Page 33 of Blood and Redemption

Sniffing, I blink away what’s left in my eyes and turn around to return her hug.

“I did it to myself. If I didn’t push you away, Eliza wouldn’t hate me as much as she does. If I had just been honest with you both from the beginning, we could’ve healed together.” Sighing, I hug her tighter. “I’ll make it up to you one of these days. Whatever you need, Camellia. I’ll make it happen.”

Laughing against my neck, she pulls back. “You’ll make Santino jealous. He insists on doing the same thing. You’ll make amends with him, I hope?”

Lifting my gaze, I sigh into her hair when I see who is watching us from the glass doors. “I think you’ll have to worry more about him than you will me. But sure, I’ll stop picking fights. We’ll stay in our own lanes.”

Turning to follow my gaze, she scoffs with annoyance. “You may be right. I need to work on his trust issues with you. Hereallydoesn’t like you.”

Pressing a smile to my lips, I give Santino a wave.

Jealous and possessive. Is Urzo the same way with Eliza?

“Eliza…” I pull my attention back toward her. “I’ll tell her about Mom. She’ll want to hit me again, I’m sure.”

“I’ll do it.” Camellia sighs and squeezes my hand. “Even if I don’t know all the details, I can ease her into it. She’ll think you’re telling her what she needs to hear to forgive you. Let’s give her time to absorb it. Plus, Urzo knows how to deal with her when she gets worked up. He’ll be happy to help her get through it.”

Thanking her, I pull her in the direction of the glass door. Ignoring Santino, I decide to take her around the estate just to piss him off.

“Aurora may be exhausted from dancing by the time we make our way back in. Why don’t we just eat some more cake, and you can meet each other properly? She doesn’t have many friends. It would be nice for her to make a few here.”

Her eyes light up, and she nods. “We’ll get an invite to your wedding, I hope?”

Heat rushes my ears, and I nod. “Won’t be as grand as this one, I’m afraid.”

“Oh,” she swats her hand, “that’s fine. I tricked Santino into throwing this to help get you here. I figured if we dragged it out, there’d be more of a chance of you coming.”

She really did want me to come.

Even if Aurora pounded the idea in my head, it still hits hard.

Pausing our walk back, she sputters a laugh when I pull her to my chest.

“It worked. If you had given up on me like everyone else, I wouldn’t have made it here.”

Squeezing her tighter, I try to make her understand just how much her care means to me.

If I hadn’t gotten that invitation, I wouldn’t have gotten to meet Aurora. I would have ended up dead one way or another. Camellia might never understand how much her meddling had changed my future, but I’ll owe her for it for the rest of my life.

Already feeling better by her sneaky nature, I let out a laugh. “Sounds like you’re going to be giving him a run for his money. Please, keep it up. If I can’t make him want to pull out his hair, then at least keep him on his toes.”

Pulling away, she nods all too seriously. “Don’t tell him, but it’s fun getting him worked up.”

“My lips are sealed.” Promising to keep her secret, I lead her back to the party, happy to pull her toward Aurora soIcan tell her all about the fun I had during my time spent locked away in a cabin in the middle of the woods.

15

Aurora

Epilogue

The cool air nips at my skin as we walk along the busy sidewalks. With the way the sky is turning a mixture of dark purples and oranges, I can almost see the stars forming in the sky.

One thing I miss is the stars. I’d spent so much time looking at them in the past that I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed them

Rocco sees me shiver, and despite his phone pressed to his ear, he’s eager to give me his coat. Instead of reminding me that I turned down the offer to bring my own coat for this stroll, he’s helping me put my arms in.

Even though it swallows my body up, I’m happy to hug it to my chest. He only wore his to give it to me, I swear.

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