Page 65

Theo

Four Months Later

The gala is spectacular. I actually have a hard time believing it’s all real–that I’m at a party in L.A.

with movie stars and singers and models.

It’s an absolute fever dream, laced with expensive champagne and gold velvet couches and designer gowns that probably cost more than I’ll make in a year at my new job with the city.

I empty my c hampagne glass and search the crowd for my friends.

Aileen couldn’t stomach the thought of attending a party like this, so she sent Mak and Jaime to help me represent the shelter.

They were each allowed a plus one, so Skyla is here, doggedly assisting Zayd in his ongoing quest for a rich, West Coast ‘Zaddy’, whatever that means.

I’m in a tux too, which is disgustingly out of my comfort zone, but I just keep telling myself that it’s for a good cause.

Every hour since the party started, Santino or Yelena have found us in the crowd to let us know how much money has been raised so far.

It’s a mind-boggling amount, and I can’t even bring myself to tell Aileen yet, because I think she might have a heart attack.

“Your glass is looking a little neglected there, osito ,” says a husky voice in my ear. I twist my head to find Ben snaking one arm around my waist, clutching his own champagne flute, while reaching around my other side to give me a refill. Once my glass is sparkling again, I turn to face him.

“I didn’t think they were handing out entire bottles,” I laugh. He plants a sweet, bubbly kiss on my lips, then pulls his sleeve back to show off the HERO bracelet that Tabby’s friend made us.

“This is my exclusive, VIP wristband,” he says.

“It gets me anything I want.” His mouth moves to my neck, and my face burns.

We’re standing off to the side of the room, and no one is watching, but Ben’s taste for PDA still makes me a little queasy.

Even in a place where at least half the crowd is probably some flavor of not-straight, I have to fight my instinct to pull away.

“I think being the guest of honor is what’s getting you anything you want tonight,” I tell him, taking a large gulp of champagne so I can get on his level. “That, and how fucking good you look. You should wear a tux more often.”

He leans in and brushes his fingers over my neck. “If you wanna see me in a tux again, you’re gonna have to marry me.”

“That’s a hell of a way to propose,” I say with a smirk. A hungry smile spreads across his face, and he clunks the empty champagne bottle down on a nearby table.

“Take me upstairs a nd I’ll even get down on one knee,” he whispers, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and pulling me against his body. “Or both knees. Hands and knees. Anything you want.”

“You promised your sister we’d stay until at least one o’clock,” I remind him. “It’s not even midnight yet.”

“Fuck that,” he breathes between my lips.

“I need you so goddamn bad, Theo. Come on.” He reaches for my hand, and I’m definitely going to let him take me up to our hotel room, but then we see Yelena fighting through the crowd and making a beeline for us.

She looks a little stressed, so I take another gulp of champagne.

“Ben! Hey!” she calls, and he lets out a quiet groan.

“You’re like a fucking shark, you know that? You can smell an opportunity to cock block a mile away.”

Yelena just rolls her eyes. “Oh, my apologies, just trying to play party planner and hostess and private fucking security. I need you to come to the front door for a minute and deal with a…situation.”

“What situation?” Ben grumbles.

“This situation,” Yelena says, holding up what looks like a driver’s license. “This crazy girl is at the door, insisting that she knows the two of you. She’s not on the list, so obviously, she’s not getting in, but she’s got this awful fake ID that has both your names on it. I just need you to–”

“Where did you get this?” Ben asks, his voice choked as he snatches the card from Yelena. She looks offended and confused, but my heart strains against my chest as I look over his shoulder.

It looks just like the fake ID he made for Annie so she could drink with us, except that this one seems legit, and the picture is slightly different. But it has the name she loved so much, Annika Keating de la Cruz, and the birthday I gave her—May 4th, because it’s Star Wars Day.

Ben looks up at his sister and repeats, “Where the fuck did you get this?”

“I told you, stupid ! There’s a weird stalker girl at the front door, and that was the ID she gave me! She’s legitimately insane though, cursing and trying to fight the security guys.”

“Is that her? Does she look like the girl in this photo?” Ben asks, already moving toward the stairs that lead to the hotel’s front entrance.

“Yes,” Yelena answers. “Do you actually know her?”

Ben looks at me, his eyes wild and full of hope. I want to pull him back, tell him that there’s absolutely no way it’s really her, but I’m right there beside him as we push our way through the crowd.

“We’ll take care of it, Yelly!” he calls over his shoulder. She just shrugs and moves away. Ben’s squeezing my hand so tight I think he might break my fingers, and neither of us speaks until we’re on the stairs.

“It can’t be her,” I mutter. “Ben…”

“It has to be,” he snaps. “It has to be, Theo! She had the ID on her when we went into the shelter that morning! And look at this photo.” He shoves it into my hands and continues walking.

I keep pace beside him, but I don’t look at it.

I can’t, because if it’s not her, it’ll just tear me apart all over again.

Instead, I put it in my pocket and rub the hand-shaped scar above my heart.

Please, I pray silently, let it be her. For his sake, if not for mine.

At the top of the stairs, we race down a long hallway and then practically fly up another set of stairs into the hotel lobby.

There’s a checkpoint set up to one side of the front desk, and five big guys in contract security uniforms are standing in front of the metal detector.

They’re clearly all talking to the same person, but I can’t see who it is until Ben yells.

“Annie?!”

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 swept into 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. She feels 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 you too, 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.