Page 29

“I’m going to Florida,” I tell him.

His expression temporarily dims, but then he smiles. “If you like. I just wanted you to know it was an option.”

“You’re acting really weird.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go, bunny. We have a plane to catch.”

“Yeah, okay…”

Deciding to ignore Cassian’s strange mood, I look back at the property as Fabian holds my door for me, feeling a little giddy because I can’t believe it’smine.

Part of me would like nothing more than to stay and make plans, as Cassian suggested, but it will still be here when I get back.

As the car begins rolling, a weird thought comes to me. “You didn’t buy me a perfectly gorgeous plot of land to lure me into staying behind, did you?”

“What?” Cassian widens his eyes, looking guilty as heck. “Of course not.”

“I feel like there’s something you need to tell me.”

“You’re cute when you’re acting suspicious.”

I’m never going to get a straight answer out of him, so I give up, sighing as I lean into the pillow-soft seat. “You’ll tell me eventually, won’t you?”

He’s silent for a moment, and then he clears his throat. So quietly I almost don’t hear him, he finally responds, “There will come a point when I won’t have a choice.”

If that’s not disconcerting, I don’t know what is.

6

“I’msurprised you don’t have a private jet,” I say to Cassian as I watch our plane arrive at the gate.

“I’ve thought about buying one,” the vampire answers casually. “But they require so much maintenance.”

“Plus, Cassian doesn’t care for flying,” Noah says.

“I don’t dislike flying—I’m just not a fan of airplanes.” Cassian turns to face us. “I had such high hopes for airships. I crossed the Atlantic on the Hindenburg, you know.”

“How is that possible?” I ask. “Didn’t it catch on fire?”

“Yes, but it made the trip several times before that. Though that incident did tarnish the public’s opinion of airships.”

“No kidding.”

A nearby man glances over, frowning. But he continues toward the coffee stand, probably thinking he misunderstood us, not realizing he just encountered a two-hundred-year-old vampire.

I frown at Cassian, realizing he added a jacket and tie to the white shirt and gray trousers he was wearing earlier. “Why do you look like you’re headed to a business meeting?”

“I find the flight attendants fuss over me a bit more if I look dapper.” He adjusts his tie and gives me a charming smirk.

“They’re going to fuss over you no matter what, seeing as how you booked yourself a ticket in first class,” Noah says, taking a sip of the iced coffee he secured as soon as we arrived.

He drinks it black—like a psychopath. He even seems to like it that way. I wrinkle my nose at it, missing sugar. Missing it so much.

“Why are you glaring at me?” Noah asks when he catches me, laughing.

“I’m not glaring at you—I’m glaring at your coffee.”

“I offered to get you one,” he points out.