Page 40 of Blood Saved

“I can help, you know?”

“I’m scared you’d suggest we use you as bait like you did last time. It ain’t happening.”

She crossed her arms, but he was ready for her. He wouldn’t let that happen. She was too fucking important to be a trap. “It would work. Victor wants me.”

“Exactly. He wants you, which means that sooner or later, he’ll come here. He’ll find you, but we don’t need to make it easy for him. And when he comes even one inch too close to this town, I will…” He stopped short as he spotted the grin on her face. “Shit,” he hissed. “How did you do that?”

“Get you to spew your plan? All I had to do was ask.”

He pursed his lips. “Trouble. On so many levels. I am not saying another damn thing. Stop trying to trick me.”

“What about my sisters? Would they know the plan?”

“Nope. Absolutely not.”

“I don’t think you under how relationships work,” she teased. “You should probably know that whatever you tell Nero and Reece goes straight to Valentine and Celestine.”

“Not a chance. The guys wouldn’t. We’re sworn to secrecy.”

“Well, sure. But that doesn’t include spouses.Mates, in this case. They share beds, homes, and lives. You can bet your ass that your friends are currently doing the dishes with my sisters, telling them everything about your plan. And I know my sisters, so they’re getting a lot more out of ’em. Like how you feel about me.”

“Ah,” he mumbled. “I guess I didn’t think of that.”

“So. My sisters will just tell me. Keep your secrets.” She bent down at the dishwasher again, and he licked his lips, watching her. “I’ll ask them.”

“Don’t you dare, Lilliane. I’ll tell you everything when it’s finalized.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “My sisters will tell me.”

“What if I ask you to wait? There are still a lot of things up in the air. I don’t want it to stress you out every time we need to change a part of the plan.”

“Oh,” she nodded, understanding playing across her face.

“Every time he’s spotted, every time he moves from one city to the other, do you want to know?”

She shook her head. “No. You’re right. I don’t want to know any of that. It’ll stress me out way too much, and I’ll be paranoid and a nightmare to live with because of all…” She sighed. “Well, you know … the nightmares.”

He palmed her waist. “You don’t need to worry about the nightmares. I’ll be beside you every night. And if you need to sit up and watch those garbage shows, I can make you hot chocolate and hold you until you sleep.”

A smile pulled at the corner of her lips. “You do pretty much everything to protect me, huh?”

He made a big show of sighing. “Nowshe gets it.”

“Thanks for coming home for dinner.”

“I didn’t think how lonely it could be here all day. Alone and all that.”

“Right? My dumb sisters have work in their respective towns. They’re too busy to spend their days with me.”

“How about this,” he said, toying with her hair. “Tomorrow, I’ll spend the day here.”

“But what about the plan?”

“You let me worry about that, okay? I can stay on top of both.” He hoped that was true because he’d tried to keep away from being distracted, but it wasn’t working.

He needed to be around her. Remember what he was doing this for. So she would be safe.

So he would deserve the love shining through her eyes.

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