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“Shut up,” Zuri said before kissing her.

Marisol pulled Elena from Zuri’s kiss and claimed her lips with surprising authority. “Don’t you dare.”

Tangled together, Elena held them close enough to crush. It would never be close enough. With a deep breath, she settled into her pillow. Settled into home. Even as she closed her eyes, Elena couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, somewhere, was still watching. That her enemies weren’t all buried with Baylor.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

The scorching Augustsun blistered through the tinted windows of Elena’s bedroom. Zuri could easily think of it astheirbedroom. In the near three months since she and Marisol had strolled into the penthouse, they hadn’t left. Hadn’t spent a night apart. It had only taken Marisol a month to give up her apartment, but Zuri had held on to her place.

Proving just how cool with it she was trying to be, Elena had paid the rest of Zuri’s rent for the year. Zuri knew they were both making points, but they were still worth making.

She and Elena had been in the honeymoon period before. They’d mistakenly believed that Zuri’s unchangeable decision to stay a witch wouldn’t bring them down. But they’d crashed in a spectacular shitshow once already. She wasn’t stupid enough to think they wouldn’t trip over the same landmine twice. They were a long way from Zuri relaxing into this. From trusting it.

But day-to-day, Zuri had to admit that things were going pretty okay. Better than okay. Elena was different this time. Less restless. Whether they’d learned through loss or the passage of time, neither of them had the same drive to best the other. To be the unquestionable alpha.

Walking into the closet, Zuri scanned her side of the exaggerated space. Considering the early afternoon was already a fucking outdoor sauna, she decided on a short navy romper.

Fighting a losing battle against humidity, she used enough texture spray to open another hole in the ozone. When her curls were as good as they were going to get, she threw on a little mascara.

If forced, she might concede that Bambi was the cause for their change in dynamic. There was something so disarming about her. Just her presence soothed the wild in Zuri’s soul. No, not soothed. Gave it purpose and direction.

While she finished getting ready, Zuri bit the inside of her cheek. Thoughts of the night before made it impossible not to grin.

Marisol, dripping with sweat, had been so rough with the strap that Zuri wouldn’t be walking right if she hadn’t immediately flashed her pretty wings and kissed her whole body better. She’d never met someone so sweet and so perfectly nasty.

It’s always the unassuming ones, she thought while giving herself a final once over in the mirror.

As if she needed the wholesome contrast to the filthy memory, Zuri found Marisol as soon as she stepped out of the bedroom. Sofia sat next to her on the long, white sectional where Marisol was teaching the prolific serial killer how to crochet. Luna and Loba were at her feet.

“Using those hands for something other than stabbing?” Zuri joked when she approached.

Her hair styled in two French braids, Bambi’s hazel eyes lit up as she glanced up from her work.

Sofia’s smirk was a dagger catching the light. “Surprisingly transferable skills,” she joked before making a quick, dexterous move to weave a strand of yarn into what looked like a scarf for theJolly Green Giant.

“It’s better stress relief than killing,” Marisol said without a hint of jest. “Right?” She glanced at Sofia.

Zuri laughed. Only Bambi could possibly think she’d curb a vampire’s murderous rage with arts and crafts.

She leaned forward and caught Marisol’s lips in a kiss. “I’m not wearing any hideous matching scarfs for Christmas.”

Marisol pulled her back for a second kiss before whispering, “We’ll see,” and grazing her bottom lip with her teeth.

Fuck.

“I think I messed up the treble stitch,” Sofia said, interrupting them before Zuri could forget why she was leaving the penthouse.

Bambi snagged another kiss. “Call me as soon as you finish and tell me how it went,” she said before turning to Sofia and looking at her work. “Okay, let’s count the stitches.”

Zuri took the tingle in her lips to the fridge where she filled her water bottle and tossed it in her bag. Keys in hand, she stopped at Elena’s office.

Seated behind her desk, Elena was typing away on her laptop. In an oversized black V-neck and tight cuffed jeans, she was effortlessly sexy.

“Where’s Lib?” Zuri asked, scanning the room as she entered. There hadn’t been a day when the tall vamp wasn’t stuck to Elena. She’d probably stand outside their bedroom door at night if she could.

Elena finished something before looking up, attention snagging on Zuri’s bare thighs before meeting her eyes. “Ran down to the club to get something,” she replied while standing.

“Please be more vague,” Zuri joked before dropping her bag in the armchair by the door.