Page 69 of The Vampire's Mate

“No,” James sighed as I remade the couch. “How often do you clean Hannah’s bedroom?”

“I changed the bedding after Shi stayed over, but you know Hannah—she cleans after herself better than I would. You think it’s worth looking there?”

“It can’t hurt.”

Carlos dropped the remains of his bat toy and ran to the back door, commencing with his signature whine that meant something like, “Open this door, peasant.”

“You start,” I told James. “I’ve got him.”

My boyfriend caught me with an arm around my waist as I attempted to pass him. “You sure?” Then he winced. “Sorry, I’m suddenly feeling clingy again.”

And I wanted to pull away. Luckily, I was nothing if not stubborn. “I’m sure,” I said, intentionally returning his embrace. “I trust you.”

He blinked, taken aback. “Can I get that in writing?”

My first inclination was to bristle, so I laughed instead, giving him a playful shove before going to the back door.

Since Carlos had recently dug underneath the fence and camped out in the neighbor’s backyard, I leaned against the doorframe to keep a close eye on him. Even with my jacket and thick sweater, I shivered. Carlos bounded across the grass, making a beeline for the back corner of the property. Only instead of doing what he should have been doing, he started to dig.

“Carlos, knock it off!”

He was unfazed, paws scrabbling at the dirt even faster. I rolled my eyes and reluctantly went after him, pulling my jacket around me to ward off the chill. As I got closer, Carlos caught something with his leg and kicked it out of the dirt mound. He picked up his treasure and tried to take off with it, but unfortunately for my not-so-bright four-legged son, he darted right into my path. I intercepted him with my arms around his middle.

A silver chain dangled between his teeth. When I finally wrestled it from his mouth, the clearest diamond I’d ever seen fell to the ground in front of me. This one was bigger than the first, but still smaller than a dew drop. It caught the sun, glimmering in the light. It wasbeautiful, but it also sent an ominous feeling through my entire body.

“James,” I called, my voice no more than a whisper. Before I could blink, he materialized next to me.

He paled—something I didn’t even know was possible. He took three big steps back, face twisting in pain. “Even beingnearthat thing makes me feel sick.”

“Because of the curse?”

“No. That chain is so pure that it’s a miracle I’ve been able to be in your house at all.”

“Looks like you owe Carlos a hug.”

The skepticism on his face was priceless. “What?”

“You owe him. He decided to take itoutof the house for you.” I looked back to the gem in my hand, wondering how such a small piece of pressurized carbon on a delicate silver chain could have caused so much chaos. I could have easily snapped the chain—I was surprised it hadn’t done so when Carlos yanked it out of the ground. “How has this little thing caused us so much grief?” I asked aloud. “Someone put a curse onthis? Just to fuck with us?”

James shook his head. “No, love. That diamond was already cursed. It has been since its creation. Someone targeted us, put it on a chain, and planted it to weaken my powers.”

“How do we get rid of it?”

When he didn’t respond, I looked up. His eyes were fixed on the jewelry in my hand, almost fearful.

Then he uttered three words I thought I’d never hear from him. “I don’t know.”

Chapter 25

“Why doesGabriel know all of this stuff that you don’t?” I asked, leaning back on the couch and closing my eyes.

I was trying to remain calm, but the thought of seeing Gabriel again had my blood racing. After we found somewhere to stash the conduit so James could tolerate being in the house, he suggested we call Gabriel for advice on what to do about it. James was currently pacing the length of the living room, thumbnail fixed between his teeth. I’d never seen him so frazzled before.

“He’s older than I am,” James muttered. “Not by much, but he’s more experienced. I only had Liz; she had to teach me everything. He had an entire family behind him—what are you doing?”

While he’d been talking, I’d stood and crossed the room to step directly into his path. Rather than halting, James’s next pass took him into my arms. As they closed around his waist, he rested his head onmyshoulder for once.

“I’m trying to relax you a little,” I said, rubbing soothing circles over his back. “Is it working?”

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