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The wall of security guards parts…and there she is.

It’s her. It’s really her, looking tiny beside the guards, but fierce and intimidating as hell in a long, tight-fitted gold dress with a slit that goes halfway up her thigh. Her hair is sweptinto an elegant knot and her eyes glitter with smoky makeup, as if she actually received an invitation to this party.

“Oh, God…Annie…” I breathe, and suddenly we’re both running. Her face splits into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, but one of the guards puts an arm out when she tries to get to us.

“Let her through!” Ben shouts. They all stand aside, looking confused as she pushes past them, clutching a pair of high heels in her hand. When we all collide, she launches herself into Ben’s arms and he swings her in a circle until she comes to rest between us. I lean against her, wrapping an arm around her waist and burying my face into her neck. Ben cradles the back of her head in his hand and pulls her into his chest as she starts to cry.

“My boys,” she sobs, reaching back to hold my arm. “Oh my God, you’re here. You’re real.”

“Fuck, Annie. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Ben is crying too, and I’m definitely about to start, so I raise my head and spot a coat room back down the hall a little way. Without a word, I pull her by the wrist and Ben follows, not giving a shit if anyone sees us go in. I shut the door and lock it, my entire body shaking. When I turn around, Ben already has her in his arms, his fingers laced through her hair again, their lips meeting in a tearful kiss.

I move up behind her, and she grabs my hand, wrapping my arm around her again and leaning back into me. My face drops onto her bare shoulder and I hold her as tightly as I can, praying it’s not a dream. She smells almost the same, just a little less smoke and brimstone, and her skin is warm and soft, but not like it used to be. It feels human.Shefeels human, and she looks human too. The proportions of her body aren’t as extreme. She’s softer, a little shorter, a little curvier, but it’s definitely her.

She came back to us.

“I missed you so fucking much,” she cries, pulling away and holding Ben’s face in her hands. His cheeks are wet with tears, but he’s beaming.

“God, I missed youtoo,mi amor.”

“Theo,” she murmurs, turning her body so we’re face-to-face.

“Safe?” I ask, holding her beautiful face in my hands. She nods, so I kiss her and lift her off her feet, holding her against me as if I could put our bodies back together, hear her voice in my head again, feel the warmth of her Hellfire in my veins. When I set her back down, Ben moves behind her, and we all just stand there for a minute, breathing and hoping we aren’t about to wake up.

Naturally, I’m the first one to ask the question, “How are you here, sweetheart?” Annie wriggles out from between us, but takes both of our hands and smiles. Her eyes are still dark, almost black, but there’s a hint of warmth to them that wasn’t there before, like a golden light behind a black velvet curtain.

“I was…given another chance,” she says softly.

“By…by your masters?” I ask, swallowing hard.

She smiles and shakes her head, “No, the other guys.” Her eyes flick upwards, she giggles, then continues to explain, “When they recalled me, it was because I used my power to save your lives, but I guess someone upstairs also saw what I did. It took some time and some…negotiating, apparently, but they pulled me out.”

“Pulled you out of what, exactly?” I ask.

Annie just closes her eyes and shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter now. As a reward for my ‘selfless act’, they offered me anything I wanted.”

“And you picked…a sparkly dress?” Ben laughs, pulling her against him and running a hand over the garment, which resembles battle armor.

“I pickedyou,” she says, looking up at him adoringly, then over at me. “That’s all I wanted. A human body, a human soul, and a human life…with the two of you.”

“Oh, Annie…” I murmur, putting my arms around her and allowing the lump in my throat to swell.

I can’t believe she’s real, can’t believe she’s here, can’t believe that we might actually have a chance at this. I turn my face toward the ceiling and send up a silent prayer of thanks, then look at Ben. His eyes are squeezed shut, tears dripping down his cheeks, but his mouth is also moving, and I think he might be praying too.

“So, you’re ours?” he asks, voice raspy with joy and disbelief. “They just…dropped you down here?Poof?”

“Poof,” she laughs, “just like that. I told them to give me a real ID card though. Did you happen to get it back from that angry woman in the black dress?” I pull the ID out and show it to her as Ben roars with laughter.

“That angry woman was my sister,” he says, and Annie grimaces.

“Oh, no! I should probably apologize! I may have called her something a bit nasty.” She covers her mouth with her fingertips, but Ben pulls them away and kisses her again, pressing her up against the wall.

“You can apologize later,” he whispers, “right now, I fucking need you, Annie.Weneed you.”

She lets out a small noise almost like a squeak, and her eyes shine as she pulls me closer, then wraps her hand around the back of my neck.

“No more demon,” she murmurs. “No more exorcists, or shadows, or magic. Nothing keeping me from you, Theo.”

Playfully, I reach around her back and run a hand over her ass, which looks like it probably had to be sewn into her dress with how tight it is.