Page 58 of Cora

“We can always kill her tomorrow,” Remi said. “At least in the tower, we can keep a better eye on her.”

“I was hoping I could stay in the house with all of you studs,” Dyana said. My growl quickly had her correcting herself. “But the watchtower sounds delightful. I always wanted a place with a view.”

“That’s another mouth to feed,” Derrick stated.

“Oh, don’t worry. Dyana will be pulling her weight, won’t you?” I asked sweetly.

“Absolutely. Whatever you need, I’m your girl,” she purred.

I looked at her in disbelief. Is she for real? I moved closer and flicked her on the forehead. “What the fuck is wrong with you. They are mine! Stop flirting with them all the time!”

“Sorry! It’s hard to turn it off. I’ve spent the last three years seducing everyone I’ve met to stay ahead,” Dyana replied.

“Well fucking try because if you keep it up, I really will shoot you,” I promised. I looked at the sky. The sun wouldn’t be up for several hours still. “Alright, let’s go to the house. When the sun comes up, we will bring you to the watchtower.”

“We’re bringing her home?” Remi asked.

“Do you want to climb up to the watchtower in the pitch black?” I asked him.

“House it is,” he replied quickly.

“I appreciate this, Cora. I know I don’t deserve your kindness, so thank you,” Dyana said as she stepped beside me.

I nodded. “Kelly was my best friend. She’d hate me if I killed her sister, even if you were acting like a bitch.”

When we got inside, she looked around curiously. I grabbed an apple from the kitchen and tossed it to her.

“Can you guys carry the couch into Daddy’s room for her to sleep on tonight?” I asked, gesturing for Dyana to go down the hall. “You can sleep in here tonight. The bathroom is down the hall. The walls are thin, so don’t get any bright ideas. This isn’t immunity. It’s a stay of execution until you can prove you aren’t a threat to us, understand?”

“I understand,” she replied. “I promise you won’t have to worry about me again.”

We left her to sleep and went to our room. “Are you sure about this, Cora?” Isaac asked.

I shrugged. “We have guns; Dyana doesn’t. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Epilogue

Dyana

Ispotted Cora sitting in the yard from my tower and hiked down the well-worn path to see what she was up to.

“Hey, bitch,” I said as I flopped down onto the blanket beside her and immediately started playing with the toes of my favorite little boy in the world. The chubby little baby grinned at me with a toothless smile, drool pouring down his chin. I still hadn’t figured out who Johnny looked like most, but it didn’t really matter.

“Whore,” Cora replied without opening her eyes, her face pointed toward the sun. I studied my best friend and the slight circles under her eyes. I’d never expected my little sister’s best friend to become my entire life, but here we were. She was my family, and even after everything that happened, she chose me to be hers, too. And if I weren’t mistaken, we had another addition to our family on the way.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“We’re enjoying the sun while we wait for the Daddies to come home. They decided to go into town and check things out. See if they can find anything worth bringing back,” Cora replied.

“And I’m guessing you haven’t told them you’re pregnant again, or they wouldn’t have left your side.”

I laughed when Cora’s eyes popped out of her head. “How did you know!?”

“We’re the only two human women on this mountain, Cora. Don’t you think I’d notice when I’m bleeding, and you aren’t?”

“Please don’t say anything to them,” she pleaded. “I haven’t figured out how or when I will tell them yet.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” I assured her.

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