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“No. I did not make it.” Dalejem didn’t look over from where he was motioning in sign language to Mika.

Mika barely paused to nod. She began rolling out another cart filled with cakes on their different-sized and different-colored plates.

“Yarli made me a cake.” Jem gave Nick a bare glance that time. “She’s the second-oldest soul. And she and I have known one another for quite some time.”

Nick blinked.

Then he scowled.

“Do I even want to know?” he growled.

“Probably not.” Seeing Nick’s expression, Dalejem exhaled.“Gaos,Nick. It was a long time ago. And no, it wasn’t serious… or particularly long lasting.”

“I wouldn’t tell Mañuel,” Nick muttered.

He meant Manny Azure, Yarli’s current boyfriend and one of Black’s oldest friends. Manny and Black were military buddies from Vietnam… which still kind of blew Nick’s mind, despite his own newly acquired immortality.

“I have absolutely no intention of telling Manny.” Dalejem gave him a harder look. “But I didn’t exactly intend to tellyoueither, yet here we are.”

Nick watched as the kitchen doors opened, letting in Angel, who was followed by––

“Fuck.” Nick slid off the industrial, metal, kitchen counter where he’d been sitting. He moved before a single thought rose behind his eyes, before his conscious mind switched on at all.

He fled.

There was really no otherhonestway to describe it, even to himself.

Aiming his feet for the back end of the kitchen, where he knew another door lived, Nick moved fast, silent in a way only a vampire could be silent. Even his shoes didn’t make a single sound. He didn’t knowexactlywhere that other door led, just that it would take him into a different dining area inside the hotel.

More to the point, it would take him away… out of here.

He knew Jem stared after him.

He also knew his boyfriend both knewwhyhe was leaving and was annoyed as shit, but Nick couldn’t make himself do anything different.

He also knew he’d left his cake behind, which likely angered Jem, too.

Despite those two things, Jem didn’t call out his name, which actually made Nick’s heart hurt with gratitude and love for the green-eyed seer. Dalejem didn’t try to stop him, or call him out. He didn’t make a scene, or try to embarrass him, or try to force Nick to “confront his fears” or “face his demons” or some such shit.

Nick could feel that Dalejem didn’t stare after him for long, either.

Covering for Nick, he turned to speak to Angel and Kiko, who apparently hadn’t seen or heard Nick in the kitchen at all.

Then again, that wasn’t surprising.

Vampire.

“That’s just about all of them,” Nick heard Angel say. “Most have barely begun to eat theirs. I came in to get me and Cowboy’s––”

“What about you, cousin Kiko?” Dalejem asked with mock sternness. “Have you eatenyourcake yet? I did put a fair bit of care into it, after all.”

Angel laughed, but she was already heading for the door back to the pool area, one cake plate in each hand. “Don’t stay in here flirting with Jem for too long, Kiks. Jax will have an absolute fit.” She winked at Jem then pointed at Kiko with mock sternness. “Yours is right there. Eat it, or grab it and come right back out. I’m not dealing with crazy Jax-man.”

Kiko didn’t laugh.

She didn’t answer Angel, either.

She barely seemed to hear her.