My heart is pounding as we park.
I haven't seen my brother in a couple of years.
The diner door opens, and there he is.
Shiver.
Older than I remember. Harder. But his eyes are the same, and when he sees me, they go soft.
I'm out of the truck and running before I can think.
"Shiv!"
He catches me, lifts me off my feet, holds me tight. "Grace. Jesus. Look at you."
I'm crying. Can't help it. "I missed you."
"Missed you too, little sister." He sets me down, looks me over. "You okay? Really okay?"
"I'm okay. I promise."
Shiver looks past me at Shadow, who's standing by the truck with Banshee.
His expression goes hard.
Shiver walks over, and I hold my breath.
Shadow meets him halfway, and they stand there for a moment, sizing each other up.
Then Shiver extends his hand. "You taking care of my sister?"
Shadow shakes it. "With my life."
Shiver studies him, then nods slowly. "Good. Because if you hurt her, I don't care what club you're with or that you protected her. I'll end you."
"Fair," Shadow says simply.
And just like that, they seem to understand each other.
We pile into a booth at the diner—me, Shadow, Shiver, and Banshee.
Charlie's in the truck with the windows cracked and the AC running.
Shiver orders enough food for an army: eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes. "You're getting married. Gotta fuel up."
I can barely eat, nerves and excitement tangling in my stomach.
Shadow's hand finds my thigh under the table. Steady. Grounding.
"So," Shiver says, stabbing a forkful of eggs. "You need an officiant."
I blink. "Oh. Right. We need someone who can actually marry us."
Banshee perks up. "I could get ordained online right now. Takes like ten minutes."
Shiver shakes his head. "Nah. We got someone better."
Shadow raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
