Page 19 of Reign By Wrath

“I didn’t stay away because I was afraid of anyone here. I stayed away because I was afraid for you. Now, you need me here.” A warm hand settled on the back of my head. “I won’t leave you again, Luna. I promise.”

My cheeks warmed, but I didn’t let on. Like he said, I couldn’t let him get too comfortable. “But you do have to go for now. The T.O.D.ers could be anyone and anywhere. For all we know, she has them on the lookout for you right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Might as well make me the leader of the pantywaist club if I run scared of a teenager. Don’t worry,” he said, returning to his phone. “I’m making arrangements for the final move now. Time for Alistair Burkhardt to return to Regalia.”

I held off on arguing with him—for the time being. Seemed there would be a big family talk that night. Mom and I would have a better chance of convincing him as a team.

We were quiet for the rest of the drive. Alistair was busy making his arrangements while I was busy coming up with an explanation for the guys.

Alistair asked Mr. Dumont to not tell them that I wasn’t dead. All that time they’ve spent grieving, and now I was going to burst in with not a scratch on me and tell them my father was the shadowy head of the organization that claimed their parents. Where did I begin? It all sounded crazy to me too.

All too soon, our driver turned off the paved road and onto a tree-lined path leading to the beach. Recognition smacked me in the face. Why didn’t I realize when he said Wilson beach house?

I swallowed hard at the wraparound porch and chair swing. Victor put Rafael, Cato, Lucien, and Wilder up in his brother’s house.

The car stopped before the driveway. I froze with my fingers around the handle, willing them to pull, let me out, face what was coming.

“They won’t be angry.”

My head snapped up, fixing on Alistair’s smile.

“When someone you love comes back to you, anger is the last thing you feel.”

“I was in way over my head. I got them sucked into a situation that never had anything to do with them, and it almost got them killed. Now I’m going to waltz in and ask to kick the war off again? They’re going to tell me to get the fuck out of their faces.”

“They won’t.” His gaze flicked past my shoulder. “Trust me. I haven’t lied to you yet.”

Turning slowly, I watched Wilder, Rafael, and Victor step onto the porch, glaring suspiciously at the random black car sitting in front of the house.

I reached for the handle again.

“But if they do let you down,” Alistair continued, “I’ll kill them. So it’s good for me either way.”

I snorted, barking a laugh. It gave me the strength to open the door.

“Hey, guys.”

The three of them didn’t move—each staring at me with varying degrees of shock.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurted. “I swear I couldn’t contact you before now, but I’ll explain everything and—”

“Luna?” Victor jumped off the porch. “Luna!” He scooped me in his arms, spinning me off my feet. I couldn’t catch my breath under his onslaught of kisses, so I stopped trying.

Cupping his cheeks, I kissed him back hungrily, desperately, freely. What I had with Victor was so new, and Everleigh almost cut it short permanently.

“I can’t believe you’re alive.” Victor squeezed the breath out of me. “When they told me you didn’t make it out of the Gallery...” Wetness dripped on my cheek. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I’m sorry. I love you so much.”

The confession was barely out before I was torn from Victor’s arms and Rafael buried me in his chest.

“I knew you weren’t gone,” he whispered. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”

My heart melted like ice cream in the sun. I couldn’t believe I wasted a second in fear of what they’d say when they saw me. These guys were my hearts. They beat for me. I lived for them. We were together again. Everything was as it should be.

I broke from Rafael only to end up clinging to Wilder. He kissed my forehead, cheeks, lips, everywhere.

“How?” he gruffed. “I scoured the ends of cyberspace for a trace of you. How?”

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