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A damp layer coated my cheeks, and I brushed the back of my hand against the moisture.

I should probably take a shower after . . . the events on the counter. A pleasured flush swelled through my body. Clearing my throat, I hopped to my feet to dash toward the bathroom. Bastien watched me with his head tilted. He’d smell my arousal. I picked up pace and slammed the door behind me, Binx in my arms. He wasn’t normally allowed with me in the restroom, but I didn’t want to lose sight of him in this mausoleum of a house. Nor to find him drained of blood when I finished bathing.

Sure, it was a little off-putting the way he looked at me whenever I showered, but I’d take his hyper focus now that he was back in my life.

I shotup in bed with a gasp. My eyes felt grainy and tired because I’d been in and out of sleep, and now I couldn’t see a thing. My heart jumped. My leg hit a hard form and I lunged to pat the mattress, but it was not Binx.

Bastien. In the depths of a vampire’s sleep. It was still morning, that’s why it was so pitch dark in here. I squeezed the bedsheet with a trembling hand and scooted off. Closing my eyes, I inched toward the door, using my memory to make my way.

Faint light came from down the hall, washing the pitch black away. I sighed in relief and snapped the door shut. It was deathly quiet. I crept down the hall.

The bottom of Asher’s long sweats dragged and I tightened the string as much as possible, but I still had to hold them to my waist. The big shirt fluttered around my arms.

It was absolutely silent. I padded down the steps as a light knock echoed on the door. I froze. Was another attacker here to end my life? I slowly approached to peek through the glass sliver bordering one side of the door.

A girl, dressed in a recognizable delivery service outfit.

Grabbing the door, I yanked it open so fast the woman startled. Wait a minute. I had opened the door. I peeked over my shoulder. No one was running out to stop me.

“Um, hi, I left your packages there. There’s a lot of them so I knocked.”

I could escape. The window of leaving came much sooner than expected.

“Can you give me a ride?” The words burst free. But Binx . . . where was he? I gritted my teeth and focused on the driver. Carrying a cat would make being on the run difficult.

The girl’s eyebrow furrowed, and she looked behind me at the expensive house. She scratched her head.

“Uhhh.”

I took a deep breath and relaxed my shoulders and let a smile spread. I didn’t have to fake a blush because my face burned from the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

“I just forgot all of my things and it’d be embarrassing waking him up.” I shuffled from foot to foot. “You know how one-night-stands go.”

Her eyes widened and understanding pinched her expression. She scanned me from head to foot. Taking in the oversized sweats, the messy puffed up hair, and sleep riddled expression. She looked down at her electronic wristwatch.

“My next delivery is toward downtown, but that’s as far as I can take you.”

I must look as freshly fucked as I felt.

“Perfect.” I reigned in my nerves and took a deep breath, trying to act nonchalant.

I took one step out of the house. The sun fell onto my skin, but it was still chilly. I curled my toes into the rough cement, then took another step and froze.

From here, I could see the dent the dead woman’s body had left in the flowers.

If I ran away . . . the other vampire would find me.

Panic squeezed my chest. That would be worse than this. I shuffled in place and cleared my throat.

“Wait,” I said, rushed. Her eyebrows furrowed and she kept looking over my shoulder and into the lavish Manor. “Can I just borrow your phone to order a ride?”

She turned back with a frown, digging into the chest pocket of her blue work vest, and handed it over unlocked. I tapped on the login for my email. I sent a quick email to my lawyer, informing her of my passing as if I were a ‘relative’. I was going to do it from the computer they got me, but the faster I did it the better. Even as my fingers flashed over the screen, I understood my decision would leave me with no choice. There was no turning back. A terrified thrill caused my hands to shake, but I saw no way out of my situation. It was best I disappeared in the ‘human’ world. She would inform everyone . . . my agent, my insurance agency . . . my brother. A knot formed in my throat.

I logged out and handed the phone back. My breaths came out in short gusts. Standing here, I’d worked myself up until my pulse fluttered like butterfly wings.

“Thanks and sorry for the change up.” I held my breath, so my panic wouldn’t be excruciatingly obvious to her.

My decision . . . I wouldn’t turn back.