Chapter 55

Lila’s POV

A burly middle-aged guy barreled past us like a truck, and Rowan swooped in, sliding me to his other side so slickly that I almost tipped over. If I weren’t zeroed-in on him like a heat-seeking missile, I wouldn’t have noticed he was literally putting me out of harm’s way.

“Smooth move, Danger Ranger,” I teased under my breath, pressing closer to his back. He stiffened ever so slightly. Score one for subtle protectiveness.

Moments later, Damien’s mom—she always looks like she’s auditioning for Best Mom Ever—wrapped both her boys in a hug so fierce I half expected Superman theme music to play.

“We’ll get through this,” she promised, her voice this glorious mix of thunder and lullaby. “We’ll figure something out, and we’ll get through this.”

Her words were supposed to be comforting, but the next thing I heard was Damien’s brother, Oscar, snarling like he swallowed a porcupine. “There’s no getting through losing your mate, Mom. She was my