Page 117 of The Monster and the Last Blood Match

So now, there were multiple problems.

First, he had to agree to terms he’d previously disagreed with Visage on. Giving just an inch more to the company that was determined to take a pound.

Next, he had to take this woman in without letting her know that he was leading a double life. He’d have to live with her in his space and no longer be able to come and go as he pleased. It would fuck up everything.

And finally, the worst of all, he couldn’t drink from her. She would be living in his house as the person he was supposed to drink from. She was the wrong blood type, andshe couldn’t know that.

If he fucked up, if he drank from her, then he’d lose himself. Lose the man he had been building underneath the monster that he knew he was.

“Fuck,” he snarled again. “Back to anger I swing.”

He threw his phone across the car and put his head in his hands. This was an error. There was a calculated error in here somewhere. He had to figure it out. He had to shore up all possibilities.

Penny.

Maybe Penny would know.

He grasped his phone again and rang his main undercover contact, the woman he had been pretending to have a relationship with.

“Hey, Beckham. Miss me?” she teased. “You want dinner after work?”

Penelope Sky was the mayor’s daughter and conveniently Beckham’s blood type. That had been the easiest cover he’d ever had. Even if he and Penny didn’t exactly agree on the state of their relationship at any given time. Like the fact that it was off.

“I’m on my way to pick up a Permanent blood donor,” he said.

Penny breathed out softly. “Really? Unlike you.”

She knew what this meant. She’d been in the Elle meeting when it had been discussed.

“Decided to go through with it.”

“Well, you can always drink from me if you want.”

It sounded flirtatious, but it was a legitimate offer. He wouldn’t be able to drink from this person—Reyna. He’d need a backup. He’d need a way to survive. He couldn’t be around her starving, either.

“That sounds appealing,” he said in lieu ofyes.

“Do you know who it is?”

“Her name is Reyna. That’s all the information I got from the hospital.”

“A girl, then,” Penny said, a little petulant.

“Woman,” he corrected. “Visage doesn’t employ children.”

“Yet,” she grumbled.

“Penny.”

He never could tell if this phone was tapped. He had a burner, but only calling Penny on it was suspicious as well. His entire life was this bullshit facade. He loathed it at every turn.

“Well, tell me what she’s like. I’ll have to meet her at some point.”

“I can’t just stash her in the penthouse and leave her there?”

Penny chuckled. “She’s a person, Beckham. You should treat her like one.”

“Excellent reminder.”

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