My stomach flips. “Is that a threat?”
Ozzy’s mouth twitches. “It’s a promise.”
I laugh softly, because a promise like that feels absurdly comforting. And also because I’m still learning what it feels like to be wanted without a catch. I’ve never had this before. Not even my own parents ever wanted me.
I settle back against him, tracing idle shapes on his chest with my fingertips. There are lines of ink there—tattoos I haven’t studied enough yet, stories on skin that make me curious. I’m still not sure what I’m allowed to ask. Still not sure what I’m allowed tokeep.
My smile fades a little, the edge of the world sneaking back in.
Ozzy notices immediately. He always does. His hand slides up my back, slow and grounding. “Hey.”
I hum, pretending I’m fine.
He doesn’t buy it.
So I change the subject before my brain can spiral into the ugly place where I don’t deserve this. “Tell me about your friends,” I say quietly.
Ozzy’s fingers pause, then resume their slow stroke. “My friends?”
“Yeah,” I say, lifting my head again. “The team. The people you talk to. The ones who… do all this with you.”
His eyes sharpen, but not in a suspicious way—more like he’s checking whether talking about them will make me anxious.
I shrug slightly. “I want to know who you are when you’re not just… with me.”
Ozzy studies me for a long beat. Then, like he’s decided I’ve earned it, he exhales and nods. “Okay.”
I wait, my heart oddly tight.
“Arrow,” he starts, voice steadier now, “is the one who keeps the chaos from turning into a dumpster fire. He’s always been a steady presence. Straight as an arrow kind of guy. If that makes sense.”
I snort. “That sounds like a full-time job.”
Ozzy’s mouth quirks. “It is. He’s… solid. The kind of guy who doesn’t say much, but when he does, you listen. He took point when this whole thing started—helping Juno. It turned into… all of this.”
I nod, absorbing it. “Juno’s his girlfriend, right?”
Ozzy’s eyes soften. “Yeah. She’s smart as hell. Funny. Deadly in a way that’s mostly digital but still terrifying. And she loves him. Like—real love.”
Something warm tugs at my chest.
Ozzy continues, “Gage… is family. Loud. Annoying. Loyal. The kind of guy who acts like everything’s a joke until it isn’t, then he turns into a beast.”
I smile without meaning to. “He sounds… safe.”
Ozzy’s gaze flicks to me. “He is.”
“And Knight?” I ask.
Ozzy’s mouth curves. “Knight is… an idiot.”
I choke on a laugh. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the best answer,” Ozzy insists, then relents. “He’s stubborn. Too sharp for his own good. Acts like he’s got it all under control when he’s one bad day away from lighting the world on fire.”
I blink. “That sounds like you.”
Ozzy gives me a look. “Don’t psychoanalyze me in bed.”