is a sentinel,” I confessed, hating how his name popped right into my head. “An Elite.”
“If you called to tell him you found a dead vampire in a closed railroad museum, he would nail you to the wall, and I don’t mean in a fun way. He would pick and pick and pick at you until you confessed all.” She flung her arm toward Ron. “Do you really think he’ll want to introduce a vampire hunter fiancée?”
The creation of vampires was the Society’s bread and butter. They wouldn’t care that there was one less vampire in the world. That just made room for more. They would worry such a young vampire’s untimely true death might provoke his clan into demanding a refund. That, they would find abhorrent.
“I didn’t say I was going to call him.” I rubbed my palms over my face. “I don’t know why I mentioned it.”
“He’s posted in Savannah, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Used to her flexible morals where bounty met the law, I scowled at her all the same.
“Here’s your problem,” she continued. “You’re feeling guilty because he thinks he’s buying Suzy Q Homemaker with his money, but you’re more like Buffy. I’m more of a Spike myself. Oh! Or maybe if Willow and Spike had a baby. That sounds more like me.”
“Bisexual badass. Gotcha.”
“Yes.” She toyed with the laces on her corset, exposing a hidden pocket with yet more gloves. “But I would have had to have been born during one of those alternate universe episode deals. Otherwise, you’d be changing my diapers, Buff. I can’t help you kick ass if I can’t even wipe my own, you know?”
A sigh gusted past my lips. “Does this have anything to do with me and my situation or…?”
Vampires often got swept up in their own mythos, donning silk-lined capes and fake Transylvanian accents, but Cass didn’t have that problem. Not exactly. She didn’t binge every single vampire movie and TV show, read every comic and book series, for the entertainment value. She considered it research. On how to kill vampires. Or even slightly inconvenience them. And then she did everything in her power to avoid those things happening to her.
Just my luck the one vampire I actually liked turned out to be a hypochondriac.
“You’re thinking how often we clash with law enforcement.” She was still chugging full steam ahead. “You’re wondering if you can give this up after your problems are solved by hopping in the sack with your husband, since he’s got enough money for you to retire and do whatever dull thing Society matrons do with their time.”
“You…might be onto something.” I hated admitting it, but there you go. “Who am I after I marry him?”
“A woman who did what she had to for her family.” Cass brushed her fingers across my cheek, comforting me instead of perving on me for a change. “We painted ladies don’t cast stones, Addie. Stop hunching like you expect to get hit.”
Forcing my shoulders back, I shrugged off her kindness, unable to stomach it.
“You kept your sister alive.” She wasn’t done with me yet. “You kept a roof over her and your father’s heads. You’ve busted your ass to make sure he doesn’t have to swim up from the bottom of the bottle he’s always floating in these days.”
Throat tight, I withdrew. “That’s enough.”
“He’s not the only one grieving. You lost your mom. You lost your sister. And now you feel like you’ve lost yourself.”
Crushing my eyes shut, I blocked out her and her acid-churning truths. “I have to call this in.”
“I’ll do it.” She shoved me toward the exit. “Go home.” She dug in her pocket then tossed her keys at me. “Take my car. I’ll find my own way.” She adjusted her breasts. “Handsome sentinels can be so gosh-darn helpful when properly motivated.”
The metal bit into my palm when I closed my fingers around my escape. “Are you sure?”
“I can take the heat.” She reached for her phone. “I’m out of the closet.”
Until I tied the knot with Boaz, I had to keep my extracurricular activities hidden from him. Otherwise, he would call off the engagement. After all, he was buying my family’s good name to expunge the scandal from his own. He would cut me loose in a hot second if I couldn’t uphold my end of the deal. If he found out about my unladylike pursuits, he would wash me off his hands before the mud splattered from my family name onto his.
Society engagements could drag on for years,