Twenty eight

I tried to compose myself and quickly came up with a response. "We were just discussing how to gather information about Blake's weaknesses and how we could use that to our advantage," I said, trying to sound convincing.

Marcus didn't seem entirely convinced, but he didn't press the issue further. I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that I managed to avoid any awkward explanations. It was already bad enough that I had betrayed my own kind to work with Derek and his team. The last thing I needed was to be caught in a compromising situation with him.

As I glanced at Derek, I could see the disappointment in his eyes. It was clear that he was hoping for something more between us, but I couldn't let that happen. The idea of being romantically involved with a vampire was out of the question, especially since I was a hunter. We were sworn enemies, and any kind of entanglement between us would be a betrayal of my people.

I took a step back from Derek and tried to put some distance between us.