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Fat Cat’s Coffee, Killigrew Street. 3pm. Alone, please. x

“You okay? You don’t look okay.” Felix’s concerned voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Not really. I’ll see you later. Unless Katie manages to knock Seb out and drag me back to Ireland, in which case, it was nice knowing you.”

I trudged into the main basement, collapsing onto one of the worn sofas. Waves of nausea assaulted me. Seb being there was probably going to make everything worse. What the hell was I supposed to say to Katie about him?

Oh, hi, Katie! I know I only left home a few weeks ago, but guess what?

I’ve managed to get myself marked by a demon and—wait for it—I’m sort of falling for this centuries-old vampire who fights against London’s supernatural evil from an abandoned Victorian hotel.

He’s got witches and werewolves on speed dial, but don’t worry, he’s really quite charming when he’s not being all broody and mysterious. So… how’s your flower shop?

Yeah, that was going to go down really well.

Breathe . I pressed my palms against my thighs. Katie loves you. She’ll listen this time. And Seb… Seb won’t let anything happen to you.

The bookcase creaked open less than an hour later. Seb stumbled through. His curls were wilder than normal, tie askew.

“I’m s—”

“Stop. Stop apologising.”

“But—”

Seb crossed the room in three strides and pulled me against his chest. The dark spices of his cologne wrapped around me like an anchor. “Let’s go.”

He started towards the basement stairs. Clearly he’d decided it was fine for us to leave the hotel through the entrance. We passed Dolly, hard at work at her desk, and I gave her a sad wave.

“So,” I said. “One warning. Katie thinks you’re a member of a dangerous gang, a stalker, completely obsessed with me, and you’ve locked me up in your hotel.”

He shot me a look . “So… pretty much entirely correct then?”

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “And in other news, I texted Katie saying to come alone, so I won’t have to deal with Connor face to face.”

“Hmm.” His face twisted into something unreadable.

“How about you linger at another table?” I suggested. “And I’ll introduce you at the end, if it goes well.”

“If that’s what you want. ”

Not really. Ideally, he’d sit right next to me, glaring at Katie until she believed me. Hold on…

“Rory told me the other day you had mind altering powers?”

Seb frowned at me. “You trust everything he says?”

“So… you can’t just make Katie believe me?”

“Compulsion is…” He ran a hand through his curls.

“It’s not my strength. Some vampires can bend humans to their will as easily as breathing.

I’ve never been particularly gifted at it.

” His voice held a note of bitterness. “And even if I could, the effects wear off. Your sister would be even more confused and suspicious when she suddenly snapped out of it.”

“But you can do it?”

“Flynn.” The warning in his tone was clear. “You don’t actually want to do that to your sister.”

I crossed my arms. “Fine.”

He was right, of course. The thought of messing with Katie’s mind made my stomach turn. But the idea of explaining everything to her? That was equally terrifying.

Outside Fat Cat’s, my heart stuttered unpleasantly.

“I can’t do this.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “She’ll never talk to me again.”

Seb caught my uninjured hand, and squeezed it gently.

I stared at our joined hands, fighting back the urge to run.

“You’ve got this. It’s almost all over. Remember how you made me be brave, earlier?

Well, now it’s my turn. And if things do go badly, I’ll be right there.

” He lifted our hands and pressed his lips against my knuckles. “I promise.”

The gesture melted every part of me. All the tension drained away, replaced by a warmth that spread through my whole body. It wasn’t just the kiss—it was the tenderness behind it, the way his eyes held mine, full of conviction and care.

The barista’s face lit up as we entered Fat Cat’s. “How’s the hotel coming along now?” she asked, and I glanced sideways at Sebastián, curious how he’d answer. I’d laughed when Rory explained they pretended to be painters and decorators slowly renovating the building.

“Still battling with those original fireplaces,” Seb replied, which was rich considering the ancient hearths were currently home to so much soot even Freddy stayed away from them.

Seb gave me one last nod, somehow managing to convey both “you’ve got this” and “I’m right here” without saying a word.

After pouring myself a glass of water from a jug, I slid into a booth near the window, pressing trembling hands against my knees. Two minutes to go. Seb sat three tables away, perfectly still except for his fingers drumming against the surface.

Then I saw him.

Connor pushed through the door first, holding it open for Katie. The sight of him—broad shoulders filling out his coat, that familiar easy smile—sent ice through my veins. Memories of that night on the beach crashed over me: his hands on my shoulders, the salt air, the taste of tears.

“Seb—” Before I could finish, his chair scraped across the floor. By the time I’d locked eyes with Katie, he’d slid into the booth beside me, a solid wall of protection.

“Flynn!” Katie waved, her oversized green coat making her look smaller. Her dirty-blonde hair had grown longer, falling past her shoulders now.

I awkwardly half-climbed over Seb to reach her, letting her pull me into a crushing embrace. She smelled like home—sea air and her lavender soap.

“What have you done to your hand?”

Though she couldn’t see, I rolled my eyes. “Cooking accident.”

She squeezed me tighter. Connor lingered behind her, with a false smile plastered on his face. I violently avoided eye contact.

“I said to come alone,” I whispered into Katie’s ear.

She pulled back, keeping her hands on my shoulders. “He just wanted to check you’re okay, then he’ll go. He’s been worried about you.”

I’ll bet he has , I thought bitterly. So worried.

She dropped her grip, shifting away, and Connor moved forward. “Alright there, Flynn? Ye had us worried sick, so ye did.”

Connor’s arm reached towards me, but I never found out if he meant to hug me or grab my arm.

In less than a heartbeat, Seb had sprung from his seat like a coiled snake, pulling me backwards.

He positioned himself between us, his stance rigid and protective.

The sound that escaped his throat was more growl than anything human.

Katie’s eyes went wide. She stumbled back a step, nearly colliding with a nearby table. “Who are you, and how do you know my brother?”

Seb extended his hand, his movements deliberately slow and controlled. “Sebastián Salazar.” His accent curled around the syllables of his name. “And let’s just say Flynn’s sense of self-preservation wasn’t what it should have been.”

Ever so carefully, I slid into the booth, with Katie taking the seat opposite me.

“I’ll sort us out some drinks then,” Connor said, his Irish accent heavy in the quiet café. “What’re ye all fancying, then? Tea okay?”

As soon as he was out of earshot, I stared down at my water glass, trying to steady my nerves. The table was completely still, yet the surface of the water wasn’t—tiny ripples pulsed across it in a steady rhythm, matching the thundering of my heart. I blinked hard, but the pattern continued.

“Seb, do you see—”

“I know you didn’t want Connor here, Flynn, but I don’t feel like we’re safe here without him,” Katie said, refocusing my attention on her. She pointedly glanced at Seb, who blinked at her.

“Fine,” I snapped. So be it. He could sit here and listen to what I had to say.

“So you’ve been staying with Sebastián?” She glanced at him. “Why did you tell your bakery that you’re sick?”

“I have been sick. With a really bad… chest infection.” I rubbed at my cold spot. “My own flat is horribly damp, so Sebastián has been taking care of me.”

“And you met…”

“At a bar,” Sebastián interjected. “Not the most original of locations, I know.”

“Hey, at least we didn’t meet on a dating app.” I forced a laugh.

Katie’s mouth fell open. “So you’re dating ?”

Heat crept up my neck. “Oh, um…” I glanced at Sebastián, who remained perfectly still beside me. “Sort of? Look, I know it seems fast—”

“Fast? It’s practically light speed! You run away to London, barely talk to anyone for weeks, and now you’re living with some stranger—”

“He’s not a stranger.” The words came out sharper than intended. “And I didn’t plan for any of this to happen. Sometimes life just… throws things at you that you don’t expect.”

Like demons. And vampires. And falling for someone who’d spent twenty years avoiding love because of a broken heart.

Katie’s eyes narrowed. “What do you need to talk to me about, Flynn? I’m here now, and ready to listen.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out, because Connor chose that moment to return with a tray full of drinks.

Connor set it down, sitting down next to Katie. “What’s the craic, then?”

My throat closed up. Under the table, I searched for Seb’s hand, finding his cold fingers and gripping them tight. The chill of his skin helped ground me, keeping the rising panic at bay.

I tried to focus only on Katie’s face. “The night I left,” I started, then inhaled sharply. “I went with Tom to the pier. And then I sat and cried on the beach.”

Katie’s face softened with sympathy, but Connor’s expression shifted, his jaw twitching.

“Aye, sure. I told Katie all about finding ye that night.” Connor’s voice thickened like cream. “Though I’m surprised ye remember much at all, what with the state ye were in. You’d had more than a wee bit of that whiskey, hadn’t ya? ”

Seb’s fingers tightened around mine, almost painfully. I could feel the tension radiating from him, though his face remained perfectly composed.

“I wasn’t drunk.” The words came out barely above a whisper. “You know I wasn’t drunk, Connor.” Tom and I had shared a few swigs, but by the point Connor found me, I’d almost been stone-cold sober.

“Ach, come on now.” Connor’s laugh held an edge. “Ye were a right mess that night, weren’t ye? All torn up about that lad, Tom.”

“Yes, I was upset about Tom. Which is exactly why you—” I took a breath, turning to Katie. “Connor kissed me that night. On the beach.”

“What?”

The word hung in the air between us. I watched the change sweep across my sister’s face: confusion first, then disbelief, and finally a horrible understanding that drained every drop of colour from her cheeks.

She gripped the edge of the table, her wedding ring catching the light. “No, Flynn, you must have misunderstood—”

“Just like I misunderstood at your party three years ago?” The words tumbled out. “When he cornered me in the kitchen and—”

“Now hold on just a minute!” Connor’s fist slammed against the table. Every glass jumped—but my water shot straight up, as high as my face, before raining down on the table. No one seemed to notice, too focused on Connor’s rage. “I won’t be sitting here listening to these lies!”

Seb rose to his full height. “Then perhaps you should leave.”

“Ye can’t make me do anything.” Connor’s face reddened as he jabbed a finger towards me. “And you —ye ungrateful little shit. After everything we did for ye?”

Connor’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. Revulsion coursed through me at his touch, memories of that night on the beach flooding back—his hands, my tears. My whole body went rigid, trapped between fight and flight.

The movement was so fast, I barely registered what happened next—just a blur of motion, the sickening crunch of bone meeting knuckles, and then Connor was stumbling backwards, blood trickling from his nose.

Seb had struck with the lethal grace of a cobra, his fist connecting with Connor’s face with such devastating precision that the crack echoed through the quiet café.

Behind the counter, the barista suddenly became very interested in cleaning the coffee machine.

“Who the fuck do ye think ye are?” Connor spat, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Some posh English bastard—”

“I assure you.” Seb’s voice dropped dangerously low. “I am neither English nor someone you wish to test. You can walk out of here of your own accord, or I can escort you. Your choice.”

Something in Seb’s expression must have registered because Connor backed away, one hand pressed against his bleeding nose.

“Ah, Katie, love. Yer brother was in bits that night, crying his eyes out and drunk as a lord. He’s the one who tried it on with me, and I had to push him off, didn’t I?

Now he’s gone and twisted it all around because he’s ashamed of himself. ”

“Just go, Connor,” Katie whispered, her eyes fixed on her hands.

Connor teetered on the balls of his feet, and for one horrible moment, I thought he’d never leave, but then he stormed out, door swinging behind him.

A heavy silence fell over the table. My pulse thundered in my ears as I watched my sister, desperate for any sign that she believed me.

Seb’s fingers found a lock of my hair that had fallen forward, tucking it gently behind my ear. “He’s gone now,” he murmured, voice soft but firm. “You won’t need to see him again.”

My heart stuttered at the tenderness of the gesture—the contrast between Seb’s fierce protection and this gentle touch made my heart squeeze. Here was someone who wouldn’t let anyone hurt me again—I knew it in my very soul.

Katie watched us closely, her brow furrowing. “Flynn…” She paused, studying how I leaned into Seb’s shoulder.

Seb said softly, “Your brother is very important to me, Ms Carter. He’s been so anxious about talking to you about this.”

Sighing, Katie worried into her bottom lip. “Flynn, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because you didn’t believe me the first time.” My throat tightened. “Because he’s your husband and you love him and I… I couldn’t bear to see you hurt like that.”

Katie’s eyes filled with tears, but there was steel beneath them. “Tell me absolutely everything. From the beginning.”

I felt Seb squeeze my hand gently, and somehow I found the strength to start talking.