Page 61 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

Because I totally would have, but I wasn’t sure if I was even allowed to—if he would want that.

“You should come with me!” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.Oh shit.Emma would absolutely murder me.

“That sounds… delightful.” Seb’s voice went soft. “But she won’t want me there.” He drummed his fingers on the desk, studying me intently. “I’d rather not take unnecessary risks, but… we’re still a way off the dark magic being fully incubated, thankfully. And you’re right, you should be allowed a break from the hotel. Have some fun.”

“But you could have fun too.” My heart started racing at my own boldness. “Emma won’t mind. We could walk there together. It’s a nice evening for it.”

Seb’s gaze dropped to my chest for a split second, and I remembered—right. Vampire hearing. He could definitely hear my heart hammering away like an idiot. I willed my face not to flush.

“I should stay here. But I’ll have Rory accompany you.”

“Umm.” I shifted in my seat. “No way is Rory coming into Emma’s house. Not after yesterday.”

“What happened yesterday?” His brow furrowed.

I squirmed, not wanting to snitch. Rory and I were becoming friends. Maybe. “Well, he was watching me at work. But he spent the whole shift texting Kit about how boring guard duty was, in between trying to chat my ear off. Then he moved on to harassing customers with bread puns. When they didn’t laugh, he turned to me and said, ‘Hey Flynn, thesecustomers reallykneadto lighten up!’ and that’s when Emma threatened to kick him out.”

Seb rubbed his face with two hands. “I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to him. That was incredibly unprofessional.”

“He’s a professional?” I raised my eyebrows.

Seb’s shoulders dropped. “Don’t be too quick to judge him. Rory puts up a lot of fronts. He’s had a difficult time of it. His pack in the Highlands—they weren’t kind to him. Too set in their ways, too traditional.” He paused. “Being smaller than most wolves, being different… well. Kit found out that he was sleeping rough in Glasgow.”

“Oh.” The image of Rory—bouncy Rory, so full of life—alone on the streets hit harder than expected.

“I hired him partially so Kit could keep an eye on him. Though don’t tell either of them that.” The hard edges of Seb’s face softened as his lips curved up into a slight smile. “He drives Kit up the wall, but they’re good for each other.”

“I like Rory. Even though he’s…” I waved my hand, searching for the right word.

“A lot?” Seb chuckled. “True. But he grows on you.”

“Like a fungus?”

“Precisely.” Seb winked at me. “But don’t worry about tonight. He’ll drop you there and wait in his car.”

“Does he not have plans of his own, though?” The thought of Rory sitting alone in his car all evening… “It’s Friday night.”

“I pay him generously for these duties.”

“Oh yeah?” I leaned forward. “Any positions going, then?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Well, I have been thinking about firing our receptionist, Dolly. She’s a tad stiff. She never takes her turn unloading the dishwasher, and between you and me, she’s been giving everyone the glass-eyed stare lately.”

I blinked at him. “Was that… an actual joke, Sebastián Salazar?”

His lips pursed together in mock anger, then he said, “I’ll have you know I’m capable of many jokes. When the occasion arises.”

The silence stretched between us, comfortable but charged. His dark eyes held mine, and for a moment I forgot why I’d even come to his office in the first place. The way he was looking at me, with that hint of playfulness, had me melting into a puddle. I found myself wanting to stay right here in this office, watching his face light up as he talked.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket—probably Emma asking what time I’d be there—and reality crashed back in.

“Well. I’ll go get ready then.” The words came out quieter than I’d intended.Or I could forget about the whole thing, and we could stay here and watch some Buffy episodes together.

Seb nodded. “Have fun,” he said, though his lips pressed together afterwards.

I forced myself to my feet, his eyes lingering on me.

“Text Rory when you’re ready. Oh, and Flynn? I wanted to let you know how tirelessly the team is working to track down the cambion who marked you. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for agreeing to stay here. I should have said that before.”

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