We drove quickly once we made it to the car—I was surprised at how fast Jasper went, as though he was scared that we might be being followed or something like that. I found myself craning round in the seat a couple of times to make certain that there was no one on our tail, but I couldn’t really make out anything specific following us as we tore across the city and to a hotel that both my father and Jasper approved of.

 

I lay back against the leather seats and let out a soft sigh. A flutter of excitement started up in my stomach—what the hell was wrong with me? My father was in danger—again—and if he wasn’t allowing me back to the house then I could be pretty certain that things were pretty damn bad. But all I could think about was that I got to spend a night away from the house without having to answer his questions, and that was beyond brilliant.

 

I didn’t know where we were going—it wasn’t as if I spent a lot of time anywhere but home. Even casting my mind back, I couldn’t really remember when the last time I had spent a night away from home had been. Sleepovers with my friends in middle school? Even then, Dad would politely insist that they came over to our place instead of letting me pass a whole night where he couldn’t get hold of me. The thought was depressing, and nagged at my brain as I stared vacantly out of the window at the city speeding by us.

 

I closed my eyes, and before I knew it the motion of the car had begun to rock me to sleep. I wasn’t usually the type to sleep anywhere but my bed, but something about being with Jasper made me feel safe and at home.

 

Well, and that was the other thing about getting a night to myself—I got to pass it with Jasper. I couldn’t have chosen someone better if I’d tried. Yeah, he was kind of an asshole, but he was hot as hell and he seemed to be warming up to me after all the sullen bullshit he’d tried to pull when we’d first met each other. I couldn’t help but notice how much less moody he seemed in my presence, how he had actually started to seem like he was having a good time. And, him being the only guy that I got to spend time with outside of the house, I’d started to crush on him a little. How long had it been since I split up with my last boyfriend? God, I didn’t even want to think. Long enough to leave me lusting over Jasper, that was for sure.

 

I dozed off in the back of the car, but I found myself jerked back to consciousness as we pulled up outside a hotel I didn’t recognize. While I hadn’t stayed in many, I took a lot of secret pleasure in trawling the internet and planning pretend city breaks for myself, even though I knew they would never come to be. It was my way of regaining a little control, plotting out what I would do if I could go anywhere. I had started off by reading up on all the hotels in the area, picking out my most luxurious favorites, but this one didn’t ring a bell.

 

Jasper came round my side of the car and popped the door open, helping me to my feet as I yawned and quickly wiped some sleep from my eyes. I blinked up at the place—it was enormous, a towering building with a trendy exposed-brick outside and a foyer that looked warm and inviting against the suddenly cooler evening.

 

“What is this place?” I asked sleepily, as Jasper led me inside.

 

“The Astoria. You’ll like it, trust me,” he assured me as he pushed open the door and hustled me in. He glanced over his shoulder, as if making sure that no one was following us.

 

As soon as we were inside, the bright lights woke me up and I started to really take the place in. An enormous fountain sat in the center of the reception area, dominating the vast expanse of marble floor that seemed to stretch on for miles. I could see a fancy bar area through one of the doors, and what appeared to be a spa through another. Oh yeah, I could get used to this. I quickly raked my fingers through my hair and strode up to the reception, plastering a big smile on my face and pulling out my card before Jasper could get there ahead of me. I had plans.

 

“Hello,” the receptionist smiled warmly at me as I approached. “How can I help you?”

 

“Do you have any suites free?” I asked, leaning on the granite countertop. A small waterfall feature was pressed into the wall a few feet behind the desk, and the sound of its soft trickling was deliciously relaxing. The receptionist tapped away on her keyboard for a couple of seconds, then turned back to me.

 

“Yes, we have three suites free,” she replied. “One king-size, one—”

 

“We’ll take the king-size suite,” I cut across her. I didn’t need to hear any more—that was the one for us. Jasper suddenly appeared at my elbow, and I could feel the look he was giving me burning into the side of my face.

 

“Don’t we want more than one room?” he suggested through gritted teeth. “You know, for your…family?”

 

“My family won’t be coming up anymore,” I turned to him and replied coolly. He widened his eyes at me, but I simply returned my attention to the receptionist and continued with the booking.

 

“How long would you and your…ah…partner like the suite for?” the receptionist asked, glancing down at my finger to check for a ring and finding none.

 

“Let’s start with one night,” I suggested. “And we can take it from there.”

 

Jasper kept his mouth shut, but I could tell that he was itching to jump in and scold me for what I was doing. And yeah, I knew I was pushing my luck, acting like kind of an asshole—but hey, an eye for an eye, right? After the way he’d treated me the first few days we spent together, I was allowed to take a little bit of control back for myself.

 

“Excellent.” The receptionist beamed, and tapped on her keyboard again. “Your name?”

 

“Caitlyn Rothsburg,” I replied smoothly, without thinking. That was the name I had always chosen for myself when I would play make-believe and pretend that I was someone else, someone not trapped under my father’s thumb. It sounded regal but modern, the style I was always shooting for.

 

“And your partner?”

 

“Jacob Lowes,” Jasper jumped in quickly. I wondered if it was a name that he used often—if he regularly found himself with reason to be feeding people false information. Who was to say that Jasper wasn’t his false name, and Jacob his real one? I had no way of telling—but frankly, playing these kinds of games was exciting. I could finally shed the skin that had had a hold on me for all these years, and it felt liberating.

 

“Fantastic,” the receptionist replied, and I slid my card across the counter—much to Jasper’s audible chagrin—to pay up for the suite. I didn’t even want to know how expensive it was; none of that mattered if I could even get a glimpse of freedom after all this time.

 

The receptionist pushed two key cards across the desk towards us; I quickly pocketed mine, and Jasper clenched his in his fist.

 

“Your suite is on the top floor; if you have any luggage, please let us know and we’ll take it up for you,” she continued smoothly. “Enjoy your stay!”

 

“Thank you!” I chirped back cheerily, and headed to the elevator. Jasper followed me, and he waited until the doors had slid shut behind us before he started to speak.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Jasper asked. “Using your card? Booking us one room? You know that someone could trace the activity on that thing, figure out where we are—”

 

“It’s fine,” I cut across him. “Really. If the trouble was serious Dad would have sent us out of town. Whatever it is, it’s not something to get wound up about, obviously.”

 

“How can you say that for certain?” he demanded.

 

“Because I’ve been in this world longer than you have,” I shot back, my tone tense. “And I’m paying you to do what I need, not what you want.”

 

“Oh, and getting one suite for the both of us is what you need, right?” He threw his hands in the air, obviously frustrated. That wasn’t going to make me back down—besides, it was too late now. What was done had been done.

 

“It’s so you can guard me better,” I responded, tossing my hair over one shoulder. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

 

That stopped him in his tracks. He observed me for a second, then raised his eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

 

“Completely,” I replied. “Why wouldn’t I be? You’re no good to me if you’re all the way down the hall when the bad guys come for me. You can sleep on the floor, or the couch if there is one.”

 

“Fine,” he muttered, and I felt a little triumphant uptick in my chest. Yes! I’d gotten what I wanted.

 

“Besides, wouldn’t it look weird if we were staying in different rooms?” I pointed out. “They think we’re a couple, after all.”

 

“I know, I know,” he shot back. We spent the rest of the elevator ride in silence, but I couldn’t keep the big, stupid grin from my face. I was out of the house, and Jasper and I were about to spend the night in a suite, alone, just the two of us. That sounded pretty good.

 

The doors pinged open, and I jumped—I didn’t realize how tense I was. I guessed that the seriousness of the situation had sunk in to some subconscious part of my brain, despite what I had said to Jasper. He allowed me to step out first.

 

“Thanks,” I murmured without thinking.

 

“You’re welcome, Miss Rothsburg,” he replied, and I turned back to raise my eyebrows at him. Oh, so he was all for playing along now, was he? A small smile had curled up the corners of his mouth—and suddenly, there and then, I knew we were going to be having a lot of fun that evening. A whole lot of fun indeed.