Wherever he took my violin, it’s probably in pieces now.
Tears sting my eyes and suffocate me. My knees wobble, ready to give out. Jeremiah could take my clothes, rip apart my books, smash my laptop, destroy my phone, but my violin?
Even worse, what he did to the only people I love left in this world. What he’s doing to them.
Sienna flings her arms around me before any of the Devils can. “I’m so sorry, Aurora.”
She doesn’t make any empty promises about how we’ll get my stuff back or buy me new belongings. She knows. They all do.
The Devils study me, and I can read the fury etched into their faces for what it is: regret.
Regret from letting me into their lives. For creating this mess.
Any other girl could’ve been the one who witnessed their accident that night. A girl with a lot less baggage and drama to deal with. A girl who would make a much better angel than the broken and battered one they found.
“He won’t get away with this.” Damien’s glare could burn down a city.
Within seconds, he and the Devils are already plotting their next move, but I tune them out. None of it matters anymore.
He won’t let me go. I’ve known this from the beginning, long before I ever left. I knew I shouldn’t get the Devils roped into this mess, but I did it anyway. Selfish.
My only thoughts were of myself—my safety, my desires, my lust for three unlucky men who decided to make me their angel. But I’m far from an angel. I’m the one who brought chaos and destruction into their lives. The reason they now have to walk around campus with their heads on a swivel.
Because Jeremiah is waiting in the dark. For all of us. It’s not just me he’s going after anymore. I did this to them. To my friends. To the three men I care about most in the world.
I couldn’t stay away. And now that I’ve fallen for them, leaving will be that much harder.
My heart squeezes painfully with the impossibility of it.
But I have to. For them.
Chapter 27
Damien
Outside,my jaw is about to break in half as I pace in front of our stoop. At my instruction, Finn disappeared inside to swipe Aurora’s phone.
This is over. We need to teach this asshole exactly who he’s messing with. He got a warning. He got a slap on the wrist. But apparently, the message didn’t sink in. Now it’s time to deliver it in a way he’ll understand.
Aurora is still inside, Sienna comforting her. For once, Knox doesn’t bother trying to talk me down off the ledge. He’s right there with me. Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe that asshole coming after Aurora again is enough to make Knox ignore his better judgment.
If she had been here when he showed up...I don’t even want to think about what he might have done. Where he might have taken her.
Finn returns outside to the stoop with us, a prize in his hand. Aurora’s phone. He raises a dark brow. “You sure?”
“About what? Beating this guy to a pulp? Obviously. Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“About taking Aurora’s phone,” Knox corrects. He’s always been better at translating for Finn. “Doing this behind her back.”
“If she knew what we were doing, she’d be pissed. Not because she doesn’t want us to teach that asshole a lesson, but because she doesn’t want us to put ourselves at risk. So yeah, we’re doing this. Even if she’s pissed about it at first, she’ll forgive us later when he never comes around again.”
Neither of them can argue with me. We have to protect her. That’s the vow we took. She protected us, she saved our lives, and we’ll do the same for her.
Finn turns on Aurora’s phone screen, prompted to put in the passcode. His fingers dance over the screen.
“So what’s the plan?” Knox asks.
“When you get into her phone, give it to me and I’ll?—”