Joseph’s POVI couldn’t get Tessa out of there fast enough. Once we went with Baine and Amayah to the council room and stopped the meeting from continuing, we grabbed Carter and left as fast as we could before they changed their minds about letting Carter go punishment-free.Carter was extremely confused by the turn of events because apparently, they were really laying it into him that he shouldn’t have gone behind their backs and turned a human into a vampire. He was taking full responsibility and he overheard some of them saying something about the death penalty. He was terrified he was never going to see Ruby

Tessa’s POVThe drive back to the city was long and exhausting. It felt weird returning without Ruby, and it felt even weirder knowing that the vampire council knew exactly where I was. Joseph had told me that I could trust them, but I wasn’t so sure. It was hard to believe that a group of elite vampires could be trusted after everything I had been through.If they could really be trusted, wouldn’t they have stopped Ryan from doing what he had done? I’m assuming they knew exactly where all their vampires were and what they were up to. So, where has this council been this whole time?

Tessa’s POVMary Flanagan. The real estate agent Joseph had hired to show us around different houses in the city of New York. She was a middle-aged woman with kind blue eyes with small wrinkles around the edges when she smiled. Her blonde hair was tied up in a neatly done ponytail and she wore a pink blouse and a tight black skirt that made her look professional.The sun had just set when we met her at the small café just outside of the busy city. She already had her cappuccino in hand and was seated at an outdoor table, flipp

Tessa’s POVMy office was a bit smaller than the others, but I really didn’t need much space. It had a window that overlooked the city as well and it was a beautiful view. Like the other desks, mine was glass and it had a bulky computer set up already. There were a couple of filing cabinets that were completely empty and a couple of plain-looking chairs.Besides that, though, it wasn’t really fancy. But it was perfect. I could already imagine all the ways I could make this office mine. I was definitely going to bring my laptop and mostly work from that.

Tessa’s POVMy heart was so happy after talking to Ruby and knowing for certain that she and I were okay. I loved Joseph so much for making that happen and wanted to express that to him more.I lunged at him, jumping into his arms and he laughed as his arms wrapped protectively around me. My entire body warmed and melted against his when his lips met mine. I loved the way his lips felt against mine. He used his lips to part mine, and I soon felt his tongue entering my mouth, exploring me curiously and twirling against mine. I couldn’t seem to get enough of him. I wanted to be as close to him as possible.But most importantly, I wanted to make him feel just as good as he makes me feel. I was the one who broke the kiss and started to kiss down the nape of his neck. He stilled at first, unsure of what was happening, but the smile on my lips as I kissed him made him relax and he ran his fingers down my back, making goosebumps attack my flesh.I helped him out of his shirt and per usual I