Page 62 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Five

I want my older brother to not only like me but respect me.

And more than anything, I want to live up to this title I was born with.

“All right, little mouse,” Bran says. “We’ll let the witch decide.”

Arion steals one of my fries. “I’ll be honest, Duval, I assumed your arrogance would get in your way and you’d constantly be at odds with Jessie as the power shifts. You’re surprising me.”

“Jessie and I are on the same page,” Bran answers, indifferent.

“No, you’re not.” Arion bites off the end of the fry. “You’re not even in the same book.”

“We are,” I assure Arion. “We will always be on the same page.”

My brother arches a brow. “Well, if that turns out to be true, even hell should watch its back. You two will be unstoppable.”

I rest my hand on Bran’s thigh and give him a squeeze. I meant what I said. We are on the same page, regardless of whether or not I wear a crown. And I want to be unstoppable with him. I want us to be a force to be reckoned with.

We leave The Greasy Spoon once my plate is clean and my stomach full. We head straight for Duval House to ask Bianca if she’d like to venture into the fae realm to help us deceive the summer queen.

“Absolutely,” she says too quickly. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

With that part settled, Bianca leaves to prep the spellwork. Lance reports to us that Damien is with Kelly and because we don’t want to risk the summer queen learning that Arion is working with us, we keep our distance and head out of town to the Alpha’s Pack House. If we’re fighting a war, we’re going to need more than the vampires on our side.

Because the Bimmer is a super obvious car and literally the only vintage BMW in all of Midnight, we leave it safely tucked away at Duval House and take one of the nondescript black SUVs. And because I want Bran and Arion to like each other, or at the very least get to know one another enough to tolerate the other, I give Arion the front seat and climb in back.

The leather seats are so plush, the SUV such a smooth ride, that it’s easy to slink down and let my eyes slip closed.

“Christ,” Bran says and I lurch upright, having dozed off.

“What? What is it?”

He pulls the SUV around the Pack House driveway and nods at the large front porch.

A chill floods my veins.

Sam is there next to one of the grand porch columns and she’s pointing a very angry finger at the Alpha while talking to him. And he’s got his arms crossed tightly over his chest, jaw flexing.

“What are they saying?” I ask Bran.

He grins.

“Bran!”

“Apparently, she heard about you going to the fae realm to defend your throne and she plans to go with you and the Alpha forbade her and so now she’s telling him where he can stick his head. Would you like me to repeat what she said?”

“No, I think I got it.” I scrub the sleepiness from my face. “Sam can’t go. She’s mortal. It’s too dangerous and?—”

Bran parks the SUV and talks to me through the reflection in the rearview mirror. “I swear someone was just saying something about female empowerment and letting women make their own choices? Arion, do you remember someone saying something like that?”

“Yes, I do remember,” Arion says with a smirk.

Well shit.

Episode Ninety-Three

BRIDE TO BE

As soon as Bran puts the SUV into park, I leap out and hurry up the steps to the Pack House porch. Before all this, the very thought of jumping in front of the Midnight Alpha would have made me break out in a cold sweat.

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