“Remember, follow the rules,” I say to the students. “But question everything.” I give them a wink and follow Lucas into the hall, where we meet with Evander.
“Your angel is waiting for you right outside the door,” he tells us.
“So, everything went okay?” I ask, needing reassurance.
“That is what Mother told me,” Evander says, and I let out a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurt, eyes filling with tears. “I hate that you are forced to deal with my problems over and over.”
Evander puts his hands on my shoulders, chocolate eyes looking right into mine. “You are my sister, Callie. Not by blood, but by something stronger.”
I blink and a tear rolls down my face.
“I love you,” Evander goes on. “And I will stop at nothing to keep you safe, just as you would for me.”
“I’d kill for you,” I say, throat thick.
“I know.” Evander smiles and pulls me in for a hug. I throw my arms around him, remembering our first encounter. I was so scared, having just been busted out of the research lab. I was in physical agony, still healing from being poked, prodded, and abused by the doctors.
Tabatha brought me back to her house, and I remember walking through the door, holding her hand so tight it had to hurt. I was scared to let go, and wanted to turn away and run as soon as the door shut behind me.
We were in the foyer of the Greystone estate, a Queen Anne style house tucked in the woods behind the Covenstead, when a young boy curiously came downstairs, knowing he was out past his bedtime. I was holding the stuffed black cat in my arms, and it was the only possession I came with. Still wearing the lab-issued clothes, I felt exposed and was so cold.
It was early in March, and cold, frozen rain pelted the windows. I’d been shivering nonstop since we left the lab, both from the cold and from fear. Tabatha assured me I was safe, that I was somewhere the bad men couldn’t reach me. I trusted her from the start, yet as a child, it was all so terrifying.
I remember it so well it’s as if it happened yesterday. Tabatha took me into the kitchen to make me something to eat. For some reason or another, she stepped out of the room and Evander snuck in, carrying a dinosaur-print blanket in his arms.
“Hi,” he said, and all I could do was nod back, fighting against my tears the whole time. “I’m Evander.”
“C-Callie,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Are you cold?” he asked, and I nodded. I remember it so well, the way his brows furrowed for only half a second, and then he strode forward with no hesitation and wrapped his favorite blanket around my shoulders.
Tears roll down my cheeks and I press my forehead into Evander’s shoulder, holding him tight. I refuse to let anything happen to him. No, we’re not related. We have no deep-rooted family ties. People who don’t know us raise their brows in question when they hear us call each other brother and sister, yet that is what Evander is to me.
My brother.
Because it’s just like Lucas said: family is deeper than who we’ve been born to. The family we choose is the family that matters.
And I’ll do anything to protect my family.
“Don’t cry,” Evander says, giving me a squeeze. “You’ll make me cry if you do.”
“You’re usually the emotional one,” I tease, blinking back tears. “At least I have an excuse right now and mine is temporary.”
“Getting in touch with your emotions isn’t a bad thing,” Evander tells me with a laugh.
“That’s what Lucas keeps saying,” I sigh.
Evander lets me go and turns his attention to Lucas, looking him up and down. “He’s not wrong.”
I blink rapidly, trying to keep my tears at bay. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Evander holds me tight for another few seconds. “Go home, have sex with your hot husband, and I’ll check in tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, though I’m too tired for sex.”
Evander laughs. “No details, Cal.”
“Right. It will only make you jealous.”
Evander makes a face. “Lucas is very attractive, I’ll give you that. And from what Ruby says…”
“Oh my god, she told you!”
Evander narrows his eyes. “Told me what?”
“She saw him naked!”
Evander lets out a snort of laugher. “She said nothing of the sort, and I was fucking with you. But now I am a little jealous.”
I cover my face with my hands. “She astral projected in, luckily right after we finished you know what.”
“Having sex? You’re pregnant, Callie. I know how babies are made.”
“Hah. And yes, right after we got done having sex. Lucas was very naked and very okay with it when Ruby appeared.”
Evander tips his head, checking out Lucas. “As he should be.”
I jab Evander in the ribs. “He’s mine”