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“We have a problem.” Aurora sounded cheerful, a total mismatch to the situation we were facing.

“You sure as hell do.”

“She’s family.” I said with a half shrug. Shaw bristled at that. He was an outcast, officially anyway. I knew Veronica didn’t fully break her Patron bond with him when she kicked him out. That wasn’t public knowledge. Maybe I shouldn’t have led with family.

“Who made her?”

“Family.”

“Venier, you’re going to have to do better than that if you want my help.”

“Family made her. Star-crossed lovers thing.” I lied. Aurora said it might be the only lie he’d believe. I was dubious, but Aurora did have expertise in elaborate storytelling.

“Why isn’t he here begging me? Or she?” He shrugged.

“You know why.” I’d let him fill in the details. Making someone without permission put your head on the line, literally. He’d appreciate the need for delicate secrets. The less I had to say, the better.

“I’m not a baby sitter or the dog pound.”

“No, no. That’s not what we’re asking,” Aurora stepped in, her voice bright despite being unhappy about this part of the plan. “We just need a place for her to stay till her maker can work something out. We’ll be here with her.” She wrinkled her nose and smiled in that way that had men falling over themselves to assist.

Shaw strode over suddenly and put a finger under her chin to tilt her head back, pulling free a corner of the blanket to get a good look at her. The only thing keeping me from tearing his throat out was the I’d have to drop her. He assessed the bloody, torn clothes.

“He do this?” He let her head go gently.

Aurora darted looks between us like she knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“There was an incident.”

“C’mon Shaw. You live for the opportunity to rub other people’s failures in Veronica’s face. You get two for the price of one here.” Aurora had that “aww shucks” tone in her voice.

“This puts us all at risk.”

“No more than usual, Shaw.” Aurora was trying to sound reasonable. “You’re outside everybody’s territory. Assholes have always come here to spoil for a fight. And you always handle it. People take potshots at you, but no one really wants to go to war with Shahid Helios. It will be fine. No one knows about this but us. Her maker, well, let’s just say he isn’t the rebellious type. He’d be the last person on earth anyone would suspect of this.” I shot Aurora a glance. She was laying it on a bit thick, wasn’t she?

“This isn’t going to be cheap.” Shaw stepped back, pulling out a phone from his back pocket.

“I’ll cover it.”

“You don’t know the cost.” Shaw said. Aurora snorted.

“Doesn’t matter.”

He leveled me with a searching look, the edges of his being pushed out to confront me. It was a trick only really old, really powerful vampires could pull off. We’d call it an aura today, but the old ones, like Veronica, like Warren, like Shahid, would never call it that. They’d see it simply as an extension of how they moved in the world.

He expected me to flinch, cave, bargain. Or beg. A wry smile spread across my lips as I pushed back at his encroaching energy, claiming my space with Tiffany in it.

Shaw raked me with a glare. The force of it pushed Aurora to take a step back. I might have stepped back too, once, but not anymore. I squeezed Tiffany tighter to me. I gave fuck all for myself, Aurora, Veronica. Shaw could test that if he wanted to.

“I’m going to want to talk to her before I agree.”

I nodded. That was fair, I supposed.

“Alone.”

“No.” I choked on the growl that erupted at his challenge.

“Zinnia.” He called over his shoulder without breaking eye contact. A small woman appeared, lithe, vibrant purple hair cut at severe angles around her face. She cradled a shotgun like a baby. “Show our guests to the Lido Deck. That should be far enough away from the Snacks. And put everyone in a containment protocol.”