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But that’s not what stops my breath.

It’s the third shape.

Too tall. Too casual.Too smug.I blink. Then squint harder. No, that’s not,gods, no.

Theo.

Oh. Fuck me with a holy relic.

I drop the mug. It shatters, but I’m already moving. I kick open the front door and stalk out into the heat, barefoot on stone, because my priorities haveneverincluded shoes.

“What the actual fuck,” I say loudly as they near the crest of the hill. “Lucien, if this is a sex cult thing, I swear on Elias’ stupid novelty socks,”

Luna doesn’t even slow. She stalks right past me like her body’s running on war-fueled caffeine.

Lucien glances at me. One look. That’s it. And I know. It’s worse than I thought.

Theo’s following them like this is a vacation, and we’re his summer home. Same dark hair, same ridiculous bone structure, same fucking smirk that looks like it was designed by someone who thoughtemotional devastationwas a love language.

“Hi, Silas,” he purrs. “Miss me?”

I point a finger at him. “You don’t get to say my name. Ever. You don’t get tobreathe near my name.”

He presses a hand to his chest. “Still dramatic.”

“And you’re still the reason two entire cities outlawed open-mouth smiling in public.”

Luna doesn’t stop walking. Doesn’t look at me. But I see the set of her shoulders. The way she’s vibrating.

I catch up to Lucien instead.

“Tell me that’s a hologram.”

His jaw ticks. “No.”

“A mirage?”

“No.”

“An elaborate prank that ends with Elias duct-taped to the ceiling?”

Lucien says nothing.

“Shit,” I whisper, then louder, “WHY is he here?”

“Because Blackwell decided the seventh circle of sin wasn’t enough,” Luna mutters ahead of us. “He wanted aneighth.”

Theo’s grin widens.

And all I can think is, someone’s going to burn something tonight. And God's help us, it might beme.

“No. No no no no no no,”

I say it fast, like maybe if I stack enoughno’son top of each other, reality will buckle under the weight and undo itself. Or Blackwell will pop out of a bush and screamJust kiddingbefore Theo spontaneously combusts.

But nope.

Desire himself is still walking casually like he’s on a goddamn dating show.