Page 118 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

I can tell Cassian is dismissing his concern because Noah looks even more annoyed than before.

“I’m just telling you to be careful,” Noah snaps. “I’m going now. Try not to die.”

“Maybe it wasn’t Sophia,” I say when he hangs up. “We were around Alfred for a while, too.”

But Noah has decided Sophia is to blame for Cassian’s illness. And, honestly, I’m not sure I should try to dissuade him this time. Bad things keep happening every time Cassian’s ex-fiancée shows up.

“Here we are.” Emera returns with new clothing. “Bigger jacket, bigger shirt.”

Noah nods, accepting the clothes.

As soon as he disappears behind the curtain, she looks at me, smirking. “If those don’t fit, we’ll just put a bow tie on him and call him dressed.”

“I canhearyou,” Noah says from behind the curtain.

Unable to help myself, stressed over the last few days and desperately needing a release, I laugh.

“I’ll deliverthe clothes to your room when I’m finished,” Emera says as we leave.

Her studio is within the castle grounds, toward the back of the estate, behind the gardens, and in the woods. If someone wanted to attack us, now would be the time.

When we came with Emera, she drove us in her car. But now, we’re alone on the dirt road, with only birds for company. Noah is on edge, which is making me even more nervous.

We listen to the woods, not talking, staying aware of our surroundings.

I resist the urge to check my hair pins, not wanting to bring attention to them.

But no one attacks, and soon, we’re back in the main castle grounds. We pass a few vampires out on their strolls. Many watch us from under the protective shade of their large, black umbrellas, probably wondering who we are, why we’re here, and how we’re out in broad daylight. A few recognize Noah, and they greet us before they continue.

I glance at my phone when we reach the castle. It’s just after twelve now. I have five more hours to get myself kidnapped.

No problem.

“What now?” I ask, looking around.

“Let’s head back to the room,” Noah says.

On our way through the ornate halls, trying to find the wing Mihaela led us into earlier, we pass a familiar man. He nods to Noah, saying nothing, and continues on his way.

“Who was that?” I whisper.

“Daniel.”

“Daniel from Glenwood?” I say, surprised. “Your intel guy? What’s he doing here?”

“Keeping an eye on things.”

I don’t know if that makes me feel better or freaks me out more.

But Daniel doesn’t scare me nearly as much as the man who emerges from the room next to ours.

I stop in my tracks.

Gerald’s eyes sweep over us, thoroughly unimpressed. Coming to a stop in front of us in the middle of the hall, he says, “Cassian doesn’t know when to give up, does he?”

“What did you do to him?” I blurt out, realizing seconds after it leaves my mouth that I should have kept quiet.

Noah sends me a stern look, confirming I’m right.

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