I knew what that meant: Vampire business.
Dizzy, I forced myself to raise my head and sit back in the chair, giving James a weak smile. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
Chapter 14
As James leftwith the other two vampires in tow, I tried to examine the spellbook. Yet again, it slammed shut.
I shoved the book into the top drawer of James’s desk in disgust. I didn’t have time to wonder why I couldn’t open my own family’s damn spellbook. Tucking Victoria’s information in my pocket, I slumped back into his chair.
Shi knocked once, quietly, before easing the door open and slipping into the room—with an espresso martini in their hand. “You okay?” they asked. “James said you could use some comforting.”
I didn’t bother to hide the smile on my face. I couldn’t even be mad at James for suggesting that I wasn’t always the smooth, confident persona that I put on in front of Shi. “Yeah,” I said, patting my thigh. “Come here.”
Sheepishly, they crossed the room and stretched across my lap, handing over my drink. They sighed in relief. “My legs are killing me.”
“It’s all these long hours. Maybe it’s time to give yourself a break.”
“Break? What’s that?” They snickered, resting their head on my shoulder.
I took a sip of the drink, delighting in the taste of it. Bitter espresso and sharp vodka burst onto my tongue, soothed instantly by the Kahlua and a sweet, creamy flavor chasing the burn. “Damn this is good. Did you add strawberries?”
Shi peered up at me from beneath their lashes. “Strawberries and cream Bailey’s.”
“It’s amazing.”
“Who were those people that just left here?” Shi asked.
“Just some friends,” I said, and I cringed at how easily the lie rolled off my tongue.
But Shiloh was no fool. They sat up, staying in my lap but meeting my eyes. “The girl, Rebecca.”
“What about her?”
“She’s been in here before. I had to cut her off actually.” Shiloh stole my drink, and I squirmed when their lips curled around the rim of the glass.
“Are you driving?” I asked cautiously.
“Yes.” Their tongue darted out to catch a drop of espresso foam below their lip—before I could move to do it myself. “Which is why that’s all I’m going to have. Rebecca, though? She started saying some wild shit.”
“Like what?”
“Like trying to convince me that James is a vampire. She was pretty adamant about it.”
I choked. “Thatiswild. How much did she have to drink?”
“I lost count,” Shi laughed, leaning against my shoulder again. Good—they couldn’t see my face that way. “New bar rule: It’s time to cut someone off when they think they’re in the next edition ofTwilight.”
I forced a laugh, feeling awful. Shiloh had made James and I swear not to lie to them, but I couldn’t tell them the truth, could I? It was James’s secret to tell. At the very least, this was definitely a conversation he needed to be a part of.
And outside of that, we had a new issue: Rebecca. What did she have to gain by telling Shiloh about James?
Thankfully, the conversation moved on and I let myself relax. A few minutes later, James returned to the room, and Shiloh disentangled themself from me. “You can have your fiancé back,” they told him.
“You can stay,” James told them.
Shiloh shook their head. “It’s okay. I want to go to bed—and not be starfished out of it.” They threw me a wink, and I couldn’t find it in me to argue.
“Let us know when you make it home,” I said instead.
