Page 62 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

People try to talk to Noah as he crosses the room, but he blatantly ignores them all. His eyes are locked on me. The man looks like he’s going to kill someone. But—good news—Sam already did that for him.

The police have removed Ethan’s body, and the spot surrounding the couch is roped off with crime scene tape. Apparently, I bled on the cushions.

A paramedic cleaned up my neck. The bite is almost healed, and the bruises from Ethan’s hands are already gone, but there’s a stain on the collar of my shirt that’s impossible to hide.

Gulping, I stand when Noah reaches me, closing my eyes when he roughly yanks me against him. His arms wrap around my back, tightly possessive, and I can hear the rapid pace of his heart.

He’s scared—or he was. Now I think he’s relieved and angry. It’s a volatile combination.

“Are you all right?” he demands.

Physically, I’m weirdly fine. But mentally? That’s a whole different story. The adrenaline has worn off, leaving me feeling panicky and sick to my stomach. One minute, I think I’m okay, and the next, I’m a trembling mess.

“The paramedics took Erin to the hospital,” I tell him instead of answering. “She has a concussion.”

He frowns down at me and then glances around, likely noting we have an audience.

“Adam is okay,” I continue. “Sam knocked him unconscious, tied him up, and left him in a bathroom stall. It took a while for the police to find him.”

I was going to keep Sam’s identity under wraps—the least I could do—but there are surveillance cameras all over the building, and they spotted him as clear as day. I don’t think it’s going to be long before Ethan’s men figure out the tattooed assassin killed their boss.

“I had no idea Ethan would look for you here,” Noah says.

“He put a tracking device in my purse while he was in the hotel room. The police took it, but if you want to see it, they might let you look at it since you’re a VIV.”

“A VIV?”

“A very important vampire.” I try to smile at my feeble attempt at a joke, but my heart’s not into it.

Noah’s eyes drop to my neck, and I look away, casually bringing my hair over my shoulder.

Noticing my reaction, he rubs his hand over my arm. “Let me talk to the police, and then I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

Again, I force a smile, pretending I’m all right.

Cassian comes over to me as soon as Noah joins an important-looking circle of men. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

His expression darkens when he notices the blood on my shirt. “Ethan bit you again.”

My eyes start to sting, and I stare at my abandoned foam cup of coffee on the table. “Yeah. I think he was trying to remind me I belonged to him.”

Cassian frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You know, the vampire allegiance thing. He said he infected me, so I should honor and obey him.” I try to give him a brave smile. “You should be proud of me—I told him you were the head of my house, not him.”

Cassian’s face goes suspiciously blank, as it has every time I bring up his line.

“Why do you keep doing that?” I demand.

“Doing what?”

“You keep getting weird when I mention your house.”

He looks like he’s going to avoid the question, but he finally gives in. “Sam isn’t one of mine—Sophia didn’t change him. Since he was the one who bit you that final time, you belong to his house.”

“What?” I whisper, aghast. “What house is that?”

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