Page 64 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Five

“I miss you, Jess.” She looks away when her eyes get glassy. “And if something happens to you, I…well, this place would get real shitty really quickly. So I might as well fight by your side. I have a great left hook. You know that.”

I laugh. “I remember you taking out Jonathan Lowman when he got too handsy with you at that graveyard party and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“See!” She laughs with me. “I know what I’m doing.”

I can’t tell her no. Even if I want to.

And truth be told, I want her by my side and maybe that’s selfish in a way, considering what it is we’re up against.

“All right,” I say and Sam gives me a wink.

“I knew you’d see my way.”

“But you have to make me a promise.”

Now she’s regarding me with suspicion. “What is it?”

“When this is over, consider giving the Alpha a chance.”

She huffs out her indignation. “That man is an asshole and I hate him.”

“Oh really? Tell that to your face.”

“What about my face?”

I laugh and push away from the table.

“Jessie. What about my face?!”

There is a blush spreading over her cheeks, turning into a flush that runs down her neck. Sam may want to resist the Alpha, she may want to pretend that the fated mate bond between them is Cal’s problem to deal with, not hers. But I know my best friend. She’s fighting her attraction to him with everything she has and she’s losing.

“Fine,” she says, following me out the door. “I’ll give him a chance just to prove him, and you, wrong.”

I expected Cal to push back when we returned to the Pack House and announced Sam was coming with us, but he kept himself cool and collected and told Sam, “If you insist on being reckless, fine. But you’ll stay by my side and if things go awry, you’ll let me get you to safety.”

“Let you? I don’t need you to —”

The Alpha had ducked down, putting his face level with hers. The height difference between them was so large that he practically had to bend in half. “I’ll chain you to my bed if I have to.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever.”

And knowing that that was about all he’d get from her, he left it at that.

Now, with the vampires and the shifters assembled, we make our way to the fae gate.

The air is cool and crisp with the first sign of autumn and as we walk through the woods, my breath puffs out white in front of me.

I’m sandwiched between Bran, Cal, and Arion with Sam beside me. Bianca is ahead of us with Baspin, both of them leaning into one another discussing the spells Bianca plans to use and the fae magic Baspin might lend to make the spells even stronger.

The closer we get to the gate, the more my body buzzes with the connection to the magic.

The hair lifts along the back of my neck.

Bran takes my hand and gives me a squeeze, but the coldness of his skin only makes me shiver.

We have so many strong allies on our side. Practically titans of their Houses. So why am I nervous?

The path curves around a briar patch and when we come around to the meadow, Bran grabs me roughly by the arm, yanking me back.