I can’t wait.
33
Celeste
Ipull my cards tight to my chest and sneak a look through my lashes at the others. Theo is stone-faced, sitting so still it’s like he’s trying to Jedi-mind-control his hand into being better than it is. Lucian has the faintest twitch in his jaw—his tell—which means whatever he’s holding is probably a disaster. Selene looks smug, which is only ever good news for Selene, and Morgan is grinning like she already knows she’s about to salt the earth and dance on our graves.
The noise wraps around me, and I try to memorize this feeling of warmth and levity. It feels real, like a piece of home I didn’t realize I’d been starving for. I pull out my phone and shoot a quick message to the “Rowan’s Babysitting Service” group chat, letting them know I’m okay, and I miss them.
My toes wiggle in my socks, and the memory resurfaces of why socks are now a mandatory part of Uno night. The last time we played, I got caught red-handed, or… red-toed. Theo’s facewhen he spotted the draw-two pinched between my toes under the table is seared into my soul. And now here I am, socks on, behaving. Mostly. Growth is a real thing.
I glance around the same one I broke into almost a year ago because I had a catastrophic case of FOMO. It feels lived-in now. Loved-in. Theo’s presence lingers in the details: the throw blanket folded neatly over the couch arm, the framed photo of him and Selene at some festival, his battered leather jacket draped over a chair like it belongs there.
Like he belongs here.
And he does.
I didn’t think my sister would ever let someone in like that, not after everything, but she did. Somehow, she and Theo carved out a life together from late nights and bad jokes and the kind of scars that used to define them but don’t anymore. A new beginning, even after the horror of learning his aunt wasn’t just difficult or complicated, but a monster who killed his parents and two husbands of her own.
Selene finally has the kind of happiness that fits her, and makes her cheeks hurt from smiling, making her world bigger instead of smaller.
I let myself breathe it in the laughter, and the feeling of safety, and family.
“Draw four.” Morgan slaps her card down like she’s been waiting all night for the opportunity.
Lucian groans, dragging four cards off the top of the pile with theatrical misery. “You are ruthless.”
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Morgan says sweetly, leaning back like a villain in a throne.
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten how the three of you cheated last time,” Theo cuts in, narrowing his eyes at me over his cards.
Heat rushes up my neck, but I can’t help laughing. “That was like… a year ago.”
“Uh-huh,” he deadpans, laying down a skip card.
Morgan is already wheezing, and even Lucian’s lips twitch, though he ducks his head like he’s trying to hide it.
I glance at Selene, trying to change the subject, and ask, “So… where’s Bennett tonight? I haven’t seen him lurking around.” Theo found out about his cousin a little over a year ago when Bennett came to town after accidentally unearthing a serial killer while looking for his family.
Selene’s smile dims, but before she can answer, Theo sighs and answers as he slides a card onto the pile. “He’s in Arkansas chasing down another lead about his twin. It’s slow going.”
“Still nothing?” I ask, my chest tightening.
“It’s hard to make progress when you don’t even know if you’re looking for a brother or a sister,” Theo says quietly. “Or when their birthday is. He’s chasing ghosts with half a map, and he hasn’t gotten any familial hits on the DNA sites he’s on.”
Selene’s fingers drum on her cards, thoughtful. “But you know him. He’s stubborn, and thorough as hell. He’ll find something eventually.”
Morgan throws down another reverse, cackling when Lucian has to pull another card from the pile. “I’m unstoppable tonight.”
“You’reinsufferabletonight,” Theo mutters, glaring at his overflowing hand.
Selene leans her chin on her palm, smirking. “Don’t act like you’re a victim.”
I’m so busy laughing at his misery that I don’t even notice Lucian’s hand getting lighter. He slides a card onto the pile without a word, expression unreadable, then sits back while the rest of us carry on arguing.
I notice Lucian lay down a yellow three, as Selene shoots a look at Morgan. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Oh, I’m thinking about it,” Morgan says, holding her single card dramatically in the air—
