Page 14 of Blood and Bonbons

“Iamyour brother.”

“You won’t be for long if you keep yapping. You’re upsetting Ev. Hoes before bros.”

“Ev wasalreadyupset,” I said grumpily. “You led me to a fairy hoard. Your show of solidarity isn’t going to earn my forgiveness over that betrayal.”

“You found the hoard?” Miles asked with pure excitement in his tone.

“Yep, and the vampire hibernating in it,” I snapped.

His face went pale, and he whirled on Vena.

“We’re fine,” she said. “The keyword is hibernating. He didn’t even know we were there.”

Miles’ gaze flicked to my cheek. “The vampire was in the fairy hoard cave where you hurt yourself?”

“Don’t question me like I did something wrong,” I said angrily and forked the cheesecake. “I wasn’t even supposed to be there.”

“This is serious. Vena, you know what this means.”

“What does it mean?” I asked around a mouthful of self-soothing.

“You don’t want to know,” Vena said at the same time Miles started talking.

“If the vampire wakes up in the next few months, he’ll be able to track you by the scent of your blood.”

“Which is unlikely,” Vena said. “If he was going to wake up, he would have already. The vamp was dressed like George Washington.”

“She thought he was wearing a codpiece,” I said. “It was a coin purse.”

Vena swore and looked at me. “Tell me you still have the ring.”

I frowned, thinking back. I remembered her shoving the ring at me and then…

“I think it’s in my pants.”

“That’s what he said,” she called, racing from the room.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Miles held up a hand, looking sick. “Are you telling me you took something from a vampire?”

“Found it!” Vena yelled. “It was in your pocket. See? You’re the perfect sidekick.”

“Never again,” I said, shaking my head when she reentered the kitchen.

“Vena,” Miles said, “you have to put it back.”

“What? Why? You didn’t even look at it.” She held it up and stuck it in his face. “I think it’s a ruby. Do you know how much one the size of your thumbnail would go for?”

“As soon as I disclose its origin, no one will buy it.”

Her face fell a little. “Why?”

“The vampire will track down the person who took it and kill them—and anyone else who touched it—to get it back.”

I stopped chewing and stared at both of them.

“Only if he wakes up,” she said quickly.

“It’s not a chance we can take. Put it back, Vena.”

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