27. ~Sebastian~

It was kind of morbid.

All right, majorly morbid.

Celebrating somebody’s death.

And not in a post-funeral way with a wake or anything along those lines where you celebrated their life and everything.

No, it would’ve been a full-on celebration of somebody dying.

I understood where Caleb had been coming from when he’d suggested it, but fortunately, he’d taken my advice to heart and let go of that initial idea. Plus, he’d thought of it on the way home from their op when he’d still been on one of his bloodlusting highs. Despite him being in control now when unleashing all of that, it was still a part of him and it always would be. At least now it wasn’t taking him over and he could live with it and keep it just to those sorts of operations that only happened once in a while. It didn’t impact other areas of his life now. Or worse, take it over completely.

He still needed it, though. That much had been made clear when Cas and I had listened in as we’d been in contact with him and Sky over COMMs during their mission. I knew it meant Cas would likely start up The Jackals again once his war with Elijah Bane was over and done with and he’d had time to decompress and take a proper break that he so desperately needed.

So long as Caleb could maintain that level of control like he’d exhibited tonight—and Sky had too—I was all for doing that. It provided a good outlet and, most of all, I really liked delivering justice and doing something to help the city like getting twisted shits off the streets.

Anyhow, instead of pretty much dancing on Jett’s proverbial grave, we were celebrating the fact that the brutal final chapter of that aspect of Skylar’s past was finally done with.

Without it weighing her down, she could now fully and properly look to the future.

With her hopes and dreams.

Her career.

Us.

I walked back to the den after taking a quick trip to the bathroom following downing way too many of the special cocktails Caleb had made. All sans alcohol, of course.

I’d told them that I was fine with them drinking, that it didn’t tempt me to do the same. Not at all at this stage of my recovery, actually. But none of them would have it, or even hear of it. It was heartfelt and sweet that they were being so considerate, especially when a celebration was at hand. But soon they’d have to move past that and operate normally, allowing me to accommodate to them indulging in a drink here and there while I was around. It was actually part of the process for me. Soon I would need exceptions not to be made around me, for things to go on as normal for the rest of them.

Well, what passed for normal with the four of us.

We weren’t exactly conventional.

So much so that I’d never thought me, Cas and Caleb would find another who could not only handle that and walk in our same weird world, but somebody in Skylar who actually thrived in it and loved it that way.

She really was the missing piece to our puzzle.

She made us whole.

“Good. That’s perfect. Yes, definitely easier having both our cleanup crews there. You’re planning on making a habit of it, is that it, Dante?”

I turned at the door to see Cas walking down the corridor with his phone in hand, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“I am in high spirits, it’s almost done. This was a definitive stop along the way. Soon we will be playing the last note in a song we started years ago. Worth the wait? Absolutely. The payoff will be worth all the struggle and complications.” He laughed again. “Have a drink on me. Although I still can’t wrap my head around you being a vodka man. Bourbon all the way for you, that’s how I’d pegged you. No. You’re not an open book. You know I’m fine with it. It’s the nature of your business and the world you must walk in. You show me what I want and need to see, I’m content with that. Why? What’s brought this on? Was it Caleb’s animosity? Don’t pay it any mind, he’s just overprotective and it’s more intense than ever with him having been away. A lot of it is rooted in guilt, he just can’t recognize that. He’ll warm up to you. I did. Haha, a magnificent accomplishment? No doubt about that. Yes, I’m taking it easy for tonight, we’re celebrating the victory and the personal one that it was for Skylar. Absolutely. Goodnight, Dante.”

He pocketed his phone in his navy jeans. He really was taking it easy tonight, even dressed down in just those jeans and a black muscle tee, just barefoot. When we’d been in the command center during their mission he’d been so tense, he’d even donned tactical gear, in case he’d had to head down to assist. He’d literally been on the edge of his seat the entire time.

He caught sight of me a moment later at the threshold of the den.

Coming to me, he draped his arm across my shoulders. “Feel better now?”

“Yeah, I do,” I admitted. “It’s a massive weight off knowing that motherfucker has been wiped off the board—out of her life. I wish it hadn’t needed to end with her taking another life, especially one so personal to her, but I get why it had to go down like that.”

“She needed it that way.”

“Like you need it that way with Elijah?”

“Yes.” He rested his head against mine. “Do you still feel the same way as you did when I first told you about him being responsible for your father’s death?”

“Yeah, I do. For me, I don’t need him to pay with his life to feel like justice has been served. But do what you have to do there. You know I’ll support you. Always, Cas.”

“All right, sweetheart,” he said, stroking my hair softly. “Thank you.”

Caleb’s cry of indignation drew our attention and we walked into the den to see a familiar sight that hankered back to two years ago.

Caleb was sprawled out on one of the couches in a pair of his gray sweatpants and a gray muscle tee, while Sky was on the edge of the other in her cute yet sexy casual look of her vibrant-blue lounge pants and a white strappy tank, her hair pulled into a messy ponytail, as she worked her controller like a champ.

“Come on, seriously? I haven’t touched a video game for the last two years and I’m still able to kick your ass with barely any effort?” Sky told him.

“Barely any effort? You’re literally on the edge of your seat,” Caleb countered.

“Even so, I’m not even close to bringing my best. I was trying to give you a shot.”

“I see. B asked you to take pity on me, didn’t he?”

“He might’ve told me how it is when it comes to playing you, yeah.”

Caleb caught sight of us as we drew closer to the couches. “I thought you were all anti-manipulation, huh?”

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. “It was just me looking out for you.”

“My ego is nowhere near that fragile.”

“It certainly isn’t,” Cas said.

“Yeah, you’re the most overconfident guy we know,” I said, grinning.

“Overconfident? Absolute bullshit, B. It’s warranted and you know it.”

I laughed.

“Not when it comes to gaming,” Sky said.

“Oh, that’s it, darling. You’re in trouble now,” Caleb warned her, sitting up and moving to the edge of the couch cushion.

“Yeah?” she teased. “What exactly do you think you can do against me?”

“Bring in my ringer, of course.” He gestured at me. “Come, brother, I need you. Team-up time.”

“Fine, then Caspian is with me,” Sky told him.

Caleb scoffed. “Good luck with that. He’s as bad as me. Now with Bastian on my side, you’re fucked.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Keep up that sexy-as-fuck attitude and it’s gonna be literally. You know, with my cock ravaging that sweet cunt of yours?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“We all do,” I said, walking to the game system and setting up another two controllers so we could play the way they wanted to.

Just as I finished up and took a seat beside Caleb, Caspian’s phone buzzed.

He pulled it out from his jeans, then told us, “The celebratory feast is ready.”

“Can you hold off? Fifteen minutes?” Caleb asked.

Cas didn’t like things being off-schedule, but I saw him register how excited Caleb and Sky were about going head-to-head and having all four of us game together. “As you wish,” he said, pocketing his phone, then sitting beside Sky.

He snatched up the fourth controller and grinned at her. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this on my end.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah? I thought you barely ever played.”

He looked out at me and winked, then told her, “That changed over the last couple of years.”

“What?” Caleb asked worriedly. “What does that mean? Hey, is this a hustle?”

“He played a lot with me during my recovery,” I told him.

“Son of a bitch! No, that’s not fair!”

“Too late,” Sky said, smiling from ear-to-ear. “Let’s do this.”

The three of us exchanged an elated look as we watched her square her shoulders and crack her neck, really getting into that focused headspace.

She was in her element.

It was amazing to see after everything she’d been through and struggled with.

The lighter side of her was here now coming out to play, and we were going to make damn sure she enjoyed every moment of it.

“Don’t go easy on me,” she said to me.

“When have I ever, baby?”

She smirked. “True.”

We got down to it then, all of us going all out.

After about fifteen minutes, things got to a tense point, Sky and Cas getting into a dangerous position that risked taking both me and Cal out if I didn’t react quickly and foil their plans.

“Go low, I’ll go high!” Sky was calling out to Caspian then.

“Already on it, love.”

“Fuck!” Caleb cried. “B, back me up!”

“Jump in, Cal!”

“What? Where?”

“The chopper behind you that Bastian just landed,” Caspian told him.

“Don’t help the opposing team!” Skylar cried.

“Go! Go! Go!” I told Cal.

“Yes!” he yelled as he managed it. “Rain down hell on them, B!”

“Not so fast,” Sky said, and in the next second, she was firing a RPG.

“Jesus,” Caspian exclaimed as she took both of us out in one well-aimed shot.

Caleb slammed his fist down on the couch. “Fuck! Seriously?” He stared out at her incredulously. “You’re a menace.”

She smirked. “I know, huh?”

“That’s it.” In the next second, he was dropping his controller on the couch beside me, then lunging at her.

She squealed as he hit, tackling her across the waist and driving her down onto the couch beneath him.

And then he was kissing her all over and making her giggle.

Cas and I smiled out at each other as the beautiful sound rolled through us.

Fucking perfect.