Internally, I groaned. The parents didnothave to see that.
“Ava, wipe that smirk off your face!” Liam burst.
“What?” she asked innocently. “I thought it was sexy!”
“This isn’tsexy! This isdisturbing!” Liam bellowed. “Robbing a bank shouldnotbe making you think about?—”
The broadcast continued. “These partners-in-crime were not working alone. A female accomplice has been identified as none other than Kalina Nowak, former fae princess turned assassin for hire.”
Marcus shifted in his seat. “Great. They said terrible things about you guys. I can’t wait to hear them blast my screw-ups all over the news.”
The news anchor paused, as if checking their notes. “The fourth member of their team is Martin Tyler, a rogue warlock born on the streets. He spent his childhood as a famous circus performer, not knowing where he came from, until a Ponzischeme involving performing elephants landed him at the Darke Institute.”
“What?” Marcus asked in disbelief. “WHAT?!”
“That’s unfortunate,” Nadine whispered quietly.
“They got my name wrong! I’m not Martin Tyler!” Marcus yelled. “And I’ve never been in a damn circus! Why did they get my friends’ information right and not me?!”
“I mean, it might be a good thing they don’t know who you are,” Ava offered feebly.
“No way! I always get the short end of the stick!” Marcus slammed his fist on the table. “It’s all bullshit! Who’s writing these news reports?”
“At least they mentioned you,” Chancey said. “Ives and I didn’t even get credit.”
“This isn’t something you want to take credit for!” Liam growled. “Youexposedthe supernatural world. The humans are preparing their nukes to mount them against us! I don’t care how powerful you think you are— you aren’t surviving a nuclear explosion.”
“The United Supernatural Union was quick to execute their Exposure Protocol,” the newscaster continued. “Human witnesses have had their memories wiped, and all video content has been scrubbed from the Internet. The Union is working diligently to explain away the events as an elaborate hoax. For now, the supernatural world remains a secret, but until these criminals are caught, there’s no telling what damage they’ll do to our communities next.”
The television clicked off. Nobody dared to say anything— that is, until Ava opened her big mouth.
“I guess that means no nukes,” Ava said happily, as if that was the end of it. “Problem solved!”
“No, notproblem solved,” Liam replied snidely. “The humans may have their memories wiped, but they’re still onedge. They know something’s up, even if they can’t remember what it is. You guys really blew it, and you didn’t even get what you were looking for.”
Ava sighed. “We don’t need the lecture, Daddy. We’re adults, not children.”
“Apparently you do, because you’re behaving like kids,” Liam accused. “You’re like reckless teenagers acting on impulse!”
“Well, I’m twenty-one, so I’m not a teenager anymore,” Ava said flatly.
Liam sighed, and his voice softened. “My point is, you can’t keep making rash decisions. Because if you do, they’regoingto end badly.”
“You made difficult decisions during the Hawkei Civil War,” Ava reminded him. “We have a prophecy to fulfill, too. You need to let us make our own choices.”
“I made tough choices because they were my only options,” Liam emphasized. “You’re making purposely bad decisions because youwantto, not because youhaveto. There’s a big difference, peanut. And I’m really concerned about how this is going to end if you and your friends keep going down the wrong path.”
“That’s not true,” I defended. “You think this was a choice? We knew there was a chance someone else could get to the vampire key first, and we wereright. We had to act fast, and it turns out, it wasn’t fast enough. We could sense its resonance— we only missed it by a few hours. We should’ve gone last night, while the key was still in the vault. You’re not mad that we tried to rob the bank. You’re mad that someone else got there first. Weneedthat key, and it’s going to take criminals to get it. Would you rather us choose to sit back and donothing?”
“You could’ve asked for help, but you didn’t!” Liam insisted. “Charlie, if you don’t learn how to trust people, you’re going toend up in a bad situation. One we won’t be able to get you guys out of.”
I scoffed. “Forgive me if I don’t trust anyone but the few people who have ever shown up for me my whole life. Ididput my trust in people—my friends— and we managed to make it out alive. I call that a win.”
Liam sighed. “You can trust us, too. We’re here to support you.”
“If you wanted to support us, you wouldn’t be berating us,” I sneered. “You say you’re there for us, but where were you when we were in Cellblock 9? Becauseno onewas there to get us out. We got ourselves out.”
I didn’t like mentioning Cellblock 9. I barely held it together as I forced the words out, and even then, my voice still cracked. I could feel tears brimming at the corners of my eyes, too.
