Page 22

Maxine

It felt somewhat surreal to gather in River’s living room—if you could call the sprawling, ornate space a mere “living room”—with the rest of the Leyore women and Leah tacked on for good measure.

They all peered at her, and Leah stared back, part-defiant, part-deflated, like she couldn’t decide if she despised the attention or couldn’t care less.

Decorative lanterns illuminated every trinket-laden table, and bright koi fish glided through the indoor stream that snaked past plush couches and low-slung tables. It should have been a peaceful scene, but the tension in the air was palpable.

They were all there: Hunter and Addison huddled together on a bench carved to resemble a flock of swans, Sky standing by the tall archway while Jordan leaned against her shoulder, River perched on a high-backed armchair like a regal overseer, and Dylan, arms crossed, with Amara close by—looking pale. Paler than usual.

Her scent was different too, still human but definitely sickly.

Leah hovered at my side, her eyes darting around the room, taking in the rag-tag group of delinquents I happened to call my friends. All eyes were focused on me—and on Leah, by extension, and we both shifted under the scrutiny.

I swallowed, summoning my courage.

“So,” I began, voice coming out tighter than I intended, “I guess you all know… I’m the cause of the latest chaos around here.”

Jordan folded her arms, inspecting her nails. “Yeah, about that. Why don’t you fill us in on exactly what’s going on, Maxine? From the top.”

I shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at Leah for a shred of reassurance. She shrugged, bug-eyed and out of her depths.

We’d woken up that morning in a tangle of limbs to River hammering on the door, yelling at us to get our asses out of bed. By the time we stumbled into the living room I realized it was an ambush; all the Leyore women had turned up, all ready to grill me on what exactly was going on.

Apparently, word had gotten out about the strange incident at the harbor, and River had conveniently mentioned to Jordan that two bedraggled boatmen had spent the night in her guestroom.

Now I was on trial, and Leah alongside me, and it was time to come clean about everything.

There was no time to consider what had happened between us the night before. No time to talk about what it meant to either of us. And no time to examine the certain something that had clicked into place in my heart when I’d kissed her dizzy.

I was less than thrilled about baring my soul to all present parties, but it wasn’t just my life on the line now. Leah was in danger too, and so was her grandfather. And if we were going to handle my family and Gregor’s looming presence, we were going to need all the help we could get.

So I took a deep breath, tossed my hair over my shoulder, and launched into the story: how my family had tried to force me into an arranged marriage with a vampire named Gregor Voronsky, how I fled to New York and left Leah behind in San Francisco, how I’d hidden the truth, and how I’d hoped never to cross paths with Gregor or my family again.

The mood shifted as I continued, detailing everything Leah had told me about my family showing up on her doorstep—the threat they posed, and their true motives. No doubt they were working with Gregor, doing everything in their power to curry favor with the possessive, ancient vamp.

As I spoke, Hunter’s lips drew into a grim line, Addison let out a low curse under her breath, and Jordan’s fingers drummed impatiently on her forearm. The only sound from River was a soft cluck of her tongue.

When I was finally finished the room fell silent, save for the occasional swish of the fish in the trickling stream.

“Max,” Sky murmured eventually, raking a hand through her hair, “you could’ve told us sooner.”

“I know.” I blew out a breath, avoiding the various sets of eyes on me. “I just–I was… afraid.”

“Why?” Dylan piped up, signing the question too for Amara’s sake.

“I don’t know.” I kept my eyes down, my hands forming the signals alongside my words. “I thought you’d all think I was overreacting. That I was just some spoiled runaway princess who didn’t want to face reality.”

“Maxine, that’s ridiculous.” Hunter palmed a hand to her face, shaking her head. “Listen to yourself. You were being forced to marry someone against your will. Hell, if you’d told us sooner I would have tracked this guy down myself and sent him packing.”

“ No .” I couldn’t keep the tremor out of my tone, blood draining from my face as I rounded on her.

“Gregor is not someone you want to mess with. He’s ancient, Hunter.

Ancient and powerful. He hides it well but…

” I folded my arms, plopping onto the sofa behind me.

“He’s a monster. And I don’t want to see you get hurt—any of you. ”

“We’re not going to get hurt.” Hunter snorted. “But seriously Maxine, you should’ve told us sooner.”

Jordan, arms still crossed, finally exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “So your fiancé’s been sending wax monstrosities to flush you out. Fantastic.” She glanced at the others. “This makes way more sense now. We’ve had odd sightings reported recently, but we weren’t sure who was behind it.”

I shifted in my seat and crossed my legs. “I–”

But Jordan was still shaking her head. “We could have been better prepared if you’d just told me the truth from the beginning.

” Her gaze darted to Leah—who hovered at my shoulder, freezing up when she noticed the eyes on her—and then back to me.

“You’re a Leyore vampire, Maxine, you owe it to us to be honest when we have enemies on our turf. ”

My pride flared. I couldn’t entirely blame them for being upset, but the guilt and shame burned me up, fueling my exasperation . I squeezed my hands into fists before forcing them to relax.

“Look, I know I messed up,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “But can we not pretend you all lay every secret you have on the table either? Because you don’t.”

An awkward hush settled. They glanced at one another, clearly not thrilled with where this was going. River, with an infuriatingly coy smile, signed a quick What do you mean? while Dylan and Amara looked on silently, eyes flicking back and forth between us.

I drew in a deep breath and stuck my nose in the air, letting the tension in me uncoil just enough to speak. “I’m just saying,” I began, “considering how many of your secrets I keep, maybe you don’t want me to be too open and honest.”

That got a few raised eyebrows. Addison coughed, looking intrigued. Dylan eyed me warily.

I shot them all a titillating grin, dredging up something mild. “For example, Sky, you remember that time you and Jordan got hot and heavy in the High Stakes office? I do—unfortunately, I was working late that evening and happened to hear all about Jordan's big–”

“All right, point made!” Sky’s cheeks turned a violent shade of pink.

“And you,” I turned to Hunter who stared back, already scandalized. “Aside from everything that went down with Addison and the elves, I know a few more of your secrets too. When were you planning on telling Jordan that you’re the one who taught Hilda how to swear?”

“It was you?! ” Jordan rounded on Hunter, slamming her hands down on the back of the sofa. “I should have known. No one else would have taught her to say ‘fan-fucking-tastic’.”

“Hey, now.” Hunter attempted a weak defense, raising her palms in surrender. “You’re the one who decided to make me babysitter against my will. I can’t be held responsible for what those little monsters learn from their time with me.”

A chorus of snickers rippled through the group, the tension loosening a notch. I eyed Addison, whose arms were folded in feigned confidence. She’d thus far managed to avoid direct fire, so I turned the crosshairs on her.

“And Addison.” I smiled sweetly, relishing the mild panic that flickered in her eyes. “How’s that precious collection of yours? The one I hear you spend, oh, hundreds—maybe thousands—on?”

Addison’s jaw clenched. “What are you talking about, Max?”

“Oh, you know—those Cabbage Patch dolls you keep in the locked trunk under your bed,” I sing-songed, watching her face go white. “I recall you mentioning a rare vintage one that set you back a pretty penny, hmm?”

The entire group perked up, turning to stare at her in various levels of amusement. Addison’s lips parted, and she looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

“That’s… a side hobby,” she blurted, cheeks flaming. “They’re collectibles!”

“Sure, hun.” Hunter snickered, nudging Addison’s shoulder. “You can be honest with us, you’re not playing tea parties with them, right?”

Addison muttered something unintelligible, tugging the collar of her jacket higher to hide her mortification. I decided that was quite enough torment for Addison, so I rolled my shoulders and turned my attention toward Dylan instead.

Her posture immediately went rigid, jaw tensing. She flicked a quick glance at Amara—a silent, fearful look that all but screamed, Please don’t say anything about her. Please for the love of god, let her be. I could feel the apprehension pouring off her.

I cleared my throat, letting my voice drop to a playful murmur. “Dylan, relax. I just want to test your memory. I’m sure you recall a certain… Care Bear tattoo you have hidden on your ankle?”

Dylan’s face went beet red, her shoulders stiffening. “That was– it was a dare,” she mumbled, averting her eyes. “My brother put me up to it.”

Addison perked up, forgetting her own embarrassment as she shot a conniving grin at Dylan. “Hold on, you have a Care Bear tattoo? For real?”

Dylan groaned, sliding a hand down her face. “Yes, for real . Move along now.”

“Okay, but which Care Bear is it?” Jordan looked genuinely curious, and Dylan fended her off with a glare. “Hmm, my money’s on Grumpy Bear.”

A round of poorly stifled giggles spread through the group. Even Amara cracked a tiny smile, softly brushing Dylan’s arm in a show of support. Dylan shot me a grudging look of thanks—relieved that I’d avoided mentioning anything about Amara’s… new condition, I supposed.

“All right, you proved your point,” Hunter muttered, though a grin tugged at her lips.

Jordan cleared her throat, rolling her eyes. “So you’re forgiven—tentatively,” she announced, glancing around to see if anyone disagreed. “But now we need a plan.”

Sky and Addison made exaggerated harrumphing noises while Hunter slumped back in her seat, muttering something about never trusting me to keep any secrets of hers ever again. Dylan spoke and signed a quick, I hate you sometimes, but the curl of a smile on her lips undermined any real venom.

Then it was back to business, and the problem at hand. I glanced over at Leah, who still looked significantly out of her depth amongst our dysfunctional forged family. When she caught my eye I titled my head, scooching over and offering her the seat beside me.

“So,” she began, perching on the sofa and sweeping wary eyes around the room. “What do we do about… well, all of this – Gregor, Maxine’s family? You guys are vampires, right? Can’t you just like– I don’t know, scare them off?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Jordan murmured, rubbing a hand at her chin. “The Leyore coven can’t handle another war right now. We already have our hands full mending our bond with the elves of this city. If we go after the Belmontes in San Francisco all hell could break loose.”

“We need to get Leah’s grandfather out of the city,” I cut in, taking Leah’s hand in mine and squeezing it tight. “If we can get him to New York under our protection, they have no leverage over Leah anymore.”

“That’s not a long term solution, though. My grandfather’s whole life is in San Francisco. He’s crushing on a lady at the grocery store. I can’t just uproot him and expect him to be okay with that,” Leah countered, twisting around until her knees brushed my own.

Everyone noticed the slight moments of contact between us, but only Jordan failed to pretend that she hadn’t. She raised a brow, eyes flicking between both of us with slow-dawning realization.

“I know.” I brought Leah’s fingers to my lips, pressing a kiss to her hand. “But it won’t be forever. We just need to keep him safe long enough to take care of my family and Gregor for good.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Hunter quizzed me, folding her arms across her chest.

“Simple.” I shrugged. “We lure them to New York. And we dangle some tantalizing bait so that Gregor turns up too.”

Hunter shifted her stance, narrowing her eyes at me. “How?”

“I'll give them a call.” I flicked my eyes to Leah and away again, biting down on my bottom lip. “I’ll tell them I’ve seen the light and I’m ready to come home—ready to get married. My only demand is that the wedding goes down in New York so that all my friends can be there to send me off.”

Dead silence settled as they processed my words. Jordan arched an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “You’re… going to pretend to give in?” she repeated slowly.

I forced a tight nod. “Yes. If I offer myself up willingly, Gregor will come. And if my parents think I’m actually returning to the fold, they’ll come too—and hopefully drag their watchers off Leah’s grandfather.

We can move him safely while everyone’s attention is on me.

Then once my family and Gregor show up, we control the battlefield. ”

Addison blew out a low whistle, exchanging a glance with Hunter. “That’s… bold,” she muttered.

Hunter’s lips thinned. “It’s dangerous, Maxine. If this guy sees through your act, he could kill you.”

I shrugged, trying to seem more confident than I felt. “I just need to keep up the charade long enough for you to get Leah’s grandfather to safety and for Gregor to let his guard down.”

River arched one delicate eyebrow from her perch near the koi pond. “And you’re certain you can fool your parents?” she asked, her voice skeptical but not outright dismissive.

I steeled myself with a shaky breath. “My mother always believed if I was pushed hard enough, I’d eventually cave.

My father’s the same way. Gregor… well, if there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that arrogance is his fatal flaw.

” A faint tremor tightened my jaw. “He’ll come if he thinks I’ve given up running. ”

For a few heartbeats, no one spoke.

Except for Leah. She leaned forward, lacing her fingers with mine. “Maxine,” she said softly, “you don’t have to do this. If there’s another way–”

I turned to face her, clasping her hand. “This is the only way. I can’t keep running. We have to force a confrontation—on our turf, on our terms. I have to do this.”

She held my gaze, and I could see the scales balancing out behind her eyes. She took a deep breath, unblinking, and offered a small, tight nod.

“Then I’m with you. To the very end.”