some reason or another, she stepped out of the room and Evander snuck in, carrying a dinosaur-print blanket in his arms.
“Hi,” he said, and all I could do was nod back, fighting against my tears the whole time. “I’m Evander.”
“C-Callie,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Are you cold?” he asked, and I nodded. I remember it so well, the way his brows furrowed for only half a second, and then he strode forward with no hesitation and wrapped his favorite blanket around my shoulders.
Tears roll down my cheeks and I press my forehead into Evander’s shoulder, holding him tight. I refuse to let anything happen to him. No, we’re not related. We have no deep-rooted family ties. People who don’t know us raise their brows in question when they hear us call each other brother and sister, yet that is what Evander is to me.
My brother.
Because it’s just like Lucas said: family is deeper than who we’ve been born to. The family we choose is the family that matters.
And I’ll do anything to protect my family.
“Don’t cry,” Evander says, giving me a squeeze. “You’ll make me cry if you do.”
“You’re usually the emotional one,” I tease, blinking back tears. “At least I have an excuse right now and mine is temporary.”
“Getting in touch with your emotions isn’t a bad thing,” Evander tells me with a laugh.
“That’s what Lucas keeps saying,” I sigh.
Evander lets me go and turns his attention to Lucas, looking him up and down. “He’s not wrong.”
I blink rapidly, trying to keep my tears at bay. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Evander holds me tight for another few seconds. “Go home, have sex with your hot husband, and I’ll check in tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, though I’m too tired for sex.”
Evander laughs. “No details, Cal.”
“Right. It will only make you jealous.”
Evander makes a face. “Lucas is very attractive, I’ll give you that. And from what Ruby says…”
“Oh my god, she told you!”
Evander narrows his eyes. “Told me what?”
“She saw him naked!”
Evander lets out a snort of laugher. “She said nothing of the sort, and I was fucking with you. But now I am a little jealous.”
I cover my face with my hands. “She astral projected in, luckily right after we finished you know what.”
“Having sex? You’re pregnant, Callie. I know how babies are made.”
“Hah. And yes, right after we got done having sex. Lucas was very naked and very okay with it when Ruby appeared.”
Evander tips his head, checking out Lucas. “As he should be.”
I jab Evander in the ribs. “He’s mine”
Evander laughs. “Take your property home then.”
“He can hear us, you know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” Evander winks and moves around me, telling the students to go back to their dorms for the night. Lucas takes my hand and we go to the door. I say the enchantment to open it, heart hammering. Leaving the Covenstead is different that coming into it, but I’m still worried Lucas could get hurt.
I close my eyes and grip his hand tight. Lucas steps through the door before me, and when my feet hit the soft forest floor, I let out the biggest sigh of relief.
“I’ll take you home,” Julian says. He and Tabatha are standing feet from us.
“Callie will be safe?” Lucas asks, brows pinching together.
“For now,” Julian tells him.
“Thank you,” I say to Tabatha before Julian whisks us away.
“Of course, my darling girl.” Tabatha blinks away tears and takes my hands in hers. “Be careful, Callie. And don’t you hesitate if you need anything.”
“I won’t,” I tell her, feeling the same pull on my heart as I did when I hugged Evander. They are my family, and if anything happened to them—no. I can’t go there. “I’ll check in tomorrow afternoon,” I say, knowing there’s a good chance I’ll sleep in past noon. I’m exhausted, and once the adrenaline wears off, I’m going to crash hard.
Lucas moves in, wrapping one arm tightly around me. I lean back, resting my head against him, and stretch out my other hand for Julian. We wait until Tabatha steps back through the door, and then Julian flies us to the house, bringing us into the living room.
It feels different. Oppressive, yet safe at the same time. My familiars rush me, rubbing on my legs and purring. Scarlet hangs back, yipping and whimpering with excitement.
“I want to go to bed,” I tell Lucas, heart heavy. He nods and takes my hand, leading me upstairs. Binx rubs against my legs, reminding me that no matter what, I’m not alone. He’s