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Sunny nodded stiffly and tried to bring her croissant to her lips. Three times. She didn’t once take a bite.
“If you’re not comfortable, we don’t have to talk about it, Sun.”
Sunny, shook her head. “It’s not that, Eden. I want to tell you everything you want to know. Really.”
I squished the muffin I held into a doughy mess. “Tell me that control freak doesn’t have you compelled against sharing details he doesn’t want shared.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. Julian doesn’t compel his vampires. Any of us. We’re all here out of loyalty. And that’s why it’s difficult for me to open up. Or tell you anything he’s expressly told me to let him handle.”
“You’re not compelled, then?”
“Not even a little bit.”
I eyed her suspiciously. How would she know if she were? And if she were compelled, she certainly couldn’t admit to it, could she?
“I see those jaded gears of yours working overtime, Eden. I promise, I’m not compelled. Julian offered me asylum from Titus. That’s why I’m so loyal to him. He took me in when I broke free, and instead of putting me to death for being on his turf, he made me his assistant.”
My fingers went icy. “You were one of Titus’s vampires?” I asked, voice wobbling on the king’s name.
Sunny nodded, her expression going still and neutral. “I come from a long line of vampires, all loyal to Titus. I fled four years ago. Titus still holds a grudge. He refuses to acknowledge me at incursions. Not that I mind. I’m glad he doesn’t pay attention to me. Titus’s attention is…” She let the words trail off and my heart ached at whatever horrific details she couldn’t or wouldn’t bring herself to say aloud.
I placed my hand on her knee. “We’ll get him, Sun. Don’t you worry.”
She smiled weakly at me and once again brought the croissant to her lips.
That time, she actually took a bite.
I pressed my lips together, hoping she could use the distraction of hearing about my flailing attempts at seducing her boss. “So, Julian said we couldn’t bone because we hadn’t done the marking stage yet, but then when I offered, he said we needed to wait a certain amount of time, and maybe I’m just being silly and letting insecurities get the best of me, but I’m of the mindset that if a man really wants to bone, he’s gonna bone no matter what.”
This time, when Sunny smiled at me it was full and genuine. “Are you telling me badass Eden Vaughn, safecracker and Ms. Confidence herself, is doubting whether or not the king wants to get jiggy with it?”
“Blech. Ew, Sunny, never saythatagain, please. I’m begging you.”
She laughed. “Fine. But I can assure you, the king wants you. Theonlyreason he hasn’t christened the entire compound with your combined fluids is because the mate bond is more important that a fleeting orgasm.”
I laughed, a full, loud, belly laugh that echoed through the great room. “You know, I didn’t think it was possible that you could say something worse than ‘getting jiggy with it,’ but you tried your best and proved me wrong.”
She shrugged and crossed one leg over the other. “I’m not wrong, Eden,” she said primly as she dangled her ankle.
I glanced down at today’s shoe selection. “Oh, Louboutins, huh?” I cooed when I caught sight of the red bottoms.
My shoe collection had nothing on hers.
“In truth, I don’t much like the shoes, but I couldn’t pass up the aqua and peekaboo red combo.”
“Makes me miss my shoes,” I said wistfully.
“After the incursion, you can get all your shoes and keep them here.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that yet. But we’ll see what happens after the incursion.”
We finished up breakfast while talking about the compound and all the things the witches were doing to ready it for the incursion in five days and then I headed to the basement to continue safecracking.
The morning flew by. I was in the zone, and one safe after another just melted for me. It seemed hardly any time at all had passed when my pocket buzzed with a message from Sunny inviting me upstairs for lunch.
I met her in the courtyard, where she sat at one of the small wrought iron tables, a tray of sandwiches and a bottle of sparkling wine popped open.
“How are the safes coming?”
