"Sturdy," I said, leaning into him. "Reliable. Though you gripped the anchor points a little hard. I’m going to have bruises on my hips shaped like your thumbs for a week."
"Property tags," Kit growled possessively, his hand sliding down to cover the exact spot he was talking about. "Just verifying the inventory."
I let out a slow breath. The banter, the technical jargon... it was the only way my brain could process the overwhelming reality of what had happened. If I treated it like a mix, I could handle the intensity. If I looked at it as justlove, I might shatter.
The door to the bedroom creaked open.
We all froze. Pack instinct. Three heads snapped toward the intrusion.
Cal stood in the doorway.
He was wearing crisp jeans and a sweater, looking annoyingly fresh and rested. He held a massive tray laden with tea, toast, and what looked like four different types of analgesics.
He stepped into the room, ignoring the heavy biological static that hit him like a wall.
"Right," Cal said, setting the tray on the dresser. "Kettle's boiled. Eat. Hydrate. Nobody is allowed to pass out today, we have a schedule."
He looked at me. His gaze lingered on the bite marks on my neck, stark and purple against my pale skin. He didn't flinch. He didn't look away.
He just nodded.
"Decent grouping," Cal critiqued mildly. "Bit messy on the left, Alfie, but points for enthusiasm."
Alfie groaned into the pillow. "Everyone's a critic."
"Drink this," Cal said, handing me a mug. Earl Grey. Two sugars. Perfect temperature. "Rowan's downstairs. She's fielding calls from the label. Gareth is threatening to sue us for breach ofcontract regarding 'public decency,' which is rich coming from him."
"Let him sue," Kit said, taking a piece of toast. "Zia signed the partnership papers. We're an LLC. We can sue him back for harassment."
"Rowan is currently explaining that to his lawyers in very short, very expensive sentences," Cal said. "But you need to be ready. We have a press line at the venue tonight. London show. It’s going to be a zoo."
I took a sip of the tea. The warmth spread through my chest, grounding me.
"I'm ready," I said.
I picked up my phone. It had been blowing up for twelve hours, but I had it on Do Not Disturb.
I unlocked it.
Callie (147 Unread Messages)
I scrolled to the bottom.
ZIA.
ZIA VALE.
The manifesto track. The lyrics. The Reddit threads.
Are you alive? Are you claimed? If you don't text me back in ten minutes I am invoking the best friend clause and flying to London to punch all three of them.
I grinned. I shifted the collar of Alfie’s t-shirt, exposing the landscape of my neck. I angled the camera.
Click.
The photo was blurry, intimate, and undeniable. Three marks. My mouth was visible in the corner of the frame, curved in a smirk that saidI won.
I hit send.
