Page 45 of Fanged Temptation

There was no time to consider what had happened between us the night before. No time to talk about what it meant to either of us. And no time to examine the certainsomethingthat had clicked into place in my heart when I’d kissed her dizzy.

I was less than thrilled about baring my soul to all present parties, but it wasn’t just my life on the line now. Leah was in danger too, and so was her grandfather. And if we were going tohandle my family and Gregor’s looming presence, we were going to need all the help we could get.

So I took a deep breath, tossed my hair over my shoulder, and launched into the story: how my family had tried to force me into an arranged marriage with a vampire named Gregor Voronsky, how I fled to New York and left Leah behind in San Francisco, how I’d hidden the truth, and how I’d hoped never to cross paths with Gregor or my family again.

The mood shifted as I continued, detailing everything Leah had told me about my family showing up on her doorstep—the threat they posed, and their true motives. No doubt they were workingwithGregor, doing everything in their power to curry favor with the possessive, ancient vamp.

As I spoke, Hunter’s lips drew into a grim line, Addison let out a low curse under her breath, and Jordan’s fingers drummed impatiently on her forearm. The only sound from River was a soft cluck of her tongue.

When I was finally finished the room fell silent, save for the occasional swish of the fish in the trickling stream.

“Max,” Sky murmured eventually, raking a hand through her hair, “you could’ve told us sooner.”

“I know.” I blew out a breath, avoiding the various sets of eyes on me. “I just–I was… afraid.”

“Why?” Dylan piped up, signing the question too for Amara’s sake.

“I don’t know.” I kept my eyes down, my hands forming the signals alongside my words. “I thought you’d all think I was overreacting. That I was just some spoiled runaway princess who didn’t want to face reality.”

“Maxine, that’s ridiculous.” Hunter palmed a hand to her face, shaking her head. “Listen to yourself. You were being forced to marry someone against your will. Hell, if you’d told ussooner I would have tracked this guy down myself and sent him packing.”

“No.” I couldn’t keep the tremor out of my tone, blood draining from my face as I rounded on her. “Gregor is not someone you want to mess with. He’s ancient, Hunter. Ancient and powerful. He hides it well but…” I folded my arms, plopping onto the sofa behind me. “He’s a monster. And I don’t want to see you get hurt—any of you.”

“We’re not going to get hurt.” Hunter snorted. “But seriously Maxine, you should’ve told us sooner.”

Jordan, arms still crossed, finally exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “So your fiancé’s been sending wax monstrosities to flush you out. Fantastic.” She glanced at the others. “This makes way more sense now. We’ve had odd sightings reported recently, but we weren’t sure who was behind it.”

I shifted in my seat and crossed my legs. “I–”

But Jordan was still shaking her head. “We could have been better prepared if you’d just told me the truth from the beginning.” Her gaze darted to Leah—who hovered at my shoulder, freezing up when she noticed the eyes on her—and then back to me. “You’re a Leyore vampire, Maxine, you owe it to us to be honest when we have enemies on our turf.”

My pride flared. I couldn’t entirely blame them for being upset, but the guilt and shame burned me up, fueling my exasperation.I squeezed my hands into fists before forcing them to relax.

“Look, I know I messed up,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “But can we not pretend you all lay every secret you have on the table either? Because you don’t.”

An awkward hush settled. They glanced at one another, clearly not thrilled with where this was going. River, with an infuriatingly coy smile, signed a quickWhat do you mean?whileDylan and Amara looked on silently, eyes flicking back and forth between us.

I drew in a deep breath and stuck my nose in the air, letting the tension in me uncoil just enough to speak. “I’m just saying,” I began, “considering how many ofyoursecrets I keep, maybe you don’t want me to betooopen and honest.”

That got a few raised eyebrows. Addison coughed, looking intrigued. Dylan eyed me warily.

I shot them all a titillating grin, dredging up something mild. “For example, Sky, you remember that time you and Jordan got hot and heavy in the High Stakes office? I do—unfortunately, I was working late that evening and happened to hear all about Jordan's big–”

“All right, point made!” Sky’s cheeks turned a violent shade of pink.

“And you,” I turned to Hunter who stared back, already scandalized. “Aside from everything that went down with Addison and the elves, I know a few more of your secrets too. When were you planning on telling Jordan that you’re the one who taught Hilda how to swear?”

“It wasyou?!” Jordan rounded on Hunter, slamming her hands down on the back of the sofa. “I should have known. No one else would have taught her to say ‘fan-fucking-tastic’.”

“Hey, now.” Hunter attempted a weak defense, raising her palms in surrender. “You’re the one who decided to make me babysitter against my will. I can’t be held responsible for what those little monsters learn from their time with me.”

A chorus of snickers rippled through the group, the tension loosening a notch. I eyed Addison, whose arms were folded in feigned confidence. She’d thus far managed to avoid direct fire, so I turned the crosshairs on her.

“And Addison.” I smiled sweetly, relishing the mild panic that flickered in her eyes. “How’s that precious collectionof yours? The one I hear you spend, oh, hundreds—maybe thousands—on?”

Addison’s jaw clenched. “What are you talking about, Max?”

“Oh, you know—those Cabbage Patch dolls you keep in the locked trunk under your bed,” I sing-songed, watching her face go white. “I recall you mentioning a rare vintage one that set you back a pretty penny, hmm?”

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