Page 129 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

Gerald, Larissa, and Alfred were sentenced as well, though they only got ten years, likely because none were directly involved in Etienne’s assassination.

Thanks to the pardon Cassian issued Sophia, she was acquitted, and I suspect she administered the “booster” he desperately needed.

He claims they’re not together, though. Not yet anyway.

“Couch or bed?” I ask Noah when we get inside.

“Bed,” he says, his voice scratchy. He sounds miserable, and I’m delighted that I can’t catch it.

I follow him up the stairs, tugging him to a stop when he turns toward the guest bedroom. “Where are you going?”

He glances down the hall and then back at me, looking a little befuddled.

“We’re married—you get to sleep with me now.”

“Right.” He trudges toward my bedroom and falls on the bed.

I bring him painkillers and set a glass on the nightstand. “Take these and get some sleep, okay?”

He mumbles, probably agreeing. I smile to myself and leave him to rest.

The doorbell rings when I’m halfway down the stairs.

I jolt a little, my body programmed to panic these days. I’m hoping I’ll get over it eventually.

But it’s just Cassian.

I open the door for him. “Hi.”

“I see you made it back okay,” he says. “How was your drive?”

“Long.”

We arrived in Miami just fine, but the day before we were supposed to fly back to Colorado, Noah began showing flu symptoms. It felt wrong to subject the other passengers to his germs, so we decided to drive home.

“Are you feeling better?” I ask.

“I feel fine now. I’m supposed to go in for a blood test in a few weeks to see where my Vampiria B levels are at.”

I raise my brows. “I hope you at least took Sophia to dinner before asking her to bite you.”

A wicked look crosses his face, confirming my suspicions. “I didn’t have to ask.”

“Never mind—I don’t want to know. Why are you here?”

“Can’t your conservator welcome you home?”

“You can, but you look like you have something on your mind.”

His expression becomes solemn. “I just wanted to thank you and Noah for everything you did.”

I gesture toward the stairs. “Noah is sleeping.”

“Then I’ll thank you.”

“I didn’t do much. Just went undercover, caught the evil vampire, and probably saved your life.”

Cassian laughs. “You’re right—why did I even bother making the drive over?”

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