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I smooth my jacket as she speaks, hand lingering over the center of my thick slab of a chest, wondering if you can feel the moment you grow a soul.

“My grandfather’s ring and my wedding ring! I still have my wedding and engagement rings in my luggage. I didn’t know what to do with them. And my grandfather left each granddaughter some jewelry; I got his ring. It’s simple and thick, but it could be a wedding ring. They don’t have to match, right?”

“Right.” My throat is constricting again. I don’t want her to wear Delgado’s ring! At the same time, I feel humbled to wear something of her grandfather’s, something from the Sloane and LaFontaine families, even if it is just part of the show. “Good props,” I say before I can fall farther into my own head.

Minegold clears his throat. “All right, you two. I’m afraid you will have to do more than just disappear into the house. If those men found you once, they may find you again. Pine Ridge is a close-knit little town, and the paranormal community is particularly tightly woven.”

“So... Won’t they know that Reggie is just helping me out? That it’s all fake?” Therese asks.

Ugly words. All fake. I try not to release the dull, angry groan that sounds so monstrous. Instead, I cough. “Jakob and I didn’t tell anyone anything. There was no time.”

“And Reggie hasn’t been feeling well. He’s been lying low all week and being quite antisocial all month,” Jakob exposes my sulking cheerfully. “I expect a good many people will believe that he was involved in a tempestuous online romance that culminated unexpectedly—with me serving as best man as he wedded an old family friend.”

Therese’s sweet smile melts me. I look at my hands, worried they may truly start to lose their shape as I feel warmth rush through me. “I do feel safer than I have in months with the two of you—old family friends.” She puts a hand to her throat as her eyes well up. “I feel like Grandpa Artie is watching over me. I know he’d say I couldn’t have chosen better.”

A better bodyguard or husband? Both? I can’t speak. My mind is whirring too quickly to make words.

“Indeed! So, let’s get your backstories straight. Therese, Reggie can follow your lead.You’rethe one who has to play the part convincingly when you venture out in public. If Delgado or Estrada continues to keep tabs on you, you can be sure that the goons will report back.”

“I never met Estrada... Well, I don’t think I did.” Therese shakes her head suddenly, a dark frown on her face, changing her sunny beauty into something dangerous. “I joined Matteo on so many ‘business dinners’ at fancy restaurants. Oh God, I could have been shaking hands and eating prime ribs with murderers and drug dealers!”

I don’t have the heart to point out that there’s no maybe about it. “Let’s focus on why you broke up. What’s the story you’ve been using?”

At that, Therese is silent. She crosses her legs and wraps her hands over top of them, knuckles pale. “The truth?”

“Yes. To me, always. I won’t lie to you, either.” My voice is suddenly stern. “We’re partners. Survival and safety depend on honesty and trust. You can trust me with your life, Therese, as your family has always trusted me.”

The sparkle fans into a single flame, dancing inside some previously unknown, uninhabited spot. My sacred oath. My sacred duty. This is beyond mere satisfaction. This feels like... life. Alive again! Like finding home—for the first time.

Is it my imagination, or does she squirm when I put on my “monster” voice? Not in fear. Could it be... What is the word? A turn-on?

No, of course not.

“First of all, an honest man is suddenly the most attractive man in the world. Secondly, if we’re married now, you’ll have to call me Teri most of the time, or people will think we’re superformal. Not my style.” Therese —Teri, I correct myself— laughs and sinks back, hands falling into her lap.

“Teri, then. What has your story been so far?” I ask. I love how at ease she seems with me at this moment, as if the world wasn’t so harrowing, as if we didn’t have a third party listening. She turns her head towards mine and gives me a crooked smile.

What is that tired old expression I always scoffed at? “As if we were the only two people in the world”? Yes. It’s like that.

“Okay. The truth is, Matteo Delgado swept me off my feet and spoiled me rotten... but there wasn’t a lot of substance. There was just fun. Whenever I started to feel unsettled in my marriage, I told myself that it was wrong of me. I should be so grateful to have a handsome, attentive husband who gave me what I said I wanted—travel and excitement, more than a small agricultural town in rural Louisiana could offer. Then, I started to get bored. I didn’t have friends who could relate to my life, and I didn’t make any as we moved from city to city every few weeks. I asked Matteo about doing some freelance work or even being a secretary for his company, and he said I couldn’t. Our schedule was too unpredictable, and his company had no openings. It was... it is clear now, but it wasn’t then. I was unhappy because I’d become what everyone called me—just a pretty blonde ex-cheerleader trading on my looks. I was a trophy wife. He was my trophy husband, too.”

“You don’t have to take your share of the blame, Teri. Most pretty young couples start out like that, full of freedom and appreciating good looks and attention.” I pretend to have experience.

She calls me on it. “You sound like an old man who’s ‘seen it all.’ I guess... I guess you’ve probably had a lot of relationships since you don’t age, huh?”

I clear my throat. “I’ve never been married. Or anything close to married. But, I’ve been protecting people for a long time. I’man expert in human nature.” How anyone who talked to her for any length of time could ever have thought she could be fobbed off with trinkets and travel is beyond me. I’ve known her for a few hours, and I can already tell that she’s always thinking, always curious, and always looking for the brightest and best bits of the world. Delgado probably married too hastily, too. I bet he didn’t realize how incredible she was before deciding she was the perfect, insipid cover.

“An expert, Reginald?” Jakob asks from the front seat, his gentle voice holding a teasing note.

“I should have known I’d get called on that. Okay, honesty time. I’m an expert, not from any fancy degree, but from a long, hard life watching the worst and most evil natures of humans as well as witnessing the most loving and heroic ones. I’ve seen war criminals who commit atrocious acts and widows who would share their last bit of bread with refugees they took in. I’ve seen people I love age and die while I stand still. I’ve seen monsters fall in love and have families. I’ve seen a lot of the world, and I’ve started to notice patterns. I was made to protect and serve, and I learned to identify threats. Those instincts have been sharpened over time.”

Therese makes a choked sound. “Reggie... I’m so sorry. You’ve been through so much because of what my family did—and now I’m asking for one more favor.”

“The worst parts were a long time ago. Years and years.” I smile broadly, like the memories don’t hurt. The body they gave me couldn’t be destroyed—but the mind could be scarred. I don’t know if that would have mattered at the time, as all humans were earning the same scars, and they were far more fragile.

Jakob mutters something under his breath in Polish. I don’t bother to translate it as Therese grabs my hand suddenly. “Like time couldhealall of that! Time might numb things, but theystill happened. I... I hope this assignment is one of the better ones you’ve had to deal with,” she whispers.

“This assignment.”That’s right, Reggie. A role. A ruse.