Page 233

I picked a random page, and it fell open to a series of pictures from a camping trip. We had driven out to the woods, deep upstate, far from any form of civilization. That was the kind of camping Mom liked to do. I smoothed my thumb over a photo of Sean and me. We couldn’t have been older than ten in the photo. We looked exactly the same at that time—anyone other than me and my parents couldn’t have told us apart. We were both smiling, arms thrown around each other’s shoulders, and Sean was holding up an enormous fish he’d just caught in the creek.

In that moment, I’d thought we were happy.

I expected to feel pain. Grief. Anything. Instead, I just felt numb. I flipped through the photos. Birthdays, vacations, school photos. I kept staring at Sean’s younger face, looking for a trace of the malice he’d told me was there.

I didn’t see it. All I saw was my brother.

Sighing, I closed the album. There was no point in doing this. I could go through every memory with a fine-toothed comb, searching for signs of his cruelty and his hate. But why? I’d only drive myself crazy trying to understand.

What’s done was done. He had told me his truth, and I believed him.

A soft knock on the door shook me out of my thoughts, and Harley peeked into the room. “You’re back?”

“Sorry,” I said. I put the album aside. “Knew I wasn’t going to sleep.”

“It’s still early,” she said. “Come to bed. Catch an hour or two.”

I frowned slightly, and before I knew it, I had a lap full of beautiful woman. She was wearing a T-shirt, a pair of my boxers, and a loose bathrobe.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

I slid my hands over her thighs and squeezed. I was so grateful to have her here with me. My mate. My family. The only reason I was still sane through all of this was because of their support.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen during this challenge. I’m afraid if something goes wrong?—”

“It won’t,” Harley said, and she sounded so sure.

“But if it does,” I said, “I want to make sure you and Dylan are safe. I’ll need to put a plan in place for next steps if I lose. I’ll probably reach out to Suri again and let him know what’s happening. In the event that I do lose, I’ll need you and Dylan to go with the Vahdat clan, if Suri and his father agree to that. You’ll need to be with someone I know can keep you?—”

“Steph.” Harley took my face in both hands and met my gaze. “It’s not going to come to that.”

There was a slight waver in her voice, though, and my dragon sensed her fear.

“What happened?” she asked again. “Did you learn something new about Sean?”

“No. He’s unpredictable. You know that.”

“He is. And you’re strong. Confident. You know how to handle him.” She kissed me. “Don’t let him get under your skin, Steph. That’s what he wants.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s all just getting to me.”

“You need to sleep.” She kissed my cheek. “That’s all. Catch a few hours, and I’ll be here when you wake up, okay? I’ll be here when all of this is over, too. We’ll get through this, Steph. Together.”

I buried my face in her neck and breathed in the soothing scent of her skin. She was right—we’d get through this together. I had to believe that. I had to end this, no matter how much it hurt.

50

HARLEY

Ididn’t start making breakfast until late morning. Despite how crazy last night was, it seemed like… Well, like a regular idyllic morning. I was in the kitchen, humming as I whisked the eggs. At the table, Dylan was scarfing down a bowl of cereal, since he was too hungry to wait for brunch. I had a feeling he’d already eaten breakfast at Hawk and Mia’s, but the kid’s appetite was never fully sated. Cassidy and Striker were on the couch, as they’d also come over after spending the night at Striker’s. The mating bite on Cassidy’s neck was still fresh and pink, and it was ringed with hickeys. It was a bright, beautiful day outside, and I was already brewing a second pot of coffee.

It was so close to perfect, but I had a strange feeling in my gut that something was off.

Steph trudged down the stairs, stifling a yawn. There were dark circles under his eyes, but at least he looked better than he had a few hours ago. He was already dressed for the day in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt.

“Dad!” Dylan leaped up from the table and charged across the kitchen. He barreled into Steph as soon as he was down the stairs.

Steph caught him with an ‘oof’ that melted into a warm laugh. “Hey, kiddo. How was soccer practice?”