Page 52 of Love & Heart Braking

Devereaux caught up and took the lead, inhaling.

Fenton was waiting around the next corner.

“Blur charm?” he asked me.

I accepted it.

He offered one to Devereaux, too, who stepped closer to the vampire. “I wanted you to know that I mentioned your name and what you’ve come forward with to the Dethnels, Fenton.”

The vampire’s eyes flared. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” Devereaux answered. “But in the spirit of goodwill, I’ve told you. Fuck this alliance over, Fenton, and that’s a taste of what I’ll do to you.”

I glanced between them.

Fenton was pissed. The vampire swallowed it back, then said, “Okay. Message received.”

“I’m glad. I’ll take a blur charm too.”

We were the first here and took seats on opposite sides. Devereaux cleared his throat, then very slowly leaned forward and retied his shoelace. He lifted his blurred face to me after.

I laughed quietly, imagining his smoldering look. I wasn’t lying though. Sexy. Especially his motive to make me laugh. I even found his scary detective routine in the hall a little sexy if I were honest.

The others filtered in. Austin took his seat without a word. Soleil and Bain the last of them. They sat on opposite sides, and I took in the thunderclouds on the unicorn’s face before taking in Soleil’s folded arms.

Uh-oh.

Another fight by the looks.

Fenton took a seat.

“I’d like to start with the visit I paid to the twelve last night,” I said when the vampire opened his mouth.

“I’m running things,” he snapped.

The tall, stylish woman who hadn’t given much away at the last meeting answered me, ignoring the fuming vampire. “They showed early?”

“Sure did.” I recounted the experience, drawing out the copy of the contract I’d printed off. I thumbed through to find clause 102. “There was a sphinx there.”

Gug, who hadn’t bothered with a blur charm at all this time, straightened. “Xix?”

“You know him?”

“Gen ones tend to keep in touch.”

I was sure they did. “I don’t suppose you wrote this clause then?” I read the clause aloud.

Gug nodded. “That was me.”

Made sense with what the twelve had done to her husband. Not that it would stop them from doing the same to me if they felt like it. “Xix made a comment about the clause. Out of the blue.”

“What did he say? I haven’t seen him in several decades.”

“He said, ‘Clause 102 is very good, but will it save the day?’”

She muttered to herself. “Did he sniff the paper?”

“A lot.”

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