Page 26

“Ignore it,” I command breathlessly. “Don’t stop.”

But Noah’s already glanced at the screen. Why did I leave it on the bed, of all places?

“It’s your dad,” he says mildly, but he sounds like he’s containing a groan.

I place my hands on either side of his head and direct his attention back to me. “I don’t care.”

“He’ll worry if you don’t answer.”

“I’ll call him later.”

But Noah doesn’t listen. He kisses me one last time, chastely, and shifts me off his lap. “We’ll be sleeping later, and our five minutes are already up.”

Freaking. Heck.

“Hello,” I say into my phone, glaring at Noah.

My boyfriend chuckles under his breath and leaves the bed, sitting in a chair by the table.

“I have you on speakerphone, Pip,” Dad says. “Mom’s here. Tell us about Miami. Have you seen Florida Man yet?”

“What about an alligator?” Mom asks before I can answer.

“Any expensive cars?”

“What’s the weather like? They’re expecting a tropical storm to hit Louisiana in a week.”

“Noah’s behaving himself, isn’t he?” Dad demands. “You tell me if he tries something, and I’ll fly down and pick you up.”

I rub my temples, realizing this isn’t going to be a quick chat. “I’ve seen lots of Florida men, no alligators on the beach so far, several expensive-looking cars, and Louisiana is a couple states away, so we should be safe.”

“And Noah?” Dad presses.

I narrow my eyes at the smirking vampire in the corner. “He’s practically a saint.”

Noah, wicked man that he is, smiles to himself as he plays on his phone.

By the time I’m done talking to my parents, I’m too exhausted to think about anything but sleep. It seems like I’ve just dozed off when we wake to an urgent knock on the door.

I bolt up in bed, my heart leaping into panic mode. Next to me, Noah groans and rolls over.

“Stay here,” he instructs, his voice groggy, and tosses back the covers on his side of the bed.

A few seconds later, I hear Cassian. He and Noah are talking in hushed voices, keeping quiet so they don’t disturb the neighbors more than they already have. I roll over and look at the clock on the nightstand. 7:03.

At home, I’d be out in the garden by seven, but I haven’t adjusted to the time difference, and I just want to roll over and go back to sleep.

“Piper, are you decent?” Cassian asks, pausing in front of the bathroom.

“Yeah.” I sit up in the bed, crossing my legs under the covers.

I can see him in the hall mirror’s reflection, and he looks slightly ruffled. His hair is brushed, but there’s no styling product in it, and he didn’t shave.

He looks rough.

“Do you feel okay?” I ask him.

My conservator steps into view, frowning like he has to think about it. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

If he were anyone else, I would think he was coming down with something. I wonder how late he and Sophia stayed up arguing last night.

“Gerald is flying into Miami today,” he says.

“You got ahold of him?”

“I’m afraid not. Alfred called him last night after he was arrested.”

“He called Gerald instead of his dad? Doesn’t he only get one call?”

“He had news to share with Gerald. And I don’t know how many calls they allowed. For all I know, he might have called Jameson, too.”

“What kind of news did Alfred share with Gerald?” I wrap my hand in the soft, white sheet, growing nervous.

“He knows you belong to his line.”

“I’m no one, though—just a random vampire. Why would he care?”

“I’ve shown too much interest in you.”

“So…what now? Is this Gerald guy coming to kill me?”

I think I should get credit for how calmly I say that, when inside, I’m freaking out.

“According to Harold, Gerald is coming in to testify and clear his name—though I don’t know why he’s bothering unless he has an ulterior motive. NIHA can’t arrest him without a greater authority giving them permission.”

“And right now, there is no greater authority.”

“That’s right.”

“No offense, but this is an idiotic system. Why don’t you guys have a second in command? Even vampires can die. Shouldn’t you plan for accidents or assassinations?”

“For the greater part of our history, it wasn’t necessary.”

“Why?”

“We’ve only been pretending to be civilized since Nicolau introduced the nominations at the end of his reign. We’re still working out the bugs.”

“What did you do before all the vampire princes got to vote?”

“The heads of the houses would meet, and anyone who wanted the spot would compete for it. To the death, most often.”

“A physical competition? Medieval style?”

“It expedited the process,” he points out. “I wasn’t a fan, but we didn’t have this lawless period.”

“This is the first time an archduke has died since Nicolau changed the system?”

“It is.”

No wonder everyone is freaking out. For the first time in who knows how long, the vampires are without a ruler. There is no balance. The princes suddenly have complete power over their lines, able to pardon every crime imaginable, and there’s no one in charge to stop them.

“So now what?” I ask. “Do I need to disappear?”

“No, you’re safer by my side.”

“But what happens when Gerald decides to use me to manipulate you?”

“We need to change your house before he can get ahold of you.”

“Noah and I talked about that. Don’t you need to be the archduke?”

“That’s the simplest solution, yes, but we’ve run out of time for that.”

“So…how?”

“The easy way? You marry me.”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s the hard way?”

Cassian gestures to Noah, who’s taken a seat at the table and is unusually quiet. “You marry him.”

My heart stutters. One minute, it’s working just fine, and the next, it forgets how to beat. “What?”

“It’s complicated since Sophia is the second eldest vampire in my line. But she’s agreed to renounce her right as my successor. I submitted the paperwork this morning, naming Noah as the heir to my line.”

“What does that mean?”

“When vampires get married, their lines remain the same. However, when a vampire marries a prince or an heir, legally, they join that house. It’s an involved process, since the blood doesn’t change.

But once you have it on paper, it’s official.

And a prince has no jurisdiction over a vampire who legally enters a different house. ”

“Oh…” I say, understanding now. “You couldn’t make Noah your heir until you found Sophia, because you needed her signature.”

“That’s right.”

“But now you’ve found her…”

“All the pieces are finally in place.”

“But what if Noah doesn’t want to marry me?”

“I’ll leave you two to discuss it.” The vampire glances at Noah, suppressing a smile. “Try not to take too long. The county clerk’s office opens at nine, and I’d like to perform the ceremony before Gerald arrives.”

“County clerk?”

“You need to get a marriage license.” He walks toward the door. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

I turn to Noah as soon as we’re alone. “Is he serious?”

“He’s serious.”

“Wait—what did he mean he wants to perform the ceremony?”

“I’m assuming he’s going to officiate it.”

Noah seems to be taking this in stride. He’s entirely too calm about the whole thing.

“When did he tell you about this?”

“About three minutes ago.”

I stare at him blankly. Shouldn’t he be rattled? “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to get married.”

My eyebrows fly up, and my mouth opens even though I have no words. Noah watches me, a subtle smile on his lips, his eyes soft and slightly amused.

“And you’re okay with this?” I press. “Actually okay?”

“Listen, Piper,” he says, his voice suddenly solemn. “The truth is, I’ve been thinking about it since you entered the final stage. Recently, I realized that I don’t know why we’re waiting.”

“Because you said we need to be responsible vampires and not rush into it.”

“You’ve known me for several months now. Am I the kind of man who rushes into things?”

“Only when you’re breaking down front doors.”

A smile ghosts across his lips, and he joins me on the bed.

“I love you, and I want to spend my unnaturally long life with you. A few more months won’t change that.

A year isn’t going to change that. The circumstances aren’t ideal, but I don’t care.

As long as we end up together, what difference does it make? ”

“Just to clarify, you want to elope?”

“It’s not very romantic, is it?”

“Oh, it’s romantic. It’s also crazy.”

He boldly meets my eyes. “Let’s be crazy then.”

Those words coming out of responsible, practical Noah’s mouth are just about the swooniest thing I’ve ever heard.

I’m intensely aware of the moment. Our knees bump on the bed. The AC hums softly as it spirits deliciously cold air into the room. Outside, I can just make out the music coming from the pool area.

“You really want to marry me?” I whisper.

“I do.”

“To protect me?”

He playfully jerks his head toward the bed. “There are other reasons as well.”

I lower my voice and lean a little closer. “You know we can’t get married just because we want to sleep together, right?”

Noah’s eyes crinkle. “Is that the only reason you want to marry me? To get me into bed?”

I’m twenty-eight years old and ready for a physical relationship. More than ready. But is that the reason I want to accept Noah’s offer? Of course not.

I want to spend my life with Noah. I want to share breakfasts and birthdays with him. I want to be together for all the good and heartbreaking moments, and I know without a doubt he’s the only person I wanted two nights ago while I was imploding.

“No.” I search his eyes. “There are a thousand reasons why I want you.”

“I love you,” he says solemnly. “I want to be your emergency contact, and I want you to be mine. I want to exchange rings and vows. I want us to be us , forever, lawfully. And yes, I want to sleep with you. Preferably soon.”

I try to bite back a grin, but I fail. “Emergency contacts have never sounded so romantic.”

He laughs, looking more determined by the minute. “We’ve been thrown together at every turn, getting a taste of what life could be like. And I like it. I more than like it—I love it. Let’s fill out the paperwork and exchange vows. After all this chaos is over, we’ll have a reception back home.”

“Your sister is going to freak out when she discovers we got married before her.”

He leans in to kiss me, smiling. “We won’t tell her until after her wedding.”

This is madness.

But I don’t care.

“Let’s do it,” I say, exhilarated. “Let’s get married.”