Chapter 23
Selene
I’m enraged—or at least I’m trying to be—but my heart is singing in my chest. I’m allowed to be angry. They left me. Hence the knee-jerk reaction that led to the dagger now embedded in my bedroom wall.
Hopefully I didn’t wreck it. I’ll have to re-sharpen the blade later.
Kaz is kneeling at the edge of my bed, a psychotic, sexy smirk curling his lips. Keir and Dario are pulling themselves off the floor. Part of me wants to laugh at them, but the anger won’t let me.
“What do you want?” I ask coolly.
They blink at me in unison, frowns etching their faces. It’s almost cute—almost.
“It’s your birthday, princess,” Keir says as he moves to stand beside Kaz.
“Okay… and?” I ask, my tone flat.
“We brought you presents,” Dario says gently, stepping up to Kaz’s other side.
They’re all watching me. Hopeful. Nervous. Maybe even a little desperate. It’s written all over their faces like a damn billboard.
I am happy to see them. But also—fuck them.
Figuratively, of course. If I let them near my body again, I don’t think I’d survive if they walk away a second time.
“Malyshka, can we talk?” Kaz asks, his voice a low plea.
His hands twitch like it’s taking everything in him not to reach for me.
“You’re welcome to talk,” I say, folding my arms. “But I doubt there’s anything you can say that will make what you did any better.”
Kaz moves fast, climbing onto the bed and sitting directly across from me. He takes my hands, his ocean eyes locking onto mine, stealing the breath from my lungs.
My soul cries out for his.
I resist the urge to crawl into his lap—my favourite spot in the world. Used to be, I remind myself firmly.
Dario and Keir join him on either side. Thank God I convinced my father to buy me a California king. Even then, it’s a tight fit with all three of them on it.
They’re quiet. Watching me. Waiting.
Just as I’m about to speak, Keir beats me to it.
“We left for one reason,” he says, resting his hand on my knee. “To be able to come back to you.”
A bitter laugh escapes me, and I roll my eyes.
“He’s serious, pumpkin,” Dario adds, placing his hand on my other knee.
I bite back the shiver threatening to race through me. Their touch still undoes me, even now.
“We wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly back home,” Dario continues. “So we could come back to you without a worry.”
“Lily told us about the five-month mark,” Kaz says, squeezing my hands. “We thought we’d make it.”
“It just took longer for Kaz to take over the Bravata,” Keir chimes in.
“When we missed the deadline…” Dario trails off, guilt clouding his features. “We thought we lost you. No one reached out to us.”
“They wouldn’t have,” Kaz growls. “No one knew our plans.”
“Still,” Dario says, “it would’ve helped if someone asked. But to be fair, everyone was worried about you.”
“The lack of communication all around wasn’t our finest moment,” Keir admits.
“Then I got your letter,” Kaz murmurs, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Call me crazy, malyshka—but I fucking love you.”
My heart stutters. I search his eyes for a lie, but all I find is truth. Adoration. Love.
Dario touches my cheek. “I love you too, pumpkin.”
Tears burn in my eyes. I search his gaze as I did Kaz’s—more truth, more adoration.
I don’t even realize I’m biting my lip until Keir’s thumb gently frees it.
“I know our start—and the middle — of that week was a disaster,” he says, voice heavy. “To be honest, I think I was terrified.”
He looks away briefly. “I’m thirty-eight, and never in all those years have I felt what you made me feel.”
He exhales. “I’m a fucking idiot for not seeing what was right in front of me. You’re everything, princess. Everything.”
He takes my hand from Kaz. “Whether you believe it or not, I love you. And I’ll prove it—every day until my last.”
My heart wants to forgive them. But my mind won’t let go.
My chest tightens. My breath shortens. The memory of waking up alone—hollow and shattered—hits me like a freight train.
“Kroshka,” Kaz says gently, “look at me.”
I do. He lifts my hand to his chest, placing his over mine.
“Breathe with me, okay?” He guides me through it.
Inhale. Exhale.
“Good girl,” Keir murmurs, and my core tightens traitorously.
Dario squeezes my knee, mirroring the breaths, grounding me further.
Once I’ve steadied, I nod slowly.
“You can’t just do this,” I whisper. “You left. And now you think ‘I love you’ is enough?”
I glance at the wall behind Kaz, my voice rising.
“I get panic attacks every time I remember waking up from death’s grasp alone. You broke something in me—and I’m not sure words can fix it.”
“We’ll fix it,” Keir promises. “Every day.”
“With actions too, not just words,” Dario adds.
Kaz nods. “From this day to my last.”
I hesitate, then slowly nod. “You get one more chance. That’s it.”
They each nod, solemn and grateful.
“And now,” Dario says with a grin, clapping his hands, “birthday presents.”
“You didn’t,” I gape.
“We did, princess. But you have to come downstairs to open them,” Keir says, amused.
“Let me guess—Lily’s orders?”
They chuckle. “Exactly.”
“Alright, go. I need to change,” I sigh, eyeing the clock. “I’m sure Lily has something planned.”
Kaz kisses my forehead. Keir and Dario kiss my cheeks. Then they leave.
“Thank you,” I whisper. They pause, smile, and keep walking.
My head is chaos. My heart is at war with my logic. I want to forgive them. I want the love they offer. But I need proof—they won’tleave again.
I throw on black jeans, a strapless blue corset, and matching heels. Hair brushed, lip gloss applied—I give myself a mental pep talk.
Then—oh, fuck. Katherine.
I race downstairs, nearly eating shit on the last few steps.
As I burst into the dining room, the lights flick on and a chorus of “Surprise!” fills the air.
The room is decorated top to bottom—balloons, streamers, candles. My favorite foods line the buffet table. Katherine stands front and center, beaming.
She’s blossomed into someone I’m so damn proud of—and is now heading Onyx’s internal and external affairs.
She rushes over and hugs me tight. “Do you like it?”
Tears fill my eyes as I look around. Lily. Max. Mrs. Sloane. Ellie. Ava. My guys. My chosen family.
My first birthday without my father—and somehow, I’m not alone.
“I love it,” I whisper, clinging to Katherine. “Thank you.”
We hug. I get more hugs from everyone before we sit to eat. Keir holds my hand under the table.
The guys ask about Katherine, and we fill them in—leaving out the worst of it for now. That story is hers to tell when she’s ready.
I smile more than I have in months. I feel alive.
Then… the gifts start.
And I nearly die of embarrassment when I open Dario’s.
“Christ, Dario!” I scold with a flushed face. “Warn a woman when she’s about to open a box of sex toys in front of her family!”
Everyone laughs.
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Sloane fans herself.
Ellie and Ava gag. Max turned away after box one. Lily and Katherine are giggling like teenagers.
Keir leans in, his breath warm on my ear. “It’s really a gift for all of us, if you think about it.”
They all wink at me. I roll my eyes.
Kaz’s gift is stunning—a custom set of matte black daggers inlaid with sapphires the color of his eyes. They’re lethal and gorgeous. Like me, I suppose.
Keir gifts me four Kindles.
“Yes, four,” he says smugly. “One for the house, one for your car, one for our car, and one for the jet.”
Smart. Fucking. Man.
Katherine’s gift is a framed certificate—one that designates a self-defence program for survivors in my name. She’s launching it next month, with Lily’s help.
Lily gives me a custom-designed leather holster set—sleek, concealed, and practical. Max gifts me a rare first edition of one of my favorite fantasy novels. Even Silvia brings a smile with a sarcastic card and a bottle of insanely expensive rumfrom her and the girls.
And for the first time in a long time, I feel centred.