Page 103 of Blood and Buttercups

“No,” he chuckles.

“So you”—she drops her voice—“havefangs?”

Cassian is enjoying himself far too much. “When it suits me.”

She presses her lips together, looking like she’s trapping in a giggle. When she contains it, she whispers, “Can I see them?”

“Olivia!” I exclaim.

“Perhaps we’ll have a private viewing at a later date,” Cassian says with a raise of his brows, dropping her hand.

“Can we get back to Ethan?” I ask, frustrated. “So you want to go after him—fine. How do you plan to go about that?”

“How old are you?” Olivia asks.

“I was born in 1784 in France but spent much of my youth in Hungary. It was there I was infected, and there I stayed for many years. At fifty-four, I immigrated to England and eventually came to America, where I’ve lived for over a hundred years.”

That explains his strange accent.

“So, you’re not from Transylvania?” Olivia asks, enthralled with the vampire.

“Interestingly, that is the region of Hungary I was referring to. It now belongs to Romania.”

She brings her hand to her mouth. “Were you bitten by Dracula?”

This is getting ridiculous.

“Dracula from Bram Stoker’s novel is a fictional character and did not exist. The inspiration for him, however…” Cassian shrugs.

“Wereyouthe inspiration?”

Cassian chuckles. “I was not.”

“Can we please focus?” I ask, growing desperate. “Either that, or all of you go home because it’s been areallylong day.”

Cassian turns toward me, frowning. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

Max nods. “It is getting late. You can stay with me for a few days, Piper, until we take Ethan down.”

“We? You’re here for emotional support, not to wield a stake.”

“You need training before you can go after vampires,” Noah agrees. “We do need a few more conservators, though, so if you’re interested in coming to work for NIHA, let me know, and I’ll get you an application.”

“How’s the pay?” Max asks. “And are there any benefits?”

“We have great healthcare?—”

“He’s already a mechanic,” I say, cutting this off before it can go too far.

“Only because I didn’t know vampire hunter was an option,” Max argues. “Come on now. You guys really should put up a booth at the career fairs.”

Unfortunately, I can visualize Noah and Cassian in black suits, handing out NIHA recruitment pamphlets. A white vinyl sign hanging from the table would read, “Have you considered a career in vampire hunting?” Their booth would be packed, but ninety percent of the potential recruits would be women.

I laugh to myself as I visualize it, and I must sound a little unhinged because everyone in the room turns their eyes on me, and they all look slightly concerned.

“Please go home,” I plead, tears stinging my eyes again, my mood swinging like a teenager’s. “I’m exhausted.”

“You can’t stay here by yourself,” Max says. “Go pack some things, and then I’ll drive you back to my place.”

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