Page 171 of Every Shade of Shadow

She nods. “Sex stuff, which I won’t bore you with, but damn. This one… It was so realistic, so weird. I woke up and I swear it was like I’d been fucked five ways to Sunday.”

“I don’t need the details,” I tell her, because I was there.

“In any case,” she says. “Order has been restored in the universe.”

Sabrina insists on paying, which is just as well, because I don’t have a dime to my name. That’s going to be a whole different problem, but for now I’m happy to simply hold her for a bit.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper into her shoulder, the waterworks finally starting to flow.

She nods against me. “You’re back. That’s all that matters.”

Outside, it’s starting to rain, which again reminds me of Lumina. I’m starting to think everything will.

Everything reminds me of him.

“Oh, it’s raining,” Sab notes, staring through the diner door. She looks to me in alarm. “Do you need somewhere to stay? Your apartment—”

“Is mine. Long story.”

“Oh, because you know I’m going to see you tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that. You better call me Casper, because girl, I’m going to haunt your ass, make sure you never skip out on me again.”

I laugh. “I’ll hold you to it.”

“Love you,” she says, opening the door.

“Love you more.”

She darts out into the downpour and heads left, keeping to the wall.

I wave her off and step out myself, about to start down the street when a voice from the curbside calls out. “Ms. Fairchild? Ms. Annabelle Fairchild?”

I swivel to find a suited, serious sort of man standing beside a black limo. He’s holding up an umbrella, moving to shield me from the rain.

“Yes,” I answer cautiously and subtly guarding my neck before someone jabs me again.

“Someone’s expecting you.” He nods, stretching over to the limo’s rear door and pulling it open while continuing to hold the umbrella over me with his other hand. It’s quite the contortion act.

“Who?” I ask the obvious question.

“Please,” he nods, about to perform the splits.

But I’m used to all this mysterious back and forth by now, so why not jump in a strange car with a strange man? What’s the worst that could happen? I wonder with a sense of déjà vu.

Thing is, I’ve changed since I was last in New York. I’m confident, powerful… If someone wants to try something, let them. They’ll go the same, toasty way Isadora Lumina did.

But as to who’s arranging all this? I have no idea. I think about it as I settle myself into the back of the limo, but the search is short and bears little fruit. With Damien in a coma, I can’t imagine who would be expecting me here bar maybe Lily or Ava, though this doesn’t really seem like their MO.

AOB? I consider.

That’s possible. Maybe I’ll get my own Nick Fury, a team.

Fat fucking chance.

The door closes and the driver moves around to the cabin, the car pulling away slowly into the stream of traffic.

My thoughts return to Damien. It’s been barely a day and already I can’t stand not being by his side. If this is the AOB, the first thing I’m going to petition is to get right back to the Academy so I can be with him—on a plane this time. If they don’t agree to that, I’ll…

Burn the place down? my head offers.

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