Page 100 of Die for You

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Sienna grumbles.

That manages to pull a smile from me. Even Finn chuckles. “No, it wouldn’t be.”

“You didn’t let them in my room, right?” Trey asks, voice suddenly tense.

“Why? You hiding a body in there?”

“Only a couple,” Juliet deadpans.

“How’s Aurora?” Sienna asks, concern lining her green eyes as they dart to the door behind me.

A rare word out of Finn: “Safe.”

The intrusive thought careens into my head. And doesn’t go away for the rest of the night.For now.

Chapter 24

Aurora

Since the nightthe police showed up to question me, I’ve been escaping into music. Fingers close to bleeding as I hunch over my violin strings or the piano keys, somber ballads filling my head as I play most of them from memory. Songs that were the perfect soundtrack when I was trapped with Jeremiah. That sounded the way I felt.

“When are you finally going to play a happy song, Rory?” A familiar, teasing voice floats out from behind me.

My fingers clatter on the piano keys as I spin to find three Devils sauntering toward me. Impossibly, they’re happy to see me. As if they’ve already forgotten all the shit I’ve put them through.

They haven’t shared me since the night Jeremiah spied on us through the window. They’ve noticed how withdrawn I’ve become, how I’m folding back into myself, back into the shell I used to live in when they first saw me on campus. Their touches have been gentle, comforting.

My heart hurts with every touch. Every reminder of what caring about me is doing to them.

The merciful thing to do would be to push them away. To cut them loose. Deal with my shit on my own and let them go backto their peaceful lives of hockey and classes and friends before I careened into their lives like a tornado, ripping everything apart.

“Why the piano?” Knox asks when I don’t answer. He sits on the bench with me, an easy smile on his face. “Why is this the instrument you’ve been playing all semester when you have your violin back home?”

Home. Home is with them now. “A band teacher once told my class that every serious musician needs to be familiar with the keyboard. And my mom was a classical pianist. But I was always drawn more to the violin. I liked that I could carry it with me and play anywhere I wanted. My parents gave me that violin. I brought it with me to every foster home. It’s the last piece of them I have.”

Knox squeezes my shoulder. “You can do whatever you put your mind to. But you should also spend your time doing what you really love. We don’t have a lot of it.”

I force myself to swallow around the giant lump lodged in my throat. He has no idea.

Swinging my feet over the bench, I face the Devils. Tall and fit and intimidating. But at the same time steady and dependable and comforting. Everything. “I got into the final round. At Juilliard.”

All three of their faces brighten with huge smiles. Knox wraps his arms around me, still seated beside me, grinning into my hair. “That’s amazing, Rory.”

“Of course you did,” Damien says. “They’d be dumbasses not to want you.”

Finn’s piercing blue eyes are tender, soft. He signs,I’m proud of you.

Tears sting my eyes. They’re making this way fucking harder. “It’s an in-person audition in May. So I don’t think I’m going to get in.”

“What are you talking about?” Knox’s tone is full of genuine confusion. “Of course you’ll get in. Rory, you’re an incredible musician. You were meant to do this.”

I twist my hands together. “If I was, I’d be able to play in front of people.”

Just a few weeks until I need to play in front of strangers. Play the best I ever have in my life to earn a spot at one of the most prestigious performing arts institutions in the world. A few weeks to get over the stage fright that keeps me from playing even in front of a single person.

Impossible. An impossible dream.

“Then play.” Damien nods at the piano behind me.