Chapter 55 #2
“Dead serious. Relationships aren’t one-size-fits-all, Agatha.
They’re hard. They’re easy. They’re sweet.
They’re deadly. The dynamic and the feelings are yours and yours alone, no matter what.
No matter how you feel or who you feel it for.
” Her voice softens, but it’s still steel.
“You can’t help who your heart wants. Or your pussy.
Believe me, I tried to stop it. But look at me now.
Tied to my imbeciles who drive me absolutely crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I know the bad shit they did and, hell, I even kinda understand the why.
It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they’re mine and I’m theirs.
And if I called them to slay another demon, they’d just ask where and when. ”
I nod even though she can’t see me. My eyes sting, but my mouth curves up. “Thanks, Lo.”
“You’re welcome, babe. Talk to you later.”
The line clicks off. The car feels quiet again, but not empty. I drive on autopilot, past rows of houses and gas stations and the little bakery with the pink awning.
I park, cut the engine, and just sit, staring at my porch. My heart’s thudding, but my hands are steady.
I think I know what I have to do.
Inside, I toss my groceries on the counter without caring if the eggs break. My bag drops by the couch. My fingers are already reaching for my phone. I dial a number and wait.
When the call is over, I start hurrying around the house, pulling things into a suitcase without even deciding. Clothes. Toothbrush. Charger.
Before I can think better of it, I’m out the door again, locking it behind me. My suitcase bumps against my leg as I hurry to the car. The engine catches on the first try. My heart’s louder than the tires on the road.
And then I’m driving.
When I pull into the driveway, the house rises up like a shadowed cathedral, all dark wood and long porches. My fingers tremble on the handle.
I walk up the three steps to the porch and knock like a girl begging a monster to open the door. It swings open, and there stands Evander: broad shoulders, pale eyes, damp hair falling loose over his forehead, the picture of restraint and danger all in one.
“What are you doing here, Little Horror?” His voice is low.
“How could you let me just go home so easily?”
“There was nothing easy about it, babe.” His jaw ticks.
“Then why?”
A voice from inside—Garron’s—calls out, “Because we’re new at this and not real good at it.”
That hits harder than I expect. My chest tightens, but I hold his stare anyway. “You shouldn’t have let me go.”
“Maybe not,” he says quietly. “But we needed to be sure—sure that if you came back, it was because you wanted to, not because you thought you had to.”
Evander studies me again. “What are you doing here, Agatha?”
“I’m coming to stay with you for a while,” I say, chin lifting. “I don’t want to be home, and…I want to be here.”
"Who's he—” Corwin snaps. "Oh, Little Horror. Why are you on our porch with a suitcase?"
“Well,” I say, shifting my bag higher on my shoulder, “I figured you’d only be by to kidnap me again later, so I’m saving you the trouble. I’m staying over for…well, I don’t know. But I’m here.”
Corwin narrows his eyes. “How did you get our address?”
I smile, slow and devious. “I called your mom.”
“That traitorous devil,” he mutters, but there’s a smile hiding in it.
“So can I come in?”
“Of course,” Evander says.
I drag my bag inside and take in the living room—rich wood, black leather, the smell of cedar and pine. My heart kicks hard in my chest.
“Just because I want to spend a few nights doesn’t mean I’m not going to work at the school or cam,” I warn them. “You will let me do my shit still. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Garron murmurs.
I set my bag down, swallow hard, and add quietly, “I went to see Jay.”
The room stills. Even Corwin stops fidgeting.
“I stood there in front of that grave and told him I had feelings for you three,” I continue. “That I wasn’t sorry. But I’m not over what you did. Killing him was pointless. He wasn’t a lover and never would’ve been—he was income. That’s all. And you turned him into something he wasn’t.”
Evander’s jaw tightens, his voice barely a whisper. “We know.”
Garron runs a hand over his head, pacing once before stopping in front of me. “We saw red, Agatha. You were going to fuck him—” He cuts himself off, shaking his head. “We went too far.”
Corwin shifts his weight, mouth pulling into something caught between a grin and a snarl. “I’m not sorry I stopped him from touching what’s mine,” he says flatly. “But I didn’t mean to hurt you. That part…” His jaw ticks once, the muscle working hard. “That part I’d take back if I could.”
The silence that follows makes my throat ache. It’s not an apology, not really, but it’s the closest thing I’ll ever get from him—and somehow, it’s enough for now.
Evander steps closer, the look in his eyes fractured between regret and need. “We’ll spend the rest of our lives making it right,” he says. “Groveling, if that’s what it takes.”
“You already started,” I whisper. “Let’s see if you can keep it up.”
Evander’s mouth twitches into something half-pained, half-relieved. “Challenge accepted.”
Corwin exhales sharply and mutters, “Well, that’s settled. Can we go back to the part where she said she’s staying?”
I smile, a little. “Yeah, but don’t get comfortable. You’re still on probation.”
“Probation,” Garron repeats, smirking faintly. “Sounds fair.”
“So can we star in some scenes now?” Corwin wraps his arms around me from behind, biting my earlobe hard.
I wince but smile. “Only if you’re in a mask, you miscreant.”
“Done,” he says, grinning.
“Let me show you to the guest room.” Evander holds his hand out to me.
I quirk my lip. “I thought I’d just spend one night with each of you in yours.”
“I’m first then,” he says, and before I can blink he’s snatched me up and thrown me over his shoulder. He’s running down the hall so fast I can’t even see the layout of the house. Garron and Corwin chase after us, banging on the door when it slams shut and he locks it.
“Snooze you lose, fuckers,” Evander growls against my skin.
He sets me down and prowls closer. “Now, how about I show you how much I missed you in the hours we’ve been apart.”
And show me he does, over and over, until the night blurs into something dark and hot and mine.