For a second, I just stare. Through all the fire, blood, and loss I feel a surge of hope, in the palm of my hand.
I rip it open and we both stare at a white piece of paper.
“I can’t believe what I am seeing.”
I hand the paper to Harlow and when she looks back at me, there are tears in her eyes. “It’s the antidote formula. Layla cracked the code, she must have and found a way to get this to me. That means she has to be alive, right? This could save every person hooked on Euphoria.”
I lock my arms around her.
“She just saved a hell of a lot of people,” I say, voice thick. “You did too. Including me.”
She smiles, slow and certain, and in that smile I see a new beginning. One that is forged in fire, blood, and the kind of love that refuses to die, no matter how hard the world tries to snuff it out.
I pull her in, lips meeting hers in a kiss that is equal parts gratitude, apology, and a soul-deep promise. I taste ash, tears, and the fierce sweetness of victory. When I pull away, her eyes are shining.
“I love you,” I say, because I finally can. Because nothing will ever keep me from her again.
She grins, wild and bright. “Good. Because I’m never letting you go. You pull another stunt like you did last time and I’ll kick your ass.”
“Deal.”
We walk toward my SUV and I shoot off a text to the crew.
“Found Grudge. He’s dead. Bring backup.”
That sends off a flurry of messages but I turn my GPS on and leave them to figure out how to get here.
I pull Harlow closer. We are together and finally free of secrets, free of ghosts, and we are ready to write the rest of our story side by side. And as the sun rises over the ashes of our past, I know with every shattered, mended piece of my heart this is where we begin again.
EPILOGUE
HARLOW, TWO WEEKS LATER
The bell over the bookstore door chimes softly as I step inside, and the sound settles something deep in my chest that I didn’t realize was still rattling loose. A quiet sense of belonging settles inside me, and I welcome it with a full heart.
The air smells like paper, coffee, and sugar. I inhale deeply and love the underlying hints of ink, cinnamon, and warmth. These are all the things that make a place feel safe. Whole. Alive. Snow clings to the edges of my boots, melting into small dark spots on the old hardwood floor as heat rolls over me in gentle waves.
I pause just inside the door, taking it all in.
The Savage crew fills the broken Chapter bookstore in a way that somehow doesn’t feel overwhelming. Laughter carries between the shelves. Coffee cups steam in callused hands. Charli argues with Beast about whether enemies-to-lovers or second-chance romance is superior, and the sound of it makes my mouth curve into a smile before I can stop it.
This is what survives the fire.
People. Love. Found family. Like the phoenix on my back, survival and rebirth are woven into these people.
Cipher is across the room, broad shoulders bent slightly as he flips through a paperback with a cracked spine and a cover featuring a shirtless man who looks suspiciously like he could be one of his brothers. His black hair is still damp from the snow, curling at the nape of his neck. The scar along his jaw catches the light when he smiles at something Beast mutters under his breath, and my heart does that stupid, traitorous thing where it stutters and then slams hard against my ribs.
I love him the way I love breathing.
Someone bumps into me gently, pulling me into a hug before I can react.
“You made it,” Charli says, squeezing me tight. She smells like vanilla and espresso and something floral I can’t place. “I was starting to think Cipher was gonna keep you locked away forever.”
I laugh into her shoulder. “He tried, but we couldn’t keep me cuffed to his bed for long.”
He looks up at the mention of his name, and we exchange a knowing glance.
Charli pulls back, eyes bright, and presses a book into my hands. “Here. I saved you a copy.”
