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I push open the door and step inside. The familiar sounds and scents rush through me, and I instantly relax. I don’t know what it is about this place, but I always feel right at home.

“Audrey!” Diana is on her knees in our usual corner booth, waving her arms at me wildly. I grin at how over the top she’s being as I make my way over to them, only to be stopped by Gael.

“Little sister!” he roars as he jumps out of his seat and pulls me into his arms. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”

I pat his back, laughing as he lifts me off the floor. “I’m having a girl’s night tonight.”

“Gael, put Audrey down.” Octavius chuckles as Gael releases me. “We won’t keep you then, but it’s good to see you.”

I wave at the three of them before dodging around Gael to get to the girls. I’ve learned I have to run away as quickly as possible or Gael will keep me with them—even if the girls are waiting.

“I expected that to take longer,” Diana comments as I slide in beside her.

I take a sip of my margarita. “Octavius saved the day and distracted Gael.”

Celeste leans out of the booth for a moment before sitting back up. “Are you sure they don’t want in your pants?”

Of course, I’m in the middle of taking a drink when she asks that and end up choking, margarita spewing out of my mouth and nose.

“Ugh, can you not do that?” I grab a napkin to clean up the table and wipe at my nose, wincing as it burns. “No, they don’t want in my pants. I just think they’re lonely. It’s always just the three of them. Wraith even said he doesn’t see them as often as he should.”

“I’m happy to spend time with them if they’re lonely.” Celeste smirks, wiggling her eyebrows.

I just shake my head at her antics. Now that we’re working together, I get to see them more frequently, but it’s not the same as living with them.

For the last three weeks, we’ve been getting together on Thursday nights since it’s the end of our work week since most of my weekends are spent with my mates. Not that I couldn’t hang out with the girls on the weekend. My men would understand, but I like having that time with them.

I push aside my drink, wave down the server, and order a new one. I’m not drinking it since who the hell knows what ended up in it after the margarita shot out of my nose.

Thanks, but no thanks.

“Any news on the Nex front?” Diana asks, cautiously, and I feel my good mood deflate.

“Nothing. I haven’t even seen him this week—not even when I crashed Brenden’s classes last Friday. He’s doing a very good job of avoiding me.” I shrug. “It’s better this way. Wraith and Cassian are still struggling with their emotions, but we’re doing the best we can.”

Celeste scowls. “Nex is an asshole, and I’m glad you decided to not give him any more of your time.”

Diana squeezes my arm. “I’m sorry about Wraith and Cassian. I know that’s hard on you.”

“It is what it is.” I stare into my drink as if it holds all the answers to my problems. “I don’t know how long we can keep this up. It’s really putting a toll on both of them, trying to fight it off. I’m afraid one of them is going to fly off the handle at any moment and say something they can’t take back.”

“Oh, Audrey.” Diana pulls me into a hug the best she can when we’re sitting side by side.

I have to bite my cheek to keep myself from crying. I’ve been doing my best to make sure the guys don’t know how upset it makes me to see Wraith and Cassian swipe at one another. Diana and Celeste are the only ones I can be real with, and it’s getting harder and harder not to fall apart when we talk about it. I can already feel the snapping point building up, and I don’t know where we’ll go from there.

It’s selfish of me to want to keep Cassian when the Fates told me it would be three or five and nothing in between, but I love him. How can I not?

And now there’s Donovan to think about. He’s been spending more and more time with Cassian as they find their way back together. I’m afraid that he’s going to be forced to choose between them again, and I don’t know if he can survive it.

Brenden’s already struggling with staying away from Nex—something Nex also seems to be failing at. It’s as if they’re two magnets being drawn to one another. I already told Brenden he could be with Nex, even if he’s not with me. But my stubborn mate refuses to be with him after the way he treated me.

Honestly, it feels a bit like we’re being torn apart at the seams, and I don’t know how to fix it.

Can I fix it? Or is it always going to be like this without Nex?

Fucking hell, I hope not.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I declare, pulling away from Diana. “Tell me about Melody and Warren. How are things going with them?”