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“Very well, Callie.” She emphasizes my name in a way that implies that I’m intentionally being obtuse rather than a blithering idiot. “I think you’re right. I would very much like to speak with the matriarch of the Volkov Coven. Lead the way.”
“Now?” I squeak.
“Is there a reason to wait?” she asks in a way that makes me wish she’d go back to ignoring me.
I shake my head. “I, uh, guess not. Let me call her.”
Nolan’s grandmother gives me a sharp nod like this resolves everything, and while I call to give Mildred a heads-up, she directs everyone to finish settling in. None of them are required to attend this meeting. As the phone rings, I wonder if my house can stand up to the old lady showdown that’s about to happen in my living room.
Chapter 3
Callie
After unlocking the front door to my home, I pocket my keys and lead Nolan and his grandmother inside. It’s Sunday morning, which means the house looks like something out of Fantasia—brooms, rags, feather dusters, and more cleaning up the general mess of living.
“Nan?” I shout while taking careful steps not to interrupt the broom’s work around the foyer. A mop hovers over a soapy bucket near one of the windows that bracket the front door, waiting for the broom to finish.
“I’m in the office,” Mildred calls from deeper inside the house, her British accent clipped—a sign that she’s stressed. Not good. “Please make our guests some tea. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Okay,” I answer, then I guide Nolan and his grandmother to the L-shaped couch in the living room, as it seems to be the only spot that doesn’t have cleaning supplies floating by.
Dalia sets her medical kit down on the floor and perches on the nearby armchair instead of the couch, her expression pinched as she takes in the chaotic surroundings. I don’t think she’s used to people making her wait—or magic making a bunch of inanimate objects move about the room.
“Uh, I’ll be right back,” I announce, heading swiftly to the kitchen, so nervous that I forget to ask if they even want tea.
While I’m taking down the supplies and avoiding the rag that’s cleaning the kitchen counters, Nolan comes up behind me. I jump when his arms wrap around my waist.
“Are you okay?” he whispers, his lips close to my ear to keep from being overheard.
Carefully putting the teapot down, I turn and snuggle into his embrace, enjoying the scent of his spicy cologne that seems to be infused into all of his clothing whether he’s put the scent on that day or not.
“I’m…” I let the word hang as I try to gather my thoughts and find the root of why I’m so jumpy. All I know is that as we drove closer to my home in Nolan’s grandmother’s luxury rental, I felt a buzzing sensation start to build under my skin, and my mind bounced from one innocuous thought to the next as if it didn’t want to touch what really worries me.
Nolan waits for me to process, holding me tightly. He presses a kiss to the crown of my head before resting his head atop mine. It seems odd for him to be the calm one considering everything that happened this morning, and I feel slightly guilty for it. I should be the one comforting him, not the other way around.
“I would do anything for you. You know that, right?” I murmur, my words muffled from having my face pressed against his chest.
His chin digs into the top of my head as he nods. “I know.”
“Nolan, she needs a sample of my blood,” I mutter, my voice so quiet I’m not positive I actually said the words out loud. “What if she finds out what I am?”
Panic builds inside me as my true fear passes my lips. Dalia is close to the vampire queen. What if she tells her about me? What if it gets back to the council? They’ll take me away and do goddess knows what with me. I don’t want to die.
He slides his hands up my back and then cups my face, encouraging me to look up at him. “We won’t let that happen,” he assures me, pressing his forehead against mine. “You don’t have to give her your blood.”
“What if my blood will save you, and this test shows how?” I counter, gripping fistfuls of the back of his hoodie. My heart is so loud that I can barely hear myself talk over the pounding beat.
There’s a look I hate gleaming in his eyes—the one that says he’s not worth saving. Before I can argue, he kisses me like he’s building the memories he will savor before he dies. A tear spills down my cheek as I open myself to him, unable to deny him anything even though I know this kiss is as much to keep me silent as it is out of love. My heart feels full as he explores my mouth, still surprised that we can be this way after denying it for so long. Nolan Campbell doesn’t do anything by halves, including the way he loves me.
The kiss does its job, and all my worries vanish under the sensation of his tongue dancing with mine. His hands gently cup my face, guiding the angle of my head as he deepens the kiss. A soft hum of pleasure escapes me, and I feel him smile. I want to live in this moment forever, luxuriating in the pleasure of his love and the sweet taste of his devotion.
He has to live, my heart whispers, squeezing painfully in my chest. I can’t bear to lose him now that I finally have him.
“This explains why the tea isn’t ready,” Mildred observes mildly.
The interruption causes me to jump away and slam my lower back into the counter, the teapot rattling as I bump it with my elbow. Wincing, I look up at her with a sheepish smile. “Um, I was… We were, uh…”
“It’s my fault,” Nolan replies in my defense, reaching down to grip my fingers. “I distracted her.”
