Page 33 of Angels Don’t Date

“So that’s where you’ve been. I wanted you to do an interview,” he told Richard.

“A tentacled sea creature just tried to kill the Princess. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you,” Richard growled, baring his teeth in a truly terrifying grin.

Pearly White gave his own scary smile. “Do you honestly think I’d kill off my main contestant when this show is getting better ratings than anything else I’ve ever done? Nonsense. If I were going to kill her, I’d wait for the show’s conclusion. And even then, I wouldn’t because I’m not an assassin. If I kill someone, it’s going to be right out where everyone can see it.”

Like the time he’d eaten that one guy. I patted Richard’s shoulder. “I believe him. Also, how could he have controlled the monster when he was all the way in here? Don’t they have to be in line of sight? That’s what the Tortizi text says.”

The Siren swung his smile in my direction. “What do you know about the Tortizi text? No one can read that language.”

I blinked at him. “I wouldn’t say no one. It’s not common knowledge, but there are translators who specialize in lost, dead languages.” And sometimes they make you figure out the code for this week’s lesson. Sultry was so good at that.

Richard set me down and flew back out the window, heading back to the lake. Ah. Because whoever had done that would have been in the monster’s line-of-sight.

Pearly White stood, eyed the glass and then began a spell that shimmered in the air until with a clink all the glass returned to the window frame where it had been.

“I don’t suppose you know precisely what kind of sea monster it was,” he said, going over to the fire and stretching out his hands like he was cold. Cold-blooded, probably not cold.

“I do not specialize in sea monsters.” I followed him to the fire, although my dress was only wet in spots. Richard had really vaporized the water and the sea monster. How was I not dead?

My inner elbow throbbed, and I looked at the golden star flower on my skin. I’d dreamed about it, but what if it hadn’t been a dream? What if—crazy thought—Richard had put some kind of spell on me to make me impervious to his heavenly flame. I mean, if you think about how many times he’d had to use heavenly flames around me, and considering how dangerous it was…that almost made sense. But you never put a spell on someone else without their consent. It just wasn’t done. Then again, Richard did all sorts of things that weren’t done.

Pearly White cleared his throat. “For the ceremony, we’ll give you two red roses instead of white, because we aren’t voting anyone off since we’re short one contestant. You’ll dance with each one and then give a flower to the one with the best baking, and the one you want to stay.”

I nodded, but I wasn’t really listening. When was Richard going to come back? I waited in the library for twenty minutes before I decided to check the kitchen. Rafe was there chugging down some disgusting shake.

I backed out before he saw me and then headed to the cottage. I didn’t want to run into any other contestants. Two red roses? Obviously, Richard had won the baking competition. But I felt bad for Banus, being wrongfully accused and then Richard stealing his pants. I guess those were my two roses. The fairy hadn’t tried to heal anyone when they were supposed to be good healers.

When I got to the cottage, I noticed the smoke coming from the chimney. Did Mitt make a fire?

I went in slowly, and there was Richard with a woman with tentacle hair on my happily overstuffed couch, wrapped from chin to toe in glowing golden rope.

“I found the assassin,” Richard said, not taking his eyes off her. “She claims not to know who hired her.”

“Oh, good! Then she doesn’t have to die! Hi! I’m Katriana. How long have you been working with tentacled monsters? How do you transport them? That would be so hard! And can you make them do things other than killing or are they specially trained for that? I’d pay to see a tentacled monster juggle.”

She blinked at me. “You’re the vampire princess? You should be more afraid. The price on your life is very high.”

“High enough to tempt an angel?” I glanced at Richard.

He winked at me. “No. I’m incorruptible.”

“That’s right. You just corrupt yourself. Should we give her to Pearly White? He looked hungry.”

The woman shuddered. “I deserve a trial.”

“You are having your trial,” Richard said with an icy smile that gave me shivers.

I walked to the fire, rubbing my arms. Maybe it wasn’t the smile. Maybe it was everything else. And I was exhausted. I needed to drink some blood.

I slowly turned back to the woman. Sometimes you could hear the thoughts of a living blood donor. “Is your blood toxic to me?”

She blinked and shook her head. “I’m not a blood sack!”

“But maybe I can drink your thoughts, and then we’d know for certain whether or not you know who’s behind these stupid attacks. Honestly, can’t you find a better way to make money that isn’t so…vile? That’s got to be animal abuse.” Thinking about the evaporated tentacle beast made me queasy.

She stared at me like she’d only just realized that I was, in fact, a vampire and not just some insipid little princess. What had Banus said, inconsequential and foolish? I smiled at her sweetly.

“Don’t drink her blood if you don’t want to. I can torture her into speaking,” Richard said with great confidence.