Let Them Kneel Chapter 93

**Kaelani reappeared in the entryway of her home.**

**It was night.**

**Quiet. Still.**

**But the darkness didn’t feel unfamiliar anymore.**

**It didn’t press in.**

**Didn’t suffocate.**

**It settled around her—familiar, almost comforting.**

**The shadows seemed to embrace her, welcoming her back as if she had never left—as if she belonged to them now.**

**She moved through it without hesitation, her steps slow but certain, guided by something deeper than sight alone.**

**The kitchen came into view, and she went straight for the refrigerator.**

**Her body felt heavy—drained in a way that went beyond exhaustion. It sat in her bones—behind her eyes, in the hollow space in her chest that hadn’t fully settled since everything that had happened.**

**She pulled the door open.**

**Light spilled across her face.**

**Her gaze landed on a few cans of Dr Pepper.**

**For a second, she just stared at them.**

**Then reached in.**

**Cold aluminum met her palm.**

**She cracked it open—sharp, familiar—and tipped it back without thinking.**

**The first swallow hit—**

**Sweet.**

**Sharp.**

**Carbonated.**

**It rushed through her senses, grounding her instantly.**

**A breath left her, quieter this time.**

**They didn’t have this in the Fae realm.**

**Nothing there tasted like this.**

**Nothing there felt this… simple.**

**Something shifted in the dark at the edge of her vision.**

**Her hand lifted instinctively and the figure jerked upward with a startled scream, yanked off the ground as shadow curled tight around them.**

**Kaelani turned, already moving toward the nearest light switch.**

**The room flooded with brightness and the figure dropped.**

**Tessa crumpled to the floor with a gasp, a baseball bat still clutched in her hand as the shadows vanished.**

**Kaelani’s breath caught the moment it registered.**

**“Tessa…?”**

**Tessa froze for a split second.**

**Eyes wide, disbelief flooding her face.**

**“Kaelani?”**

**She was on her feet in an instant.**

**Crossing the space between them without hesitation.**

**And then she was there—**

**Arms wrapping around her, pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace.**

**Tessa clung to her for a second longer—tight, like she was afraid if she let go, she might disappear again.**

**“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said, her voice catching.**

**She pulled back just enough to look at her.**

**Her eyes glistened, scanning over Kaelani—taking in every detail, every change.**

**Then, through it all—**

**“Well…” she let out a small, breathy laugh, swiping quickly at her eyes. “This is new.”**

**Her gaze dropped, then lifted again, a spark of something familiar breaking through the emotion.**

**“I mean—I love the whole… sexy Poison Ivy getup you’ve got going on here.”**

**Kaelani let out a soft laugh—unexpected, a little broken—as a tear slipped free down her cheek.**

**The sound caught her off guard.**

**The feeling even more so.**

**After the chaos, the loss, the weight of it all—**

**Standing here, in her own kitchen, with the only real friend she’d ever had—**

**It hit her all at once.**

**She shook her head slightly, brushing at her face as she tried to steady herself.**

**“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice quieter now.**

**Tessa didn’t hesitate.**

**“I’ve been staying here,” she said. “Taking care of things.”**

**Her eyes flicked briefly around the kitchen—toward the rest of the house.**

**“Your house. Your garden…”**

**Then back to Kaelani.**

**“I just…” she exhaled softly. “I kept waiting.”**

**A small shrug, like she was trying to downplay it—but couldn’t quite hide the truth.**

**“Hoping you’d come back.”**

**Kaelani’s expression shifted, the faint warmth from the moment touched her eyes before dimming slightly.**

**“I wasn’t sure if I was going to,” she admitted quietly. “Come back, I mean.”**

**Her gaze flicked toward the dark corners of the room, instinct still sharp.**

**“I don’t even know if it’s safe for you to be here,” she added. “I imagine there are still… people looking for me.”**

**Tessa tilted her head slightly.**

**“The really big, buff guys with the whole men in black vibe?” she asked.**

**Kaelani nodded once.**

**“Yeah.”**

**“Haven’t seen them around here since you left, actually…” Tessa said, folding her arms.**

**“But… about the bakery…” she hesitated. “You should know.”**

**Kaelani frowned. “It’s gone?”**

**Tessa let out a quiet breath, her gaze dipping like she already knew how this would land.**

**“Yeah… everything hit at once,” she said. “Your accounts got frozen or something—I don’t know what they did, but nothing was going through. Rent, orders, deliveries… all of it just started falling behind.”**

**“After a while, they just… closed it down.”**

**She let the silence sit for a second before finishing.**

**“I tried to get a loan to save it,” she added, quieter now. “But I was denied… didn’t make enough.”**

**A small, apologetic breath.**

**Her eyes softened, guilt threading through her voice.**

**“I’m sorry.”**

**Kaelani exhaled slowly, her gaze slipping away for a moment.**

**Of course.**

**The Council had frozen her accounts the second she disappeared.**

**“Those assholes.”**

**The words slipped out under her breath, sharp and unfiltered.**

**She looked back at Tessa, something in her expression softening despite the frustration.**

**“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “It wasn’t your problem to deal with.”**

**Tessa shook her head immediately.**

**“No,” she said, firmer than expected. “I wanted to. After everything you’ve done for me… I needed to do something in return.”**

**A small, self-conscious huff left her.**

**“Some help I was,” she muttered. “Couldn’t even save my best friend’s bakery.”**

**Kaelani looked at her—really looked at her this time.**

**Something in her chest eased, the tension there loosening under the weight of Tessa’s words.**

**A small smile touched her lips.**

**“Tess, you’ve done more for me than most people in my entire life,” she said quietly. “You’re the only person I was ever able to trust.”**

**Tessa’s expression shifted—something deeper flickering there at the words.**

**Kaelani’s gaze drifted around the room.**

**Everything sat exactly as she’d left it.**

**Her eyes moved over the furniture—the layout, the colors—familiar in a way that settled something tight in her chest.**

**A quiet breath slipped from her.**

**It felt like home.**

**Her home.**

**Kaelani’s gaze lingered around the room a moment longer before she looked back at Tessa.**

**“So… you’ve been staying here by yourself?”**

**Tessa blinked at her, then let out a short, incredulous laugh.**

**“What—you think you’re the only woman in the world who can live alone?” she shot back.**

**Then, with a small shrug—**

**“Okay, well… not completely alone.”**

**A hint of a smile tugged at her lips.**

**“Jeff’s been staying here too. He had to head out of town for a couple nights—some last-minute job. Transmission rebuild for a shop that got backed up or something.”**

**Kaelani’s brow lifted slightly.**

**“Oh?” she said. “So Jeff is still in the picture?”**

**Tessa’s smile widened—soft, a little shy—as a faint blush crept into her cheeks.**

**She lifted her hand.**

**A ring caught the light.**

**“He proposed.”**

**Kaelani blinked—**

**Then a laugh broke free, bright and genuine, cutting through everything that had weighed her down.**

**“Tessa…”**

**She stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug.**

**“I’m so happy for you,” she said, holding on for a moment longer. “You deserve all the happiness.”**

**Tessa let out a soft laugh against her, wiping quickly at her eyes as she pulled back.**

**“Thank you…”**

**Her smile lingered—then slowly faded, something more thoughtful settling in its place.**

**“So do you, Kaelani.”**

**Kaelani’s smile faltered, her gaze slipping past Tessa as something quieter crept in—uncertain, heavier.**

**Tessa noticed immediately.**

**“So… what now?” she asked gently. “Where do you even go from here?”**

**Her brows lifted slightly, curiosity sparking again.**

**“And what happened to Mr. Fancy Pants?”**

**Kaelani opened her mouth—**

**But Tessa was already going.**

**“Wait—” her eyes widened, realization hitting fast. “Is he like you too?”**

**She leaned in slightly, studying her.**

**“Oh my god… he is, isn’t he? That makes so much sense!”**

**“Tessa—”**

**“Are you two like… mates?” she rushed on, hands flying as her excitement built. “I read about it in one of those werewolf romance books and—oh my god, that is so romantic—”**

**“Tessa—”**

**“But also—if he is—he was a complete fucking asshole to you—”**

**“Tessa.”**

**Kaelani’s voice cut through, firm but not unkind.**

**Tessa stopped mid-ramble, blinking at her.**

**Kaelani exhaled, the last of that lightness fading as reality pressed back in.**

**“It’s all… very complicated,” she said. “And I’m honestly not even supposed to be telling you any of this.”**

**Her gaze held Tessa’s, steady now—serious in a way it hadn’t been before.**

**“It’s forbidden.”**

**Her voice lowered slightly, the weight of it settling between them.**

**“And it can put you in danger.”**

**Tessa reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.**

**“Hey…” she said, softer now. “I would never tell anyone your secret. Not even Jeff.”**

**A small shake of her head.**

**“Not even the men in suits who questioned me for hours about you.”**

**Her grip tightened slightly.**

**“And that was before you came to me in my dream.”**

**Tessa’s eyes searched hers, steady, certain.**

**“Kae… believe it or not, I always knew you were… different.”**

**A faint smile touched her lips.**

**“I mean, I didn’t think supernatural different—but this?” she huffed a quiet breath. “This checks out.”**

**Her curiosity sparked again almost immediately.**

**“Although…” she tilted her head, thinking it through, “I was reading up on werewolf lore, and it didn’t say anything about appearing in people’s dreams.”**

**Her brows pulled together.**

**“Is that something only you can do?”**

**Kaelani smiled faintly.**

**“We’re called Lycans,” she said. “Werewolves are just some dramatized Hollywood nonsense.”**

**A small pause.**

**“And no—dream walking isn’t a Lycan ability.”**

**Her voice softened slightly.**

**“That comes from my other lineage.”**

**Tessa’s jaw dropped.**

**“Your *other* lineage?”**

**Kaelani’s expression hardened slightly—more guarded now.**

**“Look… I have some things I need to take care of,” she said. “I’ll tell you more when the time is right.”**

**Her gaze held Tessa’s.**

**“But I can’t stay here with you.”**

**Tessa’s eyes widened.**

**“Oh my god—” she leaned forward slightly. “Is it a full moon out?”**

**Another beat of excitement—**

**“Are you going to turn into a wolf?”**

**Kaelani laughed—soft, genuine.**

**“Again… myth, not reality.”** 

**Tessa huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head.**

**“Damn…” she said. “That would’ve been so awesome to see.”**

**Kaelani’s lips curved slightly.**

**“And maybe one day you will.”**

**A beat of quiet settled between them—gentler now.**

**“Right now, though…” she exhaled, the weight of everything catching up to her all at once. “I need to eat. And sleep.”**

**Her gaze lifted back to Tessa.**

**“I’ll be gone by morning.”**

**Kaelani moved through the kitchen again—slower this time.**

**Hungry.**

**Actually hungry.**

**She pulled together what she could find, cracking eggs into a bowl and whisking them until smooth, pale yellow folding into itself.**

**Butter melted in the pan, sizzling softly as she poured the mixture in. It spread thin, edges setting first, the center still soft.**

**She added what she found—shredded cheese, a bit of diced onion, a handful of herbs Tessa must’ve picked from the garden.**

**The scent alone was enough to make her pause.**

**Warm.**

**Savory.**

**Familiar in a way nothing in the Fae realm had been.**

**No chickens.**

**No eggs.**

**And without eggs—**

**No omelettes.**

**No pastries.**

**No simple, comforting things like this.**

**She folded it over, letting the cheese melt through the center before sliding it onto a plate.**

**The first bite—**

**Soft.**

**Rich.**

**Perfect.**

**She ate all of it.**

**Every last bite.**

**Afterward, she stood under the hot spray of the shower longer than she needed to, letting the heat soak into her skin, wash away the grime, the blood, the lingering weight of everything she’d just survived.**

**By the time she stepped out, her body felt heavier—but quieter.**

**Manageable.**

**Tessa had offered her the bed.**

**Kaelani refused.**

**So they settled in the living room instead—Tessa curled up on the smaller couch, Kaelani stretched along the larger one.**

**The house fell still again.**

**And for the first time in what felt like forever—**

**She slept.**

**⸻**

**Before sunrise, Kaelani dressed quietly.**

**The world outside was still dark, the first hints of light not yet breaking through.**

**She moved without sound, her steps instinctively careful as she crossed the room.**

**Tessa slept on her side, one arm tucked beneath her cheek.**

**Peaceful.**

**Kaelani knelt beside her, reaching out—her fingers brushing gently against Tessa’s hand.**

**She gave it a small squeeze.**

**Tessa stirred.**

**A soft sound, barely awake, as her eyes cracked open.**

**“Kae…?” she mumbled.**

**Kaelani’s expression softened.**

**“I want you to keep the house,” she said quietly.**

**Tessa frowned slightly, still caught between sleep and waking.**

**“It’s… your house,” she murmured.**

**A flicker of something passed through Kaelani’s eyes—subtle, but there.**

**“Then take care of it for me,” she said softly. “Okay?”**

**Tessa blinked a little more awake now, lifting her head slightly.**

**Her eyes searched Kaelani’s face.**

**“You’ll come back… right?”**

**Kaelani nodded.**

**“I promise,” she said. “We’ll see each other again.”**

**For a second, neither of them moved.**

**Then—**

**Violet flashed.**

**And Kaelani was gone.**

**Tessa jerked upright, breath catching as she stared at the empty space where she’d just been.**

**“…holy shit.”**