Chapter 149

“Crystal,” Andrew said, cupping my cheek in his free hand, “your safety means more to me than anything. I love Lisa with all my heart, but I’m not going to let her blind devotion to Bob put you in danger.”

I nuzzled my cheek against his palm.

“Andrew, that’s so sweet of you, but I can’t get between you and someone you love.”

“You aren’t. I promise you that me finding out if Bob planted the bomb and sent this…madman after you will not affect my relationship with Lisa.”

“Yes, it will,” I insisted. “You almost ruined it already when you just blamed Bob for the bomb. Imagine what will happen if you actually get evidence of his guilt.”

I didn’t even want to mention the possibility that Lisa was involved in these plots against me.

Andrew lowered his hand as it curled into a fist.

“No, I didn’t almost ruin it,” he said through clenched teeth, “and I won’t ruin it by keeping you safe. I’m going to get to the bottom of these attacks, even if it means that Bob is responsible for them.”

“Am I really worth—”

“Yes! You really are worth the risk. I don’t know why I have to keep telling you that.”

Andrew ripped his hand from mine and pounded both fists against the steering wheel.

“Dammit, Crystal. I love you. Won’t you just let me do what I need to in order to protect you?”

Silence fell between us. Andrew panted heavily as he tried to calm down. This was the most negative emotion I had seen from him thus far—and I never wanted to see it come from him again.

Andrew’s phone rang, startling me.

“Hello?” Andrew answered it.

His eyes widened.

“Really? When?”

I watched curiously as Andrew listened to the person on the other end.

“Yes, that is horrible. Well, let me know when the selection process for the open seat will begin. Thank you for telling me.”

Andrew hung up his phone and tossed it into the console. Without a word, he started the car and pulled out of the police station parking lot.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Andrew took a deep breath through his nostrils.

“Lisa’s uncle, Louis Beaumont, is dead, so a seat is now open on the Werewolf Council.”

My mouth gaped.

“Oh my Goddess, that’s horrible. What happened? Does Lisa know?”

Andrew’s grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white.

“He was murdered in his home. I don’t know if Lisa knows yet. I hope that she doesn’t, since I would prefer to be the one to tell her.”

My hand flew to my mouth at the word “murdered”. I hadn’t heard of a noble werewolf being murdered since the Lunas. I slowly lowered my hand.

“Do they…do you know who did it?”

Andrew shook his head, his mouth a firm line.

“They have no leads yet. No murder weapon, no prints, nothing. There wasn’t even a sign of forced entry.”

“Doesn’t that usually mean that it was someone that the victim knew?”

Andrew nodded.

“Or, at the very least, that he let them in.”

Andrew ran his hand over his face.

“Look, I don’t want you to worry about this. I’m going to take you to the mansion, and then I’m heading to the scene of the crime. I want you to stay at the mansion while I’m gone.”

“Why?”

He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel.

“With this murderer still out there, the mansion is the safest place that you can be. There are guards everywhere, plus Jeffrey. No one can get to you there.”

I wrung my hands. I couldn’t help thinking about Bob and the threats he had left me when I had lived at the mansion. The guards couldn’t stop him then, so I wasn’t too confident about them stopping a murderer who had killed Louis Beaumont in his own home.

Still, I trust Jeffrey with my life, and I wanted to give Andrew peace of mind.

I nodded.

“All right. I’ll stay at the mansion until you return.”

His grasp loosened slightly.

“Thank you.”

• * *

Andrew saw me inside the mansion before rushing off to Louis Beaumont’s house. Parker offered to escort me wherever I wanted inside the mansion, but I knew that he had other duties to tend to, so I dismissed him instead.

Immediately, I regretted my decision. Goosebumps rose from my skin as I wandered the empty halls alone, making my way toward Andrew’s private quarters. I knew that Jeffrey was nearby, but I wished that he would make himself known so that I could have someone to talk to.

When I passed the home theater, Bob popped his head out with a malicious grin. My goosebumps multiplied, and I shivered involuntarily. I tried to continue down the hall without giving him any acknowledgement, but he caught up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Hello, Crystal,” he said. “How are you today?”

I stiffened under his grip.

“I’m fine,” I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“Andrew here?”

I hesitated.

“No.”

Bob’s fingers tightened their grasp.

“That’s too bad. Where is he?”

I shook off his hand and whirled around to face him.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” I snapped.

Bob held his hands up faux-passively.

“I’m just trying to have a pleasant conversation with you.”

“Then why do you want to know where Andrew is?”

Bob shrugged nonchalantly, then grinned.

“I suppose that I was wondering if he were at the Louis Beaumont murder scene yet.”

My eyes widened, and my blood ran cold. How did he know about that?

Susan growled deep within me, but I held her off. I couldn’t attack Bob, not yet. He needed to give me good reason to.

“You…you know about that?” I gulped. “Does Lisa?”

Bob shook his head and took a step closer to me.

“Not yet. She will soon enough, though, whether I tell her or her father does.”

I took a step back.

“How…how did you hear about it?”

Bob stepped forward again, closing the gap between us. He grabbed a strand of my hair and ran it through his fingers.

“I have my sources, same as you.”

I froze as he lifted my hair to his nose and sniffed it. Then he let it slip through his fingers and fall to my chest.

“It’s such a shame,” he continued. “Louis had so much life left in him. It shows you how fragile life really is.”

My body trembled slightly. I clenched my hands until my nails drew blood. Bob licked his lips as he watched the blood drip onto the wood floor below us.

“Don’t forget, Jeffrey is nearby,” I said, trying to keep my voice strong. “He’ll be on you in an instant if you so much as threaten me.”

Bob’s eyes narrowed at me. He leaned in close enough that his lips touched my ear. I flinched, but his hand at my back prevented me from getting away.

“You and your little bodyguard don’t scare me anymore,” he sneered.

He released me and backed away as Jeffrey appeared by my side.

“Is there a problem here?” Jeffrey asked, looking Bob up and down.

“None at all,” Bob said, returning his stare unwaveringly. “No problem at all.”