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between us, and Reid reflexively scoots over to let him in. He runs a hand down Romeo’s back, eliciting an appreciative purr. Reid won over Romeo’s affection rather easily after he moved in. That, and Reid bribed him with belly rubs. I sigh and rub my neck. It’s stiff and sore this morning. The effect of Sadie’s pain relieving cocktail has worn off. “I’d tell you how I couldn’t sleep, but I’d rather not sound like a broken record.”
    Reid checked in on me all night. Sadie left sometime in the early hours after Reid finished his meeting with the others, leaving me alone in bed with Romeo. I lay there staring at the ceiling, watching the blades of my fan turn in slow circles until the sun came up. Reid leans his elbows down on his knees, looking past Romeo to see my face. “You know I want you to stay here with Sera and Jade today.”
    “You mean stay home while you’re off interrogating this mystery person you know who might have some clue as to who the Bessette family curse transferred to?”
    “You’ll be safer here.”
    I lean back and push my palms against the porch with my teeth clenched together. “I thought we were a team now.”
    “We are.”
    I stand up. “Then I’m going. Sera agreed to watch the store for me.”
    Reid stands up too. “He’s out there, Willa. Julien is in Sanctuary. You said it yourself.” He comes up the steps toward me. “He’s waiting for us to make a mistake. To take our eyes off you for one second.”
    I shake my head. “You don’t understand. I have to go with you.”
    Reid covers his face with his hands. “Willa…please.”
    “No, Reid. You weren’t there. You weren’t on that rooftop with me.” I turn around. Even thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. I pace back and forth along the porch. “Julien could have killed me. There was a reason he stuck that blade in my gut instead of my heart. He wanted to torture me first. I don’t mean let me die slowly. I mean he was going to find you. He was going to bring you back there and kill you in front of me. He wanted me to watch you die first, because he knew that’s what would hurt me the most.”
    Reid’s eyes soften. My own lashes dampen when I blink. “Julien wants to kill me,” I say, barely managing to get the words out. “I have no doubt about that. He wants to kill you first, though. He wants me to feel the pain of losing you, because he knows I loved you more.”
    Reid’s lips part. It takes a moment for him to even register it. “You’ve never told me that.”
    “It’s true.” My voice breaks now. I should have told him. I couldn’t, though. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t make myself think of the possibility of it. That Julien might one day succeed with his evil plan. “The way I feel about you…the way I love you…is the only reason I’m alive.”
    Reid closes the small space between us. His hands grab my hips, jerking me forward, his stare greedy in a way I’ve never witnessed. “Willa, I—”
    A truck door slams behind us. “Good morning! Guess what. I brought Willa the last of the—” Abby’s voice cuts off behind us and Reid’s lips pause only an inch from mine. “Crap. I’m interrupting again, aren’t I?”
    Reid’s eyes close. His teeth tug harshly at his bottom lip as he turns around to face his twin. “Would it ever hurt you to be late for something?”
    Abby glances at her boyfriend Grady. He’s almost a foot taller than Abby, his chest broad as he crosses his arms over it. He is way too amused by the entire situation. Grady is Reid’s non-magical best friend, so it doesn’t surprise me that he finds Abby’s constant intrusion funny. An Innocent usually has better timing. “We can leave,” Grady says, laughing between words.
    Reid glances back at me. A look that simply implies he wished it was that simple. Then he sighs. “No, don’t leave. We need to go soon. I want to make sure we’re down from the Ridge before dark.”
    I take a