Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons #3)(97)

“It was.”

At Ivy’s expectant pause, Selina settled into her chair. And told her story.

The sun arced above them, their drinks were replaced by the waitress, and the chill autumn air had wrapped around them before Selina finished.

Ivy blew out a breath and whistled. “Well, that’s certainly one hell of a story.”

Selina snorted. Ivy flicked her thick braid over a shoulder. “Was any of it real? What you—you felt for us. As friends.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be,” Selina admitted. “But it was. It is.”

Ivy finished her chai with a long gulp. “Will the League come after you?”

“Oh, most definitely. Especially now that I destroyed the formula, the data—all of it.” What Ivy herself had gleaned, Selina knew she wouldn’t tell. As far as the League was concerned, Ivy had never been in that factory. “But until then,” Selina said, stretching, “I’ve got bills to pay.”

“Oh?”

Selina smiled. “I got a cat.” She’d found herself one, was more like it. That small gray alley cat. It had taken a heartbreakingly tiny amount of food to get her to jump into Selina’s arms last night. And stay there, purring the entire way home. She’d named her Jane.

Ivy lifted a brow. “And cats are that expensive?”

Selina’s smile turned into a grin. “Certainly. Especially when they live in the new hideout I plan to build with my villainous roommate.”

She placed a set of keys on the table between them.

Ivy laughed, picking up the keys and jangling them.

“I got the idea from Harley’s pad. Two underground levels in another abandoned subway station—the lower floor can be converted into lab space,” Selina said. “Three bedrooms can be made out of the upper level.”

“Three?”

“One for guests,” Selina said. “Or another cohort. When the time is right for her.”

A home. For all of them. To start living how they wished, on their own terms.

Ivy blinked furiously, ducking her head and hiding her face as she said, “Thank you.”

It was the least Selina could do. If Harley got out, if that good judge let her off easy and she received the help she needed and now wanted…For Ivy’s sake, Selina prayed Harley got better. Found some way to get beyond the Joker, the past that haunted and drove her. To see the woman right in front of her, who had been waiting for her all this time.

And maybe not try to kill Selina in the process.

But she’d think on that tomorrow. Another day. Another week.

Ivy straightened, her freckled face lighting. “Making that sort of lair is going to be expensive.” She dangled the old janitor’s keys from a crooked finger. The metal sparkled in the sunlight. “What will our next heist be?”

Selina looked toward the river, the sun just starting to set. And for a heartbeat, a calm, contented sort of quiet settled over her, wrapping around her bones, warming her blood. As if that sun sinking toward the horizon, the shadows growing…It was not an end. Not an end at all.

And the city now cast in light and dark—it was hers for the taking.

For the first time, all of it was hers. Open and boundless. A path to carve as she willed. As she dreamed it to be.

And a home.

Selina smiled. “There are a few museum exhibits I’ve been dying to see.”





Being asked to write Selina’s story was such a tremendous honor, and from the start, it has been an absolute dream project. But it would not exist without several people. My deepest and eternal heartfelt gratitude goes out to: My wonderful husband, Josh: Nine lives wouldn’t be enough time with you. I love you.

To Annie, my faithful canine companion (aka the Batdog): You make every day a joy (even when you demand endless snacks and treats). I’m sorry for the thousands of photos I’ve taken of you while you were snoozing, but you’re too cute to resist.

To Tamar Rydzinski, my badass agent, who works so tirelessly on my behalf: You are a queen.

To everyone at the Laura Dail Literary Agency for being the best group of people to work with. Ever.

To Chelsea Eberly, editor extraordinaire, who made this project such a delight to work on and who shaped it into something that I am truly proud of. Thank you for everything.

To the marvelous team at Random House: Michelle Nagler, Lauren Adams, Kerri Benvenuto, Hanna Lee, Kate Keating, Elizabeth Ward, Aisha Cloud, Kathy Dunn, Adrienne Waintraub, Regina Flath, Alison Impey, Stephanie Moss, Jocelyn Lange, Jenna Lettice, Barbara Bakowski, Tim Terhune, Mallory Matney, Felicia Frazier, Mark Santella, Emily Bruce, Becky Green, Kimberly Langus, and Cletus Durkin. Thank you all so much for your hard work!

Thank you to the awesome DC/Warner Bros. team: Ben Harper, Melanie Swartz, Shoshana Stopek, and Thomas Zellers, who provided such key input and guidance. To Afua Richardson: Thank you for the beautiful Selina artwork.

Endless love and gratitude to the marvelous Nic Stone for providing truly invaluable and thorough feedback. And a huge thank-you to Jason Reynolds for taking the time to offer such crucial insight.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Cassie Homer for being a brilliant assistant. To Steph Brown, Lynette Noni, Alice Fanchiang, Jennifer Armentrout, Roshani Chokshi, Christina Hobbs, and Lauren Billings: Thank you for being such fantastic friends. To Louise Ang: Thank you, as always, for your infectious excitement and kindness. To Charlie Bowater: Your art never fails to inspire and move me, and I’m so grateful that our paths crossed.