A SOFT KNOCK DREW me out of my stupor. I weaseled my way out of Robby’s arms and covered him with the blanket, and then wished for a bathrobe as I crossed the room. Soft terrycloth slid onto my skin, and I cinched the tie at my waist before I opened the door.

Judy stood on the other side of the door, shifting from foot to foot. “Is he okay?” She nodded toward Robby still sleeping in the bed.

I glanced back at him and nodded. “Yes. Why?”

She looked at her hands, which were wrestling against each other. “I thought I heard him cry out.”

I rubbed the crust from my eyes. I hadn’t heard anything, but I had been so soundly sleeping that he could have, and I probably wouldn’t have reacted for just one of his night terror cries.

“If he did, I didn’t hear him.” I bit my lower lip.

“I swear, I heard something. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

She turned to leave but I reached out and touched her arm, closing the bedroom door behind me.

“Did you hear anything last night?” The rose color that crept into her cheeks told me we were not as quiet as I had hoped. I glanced away, trying to school the smirk off my face.

She shrugged and then nodded.

“Then he probably did yell out in his sleep. He does that a lot since we got away. And I’m sure I’ve had my moments, too.” I gave her an apologetic smile. I glanced around. “Where’s Johnson?”

“He left for work early this morning. I guess they had a situation that he and his partner had to attend to.” She glanced down the stairs, and a flash of worry passed over her features.

“Johnson will be just fine. He’s one of the best.”

“He said you two were the best.”

Heat filled my cheeks at the compliment. “Well, he held his own, so the worrying you got going there is going to produce nothing but wrinkles.”

She chuckled. “It’s easier said than done,” she said. “Did you want some coffee?” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder toward the stairs.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I couldn’t drink coffee or eat food the way she could. The vampire’s curse still affected me despite that steak last night smelling like its own piece of heaven. “I’ll come down and talk with you while you have a cup, if you’d like.”

She shifted her feet again and then nodded. “I don’t have many people to talk to here in the city.”

I could totally identify with that. “Neither do I.” I let her lead the way and as she sat sipping her coffee in the kitchen, I could see all the questions flitting around in her head.

She finally looked up. “What happened?” She waved at me.

I leaned back in the seat. “Honestly? I got duped.” It was tough to admit, but that’s exactly what Cassius had done. And the feelings I carried around for Robby all these years had chipped away at my judgment. I sighed and looked at the ceiling. “I’ve been in love with Robby since the academy,” I said. “Because he was my partner, any relationship was banned, but that didn’t stop me from my feelings.” I shifted in the chair. “So, when Cassius came along and swept me off my feet in ways that were so parallel to Robby, I fell for him. I had no clue he was a vampire.” I let out a soft laugh. “I should have known.”

She digested my words. “Why does the agency ban relationships? I never quite understood that.”

“They think it makes us more vulnerable.” After what happened with Cassius, I would agree. Loving someone the way I loved Robby left a large target on his back. But it also made us more ferocious when our loved ones were targeted. There was no room for mercy when that happened.

“And what do you think?”

“I think it’s more complicated than that.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I formulated my thoughts. “Anyone who has a mate is vulnerable.” I met her gaze. “We would do anything for the ones we love, so I’m not sure how being partners makes it worse. If the monsters know about your vulnerabilities, they will use it against you. Cassius used me to break Robby out of spite.”

“Why would he do that?” She sipped her coffee.

“Because he was under the mistaken impression that he owned me. If Robby and I never...” I closed my eyes and took a breath. If we never crossed the line, Cassius would have killed him without so much as a second thought. I was sure of that. “If Robby hadn’t claimed me, I am not sure what would have happened to either of us.” I shivered.

“He probably would have killed me because I wouldn’t have stopped looking for you.”

I spun to Robby in the doorway. He had sweats on but no shirt, leaning casually against the wall. I had no idea how long he had been standing there, but this morning, he looked much more like himself instead of the haunted prisoner of war expression he had sported since we escaped. Even as thin as he was, he still projected that same charisma he had when I first met him.

He glanced at me with a crooked smile. “Since the academy, huh?” He teased as he passed by me and captured a quick peck.

I swatted him as he walked away, headed for the freshly brewed coffee. “He can be a bit of an ass sometimes,” I said to Judy while stifling a grin. “But yeah. He made an impression on me from the moment we met.”

Judy glanced at Robby. “How did you deny your wolf? I mean, I’m not sure I could have if it felt the same as when I met Rick.”

Robby shrugged. “My father made it impossible by making her my partner. I don’t know who was slated in that spot to begin with or who her partner was supposed to be, but he made damn sure I wouldn’t follow through on my feelings.” Bitterness over what his father had done still laced his words.

“Why would he do that?” Judy asked.

“Because he didn’t want me tainting his fucking gene pool. I suppose if my brother hadn’t been killed, he might not have been as militant.” He poured creamer into his coffee and took a seat next to me. “If she hadn’t been assigned as my partner, I would have found a way around the rule. After all, my parents found a way to get around it.” He shrugged and stared into his coffee for a moment. “As her partner, I got to see her every day, so it wasn’t all bad.”

“How did you deal?” She leaned forward, as if she couldn’t understand denying his greatest urges.

“I fucked anything in a skirt.”

His crassness made Judy recoil in the seat, but it was right on the money, and I wasn’t all that different.

“Don’t look so shocked. I slept with a lot of guys, too. I was desperately trying to run from what I really wanted.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Her eyes blinked fast as she looked at Robby.

He glanced at me and smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “We were both trying to find what we already had but were forbidden to pursue.” He took another sip of coffee.

She glanced at us and slowly nodded. “I’m sure Rick had flings before we met, too.”

I kept the smirk off my face, but Robby wasn’t so successful. At least he had the sense to look away.

I studied her for a moment. She was younger than the three of us were, and from the shine of pink in her cheeks, perhaps Johnson truly was her first. Packs were more militant about that where the females were concerned. It was such a backward notion. The men could screw around, but the women would be ostracized for it. Even Hannah had saved herself for her mate.

“If I had been a wolf instead of a witch, I don’t think his father would have meddled with us.” I shifted in the chair, unsure whether I really meant it.

Robby snorted. “You weren’t his handpicked patsy. I’d bet a million bucks that my father probably would still have been a merciless dick.”

I put my hand on his arm, and he covered it with his. There had never been any love lost between them and God knew I didn’t receive anything but animosity from the man, but it was not worth holding on to. Not when he was the only family Robby had.

“Let it go,” I said. “For you. Not him.” If he could find it in himself to forgive his father, then he would be more likely to finally find some peace. “He was only doing what he thought was best for you.”

He gawked at me and then his gaze shot to Judy. “What do you think? Because my father was actively trying to hook us up. If all this shit hadn’t gone down and our parents decided you were to marry me, assuming I got hit in the head and somehow agreed to that madness, what would you have done?”

She looked between us a little frantically. “I guess I would have honored the commitment my parents made.”

Just like a good little alpha’s daughter.

“And deny Johnson?” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed.

A squeak came from the back of her throat at the thought, but she begrudgingly nodded. Her family honor meant more to her than her own happiness.

“You would have been just as bitter and angry as I have been all these years.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, glancing my way. “It’s not easy to let that go.”

“It never is. But you still should try.” I gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Why don’t you go clean up so we can continue having some girl talk?”

“Trying to get rid of me so soon?”

“Yes. You’ve made the woman uncomfortable, and I’d kind of like to have a friend who’s a woman. It’s been awhile,” I admitted. My closest girlfriends from the academy had been Hannah and her partner Heddie. Hannah was one of Robby’s pack members like Johnson, and thankfully they were stationed here in New York with us. The six of us routinely went out drinking after a hard week at the agency. And I confided a lot in Hannah and Heddie, but not enough to tell them how I felt about my partner. But even so, we had grown close, and I had been devastated when they were killed in the line of duty. After that, I pretty much kept to myself, only going out with the crew occasionally.

Hell, if they had been alive when I met Cassius, they would have known about him. Or more likely, I never would have gone over to him at that bar and engaged in conversation. I likely would have left with them that night and none of this shit would have gone down.

Robby squeezed my thigh and stood. “Sorry for making you uncomfortable,” he said to Judy and headed upstairs.

“You want to be my friend?” Judy asked.

I knew it was a vulnerable move, but I nodded anyway. “It would be nice. I mean, I love Robby and all, and we’ve been each other’s sounding board for a long time, but I miss shooting the shit with my girlfriends.”

Judy laughed. “Back home, I have a few close friends, and I miss them so much. We used to go to the salon to get manicures and pedicures together and gossip about the latest, hottest trends.” She looked at her hands and held them up, showing me chipped and peeling nail polish, as if it were the most horrible thing in the world. Then looked around at the apartment. “I don’t have a job or people I can call and just hang with here. It’s quite lonely when Johnson is at work.”

“Did you live here before you got married?” I leaned my elbows on the table and propped my chin on my hands, giving her my full attention now that Robby had let us be.

She shook her head. “I stayed at a hotel, but after my friends went home, even with room service and a day spa at my disposal, it was boring.”

Just in the last few sentences, I could tell we didn’t have a lot in common except for our gender. She seemed to be more of a prima donna than any of us were. I maybe had one pedicure in my lifetime and my nails didn’t look as good as hers did. She was what Hannah used to refer to as high maintenance.

“Have you thought about getting a job?” I couldn’t imagine being cooped up in a house all day with nothing more to do than clean, cook, and watch soap operas. It would drive me batshit.

She leaned forward. “Don’t tell Johnson, but I’ve thought about it.”

I cocked my head. “Why would that bother Johnson?”

“Oh, you know. Alphas and their dominance. They want their women serving them at home.” She rolled her eyes.

I snorted a laugh. I couldn’t imagine the friend I knew being such a jackass. “Johnson has said that?”

“Oh no. He just wants me to be happy. My parents have told me that alphas expect their women at home, making sure the household is taken care of and that when children come, it’s the woman’s job to raise those children right.”

Her parents must be as archaic as the agency itself. Although the agency did put stock in women since we held the more powerful witch gene than men. But there was the occasional male witch that could leave us in the dust from a power spell perspective. Thankfully, those were few and far between; otherwise, the female agent would be as endangered as the phoenix.

“Girl, what do you want?” I cut through all the bullshit I was hearing and went straight to the matter at heart.

“I’d love to work at one of those fancy hotels, helping people plan activities and social events. I’m great at planning celebrations.” She seemed to cower a little as she admitted to her dreams, and it was maddening to me to see any woman think they weren’t worthy.

“Why don’t you apply? What’s the worst they can say?”

“Oh, I’d die if they said no.” She gripped her coffee cup with both hands, bringing it to her lips in a dainty sip.

“Really?” It just popped out, and her face fell. I regretted letting that out, but maybe I could somehow build this girl up a little. “You don’t believe in yourself?”

She shrugged, and I wanted to pound some self-confidence into her.

I took a deep breath, remembering some of the things my parents told me. “You know, a no from someone just means that door wasn’t meant for you. It does not mean you are not good enough.”

She blinked at me as if her brain could not come to terms with those words. I guess being an alpha’s daughter might have much more expectations than I ever had put on me. Thank the gods that I didn’t have those kinds of constraints growing up.

“But it means rejection,” she finally said, as if that were the worst thing that could happen to someone out in the real world.

This girl had been detrimentally sheltered.

“True. But rejection isn’t the end of the world. It just means you need to learn from what you may have done wrong, and it’s okay to ask if there was a specific reason or something that you can improve on for the next time.”

“Have you ever been rejected?”

The way her eyebrows arched made me smile. Had I ever been rejected? Ha. “Yes. I went job hunting when I was almost sixteen and was turned down at nearly all of them. But I had no experience, and I was shooting for more than what I was qualified for.” I shrugged. “But I just kept learning what I did wrong and kept plugging away.”

“So, what happened? Did you find a job?”

I let out a laugh. “I did. I actually got hired as a hostess, but before I could start, my parents died. The state swooped in and put me in state care, found out I had magical abilities, and shipped me off to the Monster Defense Academy.” I took a breath. “So, my current career was thrust upon me. Despite that, I’m actually surprisingly good at it.”

“Until you were turned.”

“I’m still exceptional at killing vampires.” I smiled. I had fond memories of decapitating dozens of them. “If I could wipe them off the planet, I would.”

“But you’re a vampire.” She blinked at me with a face filled with confusion.

She didn’t comprehend how much I loathed those beasts. I nodded. “Yes. But that was by force. It’s not who I am.”

She rubbed her arm and then rolled up the sleeve, showing me a tattoo near the inside junction of her elbow that I immediately recognized. It was a replica of the anti-compelling charm the agency had us wear. She ran her fingers over it. “Rick said it would protect me against being compelled, but you were able to compel both of us. How?”

I stared at the tattoo, not hearing a thing she said after she showed it to me. “Robby!” I yelled over my shoulder. The sound of him rapidly descending the stairs filled the kitchen.

“What?” His eyes darted from corner to corner, as if something waited to spring at us.

I pointed to Judy’s arm.

He looked at the tattoo, and his eyes widened. His gaze snapped to me and then back at the exact replica of the charm.

“Where did you get that?” we both said at the same time. It was the perfect solution for Robby to never be compelled by a normal vampire again.

She looked between the two of us and covered the mark up. “It clearly doesn’t work. She can still compel me even with the tattoo.”

Robby laughed. “The charms don’t work on Sarah. But they most certainly do on a regular vampire.” He licked his lips. “Does Johnson have one as well?”

“Yes. He said he didn’t want his every move tracked by the agency, not when there were times he wasn’t sure they could be trusted, so he had one of the artists come to the house the night we were married and we got matching tattoos. Except his isn’t on his arm.” Her cheeks reddened.

“Where’s his?” I asked out of sheer curiosity. If Johnson ever shifted on duty and shifted back, it would have to be pretty well hidden, so his partner didn’t see it.

“It’s on the inside of his thigh near his groin,” she said.

I looked up at Robby and shrugged. We both knew vampires could not compel me, but he was still vulnerable. “Do you think you can have the same tattoo artist come and do one on Robby?”

“What about you?” she asked.

“I seem to be immune to being compelled. At least by vampires.” I glanced at Robby. He had used his alpha powers to compel me last night and it had worked to a point, to my chagrin. “But I might want a different tattoo.”

“What’s that?” He cocked an eyebrow with interest.

“I think it would be neat to have a wolf on my ass cheek.” I grinned up at him.

His eyes sparkled and the dimple in his reddened cheek appeared. “I’m going back upstairs.” He turned and sauntered away like the old Robby.

Judy leaned forward. “I think he liked that idea,” she whispered with a grin of her own. “Do you think Johnson would find that sexy?”

Maybe she wasn’t so prim and proper after all. “There’s only one way to find out.”