Page 17 of Bleed

When we finally pull apart, her expression immediately shifts from excited to worried.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her brow creasing in concern.

“Psh, I’m fine,” I scoff, leaning around her to peer toward James and wiggling my fingers in a little wave. “Hey, Dracula.”

He acknowledges me with the barest incline of his head, looking exactly as thrilled to see me as I am him.

Taylor glances between us with the exhausted look of someone all too used to refereeing this dynamic. “I’ll get drinks,” she offers quickly, turning to start for the bar cart.

“Whiskey!” I call after her, knowing James always stocks the expensive kind that’s been aged for decades and goes down oh-so-smooth.

“I’ve got it,” he murmurs, already rising from the piano bench to head her off.

She shoots him an appreciative smile, veering instead toward the seating area across from the fireplace and waving for me to follow. I do, flopping down beside her on a plush velvet sofa right as a dark shadow darts across the room.

“What the…?” I gasp, clapping a hand to my chest before realization dawns. “Ozzy!”

Taylor’s kitten launches himself onto the couch beside me like a furry missile. He’s even bigger than the last time I saw him, all oversized paws and fluffy black fur with bright gold eyes.

“Well hello to you too, tiny demon,” I chuckle, scruffing his fur as he starts climbing me like a tree. “Tay, he’s gotten huge.”

“Yep, and even more mischievous," she replies fondly, reaching over to scratch behind his ear. “James says he’s feral.”

“I said he’s evil,” James corrects from the bar cart across the room.

Ozzy chooses that exact moment to sink his teeth into my finger, making me yelp.

“Yeah,” I choke, prying him loose and swatting him away. “He’s definitely your child, James.”

James shoots me an unamused look as he returns with drinks, handing me a crystal tumbler of whiskey before passing another to Taylor. Then he settles into the armchair across from us, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

Tay takes one sip of her drink, then gets up and drifts toward James as if pulled by gravity itself. He hooks an arm around her waist, tugging her down sideways onto his lap, and she immediately relaxes against him, one hand resting absently against his chest while he drapes a possessive arm over her thighs. Ozzy hops up to join them, stretching across the back of the chair, and the visual is honestly absurd.

A terrifying vampire king, his gorgeous soulmate draped across his lap, and their black kitten perched behind them like a gargoyle.

Definitely a Hallmark moment.

“I heard about your incident,” James murmurs as he raises his drink, eyeing me over the rim of the glass.

I take a slow sip of my whiskey, suddenly feeling like I’ve been summoned to the principal’s office. “I didn’t tell him anything,” I reply, licking my lips.

James studies me, his icy blue eyes unblinking. “Be that as it may, the fact someone asked at all confirms there are rumors circulating. Clearly, you’ve been connected to Taylor. Meaning you’ll be targeted to get to us.”

“They can ask all they want,” I huff, reclining back and crossing one leg over the other. “I’m not saying shit.”

He frowns, clearly unimpressed. “Maybe not intentionally, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Some vampires are capable of making you say things without even realizing.”

“With what, their mind control powers?” I snort.

“Exactly,” he deadpans.

I roll my eyes, but I don’t miss the way Taylor shifts slightly against his chest, her jaw tightening.

She knows something.

More importantly, it’s obviously something that she chose not to share, which is bullshit because we used to tell each other everything.

Seriously, fuck James Deveraux for claiming my bestie as his blood-bonded soulmate and disrupting our dynamic.