Ambrosia’s beautiful face twisted into something sharper. “You turn tender, Cristian. Predictable. Boring.”
Panic tightened my chest. “How do you know this? Where are you right now?”
She laughed and the sound slithered across the hall. “I am always watching.”
She snapped her fingers. The ballroom collapsed into water, cold and rushing. The room imploded.
I woke on the couch with a sudden, heaving gasp. Nadia shifted against me, murmured one word, then settled again.
My hand pressed to my heart. It raced. My other hand clutched the hem of Nadia’s shirt until the fabric creased under my fingers.
Ambrosia dared poison my rest with her venomous treachery and bring Nadia into it? I looked down at Nadia, peaceful in my arms. I would fix this.
I would burn for this woman.
Chapter 21
Nadia
Iwoke up alone.
The space beside me was still warm, but Cristian was gone. The bond thrummed weakly in my chest, restless and uneasy. My head felt heavy. My body, even heavier.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Every part of me felt exhausted. Coffee. I needed coffee.
In the kitchen, Ezra was halfway through a sandwich and typing on his laptop. He looked up when I came in. “Morning. In case you’re wondering, I still haven’t figured out how to kill those bastards without killing Cristian’s brother.”
“Good morning to you too,” I said through a yawn.
He shrugged. “Maybe they all need to go. Wouldn’t be a loss.”
I frowned. “There has to be a way that doesn’t involve killing his brother.”
Ezra didn’t even pause. “I don’t see why that would be a problem.” He looked back at his screen like he hadn’t just talked about murder over turkey and mayo. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Kind of off.”
He nodded slowly. “Hanging out with a vampire can do that to you.”
Something in his tone made me stop. “What does that mean?”
Ezra gave a short laugh. “I’m sure Cristian’s different. But the ones I worked for could drain you dry without blinking. Sometimes they were calm and charming. Then, out of nowhere, it was like something flipped. I’m sure you haven’t seen that with him. He seems safe.”
The way he looked at me when he said it made my stomach twist.
I forced a smile. “He is safe.”
Ezra’s mouth twitched. “Sure.” He took another bite, attention already back on his computer.
I stood there for another second, debating whether to ask more, but something about his calm made me uneasy. I decided to find Cristian first. Then maybe I’d start figuring out who exactly Ezra was.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said.
“Yeah,” he muttered without looking up.
Outside, the air was cool and damp. The bond steadied the second I stepped out the door. I followed it through the yard until I saw him.
Cristian stood barefoot in the grass. The light washed over him. He looked like he’d been standing there for hours, lost in thought. It must have been nice to stand in the sun after years of being stricken to the dark and then placed in a casket. I wondered, briefly, if when we broke the bond, I could find a way to make the sun safer for him.
