Katie choked down a sob and pushed back the tears. No, she couldn’t break down again and cry herself to sleep. Not tonight. All of Scanguards and their families had assembled in her house to ring in the New Year and to celebrate Isabelle’s rescue. Tonight was a night for happiness, and she would draw on everything she’d learned as an actress to show the world that she was fine.

Pulling a deep breath into her lungs, she pasted a smile onto her face and walked back into the packed living room, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Dance music was coming from the loudspeakers, courtesy of Damian and Benjamin, Amaury’s twins, who were acting as DJs. She had to give them credit; they weren’t blasting the music so loud that conversation was impossible.

Katie glanced around. The men were wearing tuxedos, the women had donned elegant evening dresses. Even the teenage hybrids were looking festive and had turned into mirror images of their respective parents.

When Damian and Benjamin spotted her, they waved to her, pointing at the tray in her hands. She smiled and walked to where the two were mixing the music.

“I’m famished,” Benjamin said.

Damian snatched a smoked salmon tartlet from the platter. “Ditto.” He shoved it into his mouth.

“Thanks, Katie,” Benjamin said, taking a tartlet and eating it with gusto.

“Your parties are the best. And there’s food!” Damian grinned.

Katie laughed. “You make it sound like your parents don’t feed you!” She glanced around and saw Amaury and Nina slow dancing in one corner of the living room. They looked like a young couple who couldn’t wait to be alone.

The twins followed her gaze.

“Those two sometimes forget we’re around,” Benjamin claimed.

“Yeah,” Damian added and winked, “we give them space, you know, and still they haven’t thanked us by giving us a little sister.”

Benjamin chuckled. “And trust me, they are trying.”

“Yeah, like all the time!” Damian said, rolling his eyes.

“Is that a way to talk about your parents?” Katie recognized Maya’s voice immediately and turned to her.

“You’re taking the words right out of my mouth,” Katie said and embraced Maya. “So glad you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” the stunningly beautiful vampiress said, tossing a strand of her long dark hair over her shoulder. Then she looked back at the twins. “I seriously hope you guys don’t rub off on my boys.”

Damian and Benjamin exchanged a conspiratorial look. “At least you guys gave Ryder and Ethan a little sister to tease,” Damian claimed. “And what have we got? Nothing.”

“You have each other,” Katie interjected. “I wouldn’t call that nothing.”

Maya shook her head, laughing. “Let’s leave them to themselves, shall we, Katie?”

“I agree.”

“Leave the tray,” Benjamin said and reached for it. “We’re still growing.”

Katie pressed the tray into his hands. “Please share it with the others.”

“Sure,” Benjamin promised, but his facial expression said otherwise.

Maya put a hand on Katie’s arm and they walked away.

“You doing okay?” Maya asked.

“You asked me that already last week when you examined me,” Katie said tersely. “I’m fine.”

“Well, I just wanted to follow up. It’s hard for me to forget that I’m a doctor. And looking after everybody at Scanguards is in my blood. You’re part of my big extended family.”

“I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” She sighed. “I’m really fine. I didn’t even get a cold after that nighttime swim in the Bay. Guess I’m more resilient than I thought.”

“Yes, you are.” Her gaze suddenly drifted away, and a lovely smile curved her lips upward.

Katie turned her head to the side and saw Maya’s mate Gabriel approach. Despite the large scar that marred the left side of his face, there was something attractive about the big vampire with the ponytail as he locked eyes with his wife.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” Gabriel said. “But I just put a song request in with Damian and was hoping to dance with my wife.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Katie said.

He nodded. “Everything all right, Katie?”

Why did everybody keep asking her that? Didn’t they already know that she was hurting? That with Luther gone all her hopes had been destroyed. That she barely knew how to get through this day, let alone the coming year. And there was nothing she could do about it. Samson had told her that as a non-Vampire she wasn’t even allowed to visit Luther in prison. Besides, at this point it wasn’t even clear where they’d taken him or how long they were going to hold him. They didn’t even know if there would be a trial and a sentencing.