Evangeline shifted toward the wall, putting her back to Tessa, and said nothing.

Tessa lifted her chin. “Were you trying to get his secret for yourself?”

Evangeline remained quiet, but her intentions were clear. She’d been after Sebastian’s amulet because of her own desires.

“That’s what I thought,” Tessa said.

Evangeline shifted. “I didn’t say anything.”

Tessa walked toward the door. “You didn’t have to.”

Julian shut the door and leaned against it. “So what’s your gut say? You think Evangeline is working with someone?”

Sebastian wanted to pace but made himself be still. “I don’t know. Maybe. But who would have the patience to work with her? Although she claimed to have a lover who was teaching her self-defense or some such thing.”

Which meant the possibility existed that she’d been doing this for reasons beyond her own desires. Evangeline could have promised another, more powerful vampire that she could provide him with the ability to daywalk in an attempt to curry favor or protection. Or money.

Or maybe she owed a more powerful vampire money and this was her way of repaying it.

If that was true, it would explain why she hadn’t asked Sebastian for any cash in a long time. And her lifestyle required great sums of the stuff.

It was starting to make sense now. Someone else had to be bankrolling her. How else did she afford her life? He doubted she had the wherewithal to invest and plan like most vampires, learning to play the markets to increase their wealth to unimaginable heights.

No, Evangeline was the sort to rely on the kindness of strangers. Strangers she probably seduced and entertained until she grew tired of them. Or more likely, they grew tired of her. Perhaps she’d overstayed her welcome and had been forced to come up with something to repay the largess she’d been shown.

The secret of daywalking would be just the thing. Most vampires would give their right fang for that sort of knowledge. To be free of the one restriction of their kind would be monumental. Life changing. That kind of knowledge could shift the balance of power in the world if dropped into the wrong hands.

He’d about convinced himself that a horde of vampires were moments from descending upon them when Tessa’s sturdy knock sounded on the door.

Julian whisked it open and she stepped out.

“Well?” Sebastian could barely contain himself.

She shook her head. “Just her. And it’s exactly what we thought it was. She saw those pictures of you in the paper, realized what time of day it was when they were taken and wanted the ability for herself.”

Relief washed the torment of thoughts from his head. Julian heaved out a relieved sigh as well. “All right then.”

“She also figured out your entire family could daywalk and assumed your grandmother was controlling the whole thing.”

Sebastian exchanged a look with Julian as Tessa continued. “She knew if that was true, asking you for the secret would get her nothing, but she thought you owed it to her. Mostly because you’ve given her everything she’s asked for over the years.”

Sebastian shook his head. “All because of that damned promise to her father.”

Julian made a face. “What promise?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Sebastian leaned in and kissed Tessa. It was briefer than he’d have liked but being demonstrative in front of others was something he was going to have to work on. “Thank you for doing this. Did she say anything else?”

“Oh, all sorts of things, mostly about you.” A mischievous glint winked in Tessa’s eyes. It matched the playful tone of her voice. “But I don’t use that kind of language.”

Back on the street level, Tessa and Sebastian said goodbye to Julian. As he walked away from them, Sebastian turned to her. “Hungry? Because I’m starving all of a sudden.”

She nodded. She was hungry. It had been a long, long day. “I could eat. But there’s something else we should probably do first.”

“What’s that?”

A strange sadness came over her, but she knew that was nonsense. The game was well and truly over. She pulled the engagement ring off her finger and held it out to him. “Return this.”

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. “I don’t want it.”

She frowned at him. “Maybe you don’t, but I’m pretty sure that nice fae jeweler is expecting it back.”

He gazed into her eyes and slowly shook his head. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am mad about you, Tessa Blythe.”

She grinned back at him. “The feeling is mutual, Sebastian Ellingham.”

“I am thrilled to hear you say that.”

She laughed. “Did you think I’d changed my mind?”

“Meeting Elenora can have that effect on people.”

Tessa shrugged. “She did say she was going to buy me an island.”

He laughed and pulled his hands from his pockets. “So you’ll take an island from her but not an engagement ring from me?”

She lifted the ring a little higher. “There’s a pretty good chance I will. Someday. When it’s right. But that time is not today and that ring is not this one. This one was about pretending. I would only want one that’s about being genuine. We’ve both had too much pretend in our lives for a while, don’t you think?”

He nodded and finally took the ring. “I agree with that. But…”