Page 116 of The Guardian's Curse

“Shit, I should call her,” she said, but as soon as she leaned over for her phone, he let out a play growl and pounced her.

She laughed as he rolled her over, kissing her neck, her chest, all over as if he was afraid she would melt away. “Who said you were finished with me?”

* * *

As Alistair had warned, his vampire brothers were insistent upon visiting before the night was over. After another hour spent in bed and a shower that threatened to upend their plans, they both dressed and prepared for their guests. While Alistair pulled out several good bottles of Scotch and blood bags, Shoshanna called Ruby to let her know that she was awake and alive.

“Thanks for the headache tea,” she said.

“I broke my fingers off in that one,” Ruby said. “Hopefully it’s a little milder than the last one.”

“It was amazing. What about you? Any lingering issues from Elliott?” Shoshanna said.

Her friend was uncharacteristically quiet for a while. “I don’t know. Physically, I’m fine. But my head’s a mess, and I probably need therapy. But what am I supposed to say? A vampire with no respect for consent used me to kidnap my best friend?”

“I’m so sorry,” Shoshanna said.

Ruby chuckled, but it was a strained sound. “It’s not your fault. I’ll figure it out.”

“Not by yourself,” Shoshanna said. “Now that he’s out of the way, we have several weeks of girl’s nights to catch up on.”

“That would be nice,” Ruby said. “Mexican?”

“Absolutely.”

They chatted for a while, until she heard the first car pull up outside. After making plans for Ruby to come over in a few nights, Shoshanna hung up and checked the refrigerator. Hopefully, Alistair’s frat squad of cursed vampires were bringing their own stash of blood.

Before she could answer the door, it swung open. Paris crowed, “Honey, I’m home!”

She greeted him at the door and raised an eyebrow. “Are you talking to me or Alistair?”

“It depends on who has a snack for me.” He smirked at her. “You look quite refreshed. Satisfied, even.” He leaned in to kiss her cheeks, and his hands lingered at her shoulders for a while. When he pulled away, his face was unusually somber. “I’m pleased to see that you’re all right.”

She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He stiffened in her grasp. “Thank you for helping Alistair,” she said. “And me, of course.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Only for you, mon sorcière. I have a soft spot for cute witches, but you mustn’t tell.”

She heard the telltale click of heels as Safira waltzed in, with an unfamiliar blond man trailing behind her. While Safira gave her a hug, Dominic simply nodded to her. He carried a big black cooler, from which he unpacked several dark glass bottles of champagne and a stack of blood bags. She wrinkled her nose, did a quick head count, and retrieved glasses from the liquor cabinet in Alistair’s study.

“Where’s—” Safira asked. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth as Alistair rounded the corner, buttoning up a crisp white shirt. “Holy shit.”

The others froze and watched as Alistair stepped into the big kitchen, where the low light reflected from his blood-red eyes. Pride swelled in her chest as she watched the vampires crowd around him, like small children enrapt with wonder.

One man she hadn’t met stayed at a distance, staring with cold intensity at Shoshanna. “What did it cost, witch?”

Alistair’s eyes narrowed. “Watch your tone, Julian.”

“Nothing,” Shoshanna said. “It was difficult but it was just good magic.” She drew a deep breath. “We’re soulmates. As far as I can tell, that’s the key.”

The blond man’s shoulders slumped. “Then you can’t break ours, can you?” He shook his head. “I’m Nikko, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Nikko,” she said. “And I’m going to try.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but most of us are over two hundred years old and haven’t been so lucky to find a soulmate,” Paris said. His gaze shifted to Julian. His lips parted, then sealed again as if he’d thought better of making a comment.

Her cheeks heated, but Alistair gently gripped her hand. “This woman looked you two in the eye and told you she would break Lucia’s curse, then mine. It took her less than a month to make good on her word. Are you such a fool that you would doubt her now?”

A twinkle lit in Paris’s eye. “Shoshanna, I will gladly be proven wrong.”

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