Beth swallowed hard, her fingers twisting in her sweater sleeves. "Do you... do you think we're really in danger?"
Tyr lowered his tablet, turning to face her fully. Those intense blue eyes focused on her with laser precision, making her heart skip.
"It's unlikely," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "Your family isn't out publicly. But since both you and Liam work at the Country Vet Clinic, there's a possibility - though faint - that you could be targeted simply for working there."
He shifted his weight, tucking the tablet under his arm. "We're also installing cybersecurity measures at the vet clinic. The goal is to protect everyone - staff, patients, and their families."
A voice called from elsewhere in the house. "Tyr! Need you out here!"
"On my way!" Tyr tucked his tablet under his arm. "I'll be back in a few days to install everything. We'll make sure you're completely secure." He gave Beth a slight bow before striding from the room.
The front door opened and closed moments later. Beth released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her bed dipped as Naomi flopped down beside her, making Beth bounce slightly. "They seem nice. Very professional."
"Isn't it kind of late for them to be working?" Beth glanced at her bedside clock showing after nine PM.
Naomi's laugh tinkled through the room. "Beth, they're vampires. This is early evening for them."
Beth's eyes widened as she stared at her sister.
"V-vampires?" Her voice came out in a mouse-like squeak, her heart thundering in her chest as she stared at her sister. "There were vampires in our house?"
"Oh, right, I forgot you didn't read my texts. They work for Lord Damien's clan." Naomi stretched out on Beth's bed, completely unfazed. "Didn't you notice how pale they were? Or how they moved?"
Looking back at the encounter, Beth remembered Tyr's fluid grace, the intense blue eyes that seemed to glow... She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I thought they were just really good-looking!"
"Well, that too." Naomi rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand. "They're European, I think. Just from a really, really long time ago. They're part of the clan's security company. That's why Maroulla hired them to handle our systems - they're the best."
Beth peeked through her fingers at her twin. "And you're okay with this? Having vampires install our security?"
"After everything we've been through with the rogues and our un-family, vampires seem pretty tame." Naomi shrugged. "Plus, Lord Damien's Chosen, Alyssa, is pals with Jacinth. That's how they got involved with us," she explained. "A bunch of vamps from his clan volunteered to come up here and provide night-time security at businesses that might be at risk."
Right, she knew Jacinth was a Djinn, and married to Dr. McCandliss, one of the partners at the vet clinic.
Naomi frowned at her. "Anyway, I thought I told you all this."
Feeling heat flood her cheeks, Beth looked down. "I guess I forgot. Or wasn't paying attention when you told me."
Her sister's silvery laugh filled the room as she pulled Beth into a tight hug. "Get some sleep, sis." She slipped off the bed and padded to the door, closing it softly behind her.
Beth took her time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe away the lingering tension from her first day at work. She changed into her favorite silk pajamas, the cool fabric sliding against her skin as she slipped beneath her covers.
Snuggling deeper into her pillow, Beth closed her eyes. But instead of drifting straight to sleep, her mind kept circling back to Tyr. The way his henley had stretched across those broad shoulders. How his long fingers had looked against the windowframes as he measured. That intense blue gaze when he'd looked directly at her.
Whisper purred contentedly as Beth buried her face deeper in the pillow, remembering the fluid grace of his movements. Even knowing he was a vampire didn't diminish the attraction she'd felt. She drifted off to sleep with the image of Tyr's handsome face floating in her mind, his lithe form moving through her dreams.
Chapter 2
Astride his sleek black motorcycle, Tyr paused before pulling on his helmet. The night air was cool against his face as he watched his twin brother cock an eyebrow at him.
"Something's bothering you," Tobi said, his voice pitched low enough that only vampire hearing could catch it.
"The girl - Beth." Tyr frowned, troubled by the unexpected pull she stirred in him. "There's something about her. She feels... fragile. Wounded somehow."
"Ah." Tobi's expression shifted to understanding. "Beth and Naomi. They're the twins."
"Well yes, obviously they're twins." Tyr rolled his eyes at his brother. "I do have functioning eyesight."
"No, you idiot." Tobi shook his head. "They're THE twins. The ones everyone was talking about a couple years ago. The rogues?"
