“I don’t know. I’d like him to be. But I also don’t want to endanger his life.”
“I told you—”
“I meant because of me and my…shit. What happens the day thatthingcomes back, huh?”
“We stand shoulder to shoulderwithhim and fight itforyou,” he says, his voice full of certainty. “That’swhat we do.”
“I don’t know if it’s something thatcanbe fought.”
“Maybe it’s time for you to stop running and find out.”
“But I don’t want to find out at the expense ofanyone’slife—shifter or vampire or human.”
He grumbles some. I can tell he wants to argue this point with me, and Igetit. I appreciate it—Ido. But he’s already conflicted enough. If it was up to him, the shifters would wipe out all the vampires.
Igetit.
I also understand why the vampires do their thing. Some of them are pretty shitty, some are great, and most are average. Like shifters.
Like humans. I mean, humans can bemassivelyshitty to each other.
But, hey, it’s thevampiresthe shifters will call on to wipe human minds, so they don’t have to freakingkillthem because of their bullshit secrecy codes, sooo…
Who’s the “worst” one of the two? Well, three, counting humans.
It’s a draw.
“Be safe, Connie.” He steps back and pats the side of the Audi—motherfucker—and smiles. “Let him buy you stuff. You deserve it.” He strides back toward the building and is already pulling his cell out.
It’s tempting to race back inside, but I have to trust Garrett. He’s a wolf of his word.
Besides, he’s a fricking wolf. He could practically walk through my door and rip the closet open before I could even get halfway up the stairs.
I roll the window up, make a final check of the mirrors and everything, and fasten my seat belt.
This will be alongfreaking afternoon.
20
Eilidh
The first stopI make is at a full-service car wash, except I pay for it myself with cash.
I mean,seriously. Garrett did everything but drop his jeans and rub his junk on the Audi.
Relatively speaking.
Once the car is de-wolfed, I head to the hotel. I have Dex’s wallet in my purse. I bypass valet parking and self-park in the lot. When I head inside, I fight the urge to run.
This isn’t a walk of shame.
There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing.
Hell, the people here don’t even know Dex is a vampire. They don’t know about shifters or vampires, unless they’re part of either world. They’re clueless humans who go about their lives happily unaware of the danger living among them.
They don’t know I’m attracted to Dexter in a way I’ve never felt about anyone before, and all the conflicting feelings I can’t process.
I’m sweating fricking bullets as I ride the elevator up to his floor and then get my bearings. The main suite door opens with the key, and I head down the hall. At his room door, I swipe the key, and the lock turns green and clicks open.
