Page 59 of Violet

The property starts to clear, and when I finally look around, it’s just us. Me and my mates, Violet and hers... And my sister, standing quietly off to the side.

“Addie?” she calls softly, her eyes never once leaving mine.

“It’s Violet now.” I march toward her, all the pain in my chest turning my heart to ice. “Unless you want me to call you Gwinnie...”

“Good point.” She gives me a tentative smile. “I’ve really missed you, Violet.”

“Sure you did, Amber,” I spit. “That’s why you left.”

“I left because our mother sent me away. You know that.”

“Then why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you come back?”

“Of course I called—every day, then every week, then every month. I kept calling until our mother told me to stop.”

“She wouldn’t do that.” I shake my head in denial, but we’re talking about the same woman who told me to turn myself in. To Raicus. Who would have killed me.

“She did.” Amber’s lower lip trembles. “Please believe me, Addie... Violet!”

“I waited for you,” I whisper softly. “I sat on the front steps every holiday and waited until Mother told me you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“She wouldn’t let me come home. No matter how much I begged. She said my wonky magic would just embarrass you. Both of you.”

“I don’t care about your magic. All I’ve ever cared about is having my sister back.” I throw my arms around Gwinnie—Amber—and start to sob. Then my sister’s sobbing too, and we stand like that for who knows how long before we finally pull apart.

“I hope she’s going to be okay,” Amber says softly as we both turn to look at the unconscious Violet.

“I think she will be,” I whisper. Color’s already seeping back into her cheeks as her chest rises and falls. Plus, her mates look less worried, which is a good sign.

“So you were posing as her this whole time?” Amber asks.

I nod. “I had no choice.”

“You could have told me it was you.” Amber shakes her head. “But never mind that. I’m just glad that you’re okay. And that we could help.”

“How did you even know to come here?” I ask.

“Same way everyone else did.” Amber grins.

“The police?” I hazard a guess, remembering Liam’s call just as the attack started.

“No.” Amber shakes her head. “Screech.”

“Screech?!” I spin around to look at my mate, who pats Liam on the shoulder and leads him over to join me and my sister.

“My meeting was up in Scarborough,” he explains. “I knew I wouldn’t get here in time, so I sent a broadcast to every supe within a five-mile radius. Looked like we got a good turnout.”

“A good turnout?” I gasp. “The whole town was here.”

“Just one of the perks of dating an app developer.” Cash winks.

“So we’re dating now?” I tease.

“I sure hope so, little furry.” Cash grins.

“And I hope we’re dating, too,” Liam adds. He doesn’t sound as confident, and I throw my arms around him in a quick hug.

I introduce both my mates to my sister and search the grounds for the third, who’s nowhere to be found.