped beside the table. Once Orion had set down a bowl of food for Spekkie, he took a seat next to Merlin.

“You were gone for a while,” Basil remarked.

“Cody and I checked out the bottom of the ravine,” Orion sighed. He told them about Locke and the fact that he was a forest spirit.

Cody picked at a groove in the tabletop. Even with the door closed, the forest spirit still made him uneasy. Orion didn’t mention their theory about the spirits being behind the stolen memories. Instead, he asked about his sister.

“The compass led us straight to the Valley of Men,” Basil replied. “We nosed around and quickly found a message scrawled on the wall of your old house—where Luther still lives. Apparently he figured you’d turn up eventually.”

“What did it say?” Orion’s voice was unusually tense.

“Orion, your little sister is a guest of mine. Contact me to discuss the terms of her release,” Merlin quoted. “Basil thought she might be locked up in the dungeon. When we tried to get inside, that brute grabbed Astoria. We figured it’d be smarter to come back first.”

Orion sighed, rubbing his palms over his eyes with his elbows on the table. “He’s bound to demand something ridiculous. Ten bags of gold, or something.”

“Are you going to talk to him?” Cody asked.

“I’ll have to. He’s expecting us, so sneaking her out won’t be easy.”

“Hmm.” Not with this small group, no. He looked over at Moss.

“Ooh, yes!” Moss shouted as soon as he caught Cody’s glance, clapping his hands in delight. A finger snapped off and dropped to the floor.

Cody quietly picked it up and placed it on the edge of the table. “I’ll fix it in a bit.”

“Ooh what?” Orion asked.

“Well! If I go back to the other ogres and tell them my human friends need help, they’ll definitely come.”

“Would they really?” Orion asked, surprised.

“Of course!”

Still, Cody heard the hesitation in his voice. Moss had already mentioned that he wasn’t well liked among the others. “Didn’t you say young ogres sometimes sneak into the village? Maybe turn it into a contest—first one to rescue the girl and the cat wins. What do ogres like, Moss? What’s a good prize?”

“Fish,” Moss said without hesitation. “Every ogre loves fish. But we can’t swim, so most stay far away from water.”

“Then we’ll promise them a fish feast,” Orion said. His eyes gleamed with hope. “The cats are excellent hunters.” He reached across the table, placing his hand over Cody’s. Thank you, he mouthed as their eyes met.

Cody smiled back. His skin tingled beneath Orion’s touch, and it took effort to refocus on Moss. Something was still holding him back.

“What is it, Moss?”

“Well. They’ll probably never believe I made friends with a human. They always call me a coward.”

“Then we’ll go with you.”

“I’m afraid you’d better stay here,” Orion said. “You and Merlin can dig through the books for anything on forest spirits.”

Cody wanted to argue, but fell silent when Orion squeezed his hand and looked at him more intently.

“He threw you off a cliff, Cody. Moss says he can’t get in here. You’re safe. If you and Merlin find anything that could protect you, you can come after us. Merlin knows the way.”

Cody didn’t like it, but he had to admit it made sense. He wasn’t exactly a fighter, and it would only make things harder if Locke came after them again.

“I can make him a talisman tonight. It’ll protect him until sunset, at least. And I won’t leave his side. In the meantime, you and Basil can speak with Luther. Find out what he’s planning. That can’t hurt.”

Orion’s long sigh said he didn’t love the idea, but he nodded. “Alright. Let’s do that.” He withdrew his hand and stood up. “I’ll whip up something quick so we can get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. You go get cleaned up,” he added with a look at Cody.

He could definitely use a bath—and a soft bed afterward. Unfortunately, that last one wasn’t really an option.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he offered after they’d done the dishes. Orion had been up early, and Cody doubted the couch was comfortable.

“No need for that. There’s plenty of room in the bed.”

Oh. Cody suddenly felt warm enough to need another bath. “Uh, I—I’m not sure…” Fleur’s name hovered on his lips out of habit, but this time, it didn’t leave them.

For the first time in years, he could make a choice for himself. The thought of sharing a bed made him incredibly nervous. And yet… he trusted Orion. His words carried no suggestive tone, and his eyes held nothing mischievous. After what they’d talked about earlier, Cody knew Orion wouldn’t expect anything from him.

That barely calmed his nerves. He bit his lip and nodded softly.

“Go on ahead,” Orion said. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

His breath evened out a little. He took a candleholder from the table to light his way upstairs. There, he changed into his nightclothes and slipped under the covers. The scent of wood filled his nose, and in the soft glow of the mushrooms twining along the branches, he lay waiting with butterflies in his stomach for the door to open and the blankets to rustle beside him.

And now? Should he turn his back to him?

He waited to see what Orion would do. Orion curled up on his side, facing him, and simply looked at him for a while. It quickly became too much, and Cody glanced away, shy.

He could feel Orion still looking at him, and his mouth went dry. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. He—

“You’re nervous, huh?” Orion said gently. “I’d never do anything you don't want, Cody. Or try to influence you.” That last part held a darker edge.

“I don’t know what I want.” His voice was tight. He could feel the warmth of Orion’s body, like the glow of a fireplace he longed to inch closer to. Secretly. He couldn’t bring himself to actually do it.

“You… can try. See what feels right. Move closer, or further away.”

Cody found his breathing only grew heavier with the tension. He looked up and saw the outline of Orion’s face. A soft smile. Calm eyes. He shifted—just a little, then a bit more, until only a few inches remained between them.

And still it felt so far.

Closer. That was what his heart whispered. He thought of the sheer terror when he’d fallen—and the soft feathers beneath his hands when Orion had caught him.

“Will you hold me?” he whispered, heart pounding so fast he was embarrassed.

“Nothing would make me happier.”

One arm slipped around him, then the other. Orion pulled him in, and Cody nestled against his chest. Orion’s lips brushed the tip of his ear before he whispered, “Sleep well.”

The tension flared in his stomach one last time, then melted away. Cody closed his eyes, savoring the unreal feeling of Orion’s arms around him, his cheek resting on his chest.

“I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a dream tomorrow,” he mumbled.

Orion chuckled softly, and Cody felt it ripple through his chest. His fingers stroked through Cody’s hair. “Then we’ll dream it together.”

Cody smiled. Slowly, he drifted off.