“I don’t know which part broke the curse, but I’m going to say it was giving myself to you,” he whispers.
I’d like to forget the rest of it, too.
“I’m glad it worked, then,” I say, my chest tight with the questions I can’t ask. Was it real? How does he feel about me? What happens now?
“I meant it, Astra,” he tells me as he holds my gaze. “I fucking meant it. Imeanit. I love you, My Beauty, and there is no one else for me. Say you feel the same.”
I swallow hard.
This is the moment. If I can’t say it now, there will never be a perfect time.
“I love you,” I choke out nervously. Not because I’m unsure of the feeling, but because I don’t know how deep his feelings go.
And there, with blood on our hands and death at our feet, he tells me in the most sure voice I’ve ever heard, “I love you, too, Astra. You are mine. I’m never fucking letting you go.”
Surprisingly, I’m okay with that threat.
The sound of shoes crunching over debris jerks us to attention. I’m set on my feet, and Donovan protectively shoves me behind him in a blink. A man walks across the warehouse, his steps casual, his posture collected. He’s mostly a shadowy figure until he reaches the light spilling out of the office. He stops short, and his gaze roams over the scene with a kind of calculation that is eerie. He’s calm. Too calm. Once he’s taken in all the… bodies, he looks at the four of us left standing without a flicker of emotion on his face.
“Rove,” Donovan says in a cool tone. He does look familiar, but I can’t place him.
The man says nothing. He doesn’t even move, except for a slight nod of his head.
“You’re a little late,” Torrin teases as he steps in front of us.
Rove’s eyes dance over the scene again before looking at Torrin with a raised brow.
“Right,” Torrin says with a silly shake of his head, “you’re right on time. Got it.” He laughs, but Rove just shrugs.
“You got this?” Donovan asks the silent man as he pulls me into his side and holds me close. Rove sighs heavily, and I can’ttell if he’s annoyed by the question or upset Donovan even asked it in the first place. “Yes, I see a raise in your future.”
I can’t help it, I bark out a laugh.
“Can we get out of here?” Fabien asks.
I don’t look behind me as Donovan guides us to the entrance. I don’t look around either. I don’t want to know how many people lost their lives tonight. And while I probably shouldn’t cry over a lot of them because they were part of a plan to kill me, I can’t help but feel a little pang of regret and sympathy for those left behind to deal with their deaths.
“What about…” Fabien starts, but there’s a long pause as his feet become stuck in place. I turn to face him, and he’s looking at Torrin with tears in his eyes. “Andre,” leaves his lips barely above a whisper.
“Let’s… see what we can find out. I heard sirens on the way to the scene when I left. So maybe…” Torrin is trying to sound hopeful, but by the look on his face, he doesn’t feel that way. He tucks Fabien under his arm as they walk out ahead of us.
I throw Donovan a worried look. It’s time to face the music, time to find out how many people lost their lives for us to live. It’s a heavy burden to carry.
I decide, right here and now, that I’m going to live for them. I’m going to make the most of this life I have. And I’m never going to forget what they’ve done for me and Donovan.
And next year, I’ll dance my heart out to see their souls safely home.
THIRTY-FOUR
Astra
We started looking for Andre by heading to the hospital, because, as Donovan put it, “If he’s alive, he’ll likely be there.”
And he is here.
It’s been like pulling teeth to get any answers. Andre’s been in surgery for two hours. Fabien is pacing the waiting room, his eyes unfocused as he sporadically mutters to himself. I want to comfort him, but I don’t know how to right now. He seems lost to too many emotions.
Torrin got patched up, and he’s back with us now. He’s trying his hardest to brush it off, but I can tell the wound on his shoulder isn’t pleasant by the way his eye twitches whenever he moves. Lucky for him, it was through-and-through and didn’t cause any major damage. The other two bullets he took ended up just grazing him. He probably has a concussion, but he’s not fessing up to it.
