As I step into the hallway, it takes me a few seconds to register that Chloe, my best friend that it feels like I haven’t spoken to in months, is sitting on the floor next to my door, her knees drawn to her chest and her back resting on the wall. It’s as if God himself took pity on me and sent my best friend as divine intervention to help me glue my broken pieces back together. My knees almost buckle under me in relief. She sips from a take-out coffee and scrolls on her phone as loud music plays in her earbuds, oblivious to the bloody war slashing my insides to ribbons.
The hallway is a blur as I start running toward her like my life depends on it. She lifts her head when I almost reach her, her eyes widening, probably more in shock at my speed than at seeing me. But like all humans do when faced with the supernatural, she quickly brushes it off. With a loud squeal, she throws herself at me, enveloping me in a tight hug. Even though her peach scent is way too strong for my new wolfish nose, Iinhale it deeply. I missed her so damn much.
“Oh my God, Ave! I’m so happy that you’re okay, but I’m pretty sure you’re breaking my ribs,” she yells in my ear. The sound is so loud to me that a sharp pain pierces my brain and makes my jaw clench. I resist the urge to press my fingers into my temples as I relax my hold, hoping I didn’t do any real damage. I’m still adjusting to the fact that I’m not human anymore. That I’m not as breakable as I once was. Well, physically speaking, because my insides are raw, like an open wound left under the blistering desert sun.
She pulls back. When she sees my expression, she cringes. “Oops, sorry. I yelled, didn’t I?” she whispers exaggeratedly after taking the earbuds out and pocketing them.
I shake my head incredulously, smiling so largely my cheeks hurt. “What are you doing here, Chlo?”
In stark contrast, Chloe’s eyebrows drop in a deep frown as she gives me a withering glare. She flaps her hands in disbelief before folding them in front of her chest. “First off, I want to strangle you, you bitch. Did you throw your phone off a cliff or something? Because, truly, I can’t explain otherwise how in the world you could ignore all my calls and messages for days on end. You made me sick with worry.”
She lets out a cleansing breath. “I’m here because the next stretch of the tour is in the US, and the band’s playing at a club in the Raven district Friday night. I thought Knox would surely push me off the plane if I was going to mention you one more time on the way here.” The death stare quickly transforms into guilt as she rambles, “We arrived last night, and I came to see you. You weren’t home, though. So, um, don’t be mad at me, please, but I called your Mom and told her I can’t get ahold of you. I didn’t know what else to do. Ben traced your phone and said you’re supposed to be at your apartment. Clearly, you weren’t, so I decided to come back today and wait for howeverlong was necessary until you showed up. I was planning a trip to the police station, to be honest.”
As if the fog of fury finally lifts from her vision, her beautiful onyx eyes travel from my toes all the way to my face, and a glint of worry shines in them when she takes in my disheveled appearance. “What the heck are you wearing? You kind of look like shit, Ave. Are you okay?”
“I kind of do, don’t I?” The admission is effective in wiping away my smile completely. The moment Chloe hugs me again, I finally lose it and start ugly crying with whole-body sobs and snot going down my face. I try to talk, but the words come out all warped through my hiccups.
“Where’s your key?”
I drop it in her extended palm, still unable to form a word. After she opens the door, she grabs my hand and, like a mother hen, she fusses over me, urging me to sit before she ambles to the kitchen. She returns with a glass of water that she places on top of the coffee table. In the next second, I’m wrapped in her arms again. It takes me ten full minutes to compose myself, and I finally notice my phone and keys on top of my coffee table, where I always keep them. I pull back with a frown.
Who the hell brought over my things from the woods?
Chloe takes my hands in hers, her eyes locking with mine. “Talk to me. I need to know who we’re murdering tonight because I have never seen you like this, not even after finding out you only had a few months to live.”
“I don’t even know where the fuck to start,” I say, sniffling, my voice nasally and scratchy. Of course, I can’t exactly tell her I’m a freakin’ wolf now and that I shifted for the first time when I witnessed Tony getting mauled by a rogue at the Halloween party. And then there’s the fact that I have a fated mate.Had Ava, you had a fated mate.If that part was even true. It felt true, though…like I finally found the missing part of my soul. Rawpain rattles my insides like an earthquake when all the moments I shared with Logan flash through my mind for what feels like the umpteenth time today.
I free one of my hands from Chloe’s hold and take a few sips of water, trying to swallow the tears that burn the back of my throat. Inhaling a calming breath, I tell her what happened between me and Logan while leaving out all the weird supernatural parts and Tony’s death. So, I basically had to lie a lot.
“Well, at least there’s a bright side,” Chloe deadpans, lifting a shoulder after I finish my story. “You finally found someone that knows what a clit is.”
A laugh bubbles out of me, but it quickly turns bitter. “Yeah…too bad he’s got a fiancé, and he’s getting married.”
Her upper lip curls, and she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Ugh, I hate men with a passion. They are the absolute worst.”
I arch an eyebrow at her. “Except for Knox, right?”
She sticks her tongue out at me. “He doesn’t count; he’s a sweetheart.”
I nod, agreeing with her. “I know. I also hate all men besides Knox. How is he, by the way?”
“They have rehearsals all day at the venue they’re playing Friday night. You wanna go? Listen to some of their new songs?”
“Yeah…I don’t know about that. To be honest, I don’t feel like seeing Jude right now.”
“C’mon, it will be fun, and I don’t think sitting here and moping will do you any good.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Fine, then we’ll do something else,” Chloe says, standing and striding toward my closet. “I’m kidnapping you to my hotel. They have the most amazing spa. We can spend all day there, and then you can sleep with me tonight. Knox won’t mind. We’rerenting the penthouse suite.”
I turn sideways on the couch to see what Chloe’s doing. “I can’t. I’m supposed to be working tonight.”
She looks at me over her shoulder, then goes back to rifling through my wardrobe and stuffing some of my clothes in my overnight bag. “Can’t you call in sick or something?”
“No, we’re already understaffed,” I choke out, remembering Tony. “Besides, I think I should call Logan and ask him to meet me. I want to hear his side of the story.”
Chloe sighs. “’Kay, call him, and after you guys meet up, we can spend the rest of the day at the spa, and you’ll leave for your shift when you have to. Then I’ll grab Knox, and we’ll come to your bar when it opens. When you finish your shift, I’ll take you to my hotel. Do you have a bathing suit in here?”
