Free Chasing Midnight (Dark of Night Book 2) by Ranae Glass

nice thought, but daisies were actually my favorite flower, and these were lovely. As I gently arranged them, the overly suspicious side of my brain wondered how he knew they were my favorite, but it was quickly squelched by the more reasonable side, which kicked it hard in the shin and told it to shut up.
    Hey, I said it was more reasonable, not more mature.
    “Yeah, well you know. It’s home.”
    “Xavier said your friend Shane lives here too?”
    I nodded. “Yep. He’s the dude in the attic. Most of the time. I feel bad for him actually. He kinda got booted from the mansion because of me.”
    “Nah, this is nice. Better. It’s like, you can breathe here,” he said, taking a deep breath before wincing in pain.
    I slid a kitchen chair out for him. “Should you be out of the hospital yet?”
    He sat gingerly. “Probably not, but I was going nuts in there. I don’t guess you know this about me, but I’m a terrible patient.”
    I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Yeah, I can see that. You want something? Coffee? Water?”
    He held up a hand. “No, thanks. I’m fine.”
    I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down across from him, folding one leg under me. “So you wanna tell me why you’re really here?” I asked over the rim of my mug.
    He sat back, his hands in his lap. “Am I that obvious?”
    I shrugged.
    “Okay. The truth is, I feel really bad about the other night. If my mother were still alive, she would have killed me for speaking to a lady like that. My only defense is that I’ve been kind of on edge lately.”
    “Anything to do with the guys you let beat the shit out of you in that alley?” I asked sharply.
    He opened his mouth, and then snapped it closed. “Well, I… I mean… wait. What do you mea n le t ?”
    “I mean that at any point you could have called for help and a bunch of very scary vampire bouncers would have come running. But you didn’t. For whatever reason, you took the beating very quietly. Hence , le t .” I clicked my tongue on the last letter.
    “Wow. You don’t miss a trick, do you?”
    I shrugged again and shot him a cool look. It was the same look my mother used to give me when I was in high school. It was a smug expression that led you to believe that despite the odds, they just might know everything, so your best shot at escaping alive was fessing up quickly. I’d been practicing it in the mirror for years.
    “Let’s just say that not a lot gets past me, skip the pretense, and drop the other shoe for me, m’kay?”
    He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “It’s nothing really. Nothing I want to involve my uncle in, at least.”
    “Not judging. But most people don’t get beaten to an inch of their lives ove r nothing reall y . And just so you know, if you need help, I’m sure Xavier would give it.”
    “I’m sure you’re right, but unfortunately, nothing my uncle does is without a price. I’m sure a sharp woman like you has already picked up on that.”
    I blew across the top of my coffee, looking at him through bored eyes, waiting.
    He sat back again. “The truth is, I was hoping to get your help. I want to be considered for admission to the Conclave.”
    He must have noticed my lack of surprise because he smirked and folded his hands. “I guess Xavier mentioned it.”
    “He did. The truth is, I don’t understand the desire.”
    “For immortality?” He looked at me, tilting his head. “I mean, what’s not to want? Money, status, oh, and never having to die. It’s pretty much the ultimate package.”
    I sat my mug on the table, my mind briefly spinning back to Shane. “I suppose, if you don’t mind leaving everyone and everything you loved, your entire human life, by the wayside.”
    “I don’t have much in the way of those.”
    “You might think that now, but once you make that choice, there’s no going back. I mean, you’d basically be selling your humanity. I don’t know if that’s a decision you want to make at your