Page 109 of Blood and Buttercups

Noah slaps the massive hunk o’ beef into the skillet. “Sorry, there’s not enough.”

Cassian laughs, taking Noah’s inhospitality in stride.

I study the two of them, suddenly burning to know what caused the rift between them. But Noah is a closed book when it comes to the subject, and I don’t know Cassian well enough to ask.

Noah pulls his phone out of his pocket and then grunts. It’s not a happy grunt.

“What’s the matter?” I ask.

“I forgot about my introductory appointment with Colin today. Emma just sent a reminder.”

I slowly slide onto a stool. Short of begging him to quit, I’m not sure what to say. And, obviously, I’m not going to do that.

“Piper and I will be fine.” Cassian makes himself right at home and opens the fridge to inspect its contents. He grimaces when he sees the glorious rainbow of fruits and vegetables taking up residence on the shelves. Closing it gingerly like he thinks a radish is going to leap out and bite him, he turns back. “Won’t we, Piper?”

“I’m not feeling overly confident, no.”

Noah’s phone buzzes again, and he mutters a curse, looking like he doesn’t know what to do. “I’ll see if I can postpone the meeting for a few hours. Call Max and ask him to come over.”

“Max works on Wednesdays.” I paste a reassuring smile onto my face. “Don’t reschedule your meeting—I’ll be fine. I’ll just rub garlic all over my neck.”

“Any vegetable or fruit would be sufficient.” Cassian smirks.

“How do I know you’re not going to kill me the minute Noah leaves?” I ask the vampire bluntly.

Cassian looks at Noah. “Do you trust me?”

Noah works his jaw. “I’ll just quit NIHA.”

“You’re not quitting.” Cassian rolls his eyes. “Piper is safe with me, and you know it.”

Noah levels Cassian with a hard stare. “If you bite her, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“If I bite her, I’ll stand for the stake.”

Cassian says it like a solemn vow.

Noah contemplates him a few minutes longer, and then he turns back to the sizzling skillet. “Okay.”

“Why can’t I just go with you?” I ask Noah.

“Because the first meeting is full of private information,” Cassian says. “A conservator needs to build trust with his pre-vamp.”

Sighing, I pour my abandoned smoothie into a glass and then realize I forgot the blood. As if sensing it, Cassian opens the fridge, turns his nose up at the produce, and fetches the open prescription bottle.

“Thanks,” I say. “How’d you know I needed it?”

“I didn’t smell it.”

“At what stage does your sense of smell become sharp? I swear I’m noticing things I didn’t before.”

“You begin to pick up things at a greater distance in the first stage,” Cassian answers. “Second stage, a little more. But the final stage is when the sense becomes highly acute.”

“That must be annoying. I’m assuming it’s not only good smells you notice.”

“You get used to it,” Cassian says.

Noah looks over like he wants to say something, but he turns back to the steak. Satisfied it’s done, he transfers it to a plate, chooses a knife and fork from the silverware drawer, and sits next to me at the counter.

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