“We’re leaving, Lev,” I whisper. “We’re heading to the West Coast. We just wanted to say goodbye first.”
Tomas rests a hand on the tombstone and says, “You were the best friend I ever had. You always listened to me and made sure to give me a different perspective. I’m sorry we didn’t get more time together.”
When he drifts back, Soren takes his place, shakily leaning on the stone. “Listen, man, I hate crying and you know that.” He sniffles while rubbing his eyes, shoulders shaking with the emotional weight of his farewell. “But you would probably say some bullshit about how it’s not good to lock it all up or whatever.” He shrugs. “I hope you found a nice spot to rest, dude.”
I touch his leg as he passes, my way of comforting him. I’m stuck on the ground with the heels of my boots digging into my ass, and I just can’t seem to do anything else right this second. Parker leaves my side and steps forward, tilting the flask toward the earth.
“Saddest fucking drink I ever had,” he groans. He sips the flask and sighs, shaking his head. “I wasn’t exactly a nice guy to you, but I’m not nice to anyone, so I guess that’s its own fucking compliment or something.” I can tell he’s struggling, so I touch the back of his calf, assuring him I’m here. “Shit, Lev. I don’t know what to say. I miss you.”
I pull my hand back and give him space to return to his spot. When I’m finally able to move, I scoot forward, resting my hands on the chiseled letters of his name. The stone feels warm from the sun, a comforting sensation regardless of how much my grief makes me ache. Tears sting my eyes as I lean forward and kiss the stone.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that while you were alive.”
My heart quivers as I drift back into the touch of a strong hand. Spices invade my senses, and I smile weakly as tears stream my cheeks, realizing that Soren is holding me up. I rest my hand on the stone and raise myself up, sniffling as I try to get my emotions under control. We’re heading to the graduation party after this. I don’t want to smear my mascara.
“Aw, sugar,” Soren whispers while holding up a tissue. “Hold still, or you’re going to look like a raccoon while I do this.”
As he carefully dabs the skin beneath my eyes, I watch his concentrated expression and the way the tip of his tongue peeks out from his lips. He smiles when he’s done and kisses my forehead. “All right, let’s go. We have to show up fashionably late.”
“Who said we had to do that?” Tomas retorts with a light tone. “Is that in a manual somewhere?”
“Socializing 101, my guy,” Soren states while resting a hand on the small of my back. “You should have gotten your copy ages ago when you took that lip ring out.”
Tomas snorts. “Guess I missed the mail.”
“Watch where you step,” Parker snaps at Soren. “You’re going to step on someone’s grave.”
“Geez, sorry,” Soren sighs while stepping onto the stone pathway. He leans toward my ear to whisper, “You’d think he wouldn’t care.”
I smile and whisper back, “I guess he changed or something.”
When we arrive at Thasos, the sun dances on the horizon, scattering orange light over the small waves lapping at the edge of the Somerville boat. The boys and I board the ship and wander through the party, a festive mood settling over even the most rotten of us—which means Parker is smiling more than usual.
Macedon celebrates its recent graduates as well as the fall of our greatest enemy. News of the Persian’s death swarmed the city as soon as cops arrived at the scene, people whispering all sorts of things about how he died. As I listen to the chatter erupt around me, I revel in the peace of sobriety and my confidence as the one chosen by the alphas.
My boys float between guests and talk to different people, friends and past rivals alike. I speak to a few friends from school who wish us luck in California. While we would have liked to keep news of our departure under wraps, it’s always difficult to keep information like that a secret, especially when we’re so eagerly liquidating our assets so we can leave for the West Coast.
We’ll disappear onto the dark web, where we’ll run our joint empire. Everything is digital these days. Might as well lead the way forward, right?
Soren wraps his arm around me and nuzzles my ear. “You getting tired, sugar?”
“Not quite yet.”
“Good.” He kisses my ear. “We have a surprise for you below deck.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“But you can’t have it until the party is over.”
My heart jolts with excitement as I count down the minutes to the end of the party. Once the last of our guests leave, I retreat to the stairs leading into the bowels of the ship, eagerness infecting every step. Tomas greets me in the hallway and kisses my temple.
“There you are,” he says. “Come on, we don’t have all night. You know we have to get up early tomorrow.”
“You’re the ones who wanted to surprise me after the party. You know, when people leave super late.”
He tugs me into a lavish room decorated with scented candles. The en suite bathroom hosts even more candles, causing me to snicker. “Isn’t this a fire hazard for Soren?”
“I resent that,” Soren teases from the shadows. “Your surprise is a hot bath after a long day. What do you think of that, sugar?”