Page 51 of Fangs and Fudge

The man watching Sierra stepped in, and Sierra was escorted into the building. We rejoined Shepard.

“Is this how Sierra has been the whole time?” I asked.

“She has her moments where she is more aggressive than others.”

“We read that humans who’ve been thralled or mentally enslaved by a vampire can return to normal after a while.”

Shepard nodded. “The bond can fade, but it will depend on how long Sierra was under the vampire’s influence.”

“Can Anchor afford to wait for that?” Vena asked, her tone tinged with anger and fear.

“Or--” I stopped myself. It didn’t matter if Cross could compel Sierra to talk. I couldn’t tell Shepard about Cross. Even though part of me wanted Shepard to know how helpful Cross had been, I knew what would happen. Shepard would hunt Cross.

“Or?” Shepard prompted.

“The book Vena read mentioned a few ways to break a vampire’s thrall. Any chance that Sierra’s master will come here looking for her?” I asked.

“If we kill her master, she’d be free of his thrall and probably willing to talk,” Vena said.

“There is no we in this,” Shepard said. “I want you two to promise to stay out of it.”

It felt like his tone carried some extra weight when he met my gaze. The need to look away and nod my agreement rode me hard, and I struggled to maintain eye contact.

“Heard we have company,” a familiar voice said.

The tension between Shepard and me broke when he looked at MC. I quietly let out a relieved breath and turned to look at MC as he joined us. His gaze flicked to Vena, and he winked at her.

“Looks like your tour stalled,” he said to Vena. “I’d be happy to show you around so these two can finish their silent standoff.”

“We weren’t having a standoff,” Shepard said.

MC ignored him and arched a brow at Vena. “Looked like a standoff to me. How about you?”

She crossed her arms. “Are you just here to cause trouble?”

“Not at all. You looked bored, and they looked like they wanted alone time.”

“Would you mind giving me a few moments to speak with Everly privately, Vena?” Shepard asked.

Surprised by the request, I glanced at Shepard.

“It’s starting to feel like your name stands for Mandatory Company,” Vena said to MC. “I’m not a fan.”

She turned on her heel and walked away from us. MC quickly followed her.

Did Shepard realize he hadn’t endeared himself to Vena just then? He needed to clue in on how much Vena was really starting to not like MC.

“She doesn’t do clingy,” I said for both Shepard’s and MC’s benefit.

I watched MC put a little distance between the two of them and knew he’d heard. When I looked at Shepard, he inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“I appreciate her cooperation and hope you’ll be as willing.”

“I’ve always cooperated with you, Shepard.”

He studied me for a long moment. “Then can you tell me why parts of you smell like vampire?”

I blinked at Shepard as my mind raced.

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