Then—he goes still.
Slack.
Dead.
“I think I just came.”
Nate’s voice cracks the tension once more.
“You’re a freak,” I snark.
“Mmm,” he agrees. “Perhaps.”
“Why did you call?”
“Just to see if you can come to Carina's birthday in April?”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure I can make it.”
“Awesome. This one—”
“Wait,” I call, my brow furrowing. "Isn't her birthday in February?"
He chuckles. “Yeah, but we’re celebrating it twice. New tradition.”
“Right,” I deadpan. “Why am I not invited for her actual birthday?”
“You are. It’s in the group chat.”
“Wait. Isn’t your wedding in April?”
“No. That’s May.”
I roll my eyes. “Can you just text me the dates you need me in England?”
“Sure. See you then!”
The call clicks off.
Izzy’s eyes flick between Xander’s slack body and me.
“Do you understand the darkness in me now?”
She shakes her head at me. “You did this for me. You did this because of what he did to me. How could I see anything but light inside you?”
“I think you’re insane.”
She laughs. “Maybe.”
We clean up, scrubbing away the blood and grime. I don’t often do this part myself. But there’s something… nice… about doing it with Izzy. As long as we’re together, nothing else seems to matter.
24
Always You
No one speaks Italian properly here. The accents are wrong. They’ve changed some of the words too. —Need you, Enzo
Enzo
