I should really keep my composure, but… how the hell am I supposed to do that?!

Brianne is practically half-naked, sitting casually on her bed. She's wearing nothing but a long white T-shirt that perfectly highlights the curves of her full, flawless breasts, the black lace of her bra faintly visible underneath. Her bare feet rest gracefully on a small stool—a pose that leaves her smooth thighs completely bare, with her matching lace panties just barely visible beneath the hem of the shirt.

She's painting her toenails, fully absorbed in it, and thankfully doesn't even spare me a glance as I show up at her bedroom door. If she did, she'd definitely notice the obvious bulge straining against my pants. Stay down, damn it!

«I'm going back to school on Monday — I can't show up looking messy or unkempt. I might be a Monster Reaper, but I'm still a girl,» she says, as if I might've found it strange to see her taking care of herself. Believe me, Brianne, it never even crossed my mind to wonder why you're painting your toenails — my attention is entirely elsewhere.

«Forgive my rather improper outfit for receiving a guest,» she continues, still focused on painting her toes. «But you know, I didn't want to risk staining my pants, and I haven't had the time earlier, so I figured I'd do it now while chatting with you.»

«I see. If being without pants in front of me embarrasses you, just say the word and I'll turn around,» I reply — a half-hearted attempt to sound like a gentleman who's definitely not drooling over her, and mostly just an excuse not to stand there frozen with my eyes glued to every inch of her. If she told me to turn around, I doubt I'd find the strength to actually do it.

«Why would that bother me? I mean, you're the famous Ren Lazar — people at school never stop talking about your conquests and all those mothers of your classmates you've slept with. With all the gorgeous women you've been with, I doubt a simple pair of legs could make you lose your mind.»

Sure, if they were just a normal pair of legs, they wouldn't affect me in the slightest. But hers are anything but normal. Long, smooth, toned — in other words, perfect. My tongue practically aches to trace them from her toes all the way up to her inner thighs, but yeah… probably best to keep that thought buried.

«And anyway...» Brianne goes on with a faint smile. «I just told you I'm a girl too, didn't I? It's always flattering to be admired by a handsome guy — even if that guy's about to become a father... oh, by the way, who's the lucky one? Three weeks ago you weren't even dating anyone, and now you're expecting a child? Must've been quite the love-at-first-sight story for things to move that fast.»

Yeah, a love-at-first-sight story that's been dragging on for about four years now, but I obviously can't tell her that the one who's pregnant is my stepmother — she'd get an even worse impression of me than she already has.

«Oh, long story — I'll tell you one day. For now, I'd rather keep it secret,» I say quickly, cutting her off before I accidentally say something stupid. «So, what did you want to talk about? All this urgency and secrecy is making me a little nervous, to be honest.»

Her expression suddenly turns serious. I have a really bad feeling about this...

«You're not the only one who has secrets to keep, so I'll skip the part about what I did and where I've been these past three weeks and get straight to the point — your so-called friend, John Hawkley,» she says, her tone even graver than her expression. «It's obvious he's not from this world, and yet HESPARC's headquarters keeps dragging its feet about issuing the kill order. According to my intel, that creature's influence has reached all the way to the top of the HESPARC U.S. division. It's the only explanation for their endless delays and hollow excuses, despite the mountain of evidence gathered against him. So, some of us have decided to act on our own and eliminate John Hawkley ourselves, without waiting for authorization.»

I'm afraid to ask what all this has to do with me... but I'm pretty sure I'll find out soon enough.

«As I've already told you, you're not the reason I'm staying here — my superiors don't even know you exist. I promised to turn a blind eye to you if you kept a low profile. Well, there's been a little change of plans.»

Things are going from bad to worse...

«Fighting John on his own ground would be too risky, so we need to isolate him. And that's where you come in. From the number of times I've seen you coming and going from his villa, it's clear he trusts you at least a little. Long story short: I want you to act as bait — lure John to the exact spot I'll tell you. That's my condition for continuing to overlook the presence of an unregistered vampire in New York and the many victims you've left scattered around the outskirts. I don't bargain or negotiate.»

Her gaze — now sharp and unsettling — shifts from her feet to me for the first time.

«Especially now that you're about to become a father, cooperate with us and don't do anything stupid. The last thing I want is to hurt you, Ren. Believe me, I mean it. I'm certain what we know about John Hawkley is only the tip of the iceberg, yet that alone is enough to put us on high alert — and you're actively collaborating with him. Accept our offer, and you can live out the rest of your days in total normality. Otherwise, I'll take it as a sign of loyalty to him and respond accordingly.»

«So you're threatening me, then,» I reply, forcing myself to sound completely unfazed. «You told me not to worry a minute ago, but apparently that was bullshit.»

«You're being dramatic... I prefer to call it a harmless white lie,» she says with a mocking smile — completely out of place after she's just threatened to kill me.

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