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I took another sip of my drink and tried not to let impatience get the best of me.

The bigger problem was that even if Caspian was already somewhere in the mansion, how was I supposed to recognize him? Everybody was wearing a costume, half the men had masks covering their faces, and I had already seen enough black suits to make me wonder whether every man in Hallowridge had decided to come as some version of Gomez Addams.

I searched the area near the entrance, but nothing immediately caught my attention… then a familiar scent drifted past me.

My entire body went still.

Caspian’s favorite cologne.

There was no confusing it with something similar or convincing myself it only reminded me of him.

I turned toward where it had come from and caught sight of a man moving through the crowd.

He was tall, dark-skinned, and broad across the shoulders, dressed in a perfectly tailored black pinstripe suit with a crisp white shirt and black tie underneath. A silver watch rested against his wrist, and his hair was cut neatly enough to complete the entire Gomez Addams look.

My breath caught.

There was something about the way he moved that made my heart start pounding before I could fully explain why. He carried himself with the same relaxed confidence Caspian always had, like he never needed to rush because the world could wait on him. Even the way he adjusted the front of his jacket sent a chill racing over my skin.

I started after him.

The man stopped near the staircase and turned just enough to reveal the side of his face. A black mask covered the upper half, but it did nothing to hide that jawline or those lips.

Oh, my God.

Then his attention found me.

My heart nearly stopped. “Caspian?”

Instead of answering, he turned and continued through the crowd.

I followed without thinking twice, weaving between people as I tried to keep him in sight. He reached the far side of the foyer, paused near the staircase, and gave me one more teasing view over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

I hurried after him.

Before I could make it to the stairs, however, a familiar voice boomed across the foyer.

“Ah, shit! Party over here!”

I stopped so abruptly that somebody nearly walked into the back of me.

Then I turned around and immediately wished I hadn’t.

Chalis was standing in my mothafuckin’ house, holding up a bottle of expensive liquor like he was the guest of honor. Three of his homies were gathered around him, laughing and talking with several other guests as though they belonged there.

“Oh, hell fucking no!” I muttered in frustration.

For the moment, I forgot completely about the man in the pinstripe suit.

I searched for Willow because there was no way in hell my sister had invited Chalis into this house… not after the way he had shown up at my door, not after his car mysteriously caught fire in my driveway, and damn sure not after the things he had said about Caspian.

I found Willow tucked off to the side near one of the tall windows, apparently trying to steal a little privacy with her temporary husband.

“Willow!”

She turned toward me while Frankenstein remained exactly where he was, still committed to that damn character like somebody was paying him extra not to break.

“Hey, sis. Is everything good?”