Sylvie called as soon as she saw her Instagram feed had blown up with images of me and Vincent and my ginormous engagement ring, gushing with more enthusiasm than should be allowed at seven o'clock in the morning.

"You won the local celeb lotto on every form of social media," she said.

"I blame Amelia for that. She played up the engagement with tweets of Vincent's comment 'I never knew love until I met you'. There's even a meme of Vincent proposing with a Gollum quote from The Hobbit."

"'My Precious'. I saw that one. Ah, the perils of life with the city's hottest gargoyle. Your face plastered all over kingdom come."

"Fodder for the masses," I snorted. "I'm trying to roll with it until another celebrity takes the crown. I do have a problem with Vincent showing up on all the playboy hashtags, though. That label needs to go, pronto."

"You're marrying a rock star, babe." 

"Vincent is not a rock star."

"But, he's like a rock star. Everyone knows who he is and everyone wants to bone him. Even some of the guys. And you get him all to yourself. You lucky bitch."

"I don't know what you're complaining about. You've got Colin."

"Yup, and he's pretty fucking hung."

"Hey, watch the language. I need to clean mine up if I'm going to be a role model for my kids."

"Shit. Are you pregnant?"

"No, but it's inevitable."

"Is it? I mean, are you going to ignore Master Ricci and have a baby?"

"Magister Ricci, and Vincent and I have never used birth control. If it's meant to be, it will be."

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about motherhood before. It was always a dirty word for you."

"I was never in love before."

"True dat. Hey, you up for some bestie hang-out time? We haven't seen each other in a week."

"We used to go months without seeing each other."

"Yeah, but we lived in different cities. I'm a lonely single girl, remember, like you used to be. Besides, my mom called last night and I need someone to talk to."

"Oh, wow. How long has it been?"

"Sixteen months. She only called because I texted her that I moved. Amazingly, she kept the same phone number. Apparently, she has a good job that doesn't require her to get naked."

"I thought she gave up stripping years ago."

"She did, but she only recently ditched her scummy boyfriend and moved to a small town in Montana. She's working on a nudist dude ranch run by a same sex couple."

I chuckled. "Sounds like she found her niche then. Let's plan to get lunch somewhere. I need to rendezvous with Vincent first, then I'll text you. Think about where you want to meet."

"I'll start my Google search now."

As I swiped the screen on my phone, I stopped to glance at the engagement ring shimmering like a lighthouse beacon on my finger. I still couldn't believe Vincent made it so public. While the camera clearly loved him, he didn't try to grab it at every opportunity. He liked his privacy, but based on the flood of well-wishers and questions about a wedding date, there would be no avoiding the full monty.

Vincent had disappeared into his office at six AM to talk with his Japanese partners. Apparently, they conducted their business better on Saturdays after most of them had pounded a few drinks. I checked the magic eye to make sure Mr. Pearlman was still sitting in his recliner vegging on TV, and I debated on whether to walk over and invade his privacy when my phone buzzed with a call. I gasped when I saw Christoph's name.

"Christoph, how are you?"

"Hi, Reese. How are you?"

"I'm still sitting in my ivory tower. Now, it's your turn. Were you able to reunite with your hive?"

"Yes, and the situation is normalizing. I think everyone just wants to get back to work. Hadria managed to sway her legions with her extensive connections, and many of us will be working abroad."

"So, you've been welcomed back into the fold?"

"One hundred percent."

"And what will be your role in all this?"

"I'll be assisting Fredrik when he travels to collect antiquities that aren't for sale. I'm waiting on a temporary visa and we'll be leaving the country in two days. I'll try to keep in touch, but I can't make any promises. By the way, have you heard from Willem?" 

"No, but if we don't hear from him by tomorrow, we're heading out to look for him."

"Really? Are you going?"

"Yes. It will be my first flight outside the rec room."

"Rec room?"

"It's a big indoor training room with a padded floor and walls for clumsy gollums like me, but I'm crashing a lot less these days. Hey, how is Josh? Is he still at the hive?"

Silence.

Oh, crap.

"Christoph, I'm sorry."

"I know. Josh may have had his faults, but he never hesitated to defend a fellow demon. I'm going to miss sparring with him."

"You seem okay with Hadria despite her being the reason Cecile and Josh are dead."

"Yeah, well... She's okay as a queen, but she's still a cunt."

"Can you tell me where you're off to?"

"Egypt."

"Cool."

"You're going to miss me aren't you?" he asked.

"Maybe. Like someone misses tripping over a break in the sidewalk once it gets fixed."

"Interesting analogy. Oh, I should be able to pay you back for the groceries when I'm done with this trip. Then we'll be even. You won't owe me anything and I won't owe you anything."

"You don't have to pay me back for the groceries. I had Sylvie eat them."

"Well, I don't want to be in anyone's debt, especially Vincent's."

"Are you severing ties with us?"

"Hadria has two amulets now, so you won't be chased by demons anymore, and the hive is going to function as it always has, but rather than focus solely on our battle training and doing things under the radar, we'll be legit."

It sounded like Christoph had overcome his hatred for Hadria and jumped on her bandwagon, and I couldn't decide whether or not this was a good thing for him.

"Are you sure you and Fredrik will be working legit? If these artifacts aren't for sale, how do you get your hands on them?"

"I haven't been briefed on details, but Fredrik has been doing it a while and he hasn't gone to jail or had his throat slit."

"It sounds dangerous, but I'm sure you're no stranger to that, huh?"

"I'll always be the bad boy to you, won't I?"

"Some girls find that hot. Maybe you'll meet a girl in Egypt who thinks your bad boy persona is hot."

Vincent chose that moment to walk in, and I did everything in my power not to let my face flush. "I gotta go."

"Did Vincent just bust you?"

"Yes. Have a safe trip. I'll pass along what we talked about."

"Okay. See ya around, Reese."

Vincent leaned into my mouth and kissed me before I had a chance to hang up. "You hungry? You didn't eat yet," he said.

"How do you know I didn't eat? You were chatting-up your drunk Japanese friends."

"I didn't smell you cooking, and your lips only taste like coffee. Have I missed something?"

"No. Your taste buds have a mind of their own, you know that."

Vincent grinned as he walked to the kitchen, and I followed him in, talking as he opened the fridge.

"Sylvie's deadbeat mom called and she needs a friend to talk to. I thought we could do lunch out."

"Sure." Vincent opened the meat drawer and grabbed the thinly-sliced roast beef and Provolone. He set them on the counter and went back in for the mayo and deli mustard.

"Just sure? Should I arrange to have Rizzo bring around the Escalade?"

Vincent locked me in a gaze, abandoning his efforts at a deli sandwich. "I think you've earned the right to escort yourself. Just make sure your phone is charged and call me if you need me."

I smiled like a goof because I knew exactly what he was doing, and I loved him for it. "Thanks, Vincent."

"You're welcome." He kissed my nose and continued with his lunch, opening a bag of hoagie rolls on the counter as I watched.

"So, Christoph called," I said.

"I thought so. You always get this guilty look on your face when you talk to him."

"I do not. He's been accepted back into the hive and will be working with Fredrik on some antiquity-finding tour in Egypt."

"Antiquity acquisition in Egypt, huh? Interesting. I wonder how he's pulling off the air travel without ID. I'm sure they couldn't have secured something so quickly."

"He said he's flying on a temporary visa."

"Hmm. How long is this antiquity-finding tour?"

"He didn't say, but he told me he wants to part ways. No intel on Hadria or the hive."

"What? I knew it. Dammit!" Vincent pounded his clenched fist on the counter, making the mustard bottle jump. "So, he's not even interested in keeping you safe from Hadria's minions?"

I scowled at his poor word choice. "He said Hadria is not interested in me anymore. She has Cecile's amulet and the one you gave to Ori, so she doesn't need a hybrid."

"And Christoph heard this from Hadria's own mouth? I doubt it."

"What did you expect from him, Vincent? This whole plan was already a stretch. Allegiances change. You said it yourself."

"You sound like you're on Christoph's side. That connection was your 'in' with the magisters. Your ticket to the winner's circle just blew away with the wind." Vincent faced the counter, pressing both hands against the granite surface.

"There's no reason to place blame here," I said rather nastily. "At least you get part of your wish. You wanted my tie with Christoph to be severed. Well, now it is."

I stared at the side of Vincent's head while he continued to hold down the counter. Maybe he thought it would blow away with the wind.

"I'm sorry, Reese. I know it's not your fault Christoph is a selfish prick."

"A selfish prick who saved me from cracking my skull open on the pavement," I growled.

He lifted his head to hit me with a stormy look. "I would have gotten to you in time."

"That isn't the point, and you know it. Christoph saved me because he's not a selfish prick, and he has the right to choose how he wants to lead his life. That doesn't mean I'm siding with him, it just means I have forgiven his past transgressions and moved on."

Vincent straightened up and crossed his arms, looking both annoyed and remorseful. "You."

"What about me?"

"You make me think too much."

"Don't tell me you're expecting to marry a mate who holds her tongue."

My sarcasm got his attention, and his stony face crumbled away, leaving a crooked smile in its place. "Not at all. Your tongue is one of my favorite things about you."

Good boy. Come back to me, Vincent.

"Should I list all the places I would like to put my tongue?" I said as I stood on my toes and kissed him. He held me in place and captured me with those arresting gray orbs.

"Yes, and as you list them, I want you to demonstrate."