“Damon, stopbeating yourself up. How do you know she won’t want to take on thatresponsibility?”
He couldn’tanswer.
Somethingbuzzed in the back of his car.
“Have you evenasked her?” Nerissa pushed.
“How can I whenshe won’t pick up her bloody phone?”
“Exactly whyyou have to see her.”
He shook hishead. “No, I can’t ask it of her. It’s too much.”
Somethingbuzzed again, the sound coming from the boot of his car.
“What isthat infernal noise?”
“I don’t know.I heard it earlier when I was waiting outside the airport.”
The buzzingwent again.
Damon got outof the car and followed the direction of the sound. Yes, it wascoming from the boot. He opened it up and gasped.
Nerissa joinedhim. “What is it?”
“Look.”
Squashed insidehis boot were Harper’s ginormous handbag and her other, laptop-typebag.
“Whose bags arethose?”
“They’reHarper’s. I left in such a hurry that morning… I had no idea.” Heraked his hand through his hair. “They must have been in there thewhole time.”
His chestswelled with renewed hope. If her phone was in her bag, it wouldexplain why she hadn’t returned his calls. She hadn’t been ignoringhim after all.
“Would Harper’sphone be in her bag, by any chance?” Nerissa grabbed the handbagand opened the zip.
“Nerissa, youcan’t go through someone’s private stuff.”
“Sod thechivalry, Damon, we need to get to the bottom of this.” She delvedher hand into the bag. “If we can get to the bottom. Motherof pink! She’s got everything but the kitchen sink in here.”
His face brokeinto a grin, recalling their conversation in the lift. “But nocauldron, apparently.”
“Ah-ha!” sheannounced, Harper’s phone in her hand. Nerissa glanced at thescreen. “Whoa, you called and texted a lot, Damon.Thirty-five missed calls, forty-eight texts, and—”
“Give it here.”Surely he hadn’t? Not that many. “Let me see.”
Nerissa refusedto give him the phone, waving it in front of his face and wagglingher eyebrows. “What happened to not going through someone’spersonal items, fledgling?”
He made a grabfor it, but she was quicker.
“Aww, it’s socute.” She made out as if she was scrolling the phone, hiding thescreen from him.
“Don’t you dareread those, Nerissa.”
“Relax, I’mnot. The phone is locked. Why, are they dirty texts? What do theycall it these days, sexting? You naughty vamp, but I suppose Ishouldn’t be surprised since you learnt from the best.” Shefluttered her eyelashes.
Damon swipedthe phone from her, glanced at the screen—there weren’t as manytexts and messages as she’d made out—and shoved Harper’s phone backinto her bag.
He’d had enoughof Nerissa’s sense of humour for one day, especially when he hadmore important matters on his mind. His maker was right about onething though, he did need to see Harper, if only to do the decentthing and return her bags.
Whateverhappened after that was down to her.
Did she lovehim too? Even the remotest possibility?
His chestswelled with the thought of seeing her again, but could he face herrejection when he explained she controlled his bloodlust?
“Where are mycar keys, Nerissa?”
“Still in theignition, why?”
“I’ll drop youhome first, then I have to return these bags to Harper.”
“Is that allyou’ll be doing?”
“I honestlydon’t know how I’m going to tell her about her controlling mybloodlust, but I know I have to,” he answered. “It has to be herchoice.”
“Good luck,Damon. I hope it works out for you.” His maker pecked his cheek.“Now go. Don’t worry about me, I’ll call a cab to take mehome.”
“Are yousure?”
She grinned.“I’m a big, bad vamp, I can take care of myself.”
Damon laughed.He closed the boot and got in the driver’s seat. “Thanks foreverything, Nerissa.”
“Let me knowhow you get on, okay?”
He started theengine. “I will.”
“And invite herround to my place for dinner, darling. I can’t wait to meether.”
He raised aneyebrow.
“Don’t worry,I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
Damon chuckledand drove straight to Harper’s basement flat.
* * *
He fetchedHarper’s bags from the boot, carried them down the steps and rangthe doorbell.
Zarya answeredthe door. She took one look at him and narrowed her eyes. “Damon?You’ve got a nerve turning up here.”
Damon frowned.“Hi, Zarya, is Harper in? I really need to see her.”
“Oh, you reallyneed to see her,” she repeated, her words loaded with sarcasm.“Newsflash—she doesn’t want to see you.” She slammed the door inhis face.
He rang thedoorbell again.
Shufflingsounds behind the door, and whispers. Harper was there too.
The door openedagain.
Zarya stoodwith her hands on her hips. “What part of ‘she doesn’t want to seeyou’ did you not understand? Haven’t you done enough damage?”
Confusionreigned. “What are you talking about?”
She let out anunladylike snort. “Like you don’t know, you scheming bastard. Youand your lowlife brother are as bad as each other.”
“Conner? Whathas he got to do with anything?”
“Still playingMr Innocent? Cut the bullshit, it won’t work with me. Have you anyidea what you’ve put Harper through, or how much Magik Dates meantto her?”
Meant?“I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Let me speakto Harper. I know she’s there.”
“Leave heralone.” Her eyes narrowed again. “I’m sure you and your brotherwill be very successful in your new dating agency venture.”
His jawdropped. Was she suggesting he’d set up a rival dating agency withConner? Would his brother stoop so low as to steal her businessidea? No, he wouldn’t… An uncomfortable prickling sensation creptaround the nape of his neck. One thing was certain, he had to findout what his brother had been up to while he was away. “Look,Zarya, I don’t know what you think my brother and I have done—”
Harper appearedat the door, her grey eyes wide with fury. “Piss off and leave mealone, Damon.”
The venom inher tone shocked him to the core.
He staggeredbackwards. “Harper…?”
Tears glistenedand her chin trembled.
Had he donethat to her? The thought broke his heart in two.
It was all hecould do to mutter, “If I’ve done something wrong, I’m sorry—”
“Don’t…” Sheglanced down to the bags in his hands and a crease appeared betweenher eyebrows. “Are those… my bags?” Her voice held a distinctwobble now.
He nodded. “Youleft them in my car. The trip took longer than I thought and Ididn’t realise your bags were in the boot until I got back.”
She exchanged aconfused glance with Zarya.
Hope flickered.“Please, Harper, tell me what I’ve done wrong. You didn’t answer mycalls. I was worried sick, but then I found your bags in my car,and your phone kept buzzing,
