He gestured to Theo. “He seems like a very good friend,” Ronan said.

“He is.” I looked back at him. “And so are you.”

His eyes widened.

“I was an ass, and you came anyway. So I’d say that makes you a very good friend.”

His lips twitched. “I believe we both had some preconceived notions that led us both to say some regrettable things.” He held out a hand. “Truce?”

I thought of Jonathan Black’s deal, the insincerity of it. And the actual friendship this man offered.

“No,” I said. “Friendship.” He smiled as we shook on it. “I’ve got business to attend to. But if you’re staying in town, you should come see Connor’s town house. It’s beautiful, and there’s plenty of room for guests.”

* * *

* * *

For my next act, I would make more animosity disappear.

“You asked them to come,” I said, when I’d reached Theo and Connor. Theo looked back at me, a little smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

“He did?” Connor asked, with a glint of appreciation in his eyes.

“Yeah. To stand up for me.”

“Since the truth is out and I couldn’t do this before . . .” Theo wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off my feet in a ferocious hug. “We missed you at the office this week.”

“That was entirely your doing,” I pointed out.

“Actually, it was my doing.”

We turned back, found Roger Yuen walking toward us.

“You missed the action, boss,” Theo said, putting me down again.

Roger smiled. “Nah, Gwen let me monitor from the CPD van, just in case you wanted more assistance. But I had the sense you’d want to handle this one on your own.”

“I did. But thanks for keeping an eye out.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused, added, “I considered it a job interview, actually.”

Everyone looked at me. “A job interview?” I asked.

“For a full-time position with the OMB. You showed bravery, creativity, and when it came to the wire, decency. I’ll apologize once again for putting you on leave. It’s the cost, unfortunately, of transparency.”

“I know. I don’t like it, but I know. The job?” I prompted.

“Full-time,” he said again. “You’d be an Assistant Ombudsman.”

I watched him for a moment. “With an actual badge?”

His lips curled. “With an actual badge.”

“And Theo is my partner.”

Roger looked at Theo, who nodded. “Done,” Roger said.

My final demand involved a rumor. Whispers in the darkest corners of the Internet, but never seen in real life. “I want a Leo’s Coffee titanium card.”

Theo snorted. “Free coffee for the lifetime of the holder? Total myth. And even if it weren’t, you’re immortal. There’s no way they’d agree to that.”

I’d taken a chance for exactly those reasons, with the hope of negotiating down to Leo’s Coffee in the break room.

But Roger smiled with a knowing cant that said he had skills we hadn’t even considered. “Also done.”

“It’s real,” Theo quietly said, wonder and hope in his voice. “The titanium card is real.”

“Big day for you,” Roger said, squeezing Theo’s arm. Then he held out a hand to me. “Welcome aboard, Ombud Sullivan.”

We shook on it, and the deal was done.

Theo leaned toward me. “I want in on that card.”

I snorted. “Dude, you do your own negotiating. My card, my coffee.”

“Not a good way to begin a partnership,” he said with amusement, then looked at Connor. “We good?”

“We were always good,” Connor said, squeezing Theo’s shoulder. “Doesn’t mean I won’t be an ass if she’s in trouble.”

“Same goes.”

They shared one of those manly backslapping hugs that looked more painful than friendly, but whatever. My boys were friends again.

* * *

* * *

My parents were last; they’d waited for me away from the crowd. I looked at my father, who curved his fingers into a little heart.

Sweet and mortifying, both at the same time.

“Come here,” he said, and opened his arms.

I obeyed, and worked very hard not to cry. Even as an adult, that look of love—all-encompassing and all-forgiving—made me weepy.

“You made your own path,” he said. “It’s not the path we would have chosen, but we’re very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“As for your handling of the AAM . . .” There was deep satisfaction in his chuckle. “You are very much my daughter.”

My mother snorted. “As if there was any doubt.”

He shifted, looked at Connor. “I won’t tell you to take care of her, because I know she can take care of herself. But you’ll help her. You’ll care for each other.”

“We will,” Connor said.

EPILOGUE

The next evening, there was one bit of work that needed to be resolved.

I went to the NAC building, was told Miranda was in the garage, and walked toward it, but then I stood outside the closed door for a moment and thought.

We protect each other.

That had become our creed, a kind of operating principle for our relationship. And now it was time for me to do my part, to protect what I could.

I opened the door, found her alone and working at one of the counters that lined the wall.

Now that I’d decided my course, I didn’t waste any time. “We need to talk.”

She looked up, dismissed me, looked away. “What do you want?”

“I want nothing from you. But you owe Connor a favor. I intend to see he collects.”

She snorted. “I give exactly what I’m obliged to give. Loyalty to the Pack. Period.”

“Do you?” I asked, cocking my head at her. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

She stood up. “If you have something to say, then say it and get out.”

“You’re impatient, Miranda. That’s part of your problem. The other part? Levi remembered you.”

“Who the fuck is Levi?”

“He’s a vampire. He’s the member of the Compliance Bureau who took your call the night you ratted out your prince to a group of vampires.”

For the first time in our acquaintance, she actually looked concerned about something I’d said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do. You told him I turned Carlie.”

She was quiet for a moment, probably rethinking her moves, her steps, then narrowed her eyes at me. “You have nothing. I hear he’s as crazy as they come.”

“He’s disturbed,” I agreed. “But his memory is intact. And I bet you used your own screen to call him, Miranda. The Ombudsman has Levi’s screen now, and they’re working on getting his records.”

Her mouth firmed into a hard line, and her eyes narrowed into fulminating slits. “So what if I told. You broke the rules. You deserve to get punished.”

“Maybe. But I wasn’t the only one involved. I saved Carlie from the Pack. I saved Carlie because of the Pack. You reported me—and therefore the Pack—to the AAM. You nearly cost the prince his life. That’s not very loyal.”

She snorted, all bravado now, and not very convincing. “What do you know about loyalty? You don’t even have a House.”

“I don’t need a House. I’m loyal to people who are worthy of my trust, which does not include you. Doesn’t Gabriel need to know you aren’t trustworthy? That you turned on the Pack? On his son?”

All the color drained from her face. She knew what I had now, and what I intended to do with it. Or what I wanted her to believe I intended . . .

She turned her arm, showed me the wound she still hadn’t shifted to heal.

“Oh, I know you were cut. But Levi didn’t do it.”

“Then it was some other vampire.”

“No, it wasn’t.” I tilted my head, made a point of looking at the laceration. “I’d bet, if we have a doctor examine it, they’ll be able to tell us the angle of the wound. Prove that you’re the one who used the knife on yourself.”

She fumed in silence for a full minute. “What do you want? Money?”

“No.” I thought of the salary I’d just agreed to.

“Then what?”

“Loyalty to Connor. He’ll be Apex one day. We all know it. So stop working against him, and start supporting him. And if you don’t, I’ll have to tell everyone what I know. And what you did.”

Miranda looked at me for a long, quiet moment. “I don’t like you. And I don’t like you with Connor. He’s not even immortal.”

Those four words were sharp as a slap, a reminder of a very important difference between shifters and vampires. A reminder that, no matter how great our love, his life would be far shorter than mine. And I might live an eternity without him.

I winced and watched the flare of knowledge in her eyes. And knew I’d given her new ammunition to use against me.

She cocked a hip against the counter, confidence renewed. “I also don’t like that you get away with shit because of who you are. But the Pack is my family. So fine. I’ll support him.”

I wasn’t sure I believed her. But that had to be enough for now.

“Good,” I said. “You do anything that undermines his claim to the Pack, his rise to Apex, and every shifter in the country will know what you did. You’ll have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.”

She took a step forward. “You fuck the Pack, and you’ll have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.”

“Understood,” I said.

A stiff nod, and she turned away. We weren’t going to be friends, Miranda and me. But I didn’t need to be friends with her. I just needed her to do her part.