Page 116 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

Ignoring him, my eyes move to his neck. His breath hitches when I touch him, my fingertips playing over his pulse point.

“Let me bite you,” I whisper.

He pulls my hand from his neck and kisses the tip of my index finger. “Later.”

“Noah,” I whine, smiling.

“All the things,” he says, his voice slightly gritty, “we’ll do them later.”

“If we’re interrupted tonight?—”

“I’ll stake whoever comes to the door.” He suddenly grins, his smile so warm, and he brushes back my hair and kisses me softly. “Believe me, this has been torture for us both. Soon, we’ll have nothing but time. Let’s just secure Cassian’s nominations first.”

“Fine,” I say with a sigh, willing my fangs to retract. “Speaking of Cassian, I thought of something in the car, but I couldn’t say it in front of Tomas.”

“Don’t forget to put your hair pins in your hair and wear your purse,” he reminds me absently, slipping his wallet in his pocket and then rummaging in his suitcase for his pocketknife. “What couldn’t you say?”

I fuss with my pins and redo my chignon, wondering if it will get easier with time. “Gerald is a scientist—he’s spent his life researching Vampira B. Do you think he’s done something to Cassian? Slipped him some kind of anti-vampire drug? Something that can wipe out the Vampiria B in our systems and make us susceptible to illnesses again?”

Noah goes still, his pocketknife halfway into his pocket, and his eyes slowly meet mine. “I’m not sure. When would he have had the chance?”

“I don’t know.” I shake my head as I realize it’s impossible. “We were only around him for a few minutes…”

I trail off, not liking where my train of thought is taking me.

“Sophia,” Noah says darkly, apparently reaching the same conclusion.

“She couldn’t have,” I argue. “She’s in love with him—you’ve seen her.”

But even I’m not convinced. The timing is too bizarre.

“I need to call him.” Noah grabs his cell phone, and I sit on the bed, wishing I’d mentioned it as soon as we were alone.

“She’s with him now,” I say. “If she wanted to kill him, it wouldn’t be difficult.”

“Thankfully, we took him to the hospital,” Noah says, growing impatient when Cassian doesn’t immediately answer.

He hangs up and then chooses another number from his contact list.

“Who are you calling now?”

“Max.”

“Max?” I ask, startled. “My Max?”

“Hey, it’s Noah,” he says when my brother answers. “I know it’s the middle of the night, but I need you on the next plane to Miami. NIHA will cover the travel expenses.”

I stare at him, baffled. As soon as he ends the call, I ask, “Why Max? With the drive to Denver, it’s going to be half a day before he can get to the hospital, and that’s only if he manages to get a direct flight.”

“He’s the only other NIHA agent I can trust to keep an eye on Sophia.”

“But Max isn’t a hunter.”

“I don’t need a hunter. I just need another set of eyes.”

“What if he doesn’t get there in time?”

Noah locks eyes with me, his eyebrows low and his face worried.

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