Chapter  265; Parting Jokes

XENOIS The morning air carried a crispness that reminded me autumn was settling in properly now, the kind of cold that made breath visible and promised frost by week's end. I stood by our SUV, watching Lumina finish loading the last of our bags while trying not to think too hard about what awaited us back in Silver Creek.   Two months. We'd been gone two months, and in that time, everything had changed. Riley was medicated and emotionally distant, bonded to a boy who'd been complicit in atrocities.      Ollie had spent those months feeling invisible to his twin brother. And Lumina and I had been forced to confront the reality that we'd failed as parents long before Sophia had stolen our son.   "You know," Zade's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, "you could always extend your stay. We have plenty of room."   I turned to find him standing with Lyn and Lynn, all three of them dressed casually for the goodbye. Zade had his arm around Lyn's waist in that possessive way that made me a