Page 124 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

“I’ll come meet you. Just let me sort some stuff out. It might take a few hours.”

She made a noise of exasperation. “I’ll give you thirty minutes to give me a time and place.”

I ended the call with Katie. The phone nearly slipped from my grip as I found Seb’s contact, heart pounding.

Katie was here, in London. WithConnor.

Seb answered almost instantly. “Flynn? What’s wrong?”

The concern in his voice made my chest tighten. “I’m so sorry, but Katie has flown to London. She’s going to call the police unless I come see her.”

“That’s… not ideal.” There was a long pause, followed by a sigh. “Okay.”

“Can I go?”

“Not alone, obviously.”

I glanced at Felix, watching me with wide eyes. “With… Felix?” The memory of being dragged into that van by deadwalkers flashed through my mind. Maybe Felix was about to get the adventure he never wanted.

“Withme. I’ll be back in an hour. Tell her to meet you at Fat Cat’s at 3:00 p.m.”

“One more thing…” I bit down on my lip, hard enough to hurt. “Connor’s with her. You know… her husband…”

A string of curses crackled through the phone. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.” He hung up.

With one hand, I typed:

Fat Cat’s Coffee, Killigrew Street. 3pm. Alone, please. x

“You okay? You don’t look okay.” Felix’s concerned voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts.

“Not really. I’ll see you later. Unless Katie manages to knock Seb out and drag me back to Ireland, in which case, it was nice knowing you.”

I trudged into the main basement, collapsing onto one of the worn sofas. Waves of nausea assaulted me. Seb being there was probably goingto make everything worse. What the hell was I supposed to say to Katie about him?

Oh, hi, Katie! I know I only left home a few weeks ago, but guess what? I’ve managed to get myself marked by a demon and—wait for it—I’m sort of falling for this centuries-old vampire who fights against London’s supernatural evil from an abandoned Victorian hotel. He’s got witches and werewolves on speed dial, but don’t worry, he’s really quite charming when he’s not being all broody and mysterious. So… how’s your flower shop?

Yeah, that was going to go down really well.

Breathe. I pressed my palms against my thighs.Katie loves you. She’ll listen this time. And Seb… Seb won’t let anything happen to you.

The bookcase creaked open less than an hour later. Seb stumbled through. His curls were wilder than normal, tie askew.

“I’m s—”

“Stop. Stop apologising.”

“But—”

Seb crossed the room in three strides and pulled me against his chest. The dark spices of his cologne wrapped around me like an anchor. “Let’s go.”

He started towards the basement stairs. Clearly he’d decided it was fine for us to leave the hotel through the entrance. We passed Dolly, hard at work at her desk, and I gave her a sad wave.

“So,” I said. “One warning. Katie thinks you’re a member of a dangerous gang, a stalker, completely obsessed with me, and you’ve locked me up in your hotel.”

He shot me alook. “So… pretty much entirely correct then?”

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “And in other news, I texted Katie saying to come alone, so I won’t have to deal with Connor face to face.”

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