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“How many people are guarding the safe in my studio?” I should have allocated my time better. I should have reinforcedmysafe and not dicked around with the new ones. Not that Julian would have let me leave to do that.
I took some solace in the fact that I’d done exactly as Julian had asked, worked the safes and learned everything I could. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that all this time, I’d been focusing on the wrong thing.
B’s training wouldn’t let him appear surprised by my barking question. He stood at attention and answered me. “Seven of my guys are guarding your studio.”
“Seven? You can hardly fit two people in that place.”
“True. But we covertly relocated the residents on that floor to a hotel. I’ve got my guys in every unit. They’ve been there since the second the king bought the building.”
“Even Jaxson’s?”
B nodded.
I paced the length of the basement, finger tapping against my chin. “What about my safe? Did you fortify it? It’s a good model but playing dirty with aftermarket booby traps won’t hurt.”
B relaxed his stance. “We did. We also had decoy safes installed in every unit of the building. All with their own booby traps.”
“Nice. I wouldn’t have thought of that one.”
“Eh, you would have. You’re just not used to having so many resources at your disposal. Anything else, Ms. Vaughn?”
“Oh, Eden is fine, B. But I think you’ve successfully eased my nerves for the moment. Thank you.”
“Anytime. Ready for the lesson?”
I nodded, straightened up and let him poke and prod at my shielding.
“Very nice. I can’t sense a thing coming from you.”
I heaved out a sigh of relief. “Does that mean Titus won’t be able to scent me. Won’t know I’m made and not born?”
B’s brows furrowed, gray eyes darkening to a flinty metal. “Titus will definitely be able to scent you through your shielding, Eden. Any vampire as old as him would. But you’ve got the mate bond to trick his senses, plus that storehouse of raw strength if things go sideways.”
I leveled a raw stare at him. “B, if things go sideways, we’re all dead. No amount of shielding or strength is going to help.”
B stepped toward me, picked me up by the tops of my arms and lifted me off the ground until our gazes were level. “I’m not letting anyone get anywhere near that diamond, Eden. And the king isn’t going to let anything happen to you, okay?”
“It’s not me I’m worried about, B.”
He set me down and patted me on the head, which normally I’d throw hands about, but B’s gesture was more sweet than condescending. “First incursions are the worst. I spent most of mine in the bathroom horkin’ out my dinner. A lot is riding on this. But a lot of people are working to make sure we come out on top, or at the very least, at a stalemate.
I gave him a slow nod. “What else should I be doing or prepping?”
“You’ve done it all, Eden. You’ve worked the safes, figured out your vamp powers, and from what I hear at the office cooler,” he put finger quotes around that bit, “you’re set to seal the mate bond in place. There’s nothing else you can do.”
“Are you sure?” I asked as he was heading up the stairs.
“Positive, Eden. This time tomorrow, you’ll be laughing about how boring it was.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I said.
B chuckled. “Make sure you get some rest. And hydrate.” He grinned at me and closed the basement door.
Had B just made a sex joke?
Thirty-Four
12 a.m. the day of the incursion (bone zone!)
