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It floods my veins with such force that for a second I swear I can feel every drop of blood moving through my body.

My wings flex.

My heart pounds.

My lungs expand.

And there is no pain.

Fuck.

No burning beneath my skin.

No relentless pressure demanding I Change.

No sense of something inside me pushing toward an inevitable breaking point.

For the first time in longer than I can remember, I don't feel like I'm dying.

I feel—powerful.

Whole.

Relief crashes into me so hard it almost brings me to my knees.

I never thought this would happen for me. My cousins are the lucky ones.

Avail found Stephanie.

Tony found Sofia.

Max found Penelope.

And I watched them change for the better. Watched men with the same cursed blood running through their veins find the one person in the world capable of quieting the chaos.

I told myself I didn't need it.

Then I told myself I didn't want it.

Eventually, I convinced myself it simply wasn't meant to happen for me.

Forty came.

My body started changing permanently.

And I accepted the truth.

I was out of time.

Then a mouthy little Witch moved into the haunted house next door. She’s fire and sass. Curves and temptation.

She’s…

My promised.

A laugh breaks out of me in the darkness.

Of course she is.