Page 42 of Reign of Psychos

“I know you can,” I lied. “But if you have any trouble, let me know. Or tell the girls to send for me.” I pulled her into my arms for a hug. She’d shot up in the last few months, blossoming from a little girl into a gorgeous young woman. One day soon, she’d have boys beating a path to her door.

But until then, she was my baby sister, and I would happily kill people to protect her.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “Thank you for not leaving me behind.”

“Ver, I would never have left you with that man.” Neither of us liked to call him ‘Dad’. He’d never been a father to us. Not once. “Never.”

“I miss Mrs. Gia,” she whispered. “I wish she’d come with us.”

“I know.”

We stood holding each other for a few moments while everyone chattered and stowed bags in the car, but eventually, it was time to say goodbye.

Verity’s cheeks were wet with tears, but she smiled as she wiped them away with her sleeve. “Thank you for the cat onesie,” she said, pointing to the gift bag as Connor put it in the trunk next to her other luggage.

I’d seen it in a boutique store down the road and knew immediately she would love it.

“It will keep you warm in that drafty old castle.” I wasn’t kidding about the castle bit. Eden had sent me a link to the school’s website. It looked a bit like Abernethy, with turrets and gargoyles. Creepy as fuck, but as long as she was safe there,I didn’t care about the decor. It could be Hogwarts for all the difference it made.

“Make sure you message me at least once a week.”

This prompted an eye roll. “I will.”

We had one last hug before she climbed into one of Declan’s cars. Eden and I both watched the vehicles pull away in a convoy with tears in our eyes. It was pathetic, but I couldn’t help but feel happy my sister was finally being given a chance to spread her wings like the beautiful butterfly she was destined to become.

“Wanna watch True Blood with me tonight?” Eden asked once the cars were out of sight. “Lots of kinky sex in it.”

I considered her offer. The guys probably had shit to do. We all needed a break from one another. While they seemed to like my company, we were becoming dangerously co-dependent. At least I was.

“Sure. Bring snacks and I’ll be there.” A relaxing evening watching a show aboutmorevampires seemed like fun. And God knows I needed some fun in my life.

21

Thea

My heart ached. Saying goodbye to my sister had been as painful as the day I left Italy. The only difference was she hadn’t been upset this time. Nope. She was way too excited about the prospect of going to a boarding school with Aoife and Saoirse. They’d become thick as thieves since we arrived in Dublin. The girls had taken Verity under their wings and treated her like another sister. It was heart-warming.

Yet another thing I owed Declan. The list of favors I’d accrued was growing by the day. There was no way I could pay him back for everything. One day he’d call on me to handle a problem, but for now, I’d decided not to let it worry me.

I had bigger issues on my plate. Most notably, the fact Torrance still hadn’t popped up like a floating turd.

“Where are we staying?” Landon asked, his hand resting on my knee as I stared out of the tinted window at the brightly lit streets. People scurried around. Men and women in suits, families, tourists, students, and shadier types, all in a rush to be somewhere.

I’d visited London many times, but never really felt at home here. It was too busy. Too clogged with traffic. Too everything.

“I booked the penthouse at Claridges,” Cassian replied.

“Of course you did,” Dar muttered, still coming to terms with the scale of Cassian’s privilege.

“Feel free to slum it at the Holiday Inn if you prefer,” Cassian suggested, making Landon snort.

“I think a hostel is more his speed,” he taunted. I pinched his leg hard, and he yelped.

“Ow! That hurts!”

“Good, it was meant to. Stop being a dick! We’re not all as rich as Elon Musk. Dario and I aren’t used to extreme wealth.”

“My money is your money, sweetheart,” Cassian said with a smile. I rolled my eyes.Yeah, right. It wasn’t like we were in an official relationship. Yes, we were fucking, but sooner or later, he’d move on.

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