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But no. His phone goes to voicemail. Quickly, I send him a frantic message.

Piper: My parents are almost at the house. Don’t answer the door.

Cassian, nosy vampire that he is, reads my text andlaughs. We’re forced to stop and wait for the elevator, and I pace in frontof it. Maybe it would have been faster to take the stairs. We’re only three stories up.

“You seem tense.” Cassian’s eyes are bright with amusement.

“I didn’t tell my parents I took on a boarder.”

“Will they care that you’re living with your boyfriend? You’re almost thirty, aren’t you?”

“Like that matters.” A semi-hysterical laugh slips out, making me sound a little insane. “And I have zero plans to tell them we’re dating, but…”

“What’s the problem? You don’t think they’ll believe you and Noah are only friends, just because he’s a good-looking man about your age, and you two exude romantic chemistry like a heat lamp?”

I flash him a look as the elevator opens. “Have you been reading romance novels?”

“I like a good romance.”

“Maybe you should try living your own, instead of living vicariously through others. Isn’t that the advice you gave me? How are things with Sophia?”

His expression instantly sobers. “Sophia is a criminal.”

“Yes. And how does it feel to be in love with a criminal?”

The vampire shoots me a dark look. “I loved her once, but that was over a hundred years ago.”

“Yeah, okay.” Then I narrow my eyes at him. “And about that—don’t mess with Olivia, all right? If you’re not interested in her, don’t lead her on.”

“Have you given her this speech as well? I know she likes Max. Aren’t you worried she’s going to break my heart?”

“You seem…resilient.”

He presses his hand to his chest, his dark eyes glittering once again. “I’m not a player, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

“Sure.”

The elevator finally reaches the ground level, and we hurry to the apartment complex’s parking lot. Well, I hurry. Cassianmoseys.

When he finally reaches the Lamborghini, he opens the door for me. As soon as I’m in, I try to call Noah again.

He doesn’t answer.

Frantically, I flip back to the GPS app.

They’re there. Mom and Dad’s two dots are at the house.

“You look a little green,” Cassian says as he leisurely pulls onto the road. “Don’t throw up in the car, okay? I don’t want to buy a new one.”

“A new car?” I balk, knowing how much this thing costs. “Wouldn’t you just get it cleaned?”

He wrinkles his nose, obviously against it.

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “Just…hurry. Or don’t. Actually, no. Let’s go to Fiji. Is that still an option?”

Cassian chuckles, stubbornly taking me exactly where I told him to—my house.

I nearly have a panic attack when I see my parents’ car parked out front—right next to Noah’s SUV. And it’s empty, which means they’re inside.