Page 115

“Will? Willow?” I follow her line of sight.

Dominic walks in, snow dusting his short blond hair. He spots her, deploys a smile, and I know I’ve lost.

“Well, hello.” She holds out her hand as he approaches our table.

To no one’s surprise, he kisses it.

“I’m Willow. And you are?”

“Dominic.” For a second, his blue eyes twinkle like a literal Disney prince. They drink each other in for a full minute, then he notices she’s not alone. “Hey, Ellery.”

Nick pulls up in the van in front of the cafe. “Time to go.” I slide out of the booth. “Grab your coat.”

Dominic claims my spot, and she leans across the table. I leave her to it. She’ll catch up.

I grab the basket and flasks from Marthe as Nick comes inside. Immediately, he notices Dominic and Willow making heart eyes at each other.

“You should warn her to stay away from him,” Nick whispers.

I notice the barest flicker of recognition from Dominic, who heard Nick say that loud and clear from across the noisy cafe. Damn vampire hearing. I drag him outside to the van.

“He’s only interested in getting laid and moving on.”

“Nicky, babe.” I pat his arm like I’m explaining to a five-year-old why we don’t lick the ice. “That’s how she likes them.”

“Oh. Right. Well, fine.” He huffs. “Still, he’s a vampire. Do you want her mixed up in this world?”

“I’m mixed up in it.” I hug him. “Suits me fine. Besides, she’s the biggest badass I know. She doesn’t let any guy do anything she doesn’t want, vampire or not.”

When I finally drag her away from Dominic, we take her to see the aurora by the lake. I build a fire, and she’s both shocked and impressed I’ve gained a skill that will be useful to her in the apocalypse. Nick shows her how to take good photos with her phone and cooks her a reindeer hot dog, which is enough for her to become his lifelong fan.

She finds me at the shore, away from the campfire, taking in the swirling aurora and glittering stars, lost in the heavens again. It’ll always amaze me.

“It’s incredible,” she whispers.

“I know, right? Like the world left the lights on.”

She studies me. “You’re different here.”

I let her look, warmed that she can see what this place has done for me. She tips her head to rest on my arm and weaves her fingers through mine. We watch the sky swirl together.

Three months ago, I sat in a gutter in the rain, and I couldn’t have named one single thing that was my own.

“Yeah,” I say. “Took me a while.”

Chapter 46

Ellery

“You sure it’s okay, Willow?” I feel guilty for leaving her on her own while we attend the Guardian ceremony.

“For the third time, yes!” She shoves my coat into my arms. “It’s like two hours or whatever. What kind of trouble could I find in two hours?”

We both know she could most definitely find a lot of trouble in two hours.

“It’s all night.” I’ve been putting this off since breakfast. “I’ll be back after sunrise.”

She stops. “All night doing what?”