“That doesn’t make it better,” Lillith muttered.
“No,” Ember admitted. “It doesn’t. You’re still here, though,” Ember added. Lillith glanced around the church again at the women laughing, and the space slowly turning into something real.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I am.” And for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she was just passing through. “I was thinking,” she started, then hesitated.
Ember arched a brow. “That’s always dangerous.”
Lillith rolled her eyes. “Shut up. I’m serious.”
“Okay,” Ember said, crossing her arms. “Hit me.”
“I was thinking maybe I could stay,” Lillith said. “Like, for real. Not just crash at your place and figure things out, but actually stay.” Ember’s expression shifted. She didn’t seem shocked by what Lillith had said.
“You talking about joining the Royal Harlots?” Ember asked.
Lillith swallowed. “Maybe,” she admitted. It felt big, saying it out loud. Like she was choosing something instead of just reacting to life for once. The women in the club had come to mean something to her. And being with Ember and Jack felt like she finally had family again. It had been a long time since she felt that way. It was nice. Plus, she liked being a part of something again, and the Harlots gave that to her. The Royal Harlots were starting to feel like home to her.
Ember nodded slowly. “We can talk about that.” That was it. There was no pressure and no big speech. Her sister was giving her an in, and she knew that she wanted to take it.
Lillith smiled back at Ember. “Okay then.”
Later that evening, Lillith walked back from the small grocery store a few blocks away, a bag slung over her shoulder. She’d insisted on going alone, claiming that she needed air, but really, she just needed some space to think. She needed to feel like she wasn’t just hiding behind Ember and the club all the time.
The street was quiet—too quiet. Her footsteps echoed just a little too loudly against the pavement. Lillith frowned, glancing over her shoulder, but saw nothing. It was just her imagination running wild again. Ever since Tank left, warning her not to goanywhere alone, she felt as though she was constantly looking over her shoulder.
“You’re being paranoid,” she muttered to herself.
Still, the feeling didn’t go away. If anything, it got worse, like something was just out of sight—watching and waiting. She picked up her pace slightly, trying to hurry back to Ember’s house when a car door slammed somewhere behind her. Lillith jumped, her heart kicking up hard in her chest as she turned.
“Hey there,” a man’s voice called. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to move.
“Sorry,” she said quickly, stepping back. “I don’t?—”
“You don’t what?” he asked, closing the distance between them too fast. Lillith’s pulse roared in her ears.
“Back off,” she snapped, trying to sound stronger than she felt. He didn’t budge. Instead, his hand shot out, grabbing her arm hard enough to make her gasp.
“Let go of me,” she hissed, trying to yank free. He just smiled, and that was the moment she knew that this wasn’t random. This wasn’t some creep taking his chances. This was something else—something worse.
“Got you,” he muttered. Fear slammed into her chest.
“Let me go!” she shouted, struggling harder now, panic clawing its way up her throat. His grip tightened, and pain shot up her arm.
“Stop fighting—” The words cut off, because suddenly, the man wasn’t touching her anymore. Lillith stumbled back, blinking in confusion as the guy was yanked away from her like he weighed nothing. And then she saw him—Tank. He came out of nowhere. One second, she was alone, and the next, he was there. All hard lines and fury, his hand fisted in the man’s shirt as he slammed him into the side of the car.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Tank’s voice was low and deadly. The guy tried to recover, swinging at him, whichwas a big mistake. Tank dodged it easily, his fist connecting with the man’s jaw with a sickening crack. Lillith flinched as the guy went down hard, but Tank didn’t stop. He grabbed him again, hauling him up just enough to slam him back down.
“Who sent you?” he demanded.
The man groaned, blood already spilling from his mouth. “I don’t—” Tank hit him again, this time, harder.
“Wrong answer,” he breathed.
“Tank!” Lillith shouted, her voice shaking. He stilled, but only for a second—just long enough to glance back at her. And in that moment, everything hit her at once—relief, shock, and even anger.
“You’re going to kill him,” she said, breathless. Tank looked back at the man and then released him. The guy crumpled to the ground, barely conscious, and Tank stepped back, his chest rising and falling as he dragged a hand through his hair. Then, his eyes locked on her.
“You okay?” he asked, like he hadn’t just disappeared for a month. Like his leaving hadn’t wrecked her. He had just shown up out of nowhere and turned her world upside down again.
