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“He doesn’t deserve our pretty girl,” Donovan agrees. “But look at her. Is this any better? She’s losing weight. I know you’ve noticed.”

Are they right? I haven’t noticed, but I haven’t been eating as much since I haven’t been hungry. It’s insane what stress can do to our bodies.

I wish I was immune to it since I’m dead, but clearly, that’s not the case.

Sitting up, I swipe at my face as I try—and fail—at drying my cheeks. “If it were that simple, he’d already be my mate, Wraith. We’ve all tried to convince him to join us, and we’ve all failed. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. I will not force someone to be with me just because they’re fated to me. You weren’t there the last time we spoke. He hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” he argues. “He’s afraid. He’s afraid to care too much for someone. He’s afraid he’ll be hurt. There’s a difference.”

“That’s what I kept telling myself, too, but I don’t think that’s it at all. He can’t seem to stay away from Brenden, so that’s obviously not it.” I shake my head, not willing to allow hope to grow within me. “Even if he changed his mind about us, I don’t know if I can forgive him for how he spoke to me, so it’s a moot point.”

Wraith is shaking his head again. “I refuse to give up, trouble. I don’t want to hate Cassian. I want to be able to forgive him and mean it. Donovan isn’t the only one who’s missed you. I want us to be a family, and we can’t do that without Nex.”

“How do you plan on convincing him?” Cassian asks as he clings to my hand as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear at any moment.

I can’t blame him for that after I spilled all my worries to them. While I didn’t want to burden them with how I’ve been feeling, I’ll admit I feel a hell of a lot better now that I’ve told them.

Wraith’s words really struck a chord with me.

We’re meant to be a family. I want us to be a family, and being a part of a family—at least the way I grew up—means being part of a team. We can rely on one another to help keep us afloat when we can’t do it on our own.

Have I been apart from my mom and sister for so long that I forgot that?

“Maybe it’s time for me to go see Lucifer.”

My eyes are wide as my head swings back to Wraith. “What does he have to do with this?”

Wraith chuckles. “Nex believes he’s been cursed by Lucifer. There’s no one else who can confirm or deny that for us, except Lucifer. The only problem is I think he’s on vacation earth-side right now. He might not answer when I call.”

“The devil takes vacations?” I frown, wondering how that works. Does he leave someone in charge of the underworld while he’s gallivanting among the humans and supernaturals? I’m all for everyone getting a vacation from time to time—especially one who has as much on their plate as Lucifer—but it’s hard to imagine.

“Not often, which is why I feel bad about bothering him.” Wraith sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. “It took a lot for me, Gael, Octavius, and Riggs to convince him to go. We’re the only ones he trusts to keep shit in order while he’s gone.”

I chew on my bottom lip. “Then we wait. What’s another week or two in the grand scheme of things?”

“Are you sure, trouble? This seems to weigh on you heavily, and I don’t want this to continue.”

“I’m sure. Plus, wouldn’t it be better to not draw attention to ourselves before we kill Michael? What if he decides he needs to watch us and realizes what we’re up to?”

Wraith considers me for a moment before nodding. “Yes, it would be better to wait until after, but I need you to promise me you’ll come to one of us if you start stressing out over anything like this in the meantime. We’re here for you.”

“I know…I just…forgot? I just got all wrapped up in my head, and it felt like I’d be burdening you or something.” I hold up my hand when all four of them speak at once. “It was stupid. I know that. I promise to not let it get this far again. If my head becomes a mess, I’ll find one of you to talk to. I know I can count on you—that I can lean on you when I need strength. Mom raised me to be independent, and sometimes that makes me feel like I have to do it all on my own.”

“But you don’t,” Donovan assures me. “We’ll always be here for you—no matter what.”

Brenden presses a kiss to my forehead. “We’ll always fight for you.”

“We’ll always be here to support you and shower you with love.” There’s still a bit of sadness in Cassian’s smile.

“We’re your mates. We’ll give you our strength to keep going when you feel like you can’t,” Wraith assures me. “We love you.”

Finally, my tears have stopped as I beam at them. “And I love all of you. Thank you.”

They lead me back inside and we start the movie over. The tension from earlier has dissipated, and when Brenden decides I need a massage to loosen me up, I don’t complain. I also don’t make it through the movie before I fall asleep.

Chapter Twenty-six

Audrey