Addie appeared to consider that, then she angled her head toward him. “What?”
“What?” Boaz echoed her, certain he sounded a fool. “What are we whating about?”
“You’re sweating.” She reached up to drag her finger across his forehead. “Are you that worried what I think about you?”
The answer was out of his mouth before his brain let him consider it. “Yes.”
Honey whistled long and low, and her eyebrows climbed into her hairline and made a nest there.
“You asked me to marry you. I said yes.” Addie searched his face. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
There was too much at stake, for both of them. Yet the warmth in her expression… He wasn’t worthy of it. That didn’t stop him from wishing he could be. He had done what he wanted with his life up to this point, all in pursuit of what felt good at the time. Now he had to man up and start taking others into consideration, putting them first. That started with Addie.
“I’m glad,” he said, and he meant it. “I’m going to screw up more than you can imagine, but I’m in this.”
The smile she flashed him was blinding, and the hope for more he read in her eyes made him want to hold up his end of the deal with both hands. No one had ever had that kind of instant effect on him. Addie was just that good. She made others, even hypochondriac vampires, want to be better.
“I take back what I said about thoughts and prayers,” Honey murmured. “I want to sit at your feet and learn from the master how to reform bad boys. I can’t quit them, and I’m getting too old to deal with their shit. Either you help me, or I’m going to start shooting them when they act like a bag of dicks.”
“Or you could forget boys,” Cass purred, “and let a bad girl show you how much better life can be without them.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Honey said politely, “but I’m not down with playing blood donor.”
Addie groaned, and Boaz realized Honey’s mistake. She hadn’t told Cass no. All she’d done was put a limitation on how far she was willing to go with her preconceived notions of vampire sex. Cass was quick to notice as well, and she sidled up to Honey with her eyes alight.
“I swear I wouldn’t bite unless you begged me.” Cass ran her finger down Honey’s arm. “I’m a woman of my word.”
With a gentle swat, she shooed off Cass’s advance. “I’ve never begged for anything in my life.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” The vampire smiled. “I would love to be your first.”
Addie heaved a sigh, crossed to Honey, and shackled Cass’s wrist. “Why can’t you act normal for five minutes?”
“I refuse to be a slave to the hour hand of a watch. Why would I want to be aware of my life force ebbing away? My days are not infinite, Addie. I find the concept of time depressing.”
“Drama llama.” Addie hauled her a safe distance away. “You’re all welcome to come in.” She yanked on Cass’s arm. “The vampire will keep her fangs, hands, and innuendos to herself.”
Somehow, despite Addie’s best efforts, Boaz doubted it.
Sixteen
I gave my statement to Parker, who stared at me like I was a unicorn. Talk about awkward. I hadn’t tamed Boaz. I hadn’t won his undying love. I had entered into a business arrangement. A good ninety percent of Society marriages were a calculated negotiation between families. Love matches were myth unless you were rich enough to not require a blessing for your union.
Abernathy, on the other hand, had settled into a sulk over Cass’s outrageous flirting with Honey. If Honey didn’t give her a hard no soon, she would wake up one day to a vampire watching her sleep.
With a tray of ice teas in my hands, I joined the group in the dining room. The table sat twelve, so there was plenty of room for the team, their laptops, maps, and snacks.
Boaz and Honey stood with their heads together, reading off the same piece of paper.
A curl of unease in my gut caused me to pause on the threshold, but Boaz glanced up with a grin for me that went a long way toward urging me forward. Beside him, Honey noticed what held his attention and jogged over to me.
“Let me help.” She took the tray. “You can forget the guys offering.” She rolled her eyes. “Sentinels are the worst. They forget our society is matriarchal, and therefore, I outrank them based on sex alone. Instead, they pretend their legs and arms are broken and expect me to wait on them hand and foot.”
“Hey,” Parker chortled. “I brought sushi to the office last week.”
“You set the bag on my desk and waited for me to plate everyone.” Honey threw an ice cube at his head. “How do you expect your mother to marry you off with manners like a human?”
“Dang.” Abernathy winced. “That was cold.”
“Brutal,” Boaz agreed. “But is she wrong?”
Neither Parker nor Abernathy said a word.
Once Honey passed out the tea, I moved to take a seat only to have Boaz gesture me over to him.
“This is the first known case.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “Puyallup, Washington.” He slid his finger down. “We didn’t figure out we had a serial killer until these two deaths in Reno, Nevada.” He eased it right. “Then another in Springfield, Missouri.” He moved it over. “Three in Greenville, North Carolina.”
“No.” Cass slapped her open palms on the table. “That can’t be right.”
“The victims were killed in a variety of ways, but the prints match.” Boaz nudged a stack of papers over to her that she ignored. “The music left playing on their phones ties them together.”
“What’s wrong?” I shot to her side. “Talk to me.”
“He
