Page 103 of The Devil's Waltz

“Come,” Noah urges, dragging me away. “You need to move.”

The hallway seems even longer now as Harper shifts closer and helps Noah drag me toward the front of the house. Archer and Ezra are in front of us, while Sophia helps an injured Rylee limp behind us. None of the demons attempt to stop us. I think they too are in shock—or dead.

By the time we reach the front door, my feet are sort of working again, but Noah and Harper don’t let go of me until we reach Noah’s car. They get me into the backseat before he slams the door and gets behind the wheel. His movements are rushed and jerky as he throws the car into drive and speeds away from the house. The others get into another vehicle and follow close behind us.

Harper sits in the back with me, breathing heavily as her injuries continue to bleed. We’re both stunned into silence for several minutes before she says, “Do you want to talk?”

I stare out the window, looking at nothing. “He saved my life.” The words leave my lips and twist the knots in my stomach, because he choseto put my life above Lucia’s. I so badly want to believe his actions show just how deeply he cares about me. That the thought of me dying pushed him to do something so unbelievably significant.

“Yeah,” she says hesitantly.

“He killed his queen—hismom—Harper,” I whisper, finally looking at her.

Xander didn’t have a typical or anywhere near good relationship with the woman—simply put, he hated her, and for good reason—but they were still bonded. I can’t imagine what that choice is going to do to him.

She nods. “I know, babe.”

“Do you think—I mean—Was this his plan all along? To take her place on the throne?”

Harper sighs. “Did you see Blake’s face? If this was Xander’s plan, it’s safe to say he didn’t tell anyone about it.”

I hiccup as a fresh batch of tears gathers in my eyes. “What do you think this means?”

She reaches for me, lacing her fingers through mine and squeezing my hand. “I don’t know,” she finally says.

My phone vibrates from the pocket in my leggings, and I fumble to pull it out. “Fuck,” I whisper as my eyes burn, and I answer the call, putting it on speaker. “Mom,” I say in a tight voice, barely holding back even more tears.

“Hi, honey. I know it’s late—I was just going to leave you a message and see if we could meet tomorrow. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

I squint as pain pulses behind my eyes.

“Camille?”

“Sorry,” I say, “I’m here.”

“Should I just call you tomorrow?”

I swallow the lump in my throat, struggling not to choke on a sob. “No,” I force out. “What’s going on?”

“Your father and I have been having some difficult conversations. You know how much it hurt when you decided not to continue your training. In the world we live in, your father and I were scared you’d be left unprotected without the skills to defend yourself in case of a demon attack. And since you told me about your relationship with Xander, I’ve worried even more.”

Oh god, I can’t do this right now.

“Mom—” Wetness tracks down my cheeks, blurring my vision as my temples throb.

“Wait,” she says quickly. “Please, just listen for a minute. This isn’t what you think, I promise.”

I look at Harper, but she shakes her head as if she has no idea what my mom is getting at.

“Okay,” I whisper.

“You deserve everything you want, Camille. I know we haven’t always been around. We haven’t been there for you in the ways you need and deserve. We failed you as parents. As a mother, I failed my child. For that, I will always have regrets. But I hope it’s not too late.”

I sniffle, blinking as more tears gather and fall. All I’ve wanted for the last five years was for my parents to accept who I am, that I didn’t want to be a demon hunter, that I wanted to be whatever I chose for myself.

“We understand you want something more for your future and we want to make sure you get whatever that turns out to be.”

A sob escapes my lips, and I squeeze my eyes shut. “Mom…”

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