Page 37

I don’t sleep.

I don’t need to anymore. Still, I stay in bed, curled against Ares, watching the first shades of gray seep in around the curtains. The city is quiet in that final hour before the sun rises, the world paused, like it’s holding its breath.

My mind is a storm I can’t step out of. But it isn’t panic that keeps me awake. It’s something else.

Clarity.

When Ares stirs, his brow creases, and he blinks slowly, eyes adjusting. He finds me immediately in the dim light, like he always does, and something passes between us—like a current, invisible and undeniable.

“I think we should move to Chicago,” I say softly.

He breathes out once. “I think so too, Vengeance.”

No hesitation. No doubt.

Relief crashes through me so hard I almost shake. I close my eyes. We’re done looking. We’re done chasing ghosts. We’re choosing safety. We’re choosing each other. We’re choosing peace.

“What now?” I ask as I pull the blanket off and sit up.

He mirrors the movement. “We’ve got five days left. I’ll need to tell my staff, get a transition manager in place. There’s a lot I’ll need to sell. A lot I’ll want to keep.”

I nod, rubbing a hand over my arms even though I don’t feel cold.

“I’ll book our flights. Three days? That should give us enough time, right?

To wrap things up, at least to a degree, tell everyone?

” My mind spirals as I start running through the list of people we need to tell.

“How the hell are we supposed to tell Florence and Clementine?”

Ares just exhales through his nose. “This is going to be the hardest part. I don’t imagine she’s going to take it well.”

“Let’s get it over with then,” I say as I get up and head for the bathroom.

We move through our morning in sync, brushing our teeth side by side, getting dressed. I comb through my hair, and when I walk out into the kitchen, Ares hands me a blood bag. I drain it in just a few gulps. Ares takes a minute longer as he drains four entire bags.

“Ready?” he asks as he dumps the plastic in the trash.

“Yeah,” I confirm as I sling my bag over my shoulder and pull the door open.

I nearly jump out of my skin when something… someone, moves on the ground.

“Sysco!” I say as I place a hand on my racing heart. “What are you doing?”

He’s sitting in the hallway, his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes are a little bloodshot, dark bags beneath them like he hasn’t slept. He looks like he’s been out here a while.

“Couldn’t sleep, had a lot of shit to think about,” he says, sounding exhausted.

“What’s going on?” Ares asks him as he extends a hand to his best friend and pulls him up to his feet.

“What are you thinking about all of this shit?” he asks.

His brows are furrowed, and he looks like he’s been mulling all of this over the entire night.

“Is… is it worth it? Cause I’m not so sure it is anymore.

I mean, New York has always been my home, but lately, that doesn’t feel like the right word anymore. ”

“Sysco,” I say in sympathy as I step forward and wrap him in a hug. He seems… pained. Confused. He wraps his arms around me as well, hugging tighter than I expect.

“We’re leaving,” Ares says, and his voice is a little tight. The words come out sounding a little surprised or dazed, like he can’t quite believe he’s saying them. “We’re moving to Chicago.”

Sysco lets go of me, backing up as he grabs my upper arms. “Really? You’re not fucking with me?”

I shake my head and chuckle. “No, we’re not fucking with you. We just decided this morning. We’re on our way to tell Florence.”

A wild grin takes over his face. “Thank fuck. I’m ready to leave, too, but I didn’t want to do it alone.”

“Wait, really?” Ares asks, the excitement picking up in his tone.

“Hell yeah,” Sysco says as his brows furrow and a manic grin takes over his face. “New York has lost its damn mind. Time to move on. But I wasn’t going to do it without my best friends.”

Ares steps forward, wrapping his arms around Sysco and smacking his back in a hug. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear it. You ever been to Chicago?”

They release each other, and it’s kind of adorable how excited they both look. I can’t help but smile too. “No, you?”

“No,” Ares says with a laugh. “But it’s got to be better than here.”

“I think anywhere has to be better than here,” Sysco agrees as we walk down the hall. He presses the call button, and the elevator immediately opens. We all step inside.

Ares nods. “I’ll send you our flight info once it’s booked.”

“Perfect. I’ll start figuring out my shit.”

And for the whole elevator ride down, the two of them talk about what a mess this is going to be, trying to untangle their lives from New York.

I text Juliet.

We’re doing it. Me, Ares, and Sysco, we’re moving to Chicago.

She replies with a series of excited expletives.

You’ll love it, I promise. Roman and I will head to the airport when we’re done packing. See you in the windy city in a few days!

I grin at my phone as we step out of the elevator and cross to the doors. When we step outside into the brilliantly sunny day, they both slip on their special sunshades. “I’ll text you,” Ares calls as Sysco points in one direction, us in the other.

Sysco just gives a thumbs-up and hurries across the street before the light can change.

I turn toward Ares, mouth tilted in a crooked smile. “That was easier than I thought.”

“Almost too easy,” he says with a smirk. But I can tell he’s just as stunned by the serendipity of it all.

But we still have one very big conversation to get through.

Florence.

Florence’s office is sleek, modern, and cold in the way only billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies manage to be. Her assistant escorts us to her doors.

When we step inside, Florence’s head is down, typing furiously.

She looks up, blinking with surprise. “Oh no. Is the world ending already? I swear, it’s just one fucking catastrophe after another these days.”

She’s been debriefed on all the insanity that never seems to stop these days.

Ares nods and takes a seat across the desk from her. I sink into the chair beside him. “That’s kind of the point. We need to talk to you about something.”

Her eyes sharpen instantly, but she doesn’t say anything. Just waits.

“We’re moving to Chicago,” I say, keeping my tone gentle.

She stares at us. For a heartbeat. Two.

Then she lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a laugh and a groan.

“Oh, thank fuck.”

I blink. “Wait… what?”

Florence leans back in her chair and tosses her pen onto the desk.

“I’ve been wanting to move the company out of New York for over two years now.

Taxes, local regulations, the constant..

. drama. And this psycho bitch taking control of vampires?

Not only are my brother and sister-in-law vampires, but my wife is also a vampire.

Getting out of New York has been on my mind damn near every minute for forever now.

But I couldn’t leave you, Ares. Now, you two suggesting it?

” She points between us. “Maybe I can finally breathe again.”

“You’re really okay with this?” Ares asks, brows lifting.

“I’m more than okay. This is the opening I’ve been waiting for. It’ll take time—I’ve got a lot of operations to transfer—but I’m not kidding. I’ve been thinking about this for forever.”

“I was worried you’d be mad,” I admit.

Florence simply laughs. She does, in fact, seem… happy. “Mad? I’m relieved. Happy. I’ve been worried about you two since this all began. You’ve been trying to hold together a cracked city. And it’s terrifying, worrying about your wife being in danger all the time.”

“Amen,” Ares mutters in agreement.

Florence smiles, sitting straighter. “This is the best news I’ve gotten in weeks.”

I look over at Ares, and I can see it on his face.

This is just the next in a whole series of signs. Every door we feared would slam in our face is swinging wide open.

The universe isn’t just letting us leave. It’s clearing a damn path.