Page 35

T HIRTY -F OUR C AMILLE

Xander’s lips crash down on mine without warning in a kiss that’s equal parts possessive and sincere. It’s filled with an intense urgency that kicks my heart rate up and catches me completely off guard. One of his hands drops to grip my hip before he snakes his arm around me, tugging me against his chest as his other hand glides into my hair.

I close my eyes and loop my arms around his neck, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss as our breaths mingle, and I push my tongue into his mouth, claiming him. There will be no doubt that he is mine—I will erase any trace of it. I’m done with the back and forth, questioning my gut and how I feel about him.

I grip the back of his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair and throwing every wild emotion whipping through me into the kiss.

Xander does the same with equal fervor, and our hearts beat like drums against our chests where they’re pressed together as the heat of his body radiates to warm my skin.

I decide at this very moment that nothing in this world—or the underworld—will keep us apart.

I will destroy anything or anyone that tries.

We kiss until my head spins and my lungs burn, and I lose myself in the waves of emotion flooding through me.

Xander breaks the kiss, breathing heavily. He rests his forehead against mine and says, “If we don’t stop…” He trails off, but the intention of his words is clear.

“I know,” I tell him, keeping my eyes shut as I catch my breath. “I need to shower and get dressed.”

“Hear me out,” he offers in an amused tone.

“Xander,” I warn, though I can’t fight the subtle upward curve of my lips as I blink my eyes open.

He chuckles, teasing the hair at my temple, then pulls away with a brief kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.” His phone chimes, and he takes it out as he steps back. “Change of plans. Harper is driving as it’s faster than waiting at the airport for the next flight, so she’ll be here in about three hours.”

An echo of excitement blooms in my chest, but it’s overshadowed by the weight of concern for Danielle.

Xander pockets his phone and brushes his knuckles against my cheek before leaving the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

With Harper arriving, I’ll have another voice of support to go after my sister and bring her back from hell. It’s no secret that Xander’s not sold on the idea of me going, and there’s still a lot to figure out—including telling my parents—but we’re going to make it work.

I refuse to accept anything different.

I rush outside the second Harper pulls into the driveway shortly before dinner time. She’s barely out of the car before I throw my arms around her neck, and she wraps hers around my waist, hugging me just as fiercely.

We’re both sniffling, in tears when we pull back, and I wipe hers away as she does the same to mine.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Part of me wants to ask how she managed to get away so abruptly, but selfishly, I don’t care one bit. The only thing that matters to me right now is that she’s here.

I help get her bags inside and carry them up to the room I’ve been staying in before we meet Xander and Blake in the main living room. A fire crackles in the massive fireplace, and the guys sit on opposite sides of the glass coffee table, Blake in one of the arm chairs and Xander on one side of the couch.

They stand as we come into the room, and Harper blows out a heavy sigh. “I need a drink,” she says before either can speak.

“Nice to see you too, love,” Blake remarks in an amused tone.

“Bite me,” she shoots at him.

He smirks. “Nah, you’d enjoy it too much.”

Her eyes narrow, and I catch her wrist when she takes a step toward him. “I think we’re going to have dinner soon,” I chime in, looking at Xander to step in before his half-sister and demon bestie get into a brawl in the living room.

“Yes,” he confirms. “Gio is almost done in the kitchen.”

Once we each have a drink in our hands, we proceed to have the most awkwardly silent dinner in history.

Harper and I sit on one side of the table, while Xander and Blake sit across from us. The conversation is limited to surface-level small talk about Harper’s drive and how nice the house is. Harper makes a comment about putting a Christmas tree up in the living room, and it’s only then I realize we’re only a few days from the holiday.

“We can,” Xander offers. “I wasn’t sure where we’d be for Christmas this year so I didn’t buy anything, but feel free. My home is yours.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to tell her that,” I warn, “she’ll redecorate the entire place immediately.”

Xander chuckles. “I’m not concerned about that.”

“Yeah, it could use a splash of personality,” Blake says.

“So long as it’s not yours,” Harper chimes in, using a sickly sweet, completely fake tone.

I glance between the two to find them locked in a death glare, though there’s a spark of amusement in Blake’s eyes.

When my eyes shift to Xander, I find him already looking at me. “Have you spoken to your parents yet?” he asks.

I push a little potato around my plate, shaking my head. “I think it’s something I need to tell them in person.”

“Your dad is scheduled to be at headquarters next week,” Harper says, turning her attention to me. “So he’ll probably be in Seattle for Christmas. If you ask him to come, he definitely will.”

A brief frown touches my lips as I consider that Dad being in Seattle for the holidays means Noah will be spending them alone. I push the thought away. I unfortunately have more immediate things to worry about. “Right. Yeah, we can head there tomorrow.”

“Uh, we can’t,” Blake chimes in, turning his gaze to Xander. “You have a council meeting.”

“What makes you think you’re invited to Christmas?” Harper asks, crossing her arms.

“Harper,” I murmur, shaking my head to say, enough .

Of course having Xander and Blake around for the holidays would be an impossible sell on my parents, but I may need Xander there to help me explain what’s going on.

“Fine,” she says with a sigh, reaching over to squeeze my knee. “We’ll figure it out, babe.”

After we finish eating, Harper and I return to the living room while the guys clean up from dinner. We drop onto the couch, and Harper grabs the heavy throw blanket off the back and drapes it over us.

“Talk to me,” she says.

“I’m not sure what Xander already told you.”

“Danielle is trapped in hell. That’s basically the extent of what I know.”

I nod. “Right, well, I’m going to get her back.”

Harper smiles. “Of course we are. We’ll come up with a plan and send Xander’s council there to—”

“No,” I cut in, my brows knitting. “I mean, I’m going to hell to bring her back here.”

She blinks at me, then reaches for my hands, holding them firmly in hers. “You are with the most powerful demon alive. Let him do this.”

I press my lips together, unable to ignore the subtle fluttering in my stomach. “I can’t. She’s my sister. I…I have to do this.”

Harper looks conflicted, like she understands but wants to argue with me. “You know I’m on board to help in any way that I can.”

The flare of reassurance brings tears to my eyes. I’m absolutely terrified about the thought of going to hell and everything that’ll come with that, which only invites more doubt to my ability to trust my instincts, but Harper’s immediate willingness to get on board makes me feel like maybe I can trust my gut in this situation. “Thank you.”

She squeezes my hands. “Of course. But if you’re going, so am I.”

My stomach sinks, my thoughts racing back to the last mission we were on together, the one where we nearly became demon food and Xander became the king of hell. After that, I vowed to never put Harper in that kind of danger again. She gets into it enough herself just by being a hunter. “No. No way. Absolutely not.” I can’t stand the thought of her being put in that kind of danger, and if I’m worried about her, I won’t be able to focus solely on saving my sister. “You remember what happened last time, right? The monumental disaster at Lucia’s compound?”

She shrugs. “So it’s okay for you to risk it but not me? Besides, I can’t see Xander fucking up that royally this time around.”

I shake my head adamantly. “I can’t take the chance of losing you too, Harper. Please.” I grip her hands. “I’ll need you to stay with my parents and keep them as calm as possible. That’ll likely be just as difficult as what I’ll be doing,” I try to joke, but it doesn’t land as she just stares at me.

“I don’t want you going to hell period but I especially don’t want you going alone with Xander.”

I sigh despite understanding her concern and point out, “He’s my best shot at bringing Danielle back.”

“Are you sure there isn’t another way?”

Frowning, I shake my head. “I’m not sure, but there isn’t time to mess around trying to find one. She’s already been trapped there for over five years, and the thought of her having to spend any more time there…” I wrap my arms around myself as my heart rate kicks up, my eyes burning as I implore my best friend, “ Please . Do this for me.”

Harper rakes her fingers through her hair, exhaling a heavy breath. She isn’t trying to hide how conflicted she feels in the position I’ve put her in. “Fine,” she finally says, her tone filled with reluctance. “Speaking of your parents. How are you going to tell them about everything?”

Her question triggers the sense of doom lingering just below the surface. I can’t stop the tingling sensation at the back of my throat, as if I’m going to be sick, or the way my hands get clammy and start to shake.

“Hey,” she murmurs, “deep breaths, Cami.”

All I can see is the looks of shock and terror on my parents’ faces as I tell them that their eldest daughter, who they believed dead for half a decade, was trapped in the underworld by the monster who killed her.

My heart pounds harder, as if it’s trying to escape my chest, reverberating in my throat. I try and fail to take a deep breath, the air getting lodged in my lungs as heat crawls up my neck, making my skin flushed.

Harper squeezes my hands, but they feel numb, and she says in a gentle voice, “I’m here. You’re safe. Just keep trying to breathe normally.” She mimics taking slow, deep breaths, and I try to focus despite the way my vision narrows, growing dark and hazy around the edges.

The heat from the fire feels too hot as I fight the feeling that the worst possible thing is about to happen, and the walls seem to be getting closer. I’m stuck here. I can’t move. Can’t breathe. I’m trapped in my own body as blood rushes through my ears, drowning out Harper’s attempt to pull me back from the edge of anxiety.

Control slips through my fingers like water, and I squeeze my eyes shut, gritting my teeth at the twisted knots in my stomach as bile burns my throat. Seconds feel like hours as fear claws at me, giving me nowhere to escape it.

“Come on,” Harper says firmly, standing and pulling me off the couch with her. “Let’s go outside for a minute. The fresh air will help.”

I let her guide me out of the living room and to the front door, where she opens it, and a blast of cold air hits me in the face. Walking outside, I’m finally able to pull a proper breath into my lungs.

After several slow, deep breaths, I finally feel my pulse start to calm.

“Better?” Harper checks.

I manage a nod, glancing around the quiet patio along the side of the house that sits outside the living room windows. It’s secluded by tall hedges, making me feel more secure as Harper keeps talking to me. Any patio furniture would’ve been stored away weeks ago, leaving the space open to pace around.

“Good. Keep breathing. We’ll stand here as long as you need.” She has her arms wrapped tightly around herself as our breaths fog the air. The cold air helped refocus my thoughts and disarm the anxiety charging through me, but now Harper and I are both shivering.

“I’m okay,” I tell her. “We can go back inside.”

She doesn’t argue, and once we’re on the other side of the front door with it closed, she rubs her hands up and down her arms over her sweater.

“Sorry,” I say, cringing. “Try to picture yourself on a beach somewhere warm.”

She freezes, cursing under her breath.

“What’s the matter?”

“I totally forgot. I was going to surprise you on Christmas. I booked an all-inclusive trip for us to Puerto Vallarta next month.”

My eyes pop wide, my stomach clenching with short lived excitement. “You did?”

“Yeah. I mean, we’ve talked about it for years, and I thought with everything that happened this year, a trip for just the two of us to kick off next year would be amazing. Of course, I couldn’t foresee you taking a trip of your own. When we talked about going somewhere hot as hell , I didn’t think you’d take it so literally.”

I press my lips together. It’s not funny, but I don’t know how else to respond. “I’m sorry, Harper. Can we reschedule?”

She frowns, shaking her head. “Non-refundable trip.”

The pit in my gut doubles in size, snuffing out every ounce of excitement from a minute ago. “You should find someone else to go with.”

“Nah, that doesn’t sound fun.”

“Would you go by yourself? It could be a good distraction while I’m…away.”

“I thought you wanted me to keep an eye on your parents?”

“I do, but I’d rather you do something for yourself. I can get Noah to check in on my dad when he goes back to Seattle, and I’m sure Mom has people within the organization that’ll make sure she’s okay.”

Her brows nudge closer. “Are you absolutely sure?”

I grab her shoulders, squeezing gently. “Yes. Go on the trip. Enjoy yourself. Maybe meet a cute guy and have a fling for the week.”

Harper laughs. “Right.” Pulling me into a hug, she says, “I’m going to hold you to a makeup trip, though.”

“Of course,” I say, hugging her back. “I love you.”

“Love you more, babe.” She pulls back and plants a loud kiss on my cheek. “Now if I remember correctly, Xander told me this place has a hot tub? I think we need to get some wine and have some much needed girl time before everything quite literally goes to hell.”