Page 133 of Fangs and Fudge

“What?” he asked.

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s mine and Vena’s and Cross’.”

He frowned slightly at the mention of Cross.

“Why do you believe it’s your fault?”

“Yesterday, Cross told us about your social app. He learned about it from some vampire he’d talked to. Cross showed us your thread about search efforts for Anchor. We were all focused on that and not the fact you’d posted the location to the challenge. I never thought they’d attack. None of us knew there were so many of them. We didn’t tell you the app had been compromised because we didn’t want to distract you right before the fight.”

Shepard shook his head and leaned in to kiss my forehead.

“Whether they knew or not isn’t the issue. Our very purpose is to hunt and kill vampires. It’s not your fault there were so many in D.C. That’s the real issue and one I’m going to need to answer for.”

“Are you concerned about the meeting tomorrow morning with the delegates?”

“No. They have a right to air their grievances, and I’ll have a plan of action ready.”

I pulled away. “Does that mean you won’t sleep tonight?”

“I’ll sleep enough to heal, but I don’t need a full night. You do, though.” He turned me toward the bedroom. “Lisa will be here soon with clothes for you. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I want to go to the meeting,” I said as I glanced back at him.

He nodded. “You’re welcome to come, but you’ll need to stay silent. Wolf meetings with delegates involved don’t recognize human opinions.”

“I just want to be there.”

He placed a kiss below my ear, and I fought not to shiver. “You always have a place next to me. Night, Everly.”

I walked to the bedroom and looked back at him, but he was already gone, and his bedroom door snicked closed.

By the time Vena emerged from the shower, pajamas and clothes for tomorrow had arrived. As she dressed, I quickly showered. I wanted the blood off me, and I wanted to snuggle with a pillow and forget everything that had happened.

The wounds on my neck didn’t seem too bad. If not for the fact there were four on one side and only a single one on the other, the holes would look more like vampire bites than claw punctures. Bruising was already starting to form around them. I dabbed a little antiseptic on them and left them alone.

When I slipped into bed, Vena wrapped around me like a koala.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You blocked me from Anchor, so you get to be my cuddle buddy.”

“I’ll allow it for tonight. Only because I’m afraid of having nightmares, but loosen your hold a little so I can breathe.”

She relaxed her grip on me. “If I never see a vampire again, I’ll be happy.”

“Except one.”

She nodded, tickling my nose with a stray hair. “Except one.”

After falling asleep in Vena’s arms, I only woke one time. Her feet were twitching, and her toenails raked across my leg. I flipped her to her side of the bed and fell back asleep.

It was still dark when I felt her holding me again. This time, it wasn’t her toes touching me but a finger stroking my cheek.

“Vena,” I groaned. “Go back to your side.”

“Vena is on her side,” Cross said.

I stared through the darkness that had the barest hue of dawn creeping into the room.

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