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“I have my ways. Nothing about you added up, so I didn’t stop until I understood.” His lips seek mine out for a chaste kiss before his forehead finds mine again. “Those camerasyour father had in that house didn’t show me everything, but it wasenough. And I want you to know that nobody will ever hurt you like that again.”

A shudder works through me. “I didn’t need you to save me,” I whisper. I’d already saved myself. Over and over. Had he seen that too? Me fighting back when I couldn’t stand up? Me fighting back while they stood there laughing at my pain?

“I know, baby.” He wraps his arm around my torso and drops his head to my shoulder. His voice is ragged. “You have no idea what I would do for you, Delilah. What I’ve already done for you.”

His fingertips trace over my tears.

“I don’t care if you hate me because at least you feel something for me. But you will never cry because of me again, Delilah.” He lifts his head to kiss the spot on my cheek where my tears used to be. “You understand me?”

“Yes.”

Almost reverently, he holds my face between his hands and stares at me without blinking. “I mean it. Never again.”

Victor’s isthe first face I see when Adonis opens the door a while later, but that ends when Silas closes in on us, showing up out of thin air.

“What the hell was that?” All his energy is aimed at Adonis, and I watch with amusement at their interaction.

Adonis might say none of the people at this gala are his friends, but he wasn’t talking about Silas. No other person would feel comfortable enough getting in his face and Silas looks unfazed by the brutal slant of his brows and hard set of his jaw.

Turning away from them, I note the empty hall and take time to study my dress now that we’re out of the tight confines of that room. The stain of Percy’s spilled blood is more fascinating than anything else and I’m just happy none of it got on my skin.

Silas and Adonis’ bickering interrupts what I’m about to say to Victor.

“What I know is I just saw you carry my patient upside down after you shot somebody in front of her.”

An angry vein protrudes in the center of Silas’ forehead. My lips tilt.

“Jesus.” Adonis utters a string of curses under his breath and turns to me. “Delilah, tell Silas you’re okay so he can stop having a fucking panic attack.”

“I’m okay, Silas.”

He cocks his head to do a visual inspection of me, getting closer to check my pupils. “Are you sure?” he asks, standing upright.

“Yeah.” I nod. Honestly, I’m exhausted. Wrung out, physically but especially emotionally. The only thing I want is to get in bed and let my mind and body rest.

Reading my mind, Adonis tells Victor to get the car.

“Oh, and Victor?”

“Yes, Mr. Samson?”

“Get this back to Percy, I’m sure he’ll need it.” He extends the reassembled gun I didn’t realize he picked up and hands it over to Victor.

“Yes, sir,” is all the older man says.

Then he’s gone, headed for the staircase while the chaos of tonight’s events hums through me.

“You leaving?” A new voice calls out and my head snaps in that direction.

All I see is two of Silas. But while Silas is wearing a blacktuxedo, his doppelgänger has on slate grey with red accents to match the upside down rose on his lapel.

The new addition turns to me after greeting Adonis and nods without a word.

My eyes ping pong between them, settling on the kind eyes I know instead of the cool pair attached to the new man. “You’re twins?” I ask Silas.

“Fraternal,” he interjects, lines appearing on his forehead to match his offended frown. “But yes, we shared a womb.”

Silas’ brother doesn’t add anything to the twin comment.