“Then you don’t think I need watching? “I asked, and he gave me a sideways glance.

Clearly he did, but I was too tired to be mad at him right now. His scent lingered in the cushions, the redwood blending with the whiff of electronics and burnt amber from the corner of the room. My pulse was slowing, and the ticking of four clocks became obvious. There was one on each of the four walls, and I wondered if it was part of a protection charm.

My thoughts were swirling as I tried to relax, the day’s events coming back to the forefront of my mind as I finally had a chance to think about them. Until I got my summoning name back, I was vulnerable, whether I liked it or not. Uncomfortable, I wedged off my boots and tucked my feet under the afghan. Much as I wanted it otherwise, having Pierce here was a comfort. Nick might have left us only to betray us, but I doubted it. He had too much to lose by inviting Vivian or anyone else from the coven into his place. They’d clear his apartment out, then give him my old cell in Alcatraz.

“You were a member of the coven?” I asked, my thoughts jumping as sleep demanded its fair share of my day.

“Still am,” he said, and I opened my eyes to see him staring at nothing as he slumped. “Once a member, always a member, until death. And I’m not dead anymore.”

“They’re the ones who blew your cover, aren’t they,” I said, thinking back to his words—no, his threat—to Vivian. “They gave you to that vampire. Why?”

He turned, straightening when he realized I was watching him. “We disagreed.”

Because you do black magic? I’m so surprised. “Disagreed? They bricked you in the ground,” I said, but instead of becoming angry, he chuckled, stretching his legs out under the table, looking nothing like himself as he unbuttoned his vest and relaxed.

“Yes, they did, but here I am. Go to sleep, Rachel.”

I slumped farther into the couch to breathe in his scent, lingering in the cushions. “Do you think you can get them to leave me alone?” I asked, eyes closing.

“Not likely,” he said, his soft voice clear over the sounds of someone’s music coming through the walls. “As you say, they did brick me in the ground.”

Snuggling deeper under the afghan, I yawned as I listened to a car beep in the street below. “You’re just like me. Nothing but trouble,” I murmured, slurring.

“My apologies?” he said, making me smile at the simple sound of it.

I wasn’t thinking anymore, and I had to shut my mouth. “Good night, Pierce,” I said around another yawn, unable to stop myself.