the edge of the bed. “None of that. I can see you overthinking it again. Blaming yourself.”
We’d had several conversations about this—I wasn’t hiding how I felt from my friends. They knew all about my guilt, my remorse, my worry.
“None of that was your fault. None of it. He did that. You saved me, Eve. You saved us all. If it wasn’t for you and your impromptu trip to Australia, I don’t know how long they would’ve taken to try the Lighthunter. I don’t know if it might’ve been too late . . .”
He trailed off, reliving horrors I couldn’t even imagine. I sat down next to him. Dot sat on his other side but remained silent.
“I’m really glad you’re OK, Charlie,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder and wrapping my arm around his waist. When I felt Dot’s delicate arm over mine, I knew she was mirroring my pose.
Beneath the soft fabric under my cheek was scarring. The day after Alec and I had helped the nurses and doctors manage the pain of the burn victims, the healers had finally arrived. They’d repaired the worst of the damage, made sure the muscle was strong, the bone unaffected, the skin stitched back over it all. But even they weren’t miracle workers.
Almost the entire left side of his body had been covered in burns, some more severe than others. Most of it had returned to smooth skin after the healing, but Charlie still had scars on his hip, his elbow, and over his shoulder and neck. Most of it could be covered by clothing, but he didn’t seem to care too much.
He gave us both a squeeze and then extracted himself. “All right, enough of that. This is supposed to be a celebration, no?”
“Yes!” Dot hopped up. “No more moping. Only fun and merriment from now on.”
She turned back to the mirror, but I saw her wipe some of the moisture under her eyes before she went back to doing her makeup.
“I’m going to head down and get a drink.” Charlie stuffed his hands into his pockets and wandered out of the room with an easy smile.
“Do you think he’s OK?” Dot kept her eyes trained on her own face in the mirror but pitched her voice low.
I went to stand behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I think he will be. With time.”
It always took time. I could attest to that. But this family I was suddenly a part of was made of tough stuff.
“I can’t wait to meet Eduardo.” I smiled at her, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Me too. Wish he could’ve been here in time for the party.”
While locked in a cell, Charlie had met the love of his life, his cellmate Eduardo—the only other Vital with a sibling for a Variant that I knew of. The two of them had slowly gotten to know each other, tended each other’s wounds, kept each other sane, and eventually, fell in love.
Eduardo and his brother lived in Colombia, and he was due to arrive for a visit in a few days. I’d never seen Charlie—who was sometimes even quieter than Josh—so excited.
We were excited to meet him too. In all the chaos of the rescue, Ed was taken to a different hospital and went home with his family, so none of us even knew how important he was to Charlie until he demanded a laptop so he could track Ed down.
“We’ll just throw him another one.” I rolled my eyes.
“Brilliant idea!”
I wasn’t entirely sure if Dot was joking. I groaned, not eager to repeat this madness again so soon, and she laughed maniacally. Next to the mirror, Squiggles bobbed her upper body up and down and ran around in a few excited circles. I think it was her way of laughing.
“You two are creeping me out. I’m going downstairs.” I gave them one last frown and turned for the door.
As I passed Josh’s room, I poked my head in. He had music playing—some band I didn’t even recognize.
I crossed the room to the bathroom. The light was on inside, and the door was ajar. I nudged it the rest of the way open and smiled.
Josh was standing at the sink, doing his hair. His preppy look was impeccable as always—navy chinos and a cream cashmere sweater, a checked shirt collar peeking out from underneath. I leaned in the doorway and checked out his ass as he put the finishing touches on his now perfectly styled