-Zade Collins:
The sun had just started to settle into its golden hour, draping the neighborhood in this soft, lazy light that made the edges of everything look warmer than they really were. I leaned against the short stone wall lining Lily's garden, watching Blake laugh about something I barely heard. He was still glowing from seeing his aunt again, a real smile stretched wide across his face, like the kind of smile that touches the eyes and makes you think—damn, I missed this.
He looked at me, eyes crinkling slightly, still smiling. "So, are you going to give me the surprise now or not?" he teased, brushing imaginary dust off his hoodie.
I swallowed, felt the excitement pulse in my chest. This was it. I'd been holding onto this moment since the second I realized I had that pin—the V-shaped one. The symbol of the Thief V. The same one his mom gave him right before— No. I wasn't going to think about that now.
