ask what I want. “So did you fight in the war?”
He hesitates, then says quietly, “Yes.”
“How long?”
“From the beginning.”
Thirty years. I stare at him, not sure what to say. Brady fought for only two, and the change in him after he returned was so extreme that even at my young age, I noticed it. Once happy and optimistic, he became severely depressed. I remember sometimes he just stared off at nothing, and there’d be no way to get him back. No telling what horrors played through his mind every night. After only two years. I wonder what toll it took on Victor to have fought for thirty. I’d never considered that vampires, with their immortality and their ability to heal quickly from almost all wounds, would never get a break from the fighting.
Uneasy with my silence, Victor says, “I should probably go.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“I’ll see if I can find out anything about this guy who was bothering you at school.”
“Don’t.” I don’t want him doing me any more favors. I don’t want him having an excuse to come talk to me. “My boyfriend will take care of it. Michael is really capable. As a matter of fact, you really don’t want to be here when he gets—”
“Victor, oh my God! I was afraid I’d never see you again,” Tegan gushes as she drops into the seat beside him as though we’d invited her. I’m not surprised to see her here. Daylight is hangout central for everyone at my school. Still, her timing seems like a curse from the gods. I was finally getting rid of him.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Victor says, smiling at her. The control he has to keep those fangs from emerging when he’s surrounded by humans is amazing.
“Totally. I’m so embarrassed that you saw me at my worst.” Tegan looks at me, at Victor, back at me. “So what are you guys doing here?”
“I’m waiting for Michael to finish up practice. Victor just happened along.”
“Amazing. That our paths would cross again so soon. Right? Must be destiny.”
“Probably not,” Victor says. “I have to go.”
Tegan leans against him and whispers, “To protect the citizens. I know. But your secret is safe with us.”
Victor slides his gaze over to me. “I’m counting on that.”
I get this really weird sensation—like we’ve connected on some level that never existed before. He’s the enemy , I remind myself, then realize that it’s not a good sign that I have to remind myself.
Tegan doesn’t take her eyes off him as he walks out the door. To be honest, neither do I. His strides are long, confident, relaxed. Powerful. He could probably destroy everyone in the building in the time it would take me to pull my stake out of my boot.
“Wow! I can’t believe we ran into him again.” Tegan twists back around to face me. “The way he was looking at you… I think he likes you. You know. Really likes you.”
“What? No. Absolutely not. He just … he returned my cell phone.” I take it out, show it to her, like I need proof to back my words. “He found it.”
“That was pretty lucky.”
“He knew the area where I’d lost it. It’s no big deal.”
“Why are you flustered?”
“I’m not. And I’m not a vamp, so don’t psychoanalyze me.”
An awkward silence swallows us, and I know her perceptive mind is picking me apart. Yeah, she loves her vampire psychology class, but it’s surprising how easily that knowledge translates to humans. So I’m grateful when Michael arrives.
“Hey, you,” he says, and slides into the chair beside me, wraps his hand around my neck, and leans in to give me a lingering kiss. I feel so safe with Michael, and the last vestiges of both strange encounters—the guy at school and Victor—drain away.
“Geez, why don’t you two get a room somewhere,” Tegan mutters.
Michael is grinning when he draws back and drops his arm around me, holding me near. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he says to Tegan.
“So you didn’t see me?
He hesitates, then says quietly, “Yes.”
“How long?”
“From the beginning.”
Thirty years. I stare at him, not sure what to say. Brady fought for only two, and the change in him after he returned was so extreme that even at my young age, I noticed it. Once happy and optimistic, he became severely depressed. I remember sometimes he just stared off at nothing, and there’d be no way to get him back. No telling what horrors played through his mind every night. After only two years. I wonder what toll it took on Victor to have fought for thirty. I’d never considered that vampires, with their immortality and their ability to heal quickly from almost all wounds, would never get a break from the fighting.
Uneasy with my silence, Victor says, “I should probably go.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“I’ll see if I can find out anything about this guy who was bothering you at school.”
“Don’t.” I don’t want him doing me any more favors. I don’t want him having an excuse to come talk to me. “My boyfriend will take care of it. Michael is really capable. As a matter of fact, you really don’t want to be here when he gets—”
“Victor, oh my God! I was afraid I’d never see you again,” Tegan gushes as she drops into the seat beside him as though we’d invited her. I’m not surprised to see her here. Daylight is hangout central for everyone at my school. Still, her timing seems like a curse from the gods. I was finally getting rid of him.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Victor says, smiling at her. The control he has to keep those fangs from emerging when he’s surrounded by humans is amazing.
“Totally. I’m so embarrassed that you saw me at my worst.” Tegan looks at me, at Victor, back at me. “So what are you guys doing here?”
“I’m waiting for Michael to finish up practice. Victor just happened along.”
“Amazing. That our paths would cross again so soon. Right? Must be destiny.”
“Probably not,” Victor says. “I have to go.”
Tegan leans against him and whispers, “To protect the citizens. I know. But your secret is safe with us.”
Victor slides his gaze over to me. “I’m counting on that.”
I get this really weird sensation—like we’ve connected on some level that never existed before. He’s the enemy , I remind myself, then realize that it’s not a good sign that I have to remind myself.
Tegan doesn’t take her eyes off him as he walks out the door. To be honest, neither do I. His strides are long, confident, relaxed. Powerful. He could probably destroy everyone in the building in the time it would take me to pull my stake out of my boot.
“Wow! I can’t believe we ran into him again.” Tegan twists back around to face me. “The way he was looking at you… I think he likes you. You know. Really likes you.”
“What? No. Absolutely not. He just … he returned my cell phone.” I take it out, show it to her, like I need proof to back my words. “He found it.”
“That was pretty lucky.”
“He knew the area where I’d lost it. It’s no big deal.”
“Why are you flustered?”
“I’m not. And I’m not a vamp, so don’t psychoanalyze me.”
An awkward silence swallows us, and I know her perceptive mind is picking me apart. Yeah, she loves her vampire psychology class, but it’s surprising how easily that knowledge translates to humans. So I’m grateful when Michael arrives.
“Hey, you,” he says, and slides into the chair beside me, wraps his hand around my neck, and leans in to give me a lingering kiss. I feel so safe with Michael, and the last vestiges of both strange encounters—the guy at school and Victor—drain away.
“Geez, why don’t you two get a room somewhere,” Tegan mutters.
Michael is grinning when he draws back and drops his arm around me, holding me near. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he says to Tegan.
“So you didn’t see me?
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