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A smile flickers across his stupidly handsome face. “Yeah.”

He’s supposed to kiss me now. I can feel it. He can feel it. Even the vampire watching us like we’re a daytime soap can feel it.

But instead, Noah clears his throat. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay?”

“Okay.”

He stares at me for a few more seconds, his eyes lingering on my face, and then nods once and leaves the kitchen. I trail after him, waving at him from the front door as he gets in his SUV and rolls away.

“Let’s not leave the door open,” Cassian says, tugging me into the house. “You’ll invite vampires in.”

I cross my arms and study him, disconcerted. On some level, Noah obviously trusts him a little, or he wouldn’t have left us alone.

“One already got in,” I say petulantly.

That only delights Cassian. His dark eyes light with good humor, and he flips the lock. “You fell in love with your conservator, didn’t you?”

I roll my eyes.

“Ah, it’s a tale as old as time,” he says, following me into the kitchen.

“Pre-vamps often fall for their conservators?”

“No, women often fall for Noah.”

I give him a sharp look over my shoulder.

“But that’s not what I find curious,” he says.

“You might as well tell me instead of dragging it out.”

“I think Noah likes you, too.”

I check the blood, deciding it’s the right consistency, and then I stir a little into the smoothie. “I thought so, too.”

I can feel Cassian’s gaze, but I ignore it. “You thought so?”

“I barely know you, and you’re Noah’s frenemy. I’m not gossiping about him with you.”

Cassian chuckles. “Frenemy. Language is such an interesting thing, isn’t it? We didn’t have such a useful word when I first came to America.”

“What did you do that made him so angry?”

“That’s not my story to tell, and I thought we weren’t going tospill the tea?”

“Don’t.” I turn back to him, cringing. “It’s weird when parents use slang. It’s weirder when ancient vampires do it.”

He smiles. “You think I’msus, don’t you? I haven’t swayed you with myrizz?”

I laugh despite myself, but only because it’s painful.

Cassian crosses his arms, proud of himself. “Let’s talk about you instead. Tell me more about Ethan.”

My phone vibrates with another text just as I’m taking my first sip of the smoothie. “Good grief, Max. Needy much?”

Max: She asked to meet for coffee this morning, but she never showed up.

I read Max’s text twice. Olivia would never, not in a million years, leave Max hanging.