“You’ll stand beside me,” I correct. “Because you’re mine and I’m yours, so we’ll face everyone together.”
She goes still. “Because Axel said so.”
I take a breath, rubbing the back of my neck. “No,” I say, moving closer. “Because I want to. Because I’ve wanted to since the first night you walked into this club and looked at me like I wasn’t the monster everyone else saw.” Her brow furrows, and she finally looks at me. I keep going. “You think this is about the club? About rules? Fuck that. I don’t follow orders when it comes to you. This is me choosing you. Every single day. Even when it’s messy. Even when you hate me.”
Her eyes glisten, her lips parting like she’s about to speak, but I don’t let her.
I step closer, until there’s barely an inch between us. “So, tonight, when I say your name in front of everyone, it’s not Axel’s idea. It’s mine. You understand me?”
Her voice is a whisper. “And if I say no?”
My chest tightens. “Then I’ll walk you out of here myself, make sure you’re safe, and never follow you again.” She studies me for a long moment, searching for a lie. “But know this, Remi. It will kill me to let you go again. I barely survived the first time.”
Finally, she exhales and whispers, “Okay.”
I brush my thumb along her jaw, gentle. “Okay, what?”
“Okay, I’ll stand beside you.”
Relief hits so hard, it almost hurts.
I lean in and press my forehead to hers. “We do this together, Rem. No more running. No more fear.”
She nods. “Together.”
Chapter Twenty - Six
Remi
The girls fill the room with noise and warmth. I can’t remember the last time I was surrounded by women who weren’t whispering, judging, or plotting my downfall.
Lexi’s on her knees in front of the wardrobe, pulling out hangers like it’s a mission. Luna’s sprawled on the bed, legs crossed, a can of Coke in her hand, while Xanthe sits at the dressing table, sorting through makeup like she’s prepping a model for a photoshoot.
“You’re definitely not wearing black,” Lexi says, holding up a short lace dress. “You’ll blend right into the rest of them. We wantwow, notfuneral.”
Luna snorts. “What’s wrong with the one you picked earlier? It’s classic.”
“It’s predictable,” Xanthe cuts in, flicking her wrist. “We’re going soft tonight. Think redemption. Thinkshe’s been through hell but came out stunning.”
I can’t help it, my lips twitch into a smile. They notice immediately.
“There it is,” Luna says, grinning. “A smile. I knew you had one somewhere under all that trauma.”
“Sorry,” I say automatically, because the word still spills out before I can stop it.
Lexi waves me off. “You don’t need to apologise in this room, babe. Rule number one of Chaos women—no sorry unless you’ve actually stabbed someone’s old man, and even then, it depends on who . . . and why.”
That earns a laugh from Luna. “She’s right. Shadow could probably do with being taken down a peg or two anyway.”
I choke on a laugh that turns into a giggle, the sound strange and unfamiliar in my throat. “You’d stab Shadow?”
Luna grins. “If he deserved it. But don’t worry, I like him too much for that. He’s a pain in the arse, but he’s loyal. You picked one of the good ones.”
I look down at my hands, fiddling with the hem of Shadow’s old shirt. “I didn’t pick him. He just . . . didn’t give up on me.”
“Same thing, babe,” Xanthe says, dabbing concealer onto my cheekbone with a brush. “Sometimes the best ones don’t ask. They just stay.”
Her touch is soft, gentle where the bruises still live. “You’ve got good skin under all this,” she murmurs. “Bit pale, but we’ll call it ethereal instead of near-death.”
