Page 8

The sun has almost set, and we’re supposed to leave for the airport in two hours. Thanks to Olivia, I’m all packed.

“I’m so jealous,” she sighs, sitting on my carry-on so we can get it zipped. “I want to go to Florida.”

I eye the small suitcase, nervous. Hopefully, we didn’t exceed the weight limit for the flight.

I’m also a little worried about the prescription blood I’ve packed with ice packs in the bag I plan to check.

Noah assured me TSA agents won’t get fussy over a prescription, but it’s not exactly amoxicillin.

“Why don’t you come with us?” I say to Olivia. “You’ve been saving for a vacation, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, no. I’m not crashing your romantic getaway.”

“It’s not a romantic getaway. Noah and Cassian are going to be tied up with vampire hunting stuff. You and I could hang out while they’re busy.”

“But someone needs to keep your business running.”

“We’ve already shut down the subscription orders,” I remind her. “And you did the business deliveries for me yesterday. We’ll miss one farmer’s market. Not a big deal.”

My best friend nibbles her bottom lip, thinking about it. “How long are you going to be there?”

“Our return flight is on Saturday.”

“I don’t want to get in the way…”

“Just think about it. If you change your mind and can get a plane ticket for a decent price, join me.”

She nods, looking torn.

“Unless there’s a reason you’d rather stay here…” I hint.

She gives me a look. “I know what you’re getting at, but there’s nothing going on between Max and me.”

“That’s not what it looked like on Friday.”

“He’s giving me mixed signals. One minute, I think he’s into me, and the next…” She shrugs.

At least she’s not denying it anymore.

“Maybe you need to be brave and let him know you like him. He’s kind of a chicken—he’s probably scared you’re going to reject him.”

“I’ve seen him with plenty of girls. He’s lots of things, but hesitant isn’t one of them.”

“Yeah, but has he ever liked any of those girls?”

“We don’t know that he likes me either.”

I do know Max likes her, but it’s not my place to say anything—which is frustrating, especially when I know she likes him, too.

But they’re just going to have to figure it out themselves.

Cassian appears outside my bedroom door and knocks on the doorframe.

“Hey,” I say. “What’s up?”

“We have a property to look at. It wasn’t an option before, but Hunter’s buyer just backed out.”

“Um, Cassian.” I give my suitcase a pointed look. “We’re supposed to leave for the airport soon.”

“Take your luggage with you. It will be a quick detour.”

I don’t fly much, but I do know the lines at the Denver airport are notoriously long and slow. If we’re late, there’s a good chance we’ll miss our flight.

“Can’t it wait until we get back?”

“Hunter has several more interested parties. If we don’t act quickly, we might lose it.”

“That sounds like something a sleazy real estate guy would say.”

Cassian smiles. “Humor me. I think you’re going to like this one.”

I turn to Olivia. “I guess I’m going.”

She gives me a tight hug. “Have so much fun, okay?”

“I’ll have as much fun as a vampire girl stuck in a hotel room can have.”

“It’ll be hot during the day,” she reminds me. “Best to venture out after dark anyway.”

“Sure.”

I follow Cassian to the waiting vehicle. It’s a black car that’s just as fancy as the Lamborghini, but in a different way.

And there’s a driver.

“Uh, what’s up with this?” I whisper, pausing on the front step because the evening sun is all bright and golden.

“I don’t like to leave my car at the airport,” Cassian explains. “That’s my new driver, Fabian.”

“His name is Fabian?” I ask incredulously as the man opens an oversized black umbrella and heads our way.

Not to be rude, but he looks exactly like a Fabian should.

In his late twenties, he’s tall, with gym-built muscles and a tan that proclaims he’s probably not a final-stage vampire.

He wears his short hair in a style that makes me think of men’s hair product commercials, and he’s dressed like a male entertainer who’s posing as a chauffeur.

I’ll never be able to take this man seriously.

“Miss Edwards,” he says, extending the umbrella over my head like he plans to escort me to the car.

Cassian gives my shoulder a nudge and starts walking.

Oh, okay. I guess we’re doing this.

I offer Fabian a nervous smile and walk down the steps, shaded by the umbrella like I’m some kind of celebrity or member of a royal family.

When we reach the sleek, black car, Fabian opens my door. As I’m sliding onto the butter-soft tan leather, I notice a gun and several stakes under his jacket. The man is armed for battle.

But I’m too preoccupied with the car’s upholstery to worry about it. This is the kind of seat that makes you sigh—you can’t help it. You sit , and you sigh because your rump has never perched upon something so soft and cushy in your life.

“Thanks,” I say to Fabian, feeling awkward as heck.

His dark brown eyes meet mine. “Would you like me to fasten your seatbelt?”

“Nope,” I say immediately. “Totally got it. Been buckling myself in for a while now.”

Amusement twitches his lips, and he gives me a solemn nod before closing the door and rounding the front of the car.

“Okay, don’t take this wrong,” I quickly whisper to Cassian, “but what kind of establishment did you find this man in, and did they usually tip him in small bills?”

The vampire chuckles. “He’s one of Sophia’s half-made creations. He decided to work for me after Noah and I had a run-in with his…group.”

“Group?” I watch the man as he reaches his door. He must be a first or second-stage pre-vamp. “Did he sell insurance?”

“Something like that.” A smirk tips Cassian’s perfect lips as Fabian-the-ex-criminal takes his place in the driver’s seat. Once he’s settled, the prince tells him, “I’ve sent the address to your phone.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get you there in no time.”

“Excellent.” Cassian then pushes a button, and a black privacy screen rolls up between us.

It’s just like in the movies—the political ones, with the super important people and the bad guys who want to kill them.

Here we go again.

“Are you hiring thugs now?” I demand quietly, not sure if the privacy divider is soundproof. “Why, exactly, is your driver so well armed?”

“No reason.”

Oh, there’s definitely a reason. We’ve never driven around with an armed driver before. But from the look on Cassian’s face, it’s obvious he isn’t going to tell me what it is.

“Sure.” I look around, not used to this kind of opulence. “What kind of car is this anyway?”

“It’s a Rolls-Royce.”

“That sounds fancy.”

Cassian smirks as he scrolls through his phone. “It is.”

“And the windows are super tinted.”

“Yes.”

“Tell me the truth—you’re already embracing this archduke thing, aren’t you?”

He pulls his eyes away from his phone. “I just didn’t want your delicate skin to burn to a crisp.”

“Right… But you know, when you ride around in a car like this, you’re almost guaranteed to end up in a chase scene.”

“Don’t take this wrong, bunny, but it might be time for you to cut back on your screen time.”

I give him a wry look. “I’m stuck in the house all day. What do you expect me to do?”

“Have you thought about taking up paint by numbers?”

I bark out a laugh, startled. “What?”

“I’ve contemplated it myself,” he says, dead serious. “Self-care is all the rage these days, you know.”

“Paint by numbers are a form of self-care?”

“That’s what the ads on social media claim.”

“And you say I need to cut back on my screen time.”

Cassian smiles, setting his phone aside before he looks out the heavily tinted window and sighs. To some, it might sound like a contented noise, and I’m sure that’s what he’s hoping I’ll think it is. But it’s not.

Even though I haven’t known Cassian long, the unusual circumstances around our friendship have made us pretty close. And right now, I can tell he’s stressed and trying hard to hide it. It’s not a state I’m accustomed to seeing him in.

“You okay?” I ask, eyeing him.

“I’m fine.” He must feel my frown because he rests his head against the back of the seat and turns his face toward me. His smile is amused, and his dark eyes are slitted like a cat’s. The expression is a touch flirtatious, but he’s not fooling me.

“Is this about Sophia?”

He thinks about that for a minute, and then he nods. “Not only Sophia, but she is part of what’s troubling me.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Now that I’m officially in your line, we’re basically family.”

A weird look crosses Cassian’s face, but he schools it so quickly, I wonder if I imagined it.

“I shouldn’t care about Sophia,” he says. “We’ve been apart far longer than we were together, and she’s a criminal. We met at a crossroads in our lives. When we parted, we took two completely different paths.”

“So you’re upset because you care about her, and you feel like it’s wrong to worry about someone who has made bad decisions?”

“A lot of bad decisions,” he says dryly.

“Cassian.”

He chuckles. “The truth? I’m afraid this attachment I have to her makes me weak. Or maybe she is simply my weakness. I’ve tried to live an upright life—I’ve fought the darker urges that come with the disease. Meanwhile, she spreads the virus like a rabid fairy.”

I fight a smile, trying not to laugh at that perfectly delightful visual.

“Sophia has no place by my side,” he continues. “Especially now. She made her bed—if I were smart, I’d let her lie in it.”

“Then…why don’t you?”

His eyes sweep over my face. He looks like he wants to tell me something, but he’s hesitating. Finally, he says, “I can’t. Not this time.”

“Cryptic,” I gently tease. Though I want to press for more, I know he’ll tell me when he’s ready. So instead of hounding him, I say, “For what it’s worth, I think the fact that you still care about her is a testament to your character. Love isn’t a weakness—and neither is forgiveness.”