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I freeze when the door opens. My anger disappears when I see her. She walks in confidently. She doesn’t stop until she is standing inches away.

“I just want to say I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. It was just a shock, and I made a mistake. I still love you. Even though you're a vampire,” she says hurriedly. She wraps her arms around me tight.

It only takes a minute for me to respond, gratefully holding her close. “I understand. It’s weird for me, too.”

She pushes me away with her hands on my shoulders. “It is going to take some time to get used to the eyes, though. I can get behind the white hair. You work it. But the eyes are shocking.”

I roll my white eyes dramatically. “What about Bash? His eyes are almost white.”

“Almost is not white. They are a pale blue, not white.”

“Have you been studying his eyes, Ava?” I raise an eyebrow.

She flounces to the couch and settles on it. “Get real. Gross. He’s like an annoying brother to me.”

“Alright, if there's something more, I’ll understand.” I sit beside her, resting my head on my hand.

“Don’t hold your breath. He hates me, and I live to annoy him. You should have seen him when Ryker called to say he was off Ava duty. He was ecstatic. Stoic Bash almost danced a jig. He couldn’t get away fast enough,” she snorts.

“Why do you torment him?” I shake my head.

“It’s what I do: annoy men. So, how do you feel?”

I take a minute to assess it. Now that she is here, I feel nothing but comfort in her presence. “I don’t want to drink from you. So that’s good. I feel calm. Maybe I’m getting the hang of this,” I say, hopeful.

“I had full faith in you. Did you have sex with Ryker?” she asks bluntly.

“Wow, alright. I did.” I blush. That sucks. I thought I wouldn’t be capable of blushing anymore. I put my palm on my cheek, feeling the heat.

“And?”

“It was freaking amazing,” I gush. A grunt from the door causes us to look over. Tristan is standing there. I forgot about him, oops.

“I’ll be in Ryker’s office for the remainder of this visit,” he says stiffly.

After the door to the office closed, we burst out laughing.

“Now that killjoy is gone, tell me everything. He looks like he would be amazing in bed.” Ava leans forward eagerly.

“There isn’t a word that encompasses what he is. Being with Tom didn’t prepare me for what was in store.” The heat intensifies.

“Okay, now I’m jealous. Maybe I should give Bash a good college try. He could yell at me the whole time if it made him feel better.”

“Jesus, Ava.” I laugh.

“You’re right. It would be a disaster,” she says, nodding, making the decision to quit entertaining the idea. “So, back to Ryker. One question, does he keep the knives on in bed?” She raises her eyebrows, waiting for the answer.

“No,” I answered. Ava pouts, disappointed. “But let me tell you what he does with them.”

Ava’s eyes pop out, and she hangs on my every word.

Chapter Nineteen

Ryker

I’m daydreaming of Serenity and how soft her skin is. How she smells and tastes. The beauty of our time together. Her response to my knife is still fresh in my mind. I glance down at it on my chest and smile. I will always wear it. The amount of trust she put in me in order for me to use it is astounding. My imagination runs wild with the scenarios we can share.

She didn’t run from our home when I told her things I hadn’t shared before. She felt compassion and anger on my behalf. I have this odd burning in my chest. Is it filling my cold heart with…love?