Trace said goodbye to Chase and turned toward me, inspecting my bloody lip. "You've lost your mind."
"Probably." I pulled her into my arms and sighed. "I can't lose you again."
She pressed her face against my chest and started crying softly. "I'm scared."
"I'll be scared with you," I murmured, repeating the words she'd told me when I was a little kid. "I'll be scared until you aren't scared anymore, okay?"
"Okay."
"And I'll save you from all of it, Trace. I promise."
"That's stupid." She laughed into my chest. "Boys can't save girls."
"You're right." I kissed her temple. "It's the other way around, because you saved me, Trace. You saved me when you were six, and you're saving me now."
"By doing what?"
"Staying alive… and allowing me to rescue you."
"Stupid girls. We always need rescuing."
"Stupid boys, we always jump at the chance to do it." I fought back tears of rage, tears of vengeance, tears of anger that my precious girl would have to endure the fires of hell at my hands. It was never supposed to be this way — never.
"I love you." She kissed my lips.
"I love you too." I kissed her back softly. "Now, let's pack. It looks like we'll have plenty of time to slumber-party in the next few months."
"Yay." She rolled her eyes.
"And…" I flashed a shameless grin. "…maybe we'll find some time to work on that whole goal you have before you die."
"What goal?" Her eyebrows puckered together in confusion.
"The goal." I eyed her up and down. "You know, about not dying a virgin."
"Ass." She tossed a pillow at my head and let out a breathless laugh.
"Hey, I'm just offering to help with the bucket list!"
Mo burst into the room. "Is it true?" She looked between me and Trace and back at me again, waiting for me to confirm the ugly truth.
I nodded.
She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "They're going to come for all of us."
"I know." I walked over to Mo and pulled her in for a hug. "But we'll be ready."
"Promise?"
"I promise." I held out my hand to Trace.
She wrapped it around mine and joined in on the hug.
Funny, on the first day of school the only thing I'd been able to think of was how the hell I was going to get the new girl out of my life.
And now?
Now, I was fighting like hell to keep her in it.
To keep her alive.
To keep my sister alive.
And to keep my best friend from taking away the one girl who had the power to change it all.