Page 102 of Hunters and Hydrangeas

“He has a headache?” Noah whispers, his eyes widening.

She nods, pursing her lips. “I’m worried about him.”

I catch Noah’s arm before we go in. “Are there vampires older than Cassian? He hasn’t…” I gulp. “Reached the end, has he?”

“No, that’s not a problem. There are several princes older than Cassian.”

“And, of course, there was Edgar Elgerson, head of what’s now the Hilden line,” Sophia points out. “He lived until seven hundred seventy-three and only died because a tree fell on his house and crushed him while he slept.”

“Oh…” I say. “That’s good, I guess?”

“For Cassian.” She looks thoughtful. “Not for Edgar.”

Noah gives Sophia a weird look and then says, “Let’s take Cassian’s temperature and see if we’re overreacting.”

The vampire prince watches us as we enter the suite’s bedroom, eyes narrowed, not looking terribly impressed. “Go away—I’m fine.”

“I see you gave him the bed,” I say to Sophia.

“He looked too pathetic,” she answers. “It seemed wrong to put him on the couch.”

Cassian rolls his eyes.

Noah fusses with the thermometer packaging. Once he has it free, he points it at Cassian’s forehead. With an angry beep, the screen turns red as a number with one too many digits flashes across it.

“One hundred-point-eight,” Noah says dumbly, slowly letting his arm fall. “Cassian…you have a fever.”

“We’ve checked it a dozen times,”Cassian says to his doctor, slumped in one of the upholstered chairs in the main room, the phone pressed to his ear.

Noah paces, and Sophia stands on the balcony. I’m on the couch, trying not to freak out.

What could Cassian have picked up that his vampire body can’t fight?

Cassian ends the call and rubs a hand over his face.

“Well?” Sophia demands. “What did he say?”

“He wants me to go in for a blood test.”

“Tomorrow?”

“No, now.”

“Where do we take you?”

“Since it’s so late, he’s making a few calls. He’s going to let me know in a few minutes.”

Those few minutes feel like an eternity.

Finally, Cassian’s phone rings.

“Okay,” he says to the doctor. “Yes, I understand. I will.”

I glance at Sophia, wondering how she’s taking all this.

“What did he say?” she demands the second he lowers his phone.

“He wants me to go to a nearby hospital. They’re expecting me in the emergency room.”

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