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“We wait for them to return and then give them all the best night of their goddamn lives,” Emmie announces.
“Alex is shit out of luck tonight then,” Jodie says, making me look up in a panic. “I’ll call Bri in for Nico.” I don’t even have it in me to wince at that thought.
“And Daemon,” Stella adds.
“Maybe Calli can have her mind blown by the Deimos twins at last,” Emmie jokes while Jodie stares at me with understanding eyes.
Reaching forward, I take her hand in mine and squeeze, silently thanking her for keeping quiet.
Jocelyn rushes in with a tray of drinks and snacks, but none of us touch them.
We’re all too worried about our boys.
The clock above the fireplace continues to tick ominously, counting down every second they’re not here. And as the minutes turn into an hour, and then two, I start to lose hope. Glancing at the girls, I find the same expression etched into their features.
“Headlights,” Stella suddenly announces before jumping from the sofa and rushing toward the window. “Fuck. They’re here. They’re here,” she damn near screams as she runs for the door.
We all follow as the front door slams and footsteps fill the hallway.
The three of us spill out of the room as hope fills my heart that I’m about to lay eyes on Daemon. Fuck what everyone thinks, because I’m going to run straight into his arms and shatter everyone’s illusions that I’m still their innocent princess.
Only when I look up, I only find four of them.
Theo, Toby, Seb, and Alex all stand before us with grim expressions on their faces.
Movement behind me gives me hope once more, but only Uncle Damien and Galen appear.
“Where are the others?” I demand.
Where’s my dad, my brother, my— I swallow down that thought as tears flood my eyes once more and my heart breaks for the millionth time in the past few days.
“I’m sorry, Calli. They’re not with us.”
“No.” I shake my head, refusing to believe that tonight was my last night with the most important men in my life. “No.”
My knees buckle, but just before I hit the floor, strong arms catch me and pull me into his chest.
I blink away my tears and find Alex’s glassy ones staring back at me.
“I’ve got you, Calli. Okay? I’ve fucking got you.”
His arms engulf me, cutting me off from the others as I shatter, disbelief, grief, and bone-chilling fear taking hold of every inch of me.
I sob until my eyes burn and my throat aches from screaming, but Alex never once lets me go.
When I finally feel able to pull away from him, I find the hallway empty around us and tears staining Alex’s cheeks just like they are mine.
“I found this,” he says, his voice rough with emotion as he holds my clutch up.
I stare at it in disbelief.
Oh God.
I reach for it with shaky hands as his eyes burn into the top of my head, probably wondering why I’m reaching for it as if it’s the holy grail.
I forget that he’s watching me, pushing aside any concerns for what I’m potentially about to reveal to him. None of it matters. Nothing other than the truth matters.
I flip my bag open, finding the little packet exactly where I left it sitting beside my phone.
“Calli?” Alex asks, watching my every move.
Reaching inside, I pull the stick out from the open end of the foil and stare down at the screen with my answer.
“Holy fuck, Calli. Is that—”
