Page 30 of The Biting Bargain

I'm just a useful tool to get what he wants. And he only fixed my sprained ankle because he has no use for a limping companion.

As if to confirm my thoughts, Vincent rises with the elegant swagger of a rested cat and turns to leave.

"Wait a minute," I call out.

"I have business to attend to," Vincent says without a look back, striding toward the door.

"But..." I try to stand, but give a little hiss when my ankle burns with another thrill of pain. I sink back onto the bed. "Don't you shift back when you're not... with me?"

He stops in front of the door, seeming to hesitate for a second before looking over his shoulder.

"My living area is right next door," he says curtly, his dark gaze cutting like a knife. "That should be close enough, don't you think?"

I frown, jutting my chin out.

"So what happens next?"

"Aidan will see that you get everything you need," he says. "He'll also fix up your foot. Next time, let me know right away if anything is wrong."

I cross my arms in front of my chest. "Anything else? Am I supposed to twiddle my thumbs? What do companions do, usually?"

"They’re definitely not that fucking cheeky," he growls, and then he opens the door and disappears before I can come up with a clever retort. The black wood swings shut and I'm alone.

* * *

Sure enough,five minutes later Aidan bursts into the room, apologizes twenty-seven times while unpacking a first aid kit and bandaging my foot, and in the middle of it all, as my stomach growls like a leashed wolf that hasn't eaten in days, he orders takeout.

After he's gone and I flop onto the bed with a sigh, I muse that if there's one good thing about this whole disaster, it's that I'm finally safe. DiMartino’s goons can’t reach me here. For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can relax. All I had to do was get kidnapped by a surly vampire. Piece of cake.

However, I should get a few things done, so I grab my phone and make a few awkward calls.

I actually don't feel particularly bad about quitting my jobs at the supermarket and the call center. Working there sucked and payment was a joke. Only when I call Midnight Harbor, my stomach churns. Gracy's parents were so good to me, and working at the bar was in fact the highlight of my week.

"I'm sorry. I can pay off all my debts at once if I take this job here."

"Honey, of course we understand. I hope everything is okay?" Gracy’s mom’s voice has tears pricking in my eyes.

"Yes, really." I force a smile, wiping the tears away quickly. "Everything’s fine. Thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it." Now Colin’s voice booms from my phone. "If you need another job down the line, just come back."

I can't help but choke down another heap of tears as I hang up.

Time for the most awkward call. There are like fifty missed calls from my girls, who are probably freaking out about now. I bite my lip and start a video call. Not even a second later, Marigold glares at me from the display.

"What the hell, Polly!" She looks like she's ready to breathe fire through the line. "I was this close to calling the cops! What happened?"

I wince. I'm probably lucky she hasn't triggered a full-scale manhunt by P.A.S.H. agents yet.

"I'm fine," I say quickly. "Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Stuff happened."

"Stuff?" The room behind Marigold spins and I hear tinny rattling in the background. She's wearing an apron. She's probably stress-baking cinnamon buns or macarons again, like she always does when she's angry.

"We thought you'd been kidnapped," she shouts, "Or dead! Or worse!"

"Worse than dead?" I raise a brow.

"Stop it! What's going on?" Marigold glares harder. I raise my shoulders, sigh, lean back into the luxurious pillows and begin to tell. I leave out anything concerning Vincent's werewolf secret. In my version he saved me from the mafia thugs and made me an offer. I'll be his companion for some time and get a pile of cash at the end.

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