Page 34 of Vampires and Violas

“I’m afraid he’s not in right now,” I say. “Do you want me to tell him you dropped by?”

“Would you mind?” She extends a glossy black business card toward me but doesn’t leave the tree's protective shade.

As I question whether I dare move closer to the vampire, the clouds shift over the sun, muting its light.

Glancing at the sky, the woman walks forward, navigating the gravel in her red stiletto heels like she was born in them. She offers me the card, lifting a dark eyebrow questioningly—probably sensing my nerves.

Pretending she isn’t freaking me out, I take the card. “I’ll tell Montgomery you stopped by.”

She nods and gets back into her car. I hold my breath until she leaves the drive and then look down at the card.

Larissa Valentine.

There’s an email address, a phone number, and some kind of logo.

This is odd enough, I should probably tell Noah now. I slip my phone out of my back pocket and pull up his name. I think the call will go to voicemail, but he finally picks up.

“Hey, Piper,” he says. “What’s up?”

“A woman dropped by the house looking for you. Larissa Valentine.”

“I’ve never heard of her.”

“She asked for Montgomery. She gave me a contact card.”

“What did she want?”

“She didn’t say, but judging from the way she stuck to the shadows, she was either a final-stage vampire or a second-stage who forgot to put on sunscreen.”

Ever perceptive, his tone sharpens as he asks, “Are you okay?”

“It was a little unnerving,” I admit. “She had a strange vibe.”

“And what did you say her name was again?”

After I tell him, his voice goes muffled as he asks someone, “Do you know a Larissa Valentine?”

A familiar voice answers, “No, but I’ll have my people look her up.”

“Are you with Cassian?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah.” He doesn’t sound happy about it. “We’re tracking down pre-vamps who have information missing from their files. Cassian came with me to read their lines.”

“Find anything interesting so far?” I ask, though I’m not sure he’s even allowed to tell me.

“Nothing surprising. Most of the people we’ve talked to have been from Cassian’s line.”

“The work of his vampire girlfriend, I’m assuming?”

“Most likely.”

I pause, a strange thought occurring to me. “You don’t think that’s who this woman was, do you?”

“She’d have to be pretty bold to show up at the house. And I can’t imagine she’d deliver herself to my doorstep while we’re looking for her.”

“Good point.”

“Are you done with your deliveries?”

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