“Okay, so how fast do you think your contact can arrange a plane?”
Aurelia looks surprised at how quickly we’re moving on, and Thorin laughs when he sees it. “You could have left at any time,” he tells her. Aurelia narrows her gaze like she doesn’t quite believe him. “We weren’t teaching you how to hunt and survive out here for shits and giggles.”
“We’re not saying we wouldn’t chase you,” Khalil amends when Aurelia still looks skeptical. “It’s not in our nature to let you get away. You’d just have to be faster. Smarter.” He trails the back of his fingers down her bare arm. “But we’ve been working on that too, haven’t we?”
Aurelia looks shell-shocked, and we’re quiet as we wait for it to finish sinking in. For her to remember everything we’ve demanded of her these past months in an effort to make her less dependent on us or anyone for that matter. I see the moment it clicks; the tension coiling inside her muscles suddenly unravels and her body relaxes as she covers her face with her hands and then drops them again once she’s collected herself.
“Let’s call the sheriff,” she says.
KHALIL
Alone in my bedroom, I stare at the old and worn photo of my parents. I never allow myself to pull it out too often and only ever give myself a second to look at it—to reaffirm the memory of their faces—before I tuck it away under my mattress again.
It’s been ten years since I’ve seen or spoken to them. I know they’re alive, but they can’t say the same for me, which makes the possibility of facing them again that much harder.
Will they forgive me? Will I ever forgive me?
The four of us spent the night coming up with a plan to draw Isaac to us and making it as airtight as possible. The plan is to lure Isaac to our hometown in Six Forks, Nevada, since he’ll be less likely to suspect the trap if he thinks Zeke is just coming home after all these years in hiding. It’s only when I’m alone in my bedroom that I realize what it would mean if we succeed. We wouldn’t just be free, my parents would be too. Free from the pain I’ve caused them all these years.
I’m still staring at the photo when the door creaks open, and I know it’s her without looking up. She pads softly over to the bed and sits next to me. I can smell the sweet scent of her soap from her shower and feel her arm brushing mine as she peers down at the photo in my hand.
“Are those your parents?”
“Yeah,” I answer, my voice hoarse.
“You look just like your mom,” she says to no surprise. Everyone’s always said how I’m her twin. “I see a little of your dad too. You have his ears.”
I cackle at that. “He’ll be happy to hear that. He’s always saying how his genes could have fought back a little.”
Neither of us speak as we stare at the photo of my parents together on their anniversary.
“Have you thought about what you’ll say to them?” Aurelia asks.
I laugh, but the last thing I feel is real mirth. “Many times. Nothing I come up with to apologize for being the world’s worst son seems good enough though. How do I give them back the last ten years? How do I take away that pain?”
“You can’t. All you can do is everything in your power to make sure they don’t spend the next ten years believing the worst. It’ll be hard, but they’ve endured worse not knowing your fate, and so have you. You can’t live with this guilt forever, Khal. It’s drowning you. You try to hide it, but I can see.”
“I don’t regret choosing my brothers,” I say as I tuck the photo back in its hiding place. “Zeke needed me, and Thorin couldn’t have done this alone. They would have killed each other, and they don’t have anyone else. They only have me. I don’t regret being here for them.”
“I don’t think anyone is asking you to,” she assures me gently.
“Then you don’t know my parents,” I say with amusement.
“Well…” She stares at her toes as she swipes them back and forth across the floor. “They raised you, Khalil. Would they really be all that surprised at how much you love your friends or how loving and loyal you are? Don’t you think in some way they might be proud?”
I stare down at her while she blinks up at me, waiting for my answer. “Maybe.”
I want to tell her how lonely it’s been, how lonely I’ve felt sometimes, keeping Thorin and Zeke from falling apart on my own. And how I’m glad she stayed because I haven’t felt that way since she arrived, but Aurelia then leans her weight against meand I let the urge fade away because I don’t want her to stop. I don’t ever want the day to come when she no longer thinks I can be strong for her.
She won’t. Tell her.
“And at any rate,” she says in a light tone, “you’ll always have us, and I’ll be right there with you if you want. I’ll even let you hold my hand while your mom and dad cuss us both out.”
“Yeah?” I feel a smile slowly splitting my face. “You want to meet my parents, pretty girl?”
In classic Aurelia fashion, she gives me a dry look. “You planning on taking some other bitch to meet them?”
Leaning down, I take her lips and kiss her nice and slow before pulling back to stare into her eyes. “Only my future wife.”
