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I was surprised that Faris had actually agreed to invite non-deities to the party. But someone was missing.

“Is Bella coming?” I asked.

“Don’t worry. She’ll be here,” Calli told me. “She’s coming with Harker.”

“Why do you think I scheduled the ceremony to be at night?” Tessa winked at me.

I gave her an appreciative smile, then asked, “And how is Bella doing?”

“She’s struggling,” Tessa admitted. “But we won’t give up on her.”

“And we won’t let her give up on herself,” Gin added.

“No, we won’t,” I agreed.

Psychic energy rippled through the charged air, pushing open the doors to the room. Harker strode through them, trailing feathers and magic. He was wearing his hard black battle armor—and an even harder expression.

I rushed to meet him. “Harker? What’s wrong? Where’s Bella?”

“She’s gone.” His voice was so stiff, it cracked. “She didn’t even say goodbye.” He pushed a crinkled wad of paper into my hands. “She left this instead.”

I smoothed out the wrinkles. There were burn marks all over the paper. Harker clearly hadn’t reacted well to finding Bella’s note.

“My dearest loved ones,” I read as Calli and the others closed in tightly around me for a better look at the note. “It pains me to leave you all, but I must. Every moment that I’m near you, I put you all in grave danger. I have to leave. I have to keep you safe. From me.” I cleared my tight throat. “You will not see me again. I have to stay away. And I can’t come back, not ever. So, please, for your own safety, don’t come after me. I can’t control the Monster inside of me.”

I set Bella’s note on the table.

Gin gawked at it, wide-eyed. “We’re not going to stay away, are we?” she asked quietly.

“No,” Calli told her. “We are not.”

“We’re going to find a cure for Bella’s curse,” Zane said.

Tessa set one hand on his shoulder, the other on Gin’s. “And then we’re going to bring her back home.”

“Whatever it takes,” I declared.

“Whatever it takes,” Harker agreed.