“Don’t tell me what to do, Tate. I’m in charge, so you don’t get to play all Papa Bear with me.”

“You know my feelings for you aren’tpaternal.”

Before I could blink, Bones had Tate by the throat with his feet dangling several feet in the air. I was so annoyed by Tate’s comment, it took me a moment to tell Bones to let him down.

If I hadn’t known Tate for several years, I’d throttle him myself for how he continued to bait Bones over me.

Instead of kicking or fighting, Tate managed a grimace that resembled a smile.

“Whatcha gonna do, Crypt Keeper?” he garbled. “Kill me?”

“Put him down, Bones. There are bigger problems than his attitude,” I went on. “We have to finish up here, check on Ernie’s lineage, give our report to Don, and then get home. Come on, moonlight’s burning.”

“One day, you’re going to push me too far,” Bones growled, letting Tate drop to the ground.

I gave Tate a warning look. That’s what I was worried about, too. Tate was my friend and I cared for him, but his feelings for me ran along very different lines. It didn’t help that lately Tate seemed determined to show those feelings, especially around Bones.

Which was like waving a red flag at a bull. Vampires weren’t known for their gracious sharing tendencies. So far, I’d been able to prevent a real fight from breaking out between them, but I knew if Tate ever made Bones truly lose his temper, he wouldn’t live long enough to regret it.

“Senator Thompson will be pleased that his daughter’s murderer was punished,” my uncle and boss, Don Williams, said later when all of us were seated in his office. “Cat, I heard you were recognized again. This is the third time.”

“I have an idea,” I suggested. “Maybe you, Tate, and Juan can line up and all shout it from the rooftops. I know it’s the third fucking time, Don!”