No one had saved my father.

He’d hit it square on. Whatever spell Eva had set, it was eating my father alive. The fire turned purple, then a bright, neon blue before a shockwave blew out and knocked us all down like bowling pins.

Chapter Thirty-One

Lou

Prisha eventually arrived, tribunal enforcers and medics in tow. There were a lot of flashing lights and yelling, and it took them a while to sort everything out. Someone called my mom and she came out from the van with Luis, bossing everyone about. I really loved my mom. She had absolutely no authority here, but not a single person was arguing with her. Several of us had been wrapped in blankets before being separated so we could be examined by the medics and questioned by Prisha.

I was sitting on the front porch, wrapped in my weird space blanket, drinking water and being lectured extensively by Prisha. It was hard to pay attention to her. I was really tired, and probably a little in shock.

I could also see Declan, Sidney, and Zoey. His sister had shifted back to her human form, and someone had found sweats for her. Declan was a fright—what wasn’t covered in dirt was covered in blood, or both. His father’s blood streaked down his chin and chest, but he’d waved off the medic in favor of being with his sister and her mate. All three of them were crying, hugging, and laughing. He looked tired, but happy.

Prisha snapped her fingers in front of my face. “You’re in so much trouble you’re practically drowning, but are you paying attention to me? No.” She folded her arms, glaring.

I blinked, bringing my focus back to her. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a jerk. I know I’m in trouble.” I decided to be honest with her. It couldn’t hurt at this point, could it? I was already fucked. “It’s just, look.” My hands were full, so I jerked my chin at the mini-reunion.

She turned to see what I was talking about. Her posture loosened.

I took in a deep breath. “When Declan first got here, he could barely talk to his sister. He couldn’t talk at all to Sidney. They were trying to fix it, but everything was so broken. I know we fucked up. I know I broke the rules. I’m sure I’ll wake up tomorrow and freak out. But it’s been a really shitty day, everything hurts, and watching a family come back together like that is making it all worth it.”

We quietly watched them for a few minutes. Declan had his arms wrapped around Sidney and Zoey, his eyes closed. He may have looked like an escapee from a post-apocalyptic movie set, but the bone-deep contentment on his face made my heart want to explode.

Prisha pursed her lips at me, then took a look around the rest of the chaos. The tribunal enforcers were gathering up what was left of Angus’s new pack, loading them into a van. They weren’t fighting. With Angus gone, there didn’t seem to be much purpose to it.