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I balancedon the two back legs of the chair. Tobias leaned forward, elbows on the dining table, hands buried in his hair. Everything was in danger of going to shit. We’d taken a vote and unanimously decided to keep the trial date from Catalina. She would know nothing. We needed her to stay safe and out of the way.

Imogen’s goal was to cripple us. She knew what the night club meant to me. But the anger I expected wasn’t as searing as I anticipated.

Tobias’s gaze remained unfocused.

“What are you mulling over?” I asked.

“We need to set up precautions.”

“Should I get Amira on Imogen?” She was a good spy and in all the years she’d been watching Calliope, she’d not been caught. “She has the best chance of finding her.” Her ability to track never failed.

“Yes, do that,” Bastien said from where he hovered near the fridge.

“I’ll call her and pull her from Calliope.”

THIRTY-TWO

catalina

I finished typingout my email to Peter, asking him to call me on Asher’s phone as soon as possible. He had a life back in Mexico, but at the very least, I merited a call. I puffed out my cheeks. That wasn’t fair of me. He had classes, and his girlfriend, and things kids his age did.

Things I didn’t have a chance at experiencing, because I’d been too busy worrying about him. Worrying about my aunt getting angry at one of us and sending us away. As hard as all of that had been, I wouldn’t trade it because if we’d gone to the system after our parents passed, there was no assurance that we would have been able to stay together.

It was sad how much I spent my life worrying and in fight or flight mode. No wonder I’d needed so many little routines for myself. Baths, skin care, painting my nails, all of it allowed me to shut my brain off and focus on myself.

It was difficult to break the habit though. My brain kept swirling around the idea of one of the visiting vampires killing me. I didn’t know how, and I knew my vampires would never allow it, but it was a worry, nonetheless. So, I’d stashed a stake under my mattress. Just in case.

I clicked send on the email and leaned back. The cushioned chair reclined. I smoothed my palms along the soft fabric of the arm rests. I’d taken a moment to look up some of the stuff they’d set up in here, and when I saw the price tag of the chair, I stopped looking.

I rubbed my hands over my face. I would blame my scrambled brain on my sleeping situation, but to be completely honest, once the sun rose, I knew and felt nothing until sundown, when I woke up. My body no longer felt the effects of sleep, good or otherwise.

A creak caused my eyes to fling open. Tobias studied me from near the door. I’d not paid any of them a thought when I woke up this morning, I’d headed directly to my new office.

“How are you, Love?” He slowly approached. I leaned forward and slumped against the desk, dropping my cheek on my arm. He perched on the desk a few inches from me. He slowly reached out. I followed the progression of his hand coming toward my head. He was giving me time to back away from his touch.

I didn’t move and he gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

“You don’t have to be so cautious,” I said, half-muffled from how I laid against my arm. His lips twitched.

“We do not deserve you.” He sighed, sounding almost sad. “But you will be taken care of for eternity.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t be sure about,” I mumbled.

He chuckled.

“You don’t understand, Catalina. You’ve earned us and you will never be rid of us.”

A hot flush flooded my chest, forcing me to take a breath. The sweet scent of his blood filled my nose, and I stiffened, holding my breath. But it was too late, the damage was done. Myfangs stretched from my gums and a burn pulsated my throat. I straightened, smiling sheepishly.

“I am your meal for the day, Love.”

I blinked up at him as he tugged the sweater off, leaving him half naked.

“Do you guys have some ‘feeding Cat’ rotation going on?” I snorted. The idea was ridiculous.

“Yes, we do.” He folded the sweater and carefully set it behind him.

I scoffed, but everything except his lean muscle faded from my mind. He was compact strength to the point that I could see the dips and curves of his torso. A line cut the edges of his stomach and with him curved, I could make out the faint outline of his abdomen.