Two women a few rows over in the back parking lot, standing close together and laughing quietly. Both have dark brown hair. Both are noticeably pregnant, one more than the other, bellies round beneath hoodies and long tees. They aren’t dressed likethey came here to party. No heels. No glitter. No hunger in their eyes.
They look… normal. Safe.
I hesitate, then walk over before I can talk myself out of it.
“Hey,” I say, my voice quieter than I mean it to be. “I’m sorry. This is probably awkward, but are you headed back toward town?”
They look up at the same time and whatever they see on my face makes their expressions soften immediately. “Yeah,” the woman with the fuller belly says gently. “We are. You okay?”
I nod even though I’m not. “I will be.”
They don’t ask anything else. The other woman reaches for the keys. “We can take you anywhere you need to go.”
Relief hits me so hard my chest aches.
“Thank you,” I say. Then again. “Seriously. Thank you.”
Inside the car, the doors shut with a solid, grounding sound. I pull my wig off without thinking and drop it into my lap, combing my fingers through my hair like I need to remind myself I’m real.
“I’m Bri,” the driver says. “This is my sister, Bella.”
“Savannah,” I say quietly.
Bella glances at me in the mirror, studying my face. “Did someone mess with you in there?”
Her tone is gentle, but there’s heat underneath it.
I shrug. “Not like… physically.”
Bella’s jaw tightens. “Because if they did, our husbands are Iron Reapers. And they don’t play nice when women get hurt.”
Bri nods. “We’ll kick someone’s ass. Pregnant or not.”
That almost makes me laugh.
I shake my head. “No. It wasn’t a guy. It was women. In the bathroom.”
Bri turns fully in her seat now. “What happened?”
“They said some really nasty shit,” I admit. “About me. About the guy I was with. That he sleeps with anyone. That I was just a one night thing. A joke.”
Bella exhales through her nose. “I hate women like that.”
“Me too,” Bri mutters.
Bri glances at me in the mirror again. “Were you with an Iron Reaper tonight?”
I nod slowly. “Well. I wouldn’t really say I was with him.” I let out a quiet, embarrassed breath. “It’s so stupid. There was this bet. And we’ve been talking for a few days.”
Bella waits. Patient.
“I don’t even know why I’m so upset,” I continue. “I guess… and I know this sounds stupid as fuck, but it felt like it was heading somewhere real.”
They’re quiet for a beat.
“Who was it?” Bri asks gently.
“Lucky,” I say, then glance up. “Do you know him?”
