Jaxon just offers a thin-lipped smile and takes her hand. The music swells, and he dances with his mother.
A little pang of jealousy hits me as I watch them. I know Vivian is possessed, that she is no one’s picture of a perfect mother. But I miss family. I miss my own parents. They’ve been gone for a long, long time, and I never got to say goodbye to them. We left with them thinking I was a terrifying demon monster.
“May I stand in?” Aaron asks as he walks to my side.
I look over at him and try not to let emotions play the backs of my eyes. I nod, and he takes my hand.
As he takes my hand in one, and rests his other against my back, I marvel at how quickly people can change. Aaron was exorcised hours ago, and hours before that, he was a drug addict who loved nothing more than to fill his nights with lewd activities. Now, he’s feeling sympathetic toward me and standing in because I don’t have a father here to dance with me at my wedding party.
He looks terrible. It’s obvious he’s going through withdrawals. But he’s fighting for his life back.
When the song ends, others join on the dance floor. The beat of the music picks up. I push all the weight of the situation out of my mind, and I let myself sink into the music.
My eyes catch Jaxon’s, and I smile as we work our way towards each other.
It’s a good hour. Jaxon and I seem to find our most normal, happiest moments in the span of an hour when there is dancing involved.
His hands are on my hips, my neck, my lower back. My hands are in his hair, on his chest, sliding into his back pockets. I’m pretty sure we’re making half of this room blush, and they live in Vegas, but we’re having a good time. We dance. We grab a quick drink when we start running out of steam, and we dance some more.
For just a moment, I do appreciate Vivian throwing us this party. Jaxon and I are having a great time.
But as the hour rolls toward ten o’clock, Jaxon wanders back over to me after he talks to some late arrivals. He has my cell phone pressed to his ear. I’d given it to him earlier tonight. My little dress doesn’t provide any hiding places.
“It’s Ascelin and Davorian,” Jaxon says as he hands the phone over. From the dark look in his eyes, I know they’ve already delivered some kind of bad news to him.
“What is it?” I ask, cutting right to it.
“The Kindred have crossed over into Nevada,” Davorian says without hesitating. “They’re just barely over the border from California, but they’re definitely tracking in your direction.”
“It’s time to head back to the compound,” Ascelin says.
I let out a hard breath as my eyes rise back up to meet Jaxon’s. He gives a little nod that he knows we need to leave. My eyes cast around the ballroom. The room is still full, but the clock above one of the doors reads 9:55. Vivian said this party would only go until ten.
“Okay,” I say simply. “We’ll wrap things up quick and head back. Do Sybil and Azrael know?”
“We’ve already told them,” Ascelin says. “They’re standing guard just outside. Are you two really at a wedding party?”
I want to smirk. I’d really like to rile him up about this and play it out. But there isn’t time for that. “Yeah. It’s always complicated when it comes to the Gray family. We’ll be back within two hours.”
“Make it quick,” Davorian says. What he doesn’t have to say is how there’s a lot riding on this. We can’t lose our gatekeeper.
“Got it,” I say, and I end the call.
“Time to roll out?” Jaxon asks. He takes my phone when I hand it over and slides it into his pocket.
“Yeah,” I admit. “I’m guessing we can’t sneak out without causing ourselves some trouble?”
Jaxon shakes his head and reaches for my hand.
“Blake, thank you for coming,” Jaxon greets his older brother as we interrupt his conversation.
“You two love birds taking off?” he asks as he turns away from a group of exceptionally sketchy looking characters.
“Yeah,” Jaxon says simply.
“Well, congrats, man,” Blake says as he embraces Jaxon. “I still think you’re nuts, but the queen of the dark fits you.”
“The queen needs a king,” I say with a smile as I step forward and hug Blake. He just laughs and bids us a good night.
We find Griff and Chantel together. They don’t offer hugs, but they do say congratulations. Griff is still a little wary of me. Can’t say I blame him, considering I shot him in the arm. He fired first, though.
We find Aaron hanging out in a chair, pushed up against a wall.
“Hey,” Jaxon says as he sits next to him. “I have a contact who is going to pick you up tonight at midnight. Grab whatever you need, you’re not coming back.”
I blink five times, trying to catch up with everything. When did he arrange all of this?
Jaxon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a torn piece of paper. “This is his number. He’ll call you when he gets to your hotel. He’s going to drive you somewhere, but you’re going to ditch your phone as soon as you leave your parking lot. You understand me?”
Aaron trembles and sweats, but he nods as he looks up at his younger brother.
“There’s an apartment waiting for you, and you’ll be starting at this address in two days at a new job. It’s nothing fancy, but it will get you on your feet,” Jaxon says. His brows are deeply furrowed. The look on his face is so intense.
Will I ever stop being surprised by this man?
“Thank you, Jaxon,” Aaron says. There are tears of gratitude swimming in his eyes, but they don’t break free. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t really understand why you’re doing this. But thank you.”
Jaxon offers a thin-lipped smile and claps his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You’re not the only one who wants a different life. My time is coming, but if I can help you jumpstart yours, I’m more than happy to do it.”
Aaron gives his own thin-lipped smile and then pulls Jaxon in for a bear hug.
They all look so much alike.
Every one of the Gray children has a different father, most of them dead now, but they all look so much like each other. Apparently, Vivian has strong genes, and a type when it comes to the way she wants her men to look.
“Take care, brother,” Jaxon says. “Get in touch when it’s safe.”
“I will,” Aaron agrees.
My heart breaks just a little bit when Jaxon stands and takes my hand once again.
That kind of felt like a permanent goodbye. Jaxon just got Aaron back, the real Aaron, and he’s already having to say goodbye.
But we do what we have to do. No one does that better than Jaxon.
We scan the room, and finally, we spot Scarlett across the ballroom.
She’s sitting at a table by herself, staring emptily at the surface of it. Which sets off alarm bells in my brain. This isn’t like her. Even though I barely know her, I know this is out of character.
Jaxon curses under his breath, and then I know for sure something is wrong.
“What is it?” he asks as he slips into the seat next to her.
She looks over at him with a glare. Her face is streaked with smeared makeup, as if she’s been crying, though tears aren’t falling at the moment. “You,” she says, her tone accusing. “You’re what happened.” Then her eyes slide over to me. “No, more accurately, you are what happened.”