Page 49 of Hitched to the Vampire King

He finished typing something, then finally lifted his head and glanced at me. “During your time there, did anything hint at surveillance? Any small, blinking lights or unexplained tech?”

I cast my mind back to the bleak confines of our captivity, straining for any detail I might have overlooked. “No, nothing like that,” I finally said.

“Okay, that could indicate a lack of surveillance,” Josh said. “But we can’t rule out that he may have hidden cameras.”

“So, how do we proceed?” Lucy asked.

“With a great deal of caution,” Josh replied. “I have a call into a supposed surveillance expert in town, and he may be able to provide me with a radio frequency detector. It could help Sam and Maddie determine if there are any cameras about. If they find some, they’ll report it to me, and I’ll take care of it remotely.”

“Sounds like we all have our assignments, then,” Jaden said, taking a sip of coffee. She grimaced and glanced into her mug. “Well, that’s burned. How long has this been in the pot?”

“Since this afternoon,” I said, chuckling.

“Yuck.” She dumped it in the sink, then shrugged. “Guess if the meeting is over, then I really don’t need any more coffee. In fact, we should all be getting to bed. Tomorrow is a big day, and we’ll all need the rest.”

With a nod, Josh closed his laptop and stood with a yawn. A yawn that everyone soon echoed. We were all exhausted, thanks to today’s hard work. I had to admit, we all made a pretty effective team.

“Bed,” Lucy said, tugging on Sam’s hand. “See you all bright and early in the morning.”

Jaden and Josh wished everyone a goodnight and trailed after Lucy and Sam, heading upstairs. I stayed behind, eager for a few moments alone with Gabriel.

“I should go to sleep too,” I said. “It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted. But I don’twantto sleep because you’ll be alone all night.”

He chuckled and pulled me close. “Don’t worry about me, luv. I can handle being alone. I’m sure I can find something to do to pass the time.”

“No leaving the house,” I told him firmly.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, laughing. Then he lifted a brow and glanced at the fridge. “Think Aimee keeps blood on hand?”

Oh, shit. Probably not.

I bit my bottom lip, my mind flashing back to last night and the euphoria he’d awakened within me with his bite. “If you need blood, I could…”

Gabriel’s eyes widened briefly before his expression softened. He touched my cheek with a gentle smile, then shook his head. “No, Maddie. You need all your strength for tomorrow, and I already took enough from you last night. I won’t send you weakened into our enemy’s territory. Not even a little.”

“But you need to feed,” I protested, hating the thought of him starving all night, especially when I could offer a solution.

He shook his head, that smile of his melting my insides. “I’ll be fine, luv. I’ve gone a lot longer without feedings, and I can manage until after your mission. Your well-being is my only priority.”

I searched his face for any sign of hesitation, any indication that he was just being stubborn, but found none. “Okay,” I conceded reluctantly. “But first thing tomorrow night, you’re feeding? Deal?”

“Deal,” he agreed, his smile broadening into a grin that chased away my concerns. “Now, let’s get you upstairs and tucked into bed. You need to rest because I need you to come back to me safe and sound.”

And hopefully with the good news that we’d slayed Nash during the day.

We headed upstairs, our hands clasped together as I led the way. Once we were tucked inside our room, I quickly undressed and hopped into bed. Gabriel stretched out beside me, content to just hold me as I slept.

ChapterSeventeen

A strange andunfamiliar sound yanked me from sleep, a faint scratching against the window. Instantly, awareness flooded me and my instinctive senses flared to life, parsing the sound. For a moment, I wondered if it could be a tree branch scraping against the glass or an animal scurrying along the gutters, but my wolf didn’t seem to think so. The way she howled in my head, alerting me to danger, had me darting up in bed.

The room was pitch-black, as always, thanks to the heavy UV-blocking curtains hanging from the wall. They blocked the sunlight, thereby protecting Gabriel, but right now, they also kept me from seeing what was happening out there. In the blackness, I spared a glance at Gabriel, only to find him motionless on the bed, tucked in for the day, and utterly oblivious. After sunrise, then.

I cocked my head and listened to the house and its occupants. From the sound of it, everyone else still slept, undisturbed and snoring away. Butsomeonewas awake, and that someone was currently working my window—or rather, the windowlock. Their movements were slow, cautious, and quiet. A professional, then. If I wasn’t a werewolf, I might not have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Someone was trying to break into my room. The very room I shared with Gabriel, who currently had a bounty on his head. It didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. I knewexactlywhat was happening. It was past dawn, meaning the intruder wasn’t Nash or Adrian, so it had to be one of my own. A slayer. And it was prime vampire slaying time.

Cursing inwardly, I hurried to the bureau, where I’d stashed everything Jaden had brought me from Jackson. I wrenched open the cabinet door and snatched up a dagger. The second my fingers closed around the hilt, calmness spread through me, and I hurried back to the bed, positioning myself between Gabriel and the window. I was armed and ready to confront the intruder head-on.

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