Tatum was pressed into the corner of the lounge, staring at me with fear showing on her face. Her eyes darted between me and the door. I held tight, knowing she wouldn't get far. Roman might have left us alone for the conversation, but I knew he'd be lurking close by to ensure everything went smoothly.

"I have been a vampire for the entire time we have known each other. I've been a vampire for thirty years. I am fifty-six years old. Roman is ninety-five."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"You do not need to fear anyone in this place, I promise."

"So, Dani?"

"Decided to become one after she learned the truth about Noah. He's a vampire hunter and through a long side story that is not entirely relevant at the moment, he's also Alexia's son and Roman's half-brother."

"Right, so you and that Roman guy are together but not really, you're crushing on Dani, like no one could see it."

"Dani couldn't."

"Yeah, but Dani's blind to a lot of things," she whispered. "Especially that asshole husband."

"Ex-husband. The vampire council has agreed to the divorce."

"But Noah's not a vampire," Tatum said.

"He wasn't, but he is now."

Tatum rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. Okay, hit rewind and tell me about this guy she killed."

"We're going back to her birthday. You know how the asshole booked the dinner for them? Well, he invited two of his friends and this woman who used to live near them and Bella."

"Bella, as in the chick from the front desk who faked being stressed?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Noah ordered a birthday cake, and guess what it had in it?"

"Jam. What an ass."

"So they had a fight, which led to Noah going to stay with a friend for the weekend to give Dani time to cool off. Once he was gone and had an alibi, the masked intruder entered the house, knocked out Dani, and took her out to the waiting car. Roman and I were there because I knew he was up to something. Back then, he was just a hunter, and because he wanted to put the spotlight on vampires, Dani was dumped in what used to be a notorious spot for vampires to, you know,"

"Dump their victims?"

I nodded.

"Just so that we're clear, this is a no-kill coven."

"Uh-huh," she said dryly. "But you weren't back then, were you?"

"No. There's no such thing as a no-kill coven in London. Anyway, we followed the car, watched the attacker dump her body, and Roman went into the water to fish her out. We offered to show her the truth about Noah, and because Roman had lots of spies watching everything, we knew exactly where he was. So, we gave her a first-hand view of them screwing each other."

"Always said he was an ass."

I nodded. It was accurate yet so underdone it wasn't funny.

"Dani decided she wanted revenge. It started with collecting a few of her things and trashing her house."

"Really?"

Again, I nodded. "I wasn't there, but Roman said he could hear glass smashing for at least ten minutes."

Tatum snorted a laugh. "Ain't nothing like a pissed off woman, am I right?"

"Yep, so Dani also collected his laptop, which wasn't overly beneficial for us, but for her, it gave her insight into what he was doing."

"Those stupid retreats?"

"He was going to a house near Gravesend, where they hold parties, and it's nothing but an orgy. He'd documented every single time he was there, so Dani knew he was never faithful to her. She was angry and decided that she wanted all of them dead. The first was Bella, then Marnie. She got Jack and Steve in one night, which was pretty amazing. Steve was this big, beefy guy, and she fought him off in a tiny bathroom cubicle. Noah was her final target, and she tried twice. The first time his father turned up and revived him, the second time, she accidentally turned him into a vampire. Well, his mother is a born vampire, so he was always one of us, but because he was raised by his human father, his body suppressed everything. But Noah is rather angry at the moment. When she was hiding from him, Dani cleaned out their joint accounts. Then on Christmas Eve, we were leaving London and he stopped the car, dragged her out, and took her into a nearby office building. That's when she accidentally turned him and also found the room was full of boxes of money."

Tatum screwed up her face like it was unfathomable that someone would do something like that.

"We think Noah was stealing it from the law firm, which was really a cover for the hunting guild they were a part of."

"You're blowing my mind here."

"I know. So, she's stolen money from him twice, killed his lovers who were also his alibi, and trashed the house. We left London and went to Scotland. There was this whole other thing with Roman's father that is just too much for this conversation. We returned, and Dani broke into the house again. We thought Noah was dead, and she found the access codes to the secret bank accounts he'd kept hidden from her. She cleaned them out, and on our last day in London, Noah appeared and told us to leave. If we stayed out of England, he would leave us alone. So, that's kind of all of it, I think."

"Yeah, and Dani's pregnant. So, you might be the father?"

I shrugged, which seemed to amuse Tatum.

"You know, I didn't think Dani would be the kind of woman to take on two guys at once."

"Well, I guess people can surprise us."

I think she was curious at first, but was cautious of the situation. The thoughts in her head would have been plaguing her about what the world would think if they knew the truth. I suppose that once she realised that no one around us cared, and they were already used to what Roman and I got up to, Dani figured out it wasn't so bad.

Tatum perked up, and I turned just in time to see Roman hastily walk past the door. It was strange, but he's been in an odd mood for several days, so I thought nothing of it. Turning back to Tatum, I hoped she would give me a positive answer because if she didn't, Giovanni was going to be angry. Tatum might not survive if she didn't agree to keep the secret. After promising she would be safe, I feared he would make a liar out of me.

"So, why didn't you tell us? Because of the cops or Noah?"

I shrugged. "The coven leader ordered us to remain quiet about it. Dani was supposed to stay hidden until everything blew over and the cops lost interest in her case. Dani could have gone to the cops, but we knew Noah was trying to pin it on the vampires. I wanted to tell you and Lucy, but"

"Look," Tatum said, shifting over to the lounge. "I get it. You didn't think we could keep a secret, if the cops interviewed us or if we had to go to court, we wouldn't lie. Noah's clearly dangerous, and I'm sure there's a whole heap of other reasons to keep quiet. It's okay. I was angry, but your reasons are valid, and I accept that. What happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've seen these kinds of movies, Jas. My freedom is earned by keeping my mouth shut, right?"

Her eyes lifted, and I turned to see Roman and Loren at the door.

"So, Loren's going to keep Tatum company because,"

Noises could be heard, and Roman left the statement hanging as he turned to the corridor. Alexia was helping Dani up the stairs. The pain on her face said it all, and I felt anxiety curl in my stomach.

"Dani's in labour."

I stood despite it feeling as if my legs were going to collapse from under me.

"Oh my god, this is so exciting," Tatum said eagerly.

She stood, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"You're about to become a dad."

I stared at her, and all the fears I had about Noah exacting his revenge surfaced.

"But we're in so much danger," I whispered.

"From Noah?" she said, scrunching her face with disbelief. "He's in London."

"Jas," Roman barked from the top of the stairs. "Get your ass up here."

Tatum smiled, rubbing her hand over my arm.

"It's going to be okay. You've got family here, and from what I've seen, it's a secure place. Just go and help Dani through the birth, enjoy the moment your baby enters this world, and relax. Everything is going to be okay."

I nodded and turned to the stairs, hoping she was right. There was a horrid feeling deep in my gut that said she wasn't.