Page 16

I quickly learn that cheese, though amazing, often requires a carbohydrate carrier. I scan the dinner menu, growing melancholy even though this is the most gorgeous restaurant I’ve ever been to.

We’re on a deck overlooking the ocean, underneath strands of warm outdoor lights. Music that makes me think of tropical vacations plays softly through the speakers, mingling with the sound of the waves. We could be on our honeymoon.

I wish we were.

“What would you like?” Noah asks, oblivious to my quickly souring mood.

“The shrimp parmesan pasta,” I answer petulantly.

“You’re not looking at their keto menu.”

“Their keto menu sucks.” Then I smile to soften my words.

Noah takes my salty mood in stride. “How about this—you get one of the fresh fish options, I’ll order the steak and shrimp, and then we’ll share.”

“You’re going to eat fish for me?”

“When in Florida.”

“I’m sorry I’m being crabby,” I say softly, folding my cotton napkin in my lap.

“You’re still adjusting to vampire life, and your stalker just broke out of prison.” He raises a brow. “I get it.”

“I don’t want to ruin this, though.” I look around. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Noah reaches across the table to take my hand. “You’re welcome.”

The waiter must be watching us like a diligent hawk because the second we close our menus, he arrives. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat?”

We order, and then Noah asks, “Is your clam chowder dairy-based?”

“It is, and our clams are farmed locally in Cedar Key.”

“How is that thickened? With a roux or cream?”

“It’s a fish stock base, and we thicken it with cream.”

“No pureed potatoes in it?”

“No, but there are potato cubes.”

Noah nods. “I’ll have a bowl of that as well. Piper, do you want soup?”

I nod, impressed Noah’s so thorough. When our server leaves, I say to him, “You’re pretty good at this vampire stuff. What about the potato, though?”

“I usually just eat around them, and it’s fine. It’s only a problem if they thicken the chowder with mashed potatoes—I learned that lesson the hard way.”

“It’s nice having a seasoned vampire for a boyfriend.”

Noah leans forward, giving me his full attention. “If that’s good, imagine having a vampire husband.”

My heart lurches. Trying to act cool and collected, I lift my water glass to my lips. “You say that like you don’t know I’ve already pictured it.”

Noah’s about to respond, but the waiter comes back.

“I forgot to ask how you’d like your steak cooked,” he says to Noah.

“Rare.”

“Cool red center?” the man asks, needing confirmation that Noah wants to eat the steak like a wild animal.

“Correct.”

“Sounds good. I’ll have those soups out shortly.”

As soon as he leaves, I turn my attention back to Noah. “What were you saying?”

“We were talking about chowder.”

“Mmm, no. After that.”

“We’re going to have to share a room again tonight.”

“Why?” I ask, glad that if he’s going to change the subject, at least he picked an interesting one.

“Even if we ask the hotel to change your room, we already know Ethan is watching you. It’s not safe for you to be alone.”

“Safety is very important.”

His lips twitch, and his eyes darken ever so slightly. “It’s always my top priority.”

“If we even make it back to the hotel,” I say, ruining the mood. “Cassian is probably going to call you any minute now.”

Speaking of the vampire, Noah’s phone rings.

“I didn’t mean to summon him,” I groan.

Noah chuckles and then answers the call. “Yes?”

Our server brings our soup and a forbidden breadbasket. Trying not to interrupt Noah’s call, he quietly asks me, “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“We’re good.” My eyes lock on the buttery, toasted slices of French bread. “Thank you.”

The carbohydrate sirens are calling to me, begging me to take a nibble.

I’m sure they’re good with the soup. So good.

“Just a minute,” Noah says into his phone, and then he scoops up the basket and hands it to the waiter. “Do you mind taking this?”

He looks at Noah like he’s a monster. Before the man leaves, he turns to me for confirmation.

His expression is clear—he’s a knight in shining waiter’s garb, here to save me from a low-carb diet and a controlling boyfriend.

Just say the word, and a piece of that bread will magically fall onto my plate.

“I’m allergic to wheat,” I tell him mournfully, which isn’t really a lie. I’m just allergic to a lot of other things, too. “He’s saving me from myself.”

The server’s expression eases, and he gives me a sympathetic nod. “I understand. I’ll make a note to have the kitchen omit the biscuit when they’re plating your fish.”

I smile, but inside, I’m crying.

As Noah continues his call, I dip a spoon into the chowder, checking for hidden potatoes. But it tastes safe, just creamy broth with a good dose of butter.

Soup is almost as good as bread, right?

I sigh.

“We’ll try again tomorrow,” Noah says to the caller, frustrated, and then he sets his phone aside.

“So?” I ask.

“By the time the hunters reached the cafe, Ethan was gone,” Noah says.

“Now what?”

“Now we eat, maybe visit the beach…” He takes a bite of his soup and nods approvingly. “And then we’ll head back to the hotel.”

If that doesn’t sound delightfully dangerous, I don’t know what does.

We have to revise Noah’s plans since I want to change clothes before we go to the beach.

Noah unlocks the hotel room door, and I nearly groan when I step inside. It’s hot.

“What happened to the AC?” I cross the space to look at the thermostat. “I set it as low as it would go earlier.”

“Looks like housekeeping stopped by while we were out,” Noah says. “They probably thought you changed the temperature to arctic by accident.”

I sigh, lowering the thermostat yet again. “We can’t even open the balcony for cool air because it’s still hot outside.”

Noah grunts, agreeing. “When we find Alfred, remind me to ask him why he decided to come to Florida in the summer of all times.”

I look at him over my shoulder as I shuffle through my suitcase. “Do you think the chat will be friendly enough for small talk?”

Noah smiles to himself, setting his suitcase on the bed and sliding the zipper open. “Probably not.”

“It worries me you look eager for the confrontation.”

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than arresting that man.”

“Cassian is friends with his father, though, right? Won’t that complicate things?”

“When it comes to the heads of the houses, there are lots of complications—friendships being the least of them.”

I frown as I discover my black one-piece swimsuit is missing. In its place is a look-at-me red bikini. A note is safety-pinned to the strap.

Have fun.

It’s in Olivia’s handwriting.

Quickly, I send her a text.

Piper: Thanks a lot, Olive.

Mere seconds later, she replies.

Olivia: You found the bikini?

Piper: Part of it. Half the fabric appears to be missing.

Olivia: That’s the point. ;)

Rolling my eyes, I pull out flip-flops and jean shorts to go with the bikini top.

“How many vampires do you think will be nominated?” I ask Noah.

“It’s hard to say. Last time, I think there were eight.”

“Is that including Cassian?”

“No.”

“Do you think he could win?”

“Whoever is trying to keep him out of the running certainly does.”

I head to the bathroom to change. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

When I emerge, Noah has already changed into swim shorts, and he’s pulling a T-shirt over his head.

My eyes drift over his toned shoulders and back, and I make a soft noise of disappointment when he’s covered. Chuckling, he turns. But when his eyes drift over me, his eyebrows shoot up, and his amusement vanishes.

Mildly self-conscious, I cross my arms over my chest. But that doesn’t cover much. “You ready?”

A smirk crinkles his honey eyes. “I’ve decided we should stay in tonight.”

I scoff like he’s ridiculous, but the truth is, I’ll never be immune to the man.

“Your pulse just jumped,” he says casually, striding across the room.

“So did yours,” I counter.

He smirks, a touch wicked. “You look good enough to eat.”

My fangs press at my gums. “So do you.”

“Are you ready to go?” he asks.

“No. You?”

“Definitely not.”

And yet, that’s what we do.

Even though we both know we’d rather stay here and break all our self-appointed rules, we walk through the door and into the hall.

Thankfully, when we reach the pool area, my excitement over finally walking on the beach trumps my disappointment.

At eight-thirty, the night is still young, and people are enjoying the music and tiki bar. Suddenly, this feels like a vacation.

Noah slides his hand in mine as we make our way to the beach entrance.

The sand is soft, and it shifts under my feet as we walk, still warm from the day.

A breeze wafts over us, carrying the briny scent of the water.

Though the fragrance is pungent, and not exactly appealing, it isn’t necessarily unpleasant, either.

Other people are out, sitting in small groups in the sand and walking along the shore. A few wade in the waves, lit by the light of the nearly full moon.

We reach the water’s edge, and the sand becomes firmer and easier to walk on. I think about taking off my flip-flops and letting my toes sink into the sand, but it’s dark enough I might have trouble seeing what’s hiding underfoot.

“Does venom affect us?” I ask Noah as we walk. “Like from a jellyfish sting?”

“It would hurt if you got stung, yes.”

“Could you die? Like if you ran into one of the highly poisonous ones?”

“It would depend on how quickly the poison acts. If it can kill you before your body repairs itself, you could. It’s not something that’s really come up, as most people are in the ocean during the day. The daylight drug has been a recent discovery, and as you know, most vampires aren’t on it.”

I hum an acknowledgment, looking across the water. There are several brightly lit yachts out there, and the faintest strains of music drift from one of them.

“And besides,” Noah continues, “I don’t think the highly toxic jellyfish are commonly found in Florida.”

“Where do they live?”

“Australia, most likely.”

We walk for about an hour. When we’re almost back to the hotel, Noah gets a call.

“It’s Harold,” he tells me before he answers.

I wait, slipping my foot out of my flip-flop and running my toes through the warm sand near the hotel’s beach entrance.

I’m not sure what Harold says, but Noah goes tense. “Where?”

I look up, not liking the sound of the conversation.

Noah hangs up, looking…eager. “They found Ethan, and they followed him back to his hotel.”

“Does that mean they’ve found Alfred?”

“Probably. We need to head back to the NIHA office.”

I glance down at my swimsuit and shorts, hiding my disappointment. “Can I change first?”

“Yes.” He starts jogging back to the hotel. “But we need to hurry.”