“Iamthe weapon, darling.”
“Right,” Sam said, frowning. But some of the tension seemed to go out of her, and she settled onto the couch, tucking her feet under her. “Huh. Weirdly, that makes me feel better.”
“I will be right outside the door,” Sadie assured her. She hesitated, her gaze searching Sam’s. “Nothing will harm you. You have my word.”
“Yeah, I think I believe that,” Sam replied, sounding almost baffled at her own words. Then her gaze slid to Harris and me. “Um… do you guys smell hot cocoa? Like really good hot chocolate? Like what we used to have on Christmas Eve?”
I shook my head.
Harris was still staring at them in total disbelief. “Is this a mind-control thing?” he asked in a stage whisper.
Sadie’s gaze snapped to him sharply. “I would never.”
Harris took a step back, his eyebrows shooting up. “Okay, lady. Whatever. Didn’t mean to insult you, I guess.”
The vampire arched a brow at him, gave him a once-over, and then seemed to dismiss him. She turned back to Sam. “I imagine the scent reminds you of home,” Sadie said quietly, her whole demeanor softening again. “Of belonging.”
My sister’s eyes snapped back to her, startled. “Wait—yeah. That’s it exactly.”
“Do you still wish to know the truth?” Sadie asked, seeming a bit more hesitant now. “I will deny you nothing. But I also have no wish to upset you. And the truth of this situation may be hard for you to accept at this moment. I would rather explain everything to you when the stakes are lower, and I can offer you my undivided attention. May I have the opportunity to do that?”
“Okay,” Sam said, shrugging. “Like, maybe we could have dinner or something and you could explain it then?” Then she paused, biting her lower lip. “Wait, is that weird? That’s weird.”
“Dinner would be lovely,” Sadie replied. “And it is not weird at all.”
“But you guys aren’t criminals?” Sam asked. “Do you promise?”
Sadie’s lips twitched with obvious amusement. “No, dear one. We are not criminals. You have my word. But thereisdanger, and you must stay here for the night in order to remain safe.”
“Okay,” Sam said again, nodding. “I believe you. And yeah, I can totally hang out here. But you’ll be right outside?”
Sadie nodded back at her. “No force on earth could make me leave until your safety is assured.”
Then, with one last, lingering look, she turned and swept out of the room.
“So that was a thing that just happened,” Harris said once the door closed with a soft click behind the vampire. He was still staring at Sam like she was an alien. “And you’re, what? You’re cool now? Just like that?”
Sam shrugged. “She said she’d explain the situation later. And… um… I trust her. It’s kind of weird, but I guess I do.”
I let out a long breath. It was hardly like I could judge. I was in love with a vampire, too. “It’s not so weird.”
“It’s not?” Harris demanded incredulously. “Can someone explain to me in small, clear words how it’s not weird?”
“It’s kind of like love at first sight,” I offered. “Sometimes you meet someone, and you just know that you can trust them.”
“Sounds kind of awful,” Harris said, grimacing. “I’d prefer to have my free will remain intact, thanks.”
Then my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked down at the screen. It was Nicolas. Relief surged through me.
“Is it over?” I asked, answering on the first ring.
“Eli, you and your sister must leave the hotel.Now.”
“Wait—what do you mean?” I asked, a chill flooding through me.
Before he could explain, there was a massive thud from the ceiling directly overhead—hard enough to crack the plaster.
Sam jumped to her feet, eyes wide.
