Page 53 of Protected by the Vampire

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know.

That was the problem.

Riker let out a short, incredulous laugh, dragging a hand through his hair. “That’s a load of bullshit.”

The bluntness snapped the tension.

Deacon shot him a look. “Helpful.”

“I’m serious, and I’m not usually a serious person or fox,” Riker said before he poked me in the chest. “You really think Spade’s the kind of guy to make a life-altering decision like that just because he got scared once?”

My jaw tightened. “You don’t know him like I do.”

Riker snorted. “No, I know him differently, which means I see shit you don’t.”

That earned him a glare.

He didn’t care. “Spade’s not weak,” Riker continued. “He’s not reckless either. If he says he wants something, really wants it, then he’s already thought it through in ten different ways.”

“That doesn’t mean?—”

“It means,” Riker cut in, his voice sharpening, “that this isn’t about Patrick.”

Silence settled again.

“He doesn’t scare easy,” Riker went on. “And when he does get scared, he doesn’t run from it. He adapts. He decides how he’s going to handle it next time. All the biker guys are the same. They’re a different breed to just any human like Rio and Kieran.”

“Watch yourself,” Nox warned his brother.

Riker grinned, but he wiped it away when he said to me, “Spade just wants to be able to stand with pride at your side and protect you in the same way you would him. It sucks to say, but he needs the extra boost from your vampy juices because your position in this territory is a lot more public. You get a lot more attention than we do. A lot more risks.”

My chest tightened at the truth.

“He chose you instantly, with no sign of fear. Don’t let your fear ruin his choice,” Riker said as he pulled himself up to sit on the counter.

I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face.

Across the room, Theo glanced over, and our eyes met instantly.

The bond between us stirred—soft and aware.

He didn’t know what we were talking about, but he felt me, so concern flickered across his expression. I forced the worry down, steadying myself, letting something calmer push through the connection.

I’m fine. I thought, even though he wouldn’t hear it.

Still, his shoulders eased slightly before Kieran said something that pulled his attention away again.

“You’re overthinking it,” Riker added, quieter now but no less certain.

“I’m thinking exactly as much as I should be,” I replied drily.

“Nope,” Riker said. “You’re thinking like someone who’s already decided it’s a no and is looking for reasons to justify it. Which is just boring and selfish, my friend.”

Deacon shifted slightly. “You don’t have to decide tonight.”

“I know.”