As far as I know, Jace has been completely honest with me since our talk in my kitchen...or at least as honest as he can be. He's met with Mr. Mysterious at least once more this week and is set to meet him again on Monday.

I'm not thrilled about it but he's promised me he can take care of himself. At the very least, I've begged him to talk to the guys about it. He may not want me involved but they can actually help. He's promised me he will, so I trust him to keep that promise.

As for me, I've been doing my best not to think too much about it and focus on movie night, which is tonight, Friday, luckily. It's just what I need after the craziness of the last few months. A small taste of normality...or at least as normal as it can be.

Movie nights were a weekly staple in my life for years. Just me, Ava, Marcel, and...Caleb.

Without him here, it won't be exactly the same. He's forever left a hole in our little group, one that still feels too fresh. None of us have had much time to mourn but with things calming down, I think that time is fast approaching. All in all, though, this tradition of cinema and junk food is the best I can hope for. And on the plus side, we'll have two new additions to our little get-together.

"Lex, do we really need this much food?" Ava asks, leaning her hip against the counter. "I mean, you act like we're feeding every Guardian on the West Side instead of a couple of chicks."

"Hey, since when did I become a chick?" Marcel asks from his seat at the island, his cheeks stuffed with homemade fried cheese balls.

Ava smiled wide. "You'll always be Princess Marci to me."

"See if I ever show you childhood photos again," Marcel huffs before popping another cheese ball in his mouth.

Ignoring their bickering, I look out at the spread I've been working on all day. Besides the now half-eaten bowl of fried cheese, the island countertop is covered with platters and plates of mini sandwiches, chips, and homemade dips, brownies, cookies, caramel popcorn, and pizza. Of course, I also made sure to buy several bags of candy and stock the fridge with a variety of soft drinks.

Chewing my lip, I place the last plate of cookies on the counter. "Is it really too much?" My eyes search Marcel's face for an answer.

He shrugs and waves off my worries. "Nah."

"Don't lie to her," Ava quickly replies.

"I'm not," Marcel says, shooting her a look before returning his attention to me with warmth in his deep brown eyes. "Worst-case

scenario, I get to take a bunch of leftovers home to Mama and Ari."

"Deal." I nod, thinking of Marcel's adorable little niece lighting up at the sight of so many treats. It's exactly the image I need to bring a smile to my face and relax a little.

Of course, just as I sit down to do just that, there's a knock at the front door.

"I got it," Marcel volunteers, quickly jumping off his stool and jogging to the door. Not a second later his voice fills the front hall. "Hey, man. What's up?"

Ava and I both look at each other with narrowed eyes before simultaneously taking off towards the front. We skid to a halt behind Marcel, nearly running into each other as we spot Jace, Wilder, Kade, and Travis standing on the porch.

"What're you guys doing here?"

Jace looks at me and grins. "Just wanted to swing by before guys' night."

"Yeah," Wilder agrees as he slides past my boyfriend—god how I love saying that again—and slaps a hand on Marcel's shoulder. "We also wanted to remind this one that he's one of the fucking guys now and should come with us."

I smile at Marcel, happy to see the gleam of both surprise and awe on his face. I'm pretty sure it hasn't sunk in yet that he is in fact one of the guys now. He's a Guardian prospect and the Guardians stick to each other like glue.

However, if they're glue then I'm extra-strength duct tape and I'm not letting go.

Wrapping a possessive arm around Marcel's shoulders—or trying to at least considering he towers over me—I narrow my eyes at Wild and pull my brother away from him. "Uh-uh. I don't think so. You guys have had way more time with him than me. Tonight, Princess Marci is mine."

"Princess Marci?" Kade asks with a raise of his brows.

"The fuck?" Travis adds.

Ava and I both giggle while Marcel rolls his eyes.

"Forget she ever mentioned that, but honestly, movie night is our thing. I'm not bailing. Sorry guys," Marcel says with an apologetic shrug.

"All good." Jace nods, understanding flashing in his deep blues eyes. "But we had to at least try."

With his gaze drifting past us down the hall, Wilder steps through the door with his nose in the air and sniffs. "Is that...food?"

He doesn't bother giving any of us a chance to answer before squeezing past me and Marcel and taking off for the kitchen.

"What is he, a fucking a bloodhound?" Ava asks, looking back in the direction Wilder just went.

Without waiting for an answer she follows after him with Marcel right behind her just before the sound of glass-breaking bass fills the street outside. The remained of us turn our attention to the road as a white PT Cruiser pulls up in front of my house, right behind the guys' bikes.

Jace steps towards the porch stairs. "Cassie?"

Sure enough, the friendly blonde pops out of the driver's side door and waves at us. But she's not alone. When the passenger door opens and a head full of red hair appears, Kade is the next to shoot a surprised gaze towards the new arrivals.

"Jo?"

Josie and Cassie walk up the sidewalk toward us with wide genuine smiles on their gorgeous faces. When they notice the looks both Kade and Jace are shooting them, they stop in their tracks.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Jo asks, crossing her arms and cocking her hip out to the side.

"I...um..." Kade fumbles to find the words.

But Jace has no such trouble. "Since when do you two hang out?"

Cassie rolls her eyes. "Since Lexi invited both of us to movie night."

Jace looks back at me with a questioning look, to which I nod.

"Yeah, I haven't seen either of them in a while and thought they might want to join us. Is there an issue?"

From what Josie's told me, I know Jace is weary of having Cassie around Guardians, and while Jo and Marcel may be prospects, I'm certainly not. Neither is Ava, even if she has been hanging out with Roman a lot lately.

"Relax, big guy," Josie calls with an arch of her perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "It's a harmless night watching movies. You got nothing to worry about."

Jace huffs, trying to play it off like he isn't completely taken by surprise, but I know him so well. The idea of Cassie getting anywhere close to his group of friends is not something he's thrilled about. Even if I consider her my friend.

Rolling her eyes at Jace, Josie quickly turns her sharp green gaze towards the still dumbfounded Kade and a silent Travis. "You two, come help us grab some stuff from the car."

Travis and Kade don't hesitate to follow her but Cassie hangs back a second, shooting Jace a look of pure disappointment before turning away.

"Jace?"

He turns to look at me with a deep sigh on his lips.

"What's going on? Cassie can't hang out with me now too?" I aks, a small pinch of ache in my chest.

He quickly steps forward and grabs my hand, shaking his head. "It's not like that. It's just...the closer to everything she gets the more I get worried."

"It's just movies."

"I know." He nods with another sigh. "I just stress about her. Maybe it's unwarranted but it's not like she has a lot of people looking out for her. Her own mom doesn't even seem to care most days."

I squeeze his hand supportingly. "But she has you, your mom, Kade, and your uncle. And if you'd let more people who love you, get close to her, then she'd have even more people in her corner. But you can't keep chasing everyone away."

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he slowly nods before looking back at where the others are grabbing bags from the backseat of Cassie's car. Confusion and uncertainty swim in his deep blue gaze, but neither of us gets a chance to say more before shouting travels from the kitchen.

"Oh my god, Wilder, stop!"

Jace and I quickly head towards the chaos, leaving the front door open for everyone else. What we find is both horrifying and completely hilarious.

Wilder and Ava are squared off, one on each side of the kitchen island, staring each other down. While Wilder has his arms wrapped around a bowl of popcorn with his cheeks stuffed, Ava is attempting to grab the rest of the food and pull it to her side of the counter.

"This is too entertaining," Marcel says, sitting at the kitchen table with amusement shinning his eyes.

"No, it's not!" Ava shouts at him, attempting to grab the bowl of chips before Wilder. "He's going to eat everything!"

Jace snorts a laugh beside me.

"Don't laugh," I shoot at him. "A has a point, that stuff is for tonight." I rush over and squeeze myself between Wild and the counter filled with my labors. "Down, boy. Save some for the people that were actually invited tonight."

Wilder quickly steps back with both hands raised in the air. "Yo, don't do that, Lex."

I scrunch my eyebrows at him before looking over at the others watching us. But the looks on their faces are just as confused as I am.

"Do what?"

"Pressing yourself all up against me," Wild answers, taking another step back. "Bro code and all that shit, I can't be touching you like that."

I scan him from head to toe before looking down at my own body, piecing the puzzle together.

With a snort of a laugh, I shake my head. "I'm not pressing myself against you. I'm protecting the food before you eat it all."

"Still too close."

"Then I guess you better get away from the food before I get close again," I threaten, taking a step toward him.

His big blue eyes double in size before he quickly scurries to hide behind Jace. Poking his head out from over Jace's shoulder, he points a finger in my direction. "You better get your girl, bro."

"Looney-Toon." Jace laughs and shakes his head before crossing the room to take the spot previously occupied by Wilder. Having no problem pressing up against me, he uses his body to nudge me back towards the counter and reaches past me to grab a chip. Popping it in his mouth, he shoots me a wide challenging smile.

"You better step back before you get a bowl of dip poured over your head."

"Tell him, Lex!" Ava calls from the other side of the island.

But my threat does nothing besides making Jace press himself even closer to me, every hard ridge and curve of his body touching mine. His scent of spicy sweetness fills my senses and shoots an arrow of desire straight to the pit of my stomach. It's like everyone just fades from the room as a heady need fills my body.

"Great, now they're gonna bang and no one's gonna get any food," Wilder's voice reaches my ears but does little to break the spell Jace has me under.

That is until another voice hits us.

"Eww, stop!"

Jace jumps back, his head shooting to Cassie standing at the kitchen entrance. Behind her are Kade, Jo, and Travis with arms full of plastic shopping bags.

"Good work," Wilder says, turning to Cassie with an approving nod. "Don't think I've seen him ever move that fast before."

"Shut up." Jace scoffs, scratching the back of his neck.

My boyfriend walks over to help everyone unload the bags of...more snacks.

Guess I didn't need to make so much after all.

"Oh, more food!" Wilder exclaims, following anyone with a bag.

Well anyone besides Cassie. The poor girl stands frozen in place, her big blue eyes locked on the crazy boy trying to steal food from each person he passes.

Oh, shit—

"Cass, you okay?" I ask, slowly walking over to her.

"Huh?" She shakes her head to snap out of her haze and turns to me. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Mhmm, okay."

She's so not good.

When I look over at Josie, just barely holding a bag of chips out of Wilder's reach, our eyes connect. At this moment, I know she's thinking the same thing I am.

This Cassie's first time really meeting Jace's friends...or more importantly, Wilder. The same guy she danced with all night during Halloween when she was in disguise, hiding from her overprotective cousins.

Travis—of all people—is the first to tap Jace in the chest with the back of his hand while addressing both him and Kade. "You two gonna introduce us or not?"

Jace's lips thin.

"T, Wild, this is our cousin Cassie," Kade says, before pointing out at each of his friends. "Cass this is Travis and Wilder."

"Hi," Cassie says in such a low voice as she fights not to stare at Wilder.

Jo and I shoot each other another knowing look, clearly, the only two people feeling the tension radiating off of the petite blonde.

Clearing my throat, I make my own introductions. "And this is Marcel and Ava," I say pointing at my friends. "They'll be watching the movies with us tonight."

"Everyone's hanging out?" Cassie quickly asks, her eyes widening.

"Nope, we gotta go," Jace answers, popping another chip in his mouth and stepping away from the counter. "We got boys' night. But you guys have fun."

He walks over to give me a quick peck on the lips before heading over to give Cassie a small hug. With that, he turns towards the hall and calls back to the others, "Let's go guys."

Travis and Kade wave goodbye to everyone while Wilder trudges behind them, dragging his feet like a petulant child.

"I wanna stay and eat," Wild grumbles before pausing just as he passes Cassie. "Was night to meet you, cutie."

Cassie's face turns a deep shade of red.

"Wilder!" Jace's voice booms from the hallway.

A wide smile fills the boy's face before he takes off after his friends, his lighthearted laugh filling the air in his wake.

"Well then, that was interesting," Ava says, taking a bite of popcorn.

"No, nuh-uh. Not another romance!" Marcel demands as the credit to Ava's last pick scroll across the TV screen.

"Come one, Marci." Ava pouts, her bottom lip sticking out as she folds her hands pleadingly. "Don't you wanna feel a little love?"

Marcel scoffs and rolls his eyes. "If I wanna feel a little love, I got a few chicks I can call. Thanks."

"Since when?" I ask, sitting up straighter in my seat.

He shoots me a grin. "Perks of being a Guardian prospect."

"You're with the Guardians too?" Cassie asks from her spot in a pile of blankets on the floor.

Marcel's eyes shoot open wide as he realizes his mistake. "Um..."

"Yes," Josie cuts in to save him. "But he's new. Just a baby."

"Gee, thanks, Jo." Marcel crosses his arms and slides further into his seat.

Tossing him the remote, I stand up. "No pouting on movie night. Pick the next one while I get more snacks."

He instantly perks up, sitting up straighter as he starts tapping away at the remote.

In the kitchen, I throw away some of the trash from the already eaten bags of candy and start rounding up more food and drinks to take back to the living room. I've nearly stocked a wide tray with a mountain of treats when Cassie walks in.

"Need help with anything?"

"Um." I look down at my bounty. "I think I got it, but maybe you could grab a few more drinks from the fridge?"

She nods and crosses the room. "Sure, not a problem."

From the corner of my eye, I can see her turning to look at me, sneaking glances over her shoulder. She chews her lip nervously as she opens the fridge.

"Everything okay?"

"Mmhmm." She nods again before tucking a pale strand of hair behind her ear. "It's just...that guy that was here earlier, Wilder...is he close with Jace and Kade?"

I can't help the smile that wants to tug at my lips. 

Oh, curious Cassie.

I've been waiting for her to bring him up ever since she spotted him. Even if Wilder didn't recognize her from the Halloween party a few months ago, she definitely recognized him.

While Cassie's costume that night worked to keep her hidden from her overprotective cousins, Wilder's clown costume did nothing to hide his face...or his physique.

Here we go.

Tucking my chin to hide the faint grin on my face, I shrug. "Well, he is a Guardian."

"Yeah but...like there must be a lot of Guardians, right?"

I nod. "A good bit, yeah."

And only growing by the day thanks to Mr. Robby's recruitment plan.

Cass steps closer, cautiously as if not to seem too desperate despite her next question. "So would you say they're closer to him than most?"

The hold on my amusement slips and a wide smile fills my face. I look up to catch Cassie's reaction but when I meet her gaze, I'm struck speechless. Her big baby blues are watching my every moment with steely seriousness as the rest of her is frozen in place, stuck on waiting for my next words.

"You like him...like really like him, don't you?"

"What?" She jerks her head back and blinks several times before shaking her head. "No...no, I don't even know him." Returning to connect her gaze with mine, I know she sees the disbelief written all over my face. "I'm serious. Besides, I have a boyfriend."

That doesn't mean she can't have feelings for someone else. God...how much time did I waste on Derek when who I really wanted was Jace?

"He's close with the guys. They're all close," I say, answering her original question. "But Wilder and Jace..." My stomach twists with the reality of the situation at the same time my smile drops. "They're best friends. Blood couldn't make them any closer."

The interested spark in her eyes fades away just before she turns back for the fridge. "That's good. Jace needs people he can trust."

"Cass—"

"I was just curious is all. I remembered him from the party. But like I said, I have a boyfriend."

I chew my lip, debating on pushing the subject or letting it drop. I know she knows the same thing I do. Jace would never let a Guardian close to her and someone loyal to Jace would never go against that. The chances of Wilder and Cassie ever having more than the dance floor last Halloween is one in a million.

So, better to change the subject to something lighter.

"Tell me about this boyfriend," I say, placing my elbows on the counter and resting my chin in my hands.

This time when she turns from the fridge—finally with an arm full of can drinks—a wide smile brightens her slender face. "He's great."

Her sudden cheery mood instantly lightens the tension in the room. Every muscle in my body relaxes and the grin on my face has no need to be held back or forced.

"What's his name?"

"Paxton."

I tip my head to the side and narrow my eyes. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

"Mmhmm." She nods and jumps onto an island stool. "You were with me when I met him at the Hideaway a few months back."

A blurry image enters my mind but I remember he was good-looking, just not anything detailed. "Oh, that's right. He was cute."

"Oh, he's more than cute," she says with a small giggle. "He's so sweet, thoughtful, and incredibly hot."

An urge to dish and brag about my amazing and hot boyfriend bubbles inside me but I keep it down. If this one someone else, sure, but it's Cassie and I doubt she wants to hear anything like that about her cousin.

"Hot, huh? Wow...have you two..." I circle my hand in the air to continue where my words trail off. "You know."

Her smile falters just a bit. "No...I'm...well I haven't..."

"Oh!" I stand up straight, my eyes doubling in size. "Oh, you're a virgin."

She nods sheepishly.

Well, Jace would be happy to hear this.

I'm sure why I'm so surprised. Just because I lost my virginity at sixteen with Jace doesn't mean everyone starts that early. I mean some start earlier and some start later...way later. It's different for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that.

But maybe my assumption was due to the revealing costume she wore at that Halloween party or the way she danced with Wilder. Something about that night gave me serious vibes that sweet innocent Cassie wasn't as sweet as I thought. Now I feel like an ass for thinking otherwise.

"It's not like I haven't done anything," Cassie quickly adds. "I just haven't gone all the way...yet."

"Yet?" I ask with an arch of my brow.

Cassie's light complexion turns a soft shade of pink as she looks down at the counter. "I mean Paxton wants too but I'm not sure. Maybe eventually. He's a good guy so—"

"If you're not ready then don't force yourself to be!" I walk around the island and take one of her hands in mine. "If he cares, he'll wait. But don't let him make you feel pressured."

"No, no. He'd never do that," she insists with a shake of her head.

"Okay, good. But still, do it when you're ready and not a second sooner."

I pin her with a deathly serious gaze that she returns before giving me a small nod.

Stepping away, I breathe a sigh of relief. Good thing I was the one to have this talk with her and not her cousins. If Jace were here, Cassie's poor boyfriend would be a dead man.

"Anyway, on another note," Cassie says in a sing-song voice as she hops down from the stool. "I had another reason for coming in here to help you."

I raise an eyebrow at her but bite back the first words that come to mind. Like besides asking about Wilder?

A nervous smile forms on her face. "So, you know I'm a dancer."

"Yeah, at your school, right?"

She nods and chews on her lip for a second. Once it's free, a rush of words tumbles out of her mouth. "Okay, well, I don't like being home whenever I'm home for the weekends. I like to keep busy or hang out with friends or Paxton, but sometimes no one is available. So, I signed up to take these dance classes on Sunday mornings and was wondering if maybe you'd like to go with me."

"I don't know." I shake my head and take a step back. "I'm not a professional dancer."

"No, it's not like that. It's more of a workout dance class."

I'm not really a fan of working out either.

But instead of saying that, I tip my head back and forth thinking about it anyway. That is until I notice Cassie nervously chewing on her lip again.

"What's the catch?" I ask with narrowed eyes.

"No catch!"

"Is it expensive?"

"Nope."

"Cassie," I huff and cross my arms over my chest. She's acting just like me when I used to ask mom for permission to go to a party.

The parents will be there. It's only a small get-together. Barely any boys.

Never mind the fact that the parents were close by but not exactly there or that the small get-togethers magically got bigger as time went by, the same went for the barely any boys part too. All of it was half-truths. Kind of like the feeling I'm getting from the doe-eyed blonde standing in front of me with a pleading gaze.

"Cassie," I say again a bit more forcefully.

A deep sigh leaves her petite frame and her shoulders deflate. "Okay, okay. It is a workout class but it's...a pole dancing class."

"Cass!"

"At an actual strip club," she adds with a cringe.

"Oh my god!" My eyes bug out of my head. "Your cousins are going to kill you!"

She quickly holds up her hands. "No, it really is a workout class. Lots of classes like them have been popping up in gyms all over the place. It just so happens that this one is run by Dolly's girlfriend."

"Jace's boss?" I ask, thinking of the silver-haired, inked beauty that runs Ragdoll Tattooes.

"Yup." Cassie nods.

With the mention of Dolly, my panic lessons. She's good people and really responsible considering she runs a business of her own. But I've never met her girlfriend.

As if sensing my thoughts, Cassie jumps on my weakening resolve. "Sasha is so sweet, you have to meet her. She and Dolly have been together for years. She used to be a dancer but now she owns her own club called Sashay. They aren't open on Sundays so she started doing the classes there to make some extra cash. I already talked to her about it and she says it's harmless. No stripping and most of her students are bored housewives."

I hate to admit it but it really doesn't sound that bad.

"You're considering it, aren't you?" She asks with a twinkle in her eyes.

I sigh. "Maybe."

Could be something fun to show Jace one day...

"Alright, I'll go to one class but if I don't like it, that's it."

Cassie's high-pitch squeal fills the kitchen as she jumps and wraps her arms around me. "Thank you!"

A second later, another set of arms wraps around the both of us. I look over my shoulder to spot Josie smiling up at me.

"So, what are we celebrating?" She asks.

A sly smile spreads across Cassie's face as she looks around me to gaze at the redhead. "Do you dance, Jo?"

"I don't know about Jo, but I sure do!" Marcel's voice answers from the kitchen entrance as he attempts to beatbox and dance without tripping over his boot.

Josie slides across the room in her socks to join him and bump her butt with his. "Hell yeah, now it's a party!"

Any remaining tension from the night is quickly forgotten as I watch my friend dance and laugh. It doesn't take long for my laughter to follow as I bathe in the positive energy.

Hopefully, Jace is having a good time too. 

💘____________________________________💘

Hey, loves!

I know I probably say this every time but I am so sorry this chapter took me so long. If you've seen my announcements you might know this already but I had caught covid and felt like the walking dead for a while. That's why this chapter took longer than I was hoping but I am still so sorry! I'd like to get more chapters out faster but I am at a part of the story where I need to start tying some things together to help get us closer to the end. (Don't panic, we're not there yet!) But because of this writing has been slower as well. I won't make any promises other than that I'll keep writing, but I don't know when I'll be updating at the moment. Fingers crossed it's often.

Anyway, before I get onto my questions, quick reminder! I know it's been a while since Cassie, Jo, and Lexi went to the Hideaway for girls' night (chapter 25 of KME) but even though Lexi knows about the Guardians and Vipers now, she has NOT been told the names of Viper members. So, she does NOT know that there is a Viper named Paxton. Just wanted to remind y'all.

Now onto the questions!

Do you think it's understandable for Jace to be worried about Cassie coming around his group? Were you surprised Wilder didn't recognize Cassie? Any predictions for those two? Are you surprised Cassie is still with Paxton? And what's up with this dance class?

I know this chapter doesn't have much as far as the plot but I also know some of you have been curious about Cassie's whereabouts. So I felt this chapter was needed and helped give a small break to all the drama. Hopefully, you all still enjoyed it! 

(P.S. I was stumped for songs this chapter so the one at the top is more related to Cassie.)

You can leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

As usual, a teaser for chapter 24 will be posted on my Instagram and Twitter before the full release here, so keep a watch out for that!

Until next time, loves! 💜 xoxo