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Three anxious men burst into my room in the morning.

They tumbled in and stopped short, arms waving about to steady themselves.

I came blinking awake, wondering if I was still dreaming.

Then I saw their expressions. The thing that had occurred to me the night before must have just occurred to them—that I could have left.

“I'm after Silas too, remember?” I yawned and turned over in bed, giving them my back. “I'm not going anywhere until he's dead.”

“Uh. We know that,” Lex said.

“Sure. We were just checking to see if you wanted to go out for breakfast,” Cyrus added.

“Breakfast?” I sat up.

An inhaled and then exhaled breath came from all three of them in unison, echoing hollowly through the room and sounding a lot like Darth Vader. Cue the Star Wars music.

I looked down and saw what had them panting. My nightgown—the ridiculous lace one they had chosen—had shifted and unbuttoned during my sleep. A healthy amount of cleavage bulged over the lace.

I pulled it back into place and climbed out of bed. “Are you going to stand there gaping at me or leave so I can get dressed?”

Jake, in the center of the trio, turned around, grabbed Cyrus and Lex by the scruff of their necks, and shoved them ahead of himself, out of my room.

He paused just before he shut the door and our stares met.

His wasn't the lustful one I expected. It was soft and a little .

. . grateful? Jake nodded and shut the door.

“Guess he liked his bedtime story.” I headed for the bathroom.

The prospect of leaving the house was both thrilling and scary. Previously, the thought of confronting Silas made me nervous, but now I knew he had murdered me in a past life. Fool me once, shame on you, and all that. I had to be extra careful. Immortal did not mean invulnerable.

I opened the closet and stomped my foot. “This is not acceptable!” I grabbed the simplest dress I could find, dragged it on, shoved my feet into some floral flats, and then stormed out of the room. “This is not acceptable!” I shouted from the top of the grand staircase.

The men were waiting in the foyer for me. They spun at the sound of my shout and then just stared at me.

“Look at me!” I waved a hand down my body. “Does this dress do anything for my figure?”

They continued to stare.

I stomped down the stairs and snatched the keys out of Jake's unresisting grip.

Pushing past him, I went out the front door, leaving the men to follow.

They didn't bother locking up. I guess that wasn't an issue when your entire property was protected by magic.

Grimacing, I went down the stone steps to the black Maserati parked in the roundabout drive.

“Hey!” Jake's brain finally kicked into gear. “I drive.”

I got in the driver's seat.

Jake growled.

I shut the door on him and locked it.

Snarling, he went around to the passenger side, the other two watching warily. Jake got in. They got in the back. I started the car.

Jake set a hand on the side of my leather seat and leaned in. “Be careful with her.”

I snorted. “Your car's a girl? Did you name it?”

“Angie.”

I froze. “After Angelina Jolie?”

He grunted.

Mentally cursing, I spun the car around and shot down the drive.

“Ease up!” Jake shouted.

“Shut the fuck up,” I snarled, not sure why I was pissed.

Maybe because it seemed as if everything I did for myself ended up being exactly what they wanted.

No, not everything. Not the clothes or my home décor.

We had differing opinions on that. Or did we?

Maybe they had merely chosen what they thought I'd like, just as I had misconceptions over what I thought they'd like.

Ugh! Why did that piss me off even more?

As I neared the gate, Jake fumbled for the device clipped to the visor. He pushed the button just in time, opening the gate so I could speed through. And then I had to slow down. One did not race through New Orleans. Not in the neighborhoods we were traversing.

Jake sighed and sat back, but still watched my every move, grunting in approval when I handled the vehicle properly.

Again, that annoyed me. But it wasn't long before I pulled up in front of my house.

The sight of it relaxed me. This was mine.

Sure, it had been given to me, but I still felt as if I had earned it.

After all these lifetimes, I finally had a home of my own.

And I wasn't about to let a bunch of overbearing hound dogs take it from me.

I parked and turned to look at the men. “Where's my stuff?”

“What stuff?” Cyrus asked.

“My purse! My fucking keys, asshole! Where is my stuff?!”

“Whoa, relax.” Lex pulled some keys out of his pocket and handed them over. “We didn't bring your purse, but I did grab your keys.”

I snatched them from him. “And you only now thought to hand these over? We're in front of my house. What did you think I was here for—to admire the garden?”

“Why are you so angry?” Lex asked.

“Angie!” I growled and got out. “Fucking Angie!” I pointed at them. “Wait here.” Then I slammed the door. “God damn motherfucking Angelina Jolie and her fucking puffy lips. Why are big lips so sexy? Ugh!”

I stomped to the porch and up to the front door, unlocked it, and went inside. I wasn't surprised to hear the hounds come up behind me. But they didn't try to enter the house. It sounded as if they split up and circled it instead.

Rolling my eyes, I went upstairs and packed a bag of clothes, and then a cosmetics case with all my essentials.

I also changed into a sleek, black Phillip Lim dress in a cotton-silk blend.

You need fabrics that breathe in New Orleans.

That was another thing the men didn't understand.

Half the clothes in that closet had been polyester.

Fucking polyester! The savages! Kicking those awful shoes across my bedroom gave me a little satisfaction, but I felt even better after I slid into some Hermés sandals.

Holding two bags with another tucked under my arm, I went downstairs and collected my purse—right on the side table where I'd left it.

And where the hounds left it. Just as I reached the front door, I remembered my phone.

I froze. Should I text Ace? If the hounds were right, and I assumed they were, he was Silas's stooge now.

But he was also my Ace. I hated making him worry.

A knock came at the door, making me flinch.

“Salina, you almost done?” Cyrus called.

I opened the door, startling him, and smirked as I shoved my larger bag at him, right at his chest. “I thought I told you to wait in the car?” I plopped another bag atop the first.

“As if.” He tossed the first bag's strap over his shoulder, grabbed the second, and then took my makeup case with his free hand. “Do you have a preference for breakfast?”

“You know this town better than I do. You choose.”

When I got to the car, I found Jake in the driver's seat, a stubborn look on his face.

I chuckled and climbed in the back, surprising all three men.

Little did they know that I was an expert in dealing with alpha males.

I had stomped a little on Jake's manhood, taking control of his car like that.

Had to be done. He couldn't see me as a helpless woman.

Now, I'd let him reassert himself, but he'd have to pay for it.

As Lex got in the front passenger's seat and Cyrus climbed in back with me, I had to hold back my grin. This was going to be fun.

Timing is everything. I waited for Jake to back out of the driveway and pull onto the street.

He began to discuss breakfast options with Lex and Cyrus.

Pretending indifference, I stared out the window, my purse on my lap.

My phone was in there. I could text Ace whenever I wanted.

But I had to play it cool or they might remember what women's bags generally carried and take the phone away.

So, I didn't grip my purse or rifle through it.

Once Jake had a destination planned and was calmly heading through town, I sighed dramatically and laid my head on Cyrus's shoulder.

All three men came alert, the two in front turning to look over their shoulders at me while Cyrus froze. I ignored them, closing my eyes and settling in. Carefully, slowly, Cyrus slid his arm behind my back and eased me in against his chest. Then the three men sighed in unison.

Right. They could share in each other's emotions and even feel the same sensations.

Damn it. Jake hadn't given up anything by driving.

So when he hit a bump in the road, I pretended to be jolted out of my lethargy and sat up.

Again, all three reacted, but this time, the sounds they made were ones of disappointment.

That's better.

We finally parked, and I waited for Jake to get out and open my door for me.

Yeah, I know, it's contrary, but I wanted to be treated like an independent woman and a lady.

I can have it all, thank you very much. That's what being a modern woman is all about.

Nothing wrong with a man showing respect by opening a door.

It doesn't mean I can't do it. It means I'm a fucking queen!

I smiled at Jake as I got out. “Thank you.”

Jake grinned at me.

That's the thing with dogs and men—especially men who were also dogs—you gotta show them who's master.

But it's not all about punishing bad behavior.

What's even more important is rewarding them for good behavior.

Head lifted, I sashayed around the car and held out my hand to Lex, who was waiting on the sidewalk.

He hurried to take it and help me onto the raised surface.

His reward was escorting me into the restaurant—a pretty cafe with a French aesthetic.

The host took us to a table out front, open to the sidewalk. The men hesitated, stares shifting from side to side.