Page 42

“Well, she’s definitely protected with that dog around. You’re right to name him Slayer,” Evie admitted reluctantly.

Drake and Zarek laughed.

“I really didn’t want you to come,” I said quietly. I looked at the floor, unable to look at either of my siblings.

“We were just discussing that,” Zarek said. “I asked you to stay outside and let me handle this.”

Finally, something besides my family to focus on.

I rounded on him. “I don't need you fighting my battles.” I turned back to my brother and sister.

Zarek lifted his hand towards me, but I jerked away like his touch would burn. “Chloe, I didn't want you upset.”

“Well, it's too late for that.” The words came out sharp, cutting. “Poor little broken Chloe is upset again.”

“Hey, that's not fair⁠—”

“Fair?” I whipped around to face him fully, my voice climbing. “You want to talk about fair? Nothing about any of this is fair!” My hands were shaking now, and I clenched them into fists. “But I'm not some fragile doll you need to wrap in bubble wrap!”

Zarek's jaw tightened. “I never said you were.”

“You didn't have to say it. You did it.” I gestured wildly toward Drake and Evie. “Standing out there, playing gatekeeper, deciding what I can and can't handle.”

“Because I care about you⁠—”

“Then let me fight my own battles!” The words tore out of my throat.

I turned back to my siblings, my chest heaving. Drake looked stricken, but Evie... Evie was watching me with those careful, calculating eyes she got when she was trying to solve a problem.

“I'm not mad at you,” I said to Zarek, my voice dropping to barely above a whisper. The fight went out of me as quickly as it had come. “I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that.”

“Sweets, your voicemail has been full for weeks,” Drake said gently, like he was talking to a spooked animal. “I wasn't even sure my messages were getting through.”

“The texts got through.” My voice was flat now, emotionless. “Two a day. Every day. Like clockwork.”

“And mine?” Evie's voice was deceptively casual, but I could hear the steel underneath. “Did those get through too?”

I flinched before I could stop myself, and I saw the moment Evie caught it. Her eyes sharpened.

“It would have been fine if it was just Drake, wouldn't it?” There was no accusation in her voice, just tired resignation. “You could have handled seeing just him.”

My throat felt like sandpaper. “Slayer needs water.”

I turned toward the sink, but Evie's voice followed me.

“That's it, isn't it? You can face Drake, but not me.”

I gripped the dog bowl so hard my knuckles went white. “Drop it, Evie.”

“Like hell I will.” Her voice was getting stronger now, more like the sister I remembered. “Zoe told me what you said to her. If you feel that way about her, I can't even imagine what you think about me.”

The bowl was trembling in my hands, water sloshing over the sides. “I said drop it.”

“No.” Evie moved to block my path as I tried to walk past her. “We're not shoving this under the rug. We're not pretending everything's fine when it's not.”

Water splashed onto the floor. “Look what you made me do!”

“Talk to me, Chloe.”