Alec wraps her arms around her. “I am so sorry they scared you.”
Ry pulls me into a tight hug. “Still getting into trouble without me, I see.” His chuckle is dark, but it draws a half-smile from me. Despite being several inches shorter than me, Ry’s built like a tank, all muscle and brawn beneath his curly blond hair and deceptively youthful face.
I sag against him as I hug him back. At leastsomeonein this city is glad to see me. No one can replace Jaxson, but during my time here, Ry and I became as close as brothers. I missed him fiercely.
Ry steps back, and Gianna rushes into my arms. For a moment, I’m frozen, as still as the ice encasing Dimitri’s accomplice, but then she whispers, “Thank you,” and I thaw instantly. I hold her close. She’s Leigh’s best friend. If anything had happened to her, Leigh might never have forgiven me.Imight never have forgiven myself.
“What happens now?” Gianna asks, pulling back to glare down at Dimitri.
“How about we walk you back to the garrison while Wilder and Ry deal with him?” Meg proposes. Behind her, Brigid quietly seethes.
Gianna searches my eyes. I nod. She’ll be safe with them.
After they leave, I call Commander Eddo to report the attack; Brigid be damned. Ry sticks with me, and when the call is over, we lean against the caged front of a spice shop, awaiting the familiar siren of approaching officers.
Ry breaks the silence first. “Is there something going on between you and the Epsilon girl?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Gianna is a Nebula.”
Ry cracks a grin. “I don’t care what she is, as long as she’s single.”
“She is. I’m with Leigh.”
“That’s right,” he says. “Does that mean I have to call youPrinceWilder?”
I laugh. “Call me prince, and you’ll wish you were in Dimitri’s place.”
Ry’s smile dims a bit. “Despite what Brigid thinks, I’m glad you’re back. So is she. She just doesn’t know how to express her feelings. At least not verbally. She thought you’d return, and thetwo of you would pick up where you left off. She’s not used to being told no.”
I shift my weight. Nowshe isn’t going to introduce me to Stellan. She’ll purposely keep us apart. That’s Brigid all over—hot one minute, an arctic blast the next.
“Do you know what her deal is with Stellan Navis? Are she and Eddo loyal to his cause over the Council?” I ask Ry.
“Stellan is friends with all the Nebula in this city. But if you really want to know what all the fuss is about, see for yourself at his next rally.”
I push off the wall. He’s making a public appearance? “When is it?”
My friend shrugs. “He’s speaking at Trinity Square in two days. It’s not a secret.”
I harden my stare on the dusty pavement. Brigid made it sound like getting in touch with Stellan would be harder than getting into Little Death.
“I’m going,” Ry says. “You should come, too. Bring Gianna.”
“If you and Meg fight over her,” I warn, “don’t come whining to me when Meg ultimately kicks your teeth in.”
Ry straightens, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Please, there’s no competition.”
The wail of approaching sirens grows louder, and I draw a deep breath, steeling myself for the fallout. Eddo won’t be happy, and neither will Michael Bersa when he learns he’ll need to replace his plant manager on short notice. That apology he wants won’t happen anytime soon.
“I’m sosorry I’m late.” Jaxson’s smile lights up as he presents me with a flower. Its intricate star-shaped petals glisten under the soft light of the backup generator powered streetlamps. The sweet, earthy scent of the blossom cocoons us. “For you.”
It’s a white oleander—my favorite. He remembered.
I accept the flower that matches the tattoo on my shoulder, twirling it between my fingers. Part of me still cares for Jaxson, but my hearthadto move on after he left. Except, the longer he smiles at me, the more I regret I ever did.
I’m a vampire. We don’t belong together. It’s unfair to let him think otherwise.
I pinch a velvety petal between my fingers. “But they aren’t in season. Where’d you get it?”
