I still straddled James’s lap. He’d sealed his bite, but blood still smeared my neck, sticking to my skin and the collar of my shirt. Rebecca had planted the seed, and we’d just given Shiloh the proof.
“Blood,” they finished, voice so low that it was as if they’d hardly spoken at all. “What’s going on here?”
James tapped my knee, and I took it as a silent command to let him stand. I lowered myself onto the other side of the couch, covering my neck with my hand—like it would help. James dug around in his desk until he produced a pack of wet wipes, handing a few to me. “I’m so sorry, Shiloh.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” They watched, arms crossed over their chest while James wiped his mouth. I stayed quiet, watching their attention flicker between the two of us before it clicked. “Fuck… She was right. Y-you’re a v-vampire.”
“Shiloh,” James began. “Would you let us explain?”
“No!” The volume and anger in their voice made me flinch. “The time to explain was when I toldyou—” Shi pointed an accusatory finger at me, “—about what Rebecca said.”
I finally found more words. “Shi Baby, you have to understand?—”
“Don’t try to charm me with your cutesy names right now. The only thing that I understand is that youliedto me.”
“Rebecca—”
“Don’t you dare blame this on her. She was telling me the truth. You looked me in the eyes and you told me ‘that’s wild.’” Their eyes grew glossy with unshed tears. “You did theonething that both of you promised me you wouldn’t do. The only thing I asked from you in this little…arrangementwas not to keep things from me, and this is a pretty big thing to hide. Especially after Iaskedyou about it.” A disbelieving laugh bubbled out of them. “I knew that getting involved with you two was a bad idea. Rebounds never work.”
Ouch. I winced, and James scrubbed the back of his neck. Shiloh continued, pacing back and forth in front of me without a chance for either of us to get a word in. “Combine that with a relationship with myboss—an engaged boss at that! I…” Tears flowed down their cheeks now, and they choked out a sob. “I was setting myself up for failure, wasn’t I?”
James tried to raise a calming hand. “Shiloh,” he began, but they cut him off.
“Don’t try to brush this off.” A weird laugh hiccupped out of them. “I don’t think I even care that you’re a vampire, James. Can you believe that? But you never gave me the chance to be okay with it. You took away the right for me tochoosewhether to accept you for who you are because you were too scared I wouldn’t.”
I flinched at that. It was a feeling they had probably been on the receiving end themself, I realized. Next to me, James looked stricken.
Shiloh pushed their hands through their hair, then moved for the door. “I’m done. Whatever…thingwe had going on is over. And if you think I’m going all the way to Vegas for people who would treat me like this, you’re both delusional.”
The door slammed, leaving the room in ear-piercing silence. My heart thudded, and it was only then that I realized I was still covering my neck. My heartbeat pulsed against my palm. The blood was beginning to dry like glue on my skin.
James knelt in front of me, taking the wipes that I still clutched in my free hand. “Let me.” His hands were shaking, I noticed. He peeled my sticky hand away, cleaning it first before wiping the blood from my neck. The wipes were cool against my heated skin. I kept my eyes down, refusing to see my own emotions mirrored on James’s face. I’d fucked up big time by not telling Shiloh the truth, and something told me that Rebecca knew that the second she opened her mouth.
“How do we fix this?” I whispered.
James sighed. “I don’t know, love.” And my heart sank to my stomach. I didn’t like it when the centuries-old vampire didn’t know the answer to something. “For now, I think the only thing we can do is give them their space.” He stood and threw the bloodied wipes into the trash. “Let’s go home.”
Neither of us spoke the entire way. There was nothing to say. Even Carlos picked up on our somber moods, slinking off the couch to greet us at the door. James vanished, naturally, but I took a moment to play with him in the backyard while James made me something to eat. It had become part of our nightly routine. I tossed a ball for Carlos, letting him pretend to bring it back before chasing him down for it.
Shi’s words replayed over and over in my head, and they didn’t get any easier. But there was something they said that seemed off, so I kept going over them.
Once Carlos and I couldn’t take the cold anymore, I let him inside to curl up on his blanket. I trudged down the hall to the bedroom to change, and it was then that I realized what bothered me about Shiloh’s rant. It had all been justified, so why had it been niggling at my mind? It was what they’d said right before they stormed out, slamming the door behind them.
I rejoined James in the kitchen, leaning against the door frame. He continued cooking, and I watched until he raised his head from the food in front of him. “You all right, love?”
No.I didn’t answer the question. For a long moment, I let the silence stretch between us while I worried my lower lip between my teeth. When he turned off the stove and turned to face me, I finally found my words.
I clung to them like a life jacket. “Vegas?”
Chapter 21
James huffedand collapsed against the counter. “I guess the secret’s out.”
“What secret, baby?” I advanced into the kitchen, taking the plate that James offered me but feeling too queasy to eat any of it. I set it on the table and lowered myself into a chair. “And why was Shiloh the one to spill it?”
“When Hannah and I started working on the guest list,” he began, “Raleigh said that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Both of them leaving the Hopyard over Valentine’s Day just wasn’t feasible. Hannah was the one to ask if we could get married in Vegas instead, and I was all for it.” He sighed. “I know you, and I know how you love a grand gesture. It’s why I staffed up so much recently—Shiloh wanted to be there to see the look on your face when you figured it out. At least… they did.”
Despite the events of the night, I couldn’t help the smile that made my lips twitch. “You and Hannah organized an entire destination wedding? Just for me?”
