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The entire group perked up, turning to stare at her in various levels of amusement. Addison’s lips parted, and she looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

“That’s… a side hobby,” she blurted, cheeks flaming. “They’re collectibles!”

“Sure, hun.” Hunter snickered, nudging Addison’s shoulder. “You can be honest with us, you’re not playing tea parties with them, right?”

Addison muttered something unintelligible, tugging the collar of her jacket higher to hide her mortification. I decided that was quite enough torment for Addison, so I rolled my shoulders and turned my attention toward Dylan instead.

Her posture immediately went rigid, jaw tensing. She flicked a quick glance at Amara—a silent, fearful look that all but screamed,Please don’t say anything about her. Please for the love of god, let her be.I could feel the apprehension pouring off her.

I cleared my throat, letting my voice drop to a playful murmur. “Dylan, relax. I just want to test your memory. I’m sure you recall a certain… Care Bear tattoo you have hidden on your ankle?”

Dylan’s face went beet red, her shoulders stiffening. “That was– it was a dare,” she mumbled, averting her eyes. “My brother put me up to it.”

Addison perked up, forgetting her own embarrassment as she shot a conniving grin at Dylan. “Hold on, you have aCare Beartattoo? For real?”

Dylan groaned, sliding a hand down her face. “Yes,for real. Move along now.”

“Okay, but which Care Bear is it?” Jordan looked genuinely curious, and Dylan fended her off with a glare. “Hmm, my money’s on Grumpy Bear.”

A round of poorly stifled giggles spread through the group. Even Amara cracked a tiny smile, softly brushing Dylan’s arm in a show of support. Dylan shot me a grudging look of thanks—relieved that I’d avoided mentioning anything about Amara’s… new condition, I supposed.

“All right, you proved your point,” Hunter muttered, though a grin tugged at her lips.

Jordan cleared her throat, rolling her eyes. “So you’re forgiven—tentatively,” she announced, glancing around to see if anyone disagreed. “But now we need a plan.”

Sky and Addison made exaggerated harrumphing noises while Hunter slumped back in her seat, muttering something about never trusting me to keepanysecrets of hers ever again. Dylan spoke and signed a quick,I hate you sometimes,but the curl of a smile on her lips undermined any real venom.

Then it was back to business, and the problem at hand. I glanced over at Leah, who still looked significantly out of her depth amongst our dysfunctional forged family. When she caught my eye I titled my head, scooching over and offering her the seat beside me.

“So,” she began, perching on the sofa and sweeping wary eyes around the room. “What do we do about… well, all of this – Gregor, Maxine’s family? You guys are vampires, right? Can’t you just like– I don’t know, scare them off?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Jordan murmured, rubbing a hand at her chin. “The Leyore coven can’t handle another war right now. We already have our hands full mending our bond with the elves of this city. If we go after the Belmontes in San Francisco all hell could break loose.”

“We need to get Leah’s grandfather out of the city,” I cut in, taking Leah’s hand in mine and squeezing it tight. “If we can get him to New York under our protection, they have no leverage over Leah anymore.”

“That’s not a long term solution, though. My grandfather’s whole life is in San Francisco. He’s crushing on a lady at the grocery store. I can’t just uproot him and expect him to be okay with that,” Leah countered, twisting around until her knees brushed my own.

Everyone noticed the slight moments of contact between us, but only Jordan failed to pretend that she hadn’t. She raised a brow, eyes flicking between both of us with slow-dawning realization.

“I know.” I brought Leah’s fingers to my lips, pressing a kiss to her hand. “But it won’t be forever. We just need to keep him safe long enough to take care of my family and Gregor for good.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Hunter quizzed me, folding her arms across her chest.

“Simple.” I shrugged. “We lure them to New York. And we dangle some tantalizing bait so that Gregor turns up too.”

Hunter shifted her stance, narrowing her eyes at me. “How?”

“I'll give them a call.” I flicked my eyes to Leah and away again, biting down on my bottom lip. “I’ll tell them I’ve seen the light and I’m ready to come home—ready to get married. My only demand is that the wedding goes down in New York so that all my friends can be there to send me off.”

Dead silence settled as they processed my words. Jordan arched an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “You’re… going to pretend to give in?” she repeated slowly.

I forced a tight nod. “Yes. If I offer myself up willingly, Gregor will come. And if my parents think I’m actually returning to the fold, they’ll come too—and hopefully drag their watchers off Leah’s grandfather. We can move him safely while everyone’s attention is on me. Then once my family and Gregor show up, we control the battlefield.”

Addison blew out a low whistle, exchanging a glance with Hunter. “That’s… bold,” she muttered.

Hunter’s lips thinned. “It’s dangerous, Maxine. If this guy sees through your act, he could kill you.”

I shrugged, trying to seem more confident than I felt. “I just need to keep up the charade long enough for you to get Leah’s grandfather to safety and for Gregor to let his guard down.”