Page 63 of Vampires and Violas

Sophia looks like she’s holding her breath, watching us with her big, blue,hopefuleyes.

“I think we might know him as well,” Noah says carefully, taking her obvious bait.

“Yes.” She suppresses a smile, and her eyes flutter to her hands. “How is Cassian?”

“Sophia,” Larissa reminds her employer. “Thetea?”

“Oh right, yes. Earl grey, four cups—you’ll join us, won’t you, Larissa? Of course you will. Be sure to bring milk and half and half—I’m not sure what our guests prefer.”

Personally, I prefer my tea to be coffee unless it’s iced, but to each their own, I suppose. It sounds like it will at least taste better than the dusty old tea bag Officer Kerrington gave me at the police station.

“Of course,” Larissa says. And with the clack, click, clack of her stilettos, she leaves the room.

Sophia turns her attention back to us. “What were we talking about?”

Whatweren’twe talking about?

“You were about to tell us why you wanted to meet,” Noah says, his voice edging on curt.

Sophia is either oblivious to his tone or simply doesn’t care, because it doesn’t faze her. “Ah, of course. Well, let’s cut to the chase then. As I said before, I’m Sophia Barrington. And you are Montgomery and Piper, is that right?”

My phone vibrates in my lap, alerting me I have another text. I read it and become very nervous.

“Is something the matter?” Sophia asks, her eyes watching me a little too closely. Before I can answer, the phone on the desk rings, startling our hostess. “That’s odd,” she says. “It must be the front desk?”

She then looks at us in question, like we would know.

“Usually,” Noah says.

“They’ve never called before.”

The moment she rises to answer it, I quickly whisper to Noah, “Cassian’s here.”

“What?”

“I made the mistake of telling him we found Sophia, and apparently, well.He’s here.”

“What did you say his name was?” Sophia says into the antiquated handset, sounding breathless. “Well…yes. Send him up.”

She hangs up the phone slowly. “Did you invite Cassian to join us?”

I squeeze my phone in my hands. “I…I only told him you were here.”

She exhales slowly, her hand moving to her perfect curls, looking frantic. “How do I look?”

“Uh…”

Before I can form an answer, there’s a knock at the door, making me think Cassian must have been headed up before Sophia gave the okay.

I hope he didn’t kill anyone on his way.

“Will one of you…” Sophia frantically gestures to the door and then hurries to the piano,placingherself next to it like someone is about to take a photo.

“Is this good?” she stage-whispers to me.

“Yes?”

“And my hair?”

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