I don’t know what help he thought I’d be, but I held the door open anyway while he maneuvered her inside, using his other hand to wiggle his phone free. There was only one person he would be texting in the middle of the night when a vampire turned up on our doorstep. As he eased Dani onto the couch in his office, I took the seat at his desk, trying—and failing—to hide my nerves. My right leg bounced a mile a minute, and mythumbnail was fixed between my teeth. James turned around, clearly conflicted.
“I’m fine,” I muttered around my finger, hearing the lie as it left my lips. “Where the hell is Gabriel?” The vampire could cross the city in an eyeblink, so I had expected him to show up before James returned his phone back to his pocket.
“I don’t know,” James admitted, and hearing those three words coming from his mouth did little to ease my anxiety. “He’ll be here as soon as he can.”
“It’s almost two in the morning,” I snapped, more to myself than my fiancé. “What could he possibly be doing?”
I didn’t get an answer.
I’d never wantedto see Gabriel walk through that door—or any other, for that matter—more than I did in that moment. I wasn’t typically a nervous person, but damn it, recent events had really kicked my heart rate up, making me sweat like a teenager on his first date.
One of those things was Gabriel Smith.
Sure, the man had proven to be helpful when a team of hunters groomed Kian to plant cursed diamonds on James and me. Gabriel had been the only one who knew how to break the curse. Not only had he saved our lives—he’d saved our relationship.
He still gave me the creeps, and my skin was already crawling from having to babysit an unpredictable baby vampire.
I stayed behind the cover of the desk; not that it would provide much protection if things went south. James, with all his training and centuries of experience, could snap the thing like a toothpick given the chance. The thought of what a new vampire who didn’t know her own strength could do chilled me to my core.
Minutes ticked by on the clock, and Dani fell asleep on the couch. James perched on the edge of his desk, ready to intercepther if she woke up angry. He’d removed his silver chain, I noticed.
I could have gone home—James was more than capable of handling things—butIdidn’t want to be alone. It was a feat in and of itself for me to admit that, even to myself, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it. At least not right now.
There was no chance in hell that I was leaving James on his own with Dani.
After what felt like forever, James muttered, “Finally,” and pushed off the desk. I blinked, and then two vampires appeared in front of me.
My heart began to race.
Gabriel stood next to James. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans—designer, no doubt. His blond hair was a bit longer, but otherwise he looked exactly like the last time I’d seen him, save for the absence of the bandages around his palms and wrists. The last time Dani tried to kill us, Gabriel had risked his life to free James from the pure silver chains that bound him to the bed.
His bright, crimson eyes gazed back at me. After I was released from the hospital, James explained that Gabriel had found his mate. That heightened his emotions, making his eyes appear more vibrant than usual, especially since his mate wanted nothing to do with him.
“Where’ve you been?” I snapped, a bit more venom in my voice than I intended. But… I was scared, okay?
“I got… caught up,” Gabriel admitted, shuffling on the spot. “Work stuff.”
Skeptical, I raised a brow. “I didn’t know PIs worked in the middle of the night.”
“That’s when we do ourbestwork.”
Something was still off. Usually the one to staremedown until I submitted, Gabriel wouldn’t hold my gaze, his attentionbouncing around the room. Fated vampires wereterribleliars when it came to their mates.
Feeling smug, I relaxed in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “How’s Luke?”
“The bane of my existence,” he muttered to his feet.
Attempting my best British accent, which according to James was terrible, I said, “And the object of all your desires?”
Raising a brow, Gabriel turned to James.
“We’ve been watchingBridgerton,” my fiancé explained, “and he gets mouthy when he’s nervous. Can we get back to the reason you’re here, please?” He indicated Dani’s sleeping form on the couch.
“Happily. Did she say who turned her?”
“No,” James answered. “Just ‘they.’ She passed out and has been asleep ever since.”
“I can’t imagine being left alone after a turning bite…” Gabriel watched Dani with a look I’d never seen from him before. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he blinked against glossy eyes. “Even the people who did it to me watched me through the transition.”
