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Like a good boy, I follow all his instructions, standing up when I’m told to and pointing out all the spots that are sore, and finally he concedes that I don’t need medical attention. He packs up his toolbox as Lauren brings a tray of steaming mugs over to the table.

“Take these and have a hot bath with Epsom salts before bed,” he orders, passing me a packet of Nurofen.

“Can I have a shower instead? I don’t like baths.” I pop two caplets out of the blister pack to prove I’m not trying to be difficult, even though I kind of am. A bath sounds pretty good right now.

The glare Clive gives me says he knows exactly what I’m doing, and I smile angelically in return.

“You’ll have the bath,” Tristan interjects, coming to sit at the head of the table, two places away from me. “Drink your tea and tell us exactly what happened. Leave nothing out.”

I take a sip from my mug and am surprised by the nostalgic comfort the subtle chamomile flavour gives. I guess those times my dad made it for me when I was home from school sick have stuck with me.

“Adrian and I were talking,” I start, choosing my words carefully. There’s no way I’m betraying my cousin’s confidence, but he did say Tristan already knows about him and Helen, so… “It’s been a while since we caught up, and he had some personal news to share.” I meet Tristan’s gaze, and he gives me a barely perceptible nod. Okay, he gets it. “We didn’t want to be overheard, so we went out to the pool area.”

Anna’s sigh is barely audible over Clive’s grumble, and I wince. “Yeah, I know. We shouldn’t have. But in our defence, we didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to attack two contracted feeders with their vampires only a room away.”

“A vampire attacked you?” Lauren asks incredulously. “I didn’t think it was that kind of party.”

“It wasn’t,” Pierce says. Tristan just sits with his face set and his eyes on me.

“We were on our way inside when he… I don’t even know his name,” I realise. “The vampire. He was with Geoffrey earlier.”

“Geoffrey was there?” Anna shakes her head. “You should have texted me the second he walked in.”

“I was going to, but it didn’t seem like a priority at the time,” I tell her, remembering that fraught moment between Tristan and Misha. “Anyway, the vampire… Did Adrian say who he was?” I ask Tristan.

“Steven.”

Clive sucks in a breath, but when I glance over, he says nothing. I guess I’m not the only one keeping secrets.

“Right, so Adrian and I were on our way inside, and Steven got between us, blocking me from the door.” I shake my head, fear rising again. “I didn’t even know he was nearby. I didn’t see him move, and I didn’t have time to get away. He said he’d heard interesting things about my family and that he wanted a taste.” My hands are shaking, and I put my mug down before I spill my tea. “I tried to hold him off, but he…” I don’t need to finish. They all know he was stronger than me. He’s a vampire, after all.

“Did you see which way he went when he heard us coming?” Pierce asks. “Did he say anything before he left?”

Oh. Fuck. I forgot they don’t know. “That’s not what happened,” I admit, and Tristan sits forward sharply, reaching for my neck.

I flinch, and he freezes, hand outstretched.

“Sorry,” I mutter. “Uh, reflex. You can touch me.”

He lowers his hand. “Did he bite you?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I didn’t want everyone to know in case it became political. Misha pulled him off me.”

Chapter 27

The jumble of exclaimed words that follows my statement is overwhelming, and I pick up my mug and take a gulp.

“Enough,” Tristan orders, and even though he didn’t raise his voice, everyone falls silent. “Misha was there the whole time?”

“No— Well… I didn’t see him at first. I don’t know. All I know is that I was sure Steven was about to bite me, and then he was gone. When I looked around, Misha had him, and then he broke his neck and left. I think he heard you coming, because you came outside a second later.” I leave out the part where Misha talked to me. He didn’t say anything relevant, and it’s not worth pissing off Tristan.

Tristan nods slowly, then gets to his feet. “Sleep in tomorrow. I would prefer you don’t leave the house until I find Steven, but your family is welcome to visit you here.”

That would be awkward as fuck, but I can’t think of an excuse right now. It can be a problem for future Adam. “Thank you.”

He’s halfway to the living room, Pierce on his heels, when he stops and turns back. “I appreciate you not mentioning Misha’s presence to the whole party.”

I shrug, trying not to wince when my shoulder protests. “He’d already set up one scene. I thought maybe he and Steven plotted another one. It just seemed better not to mention him.”