Page 86 of Twisted

“The cops are already on their way,” I say and pick up my glass of water, taking a drink.

“Shouldn’t we help him?”Gia asks, still in the ‘Girl Scout’ phase of the Order.All she knows is the rules we’re supposed to live by.She hasn’t lived it out in real life yet to see that the 'rules’ are more or less loose guidelines no one really follows until it’s time to get someone in trouble fornotfollowing them.

“I guess.”I let out a sigh and get up, but before I can go to Buck, Xavier zooms over.

“Are you all right?”His hands land on my arms and he looks right into my eyes.Something flutters inside me and I can’t deny how fucking hot it was watching him push the hunters around.

“I’m fine.Are you?”

His lips twitch into a smile.“Yes, my dear wife, I am unscathed.I take it you also know these hunters?”

“Yeah.And they’re not my biggest fan either.”

“I gathered that.”His fangs show as he talks and it’s making it harder to resist him.“What should we do with them?”

Needing to take a second to swallow the giddiness that’s rising inside of me, I look from Xavier to the hunters.“Let them go back to the tavern and explain to the elders what just happened.They attacked us in public.It won’t go over well for them.”

“If that is your wish,” Xavier says, not hiding the fact that he’s disappointed I didn’t tell him to rip out their jugulars and suck the blood from their extracted hearts.

“It is,” I say right as the doors open.Two officers walk in, coming to a stop as they take in the scene.That was fast.They must have been in the area when the call came in.One looks up and—holy shit—it’s one of the officers from the back-alley dinner meeting the other night.

“He’s a vampire!”Randall starts, pointing to Xavier.“He started it!”

“Well, now,” the officer replies.“I don’t see any blood other than…does he have a wooden arrow in his arm?”

The other officer walks over and crouches down next to Buck, bumping the crossbow away from him.“Vampires don’t use weapons designed to kill them, last I checked.”

“There are cameras,” I say, and pretend not to notice the way my brothers are looking at me.“The whole thing can be reviewed.Those assholes committed a hate-crime against a vampire and his human wife.”I hold up my hand, showing off my ridiculous ring.“Me.”

“That’s a serious accusation, uh…”

“Florence,” I say.“Florence Malus.”

The officer does a good job pretending he has no idea who we are.I’m able to take Gia outside just a bit later, while the investigation is underway.The cops call in an ambulance for Buck, and there’s no way he can get out of it without looking hella suspicious.Leo and Antonio take him outside as soon as the EMTs arrive.

“Well, that was fun,” I sigh, leaning against the building.Gia is next to me, watching Buck’s arm get wrapped before he’s taken to the hospital to get the arrow taken out of his arm.Gavin is escorted out next, and I overhear the officer tell the EMTs that he needs his wrist attended to.

“That was embarrassing,” Gia says.“Do you think Xavier is going to think all hunters are that sloppy?”

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Leo huffs and gives me a look.

“What?”I ask, not sure why he’s getting huffy at me.

“That was a fucking mess,” he says like it’s not obvious.

“I’m aware.But still, why are you acting like it’s something I did?”

Leo raises his eyebrows and throws out his hands.“You’re the one who came here!”

“I’m not allowed to?”

“Oh, come on,” Leo continues.“You brought a vampire to Asheville.Specifically toMaria Elena’swhich is right down the road fromZodiac Tavern, which is a hunter bar.”

“You are not making this my fault,” I shoot back.“I’m just as much allowed to be here as you are.”

“Yes,you,” he presses.“But the fucking vampire?”

“He’s my husband.”