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“Mom, you’re not losing me. I promise. Whatever happens, you will never lose me.” The pit in my stomach grows heavier because I shouldn’t make that promise, not when I don’t know I’ll be able to keep it.
“I never wanted this for you, sweetheart. I’ve been so scared every single day since you left for school and I…” Her voice cracks and she stops talking.
“I know,” I tell her. “You had as much control over this as I did, so believe me, I understand. And I don’t blame you—for any of it.”
She sniffles again. “You’ve become such a strong young woman. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, Calla.”
A tear rolls down my cheek, and I don’t bother wiping it away. “Listen, I’m going to come to you guys,” I say, “once it's safe. A lot is going on, and I'm not sure where I'm going to be. I mean, what state I'm going to be in once it happens.”
“I understand, honey. Just know that I'm here for you. I meant that. I love you and I'll support you however I can. You make sure those boys take care of you.”
I smile faintly. “That is one thing you never have to doubt. I should go, I love you both and I'll talk to you soon.”
“We love you, too, Calla. Forever.”
The line clicks off, and I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks, sniffling and clearing my throat as I stand, leaving my phone on the end of the bed as I walk out of the bedroom.
Lex is grinning as if he's done something bad, and I narrow my eyes at him. “What's going on?”
Kade glances sideways at him and rolls his eyes, chuckling softly. Atlas remains silent, but Gabriel offers me a warm smile. “We're going to celebrate today.”
I arch a brow. “Celebrate what, exactly?”
“You,” Atlas says, snaring my gaze. “We're celebrating you, Calla.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I blink quickly. “My last day as a human?” I offer.
“You've made your decision,” Gabriel says, “but that doesn't mean it needs to happen today or tomorrow or even next week. We can wait until you're ready.”
“Or at least until our deadline, right?” I ask somewhat sarcastically.
He frowns slightly, then nods.
“I don't want to wait. I think it'll just make it harder. This is my decision, and I need to start living my life this way.”
Lex slaps his knees and stands. “Well, all right then. Let's celebrate your last day as a human.”
“Okay,” I say, dragging out the word. “How exactly are we going to do that?”
10
Atlas
If I hadn’t already killed Lex once, I’d be damn near tempted to do it now.
Apparently, his grand idea of celebrating Calla’s last day as a human is to attend every fucking tourist attraction in New York City.
Because certainly roaming around a city filled with people who have likely either seen the news about vampires or are keen to hunt us for sport—or both—is a smart move.
I should be pissed. Hell, I shouldn’t have allowed it, but Calla… She looked so happy. I haven’t seen her laugh and smile that much in, well, ever. At least not in the time she’s been with us.
She deserved absolutely everything she wanted today—and I wanted her to have it.
Luckily, we didn’t run into any issues—no hunters or television crews. I’ll have to get my ass to Washington sooner than later to help clean up the situation—not for my parents but the other vampires in my life that I genuinely care for. Their lives are in danger too, and I won’t stand for it.
“For someone who grew up here, you’ve seen very little of your own city,” Lex comments mildly as we make the short walk back to the hotel from the subway—another human experience we had to have instead of taking our own vehicle. Granted, driving in the city is a major headache, so I didn’t mind the underground excursion.
Calla shrugs, adjusting herI ?? NYball cap Kade bought her at one of the many gift shops we stopped in today. “I never thought to be a tourist in my own city.” She jumps onto Kade’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he laughs, grabbing the backs of her knees, holding her steady as we keep walking.
