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‘You’re still you, Cupcake. It will just take time to adjust. We will find a new normal once all of this is over.’

Her fingers curl into mine, and then they slowly slide up my arms. She traces along my snake tattoo, sending shivers of delight and tension through me. My want for her builds and builds, making me feel like I’m going to explode.

‘I thought I lost you,’ I whisper.

‘You didn’t.’

She leans forward slowly, her hands slipping into my hair, before moving to interlock behind my neck. Her skin’s cooler now. Like mine. Her scent – sharper. Her heartbeat – gone.

She’s alive. She’s with me. Our love will be eternal.

‘I keep thinking how lucky I am that I get to love you for the rest of our lives, now that your life isn’t going to end anytime soon.’

She smiles softly, her thumb brushing lightly along the side of my face in a slow pattern, her eyes roaming over my face, as if she’s seeing it clearly for the first time.

She exhales, the tension stretching tight between us, but this time, neither of us pulls away. Her lips ghost across mine. The kiss is slow, aching, deep, but also desperate and urgent.

I kiss her like I’ll have centuries to get it right, because now I do.

20

THE STALKER

I stand just beyond the trees.

The shadows gather thick and silent. They’re all inside. I see them.

Raya. Tara. Cora.

Together again. I never thought I’d see this moment. Never dared to imagine it. I press a hand to my chest. My pulse doesn’t quicken. It hasn’t in years. But still the ache is there.

They’ve grown into something so fierce and so beautiful.

I want to go with them, but I can’t cross the boundary. Not yet. Red Thorne would feel me the second I stepped too close. The witches would come for me, and I can’t risk that. Not again.

So I stay hidden. I watch them from the edge. From the silence.

Turning, I disappear into the dark.

I’ll always be watching and waiting.

I will always belong to them.

21

TARA

The Host

We stand at the edge of where Red Thorne begins.

The supernatural energy hums in the air. The twisted trees, the old stones, the scent of magic in the wind. It’s a place like no other. A place I thought was supposed to be home. Now it feels like a stranger to me, as much of a stranger as the witches who claimed to be my family.

This place used to make me shiver. Now, I just feel wired. Almost like I’ve become connected to it somehow. The others are quiet behind me. Everyone is focused and ready. Every breath feels like the calm before a storm.

Kian stands chillingly still, arms crossed, scanning the tree line with a stoic expression. Cora crouches low, tightening the strap on her blade like she’s hoping someone will give her an excuse to use it. Hunter checks his gear again, jaw tight. Raya murmurs something soft, almost like a prayer, but I don’t quite catch what she says. Cas rolls his shoulders and smirks, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he’s excited for what’s to come.

Theo stands beside me. I can feel his presence. He hasn’t let me out of his sight since the turning. He doesn’t hover, doesn’t smother, he’s simply there in a loyal, protective way. Like he has my back no matter what’s about to happen.