Page 12 of Violet

“I’ll pay for the damage,” the vampire cop says.

My sister takes out her phone and pulls up the Cleanly Den app. “There. Booked. She’ll head right over.”

“Amber,” the vampire turns to her, “do you mind watching the door, making sure no one steps on the glass?”

She nods. “You should probably go check on Liam. That was... unexpected.”

“Liam? As in Betty’s Liam?” My eyes widen as realization hits. Troll. Cop. Betty’s grandson, who’s a troll cop.

I should have put two and two together sooner, but it’s not like troll cops are rare in Silver Springs. How was I supposed to know my mate is Betty’s grandson? Especially when he looks nothing like his grandmother?

“Who’s Betty?” Amber asks.

“Me, dear,” Betty says, walking up with a stack of romance books. She sets them down on the desk, along with her library card, and turns to the vampire. “Hello, Bert. Good to see you again.”

“Ma’am.” Bert tips his ball cap slightly.

“I’m Amber,” my sister tells Betty. “I own the cafe in town.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amber. Liam’s always raving about your Mood Teas.”

“He is?” Amber asks, looking pleased. “How do you know him?”

“I’m his grandmother.”

Amber looks from Betty, to me, and back again. Then her eyes widen, and she suddenly shifts into a troll. My troll—Betty’s troll—Liam.

“Well done!” Betty claps her hands. “You can’t even tell the difference.”

Except that you can. I can! Because now that I’ve met the real Liam, I realize he looks so much hotter than my sister! Which sounds wrong. Like, really wrong... But Amber as Liam is a poor imitation of the real thing. And I realize that when it comes to my troll, I’ll always know if it’s him.

“Where is Liam?” Betty asks once Amber shifts back to herself again. “We’re supposed to leave soon, or I’m going to be late for my cut.”

“He—” Bert starts to explain.

“Had to go back on duty!” I interrupt, silently pleading that he’ll stick to my story.

I don’t know why I even bother. It’s not like I can somehow keep this a secret from Betty. She’ll find out the truth as soon as she gets home. And if Liam doesn’t tell her, someone else will. In a small town like Silver Springs, word travels fast.

I should just tell Betty myself. Get it over with, like ripping off a bandage. Except how do I explain that her grandson is my mate? She’ll think I’m a cougar—scratch that, a double cougar! I’m not just old enough to be Liam’s mother, but his grandmother... maybe even great-grandmother. Once Betty finds out, she’ll never speak to me again.

I think Bert notices my panic, because he doesn’t rat me out. Instead, he says, “An officer of the law never sleeps.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Betty says with a far-away look that tells me she’s thinking of her late husband. Then she frowns. “Shouldn’t you go with him, Bert?”

“I was just about to do that, ma’am. Just need to make sure the glass is taken care of.”

“What glass?” Betty frowns, like she somehow missed the front door exploding.

She glances down at her feet first, then at me, then back toward the shelves. I follow her gaze and spot Stacks rolling around on his back, wagging his tail happily while one of the seniors gives him a belly rub. Which is weird, but also kind of adorable.

“The front door,” Bert clarifies, shooting me a pointed look. “There was an... incident. I’m surprised you didn’t hear it, Betty.”

“It must have happened while I was in the ladies’ room,” Betty says, turning to gape at the door. “Is Liam chasing after the perp?”

“Something like that.” Bert nods and gives me another pointed look. “Now, I better go look for my partner.”

“And I’ll go keep an eye on the door. Zoe should be here at any moment,” Amber adds.