Page 31 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Five

Francis lifts his chin once. “Around back then. Rita will meet you in the garden.”

“Thank you,” Mouse says and then follows the brick pavers around the side of the house and through a gate painted black. The latch clangs loudly when Mouse let’s it drop closed behind us.

Rita’s garden is hidden behind a six-foot privacy fence. There is a wide range of flowers in bloom and the air is sickly sweet with their scent. In the back corner, water trickles from a fountain installed in a koi pond. String lights make an X above us. With the new moon, the lights fill the night with a golden glow.

“This is beautiful.” Mouse makes a full turn.

“Jessie!” Rita calls as she exits the house through a screen door. She comes over, wrapping Jessie in a hug. “I had heard you were kidnapped to the fae realm.” She pulls back and puts her hands on either side of Mouse’s face. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

I snort. “She’s not all right. They’re trying to force her to marry a fae prince and they’ve put a collar on her.”

Mouse pulls her hair aside and Rita’s gaze falls to the metal hanging from her neck.

“I see.” Rita frowns. “A Prisoner’s Quell?”

“You’re familiar?” Mouse asks.

“I am. I removed one from a brownie many years back.”

“You think you can remove this one?”

She examines it with a sweep of her fingertips. “This one looks a bit more complex, but I can try.”

“Please.” Mouse yanks on the metal. “This thing is already chaffing and I can’t use my powers with it on.”

“And I can’t unbind you with it on either.” Rita gestures to a circle of Adirondack chairs situated around a stone fire pit. “Sit. I’ll get my bag and we’ll get to work.”

Mouse gets comfortable but I hate Adirondack chairs so I pace with my arms crossed.

“Will you relax?” Mouse says.

“No,” I answer.

Beyond Rita’s privacy fence, I hear a car pull up. From the sound of the deep tread on the tires and the churn of the engine, it’s a Jeep Wrangler.

Damien?

I go to the gate and pull it back to find my brother headed my way with Kelly MacMahon right behind him.

Episode Eighty-Two

ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME

Bran opens the gate at the back of Rita’s house and I peek around the broad line of his shoulder, adrenaline shooting through my body, muscles tensed for a fight.

But it’s no enemy approaching.

It’s my sister.

“Oh my god. Kelly!”

I rush at her and wrap her in a hug. She smells like soap, her breath like coffee, and it’s the most Kelly thing I can think of in this moment that it makes me immediately teary-eyed.

She lets out an umph, and staggers back a step before returning the hug.

“Hey,” she says against my hair.

I won’t cry. I don’t want to cry.