“I think it was mostly mutual in the end,” I said.
“And it’s not weird now?”
“It doesn’t feel weird to me. I don’t know how Vail feels though. I haven’t talked to her about it. But for me, anyway, enough time has passed, and she’s always been my best friend first.”
“Okay,” Connor said, staring at me.
We didn’t say anything for a while. I grew self-conscious, wondering if he was now turned off by my past relationship with a woman. “Why?” I asked tentatively.
“I think that Vail is a Vampire,” Connor blurted out as I pulled my car and parked in front of his apartment building.
I let out a laugh. I didn’t mean to, but it was just something that I couldn’t control. “What proof do you have?” I glanced over at him, and the look he gave me made it clear that he thought I was crazy for laughing at such a serious accusation.
“I don’t have any proof.” He was staring at me, and I realized I wasn’t talking to the Connor that I knew anymore. I was talking to Connor the Slayer. His gaze was no longer one of familiarity or friendship; it was purely tactical and calculating, as if he were assessing me for potential threats or deceptions.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, the knuckles of my fingers turning white. “Don’t throw around accusations like that, especially not toward Vail,” I warned. I could feel the tension coiling within me, my jaw clenching as I fought to suppress the instinctive urge to bare my teeth.
Connor’s shoulders slumped, and he looked down. “Sam told me.”
A scoff escaped my lips. “Well, Sam’s wrong.”
He looked at me, his gaze earnest. “Sam usually isn’t wrong with this kind of stuff, Rose. He has asensefor it.” Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Did Sam have a rare ability among Slayers to sense the presence of Vampires?
My mind raced.Why hasn’t Sam detected me yet?The effort to maintain a calm facade was becoming increasingly challenging; my body felt uncomfortable beneath the surface, a reminder of my territorial nature.
“Connor, if I tell you something, you have to promise me that you will not tell Sam.” I had to get him off Vail’s track, I had to tell himatruth.
“Well, it depends on what it is,” Connor said honestly. It was obvious to me at that moment where his loyalty lay.
“I won’t tell you if you don’t promise me.”
Connor sat there staring at me for a moment, his eyes never leaving mine, digging deep into them. “Fine.”
“Vail is a witch.”
“A witch?”
“Yes, it runs in her family. Her grandmother taught her. I think that’s probably what Sam is sensing. Just another supernatural being.”
“I don’t know about that,” Connor said.
“Next time you see Vail, I’ll get her to do a spell or something to convince you. Trust me, please.” Vail was going to hate me for telling Connor about her and asking her to parade her magic around like a circus animal. But it was better than the alternative.
A small laugh slipped from Connor’s mouth as he took me into his arms and pulled me over the middle of the car seat. “I trust you,” he said and trailed kisses down my neck. I shuddered under his touch, my body growing hot. I felt vulnerable in that moment, a prey to a hunter, but I couldn’t help myself as I moved my lips to meet his.
When I finally pulled back, I found myself gazing into his eyes, the lights of the streets casting a mesmerizing glow that made them appear like a forest at dusk.
Connor looked at me, his facial expression serious again. “This might be weird timing, but I’m just going to throw it out there because it’s been eating me up inside for a couple of days, and also, I feel a little drunk.”
My body tensed, awaiting his question. Did Connor know that I was a Vampire too? Did Sam also sense it, and that was the part of the conversation I missed?
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
I almost laughed at the unexpected turn of events. I had braced myself for an accusation, not this.
“I’ve been trying to find the right moment to ask you, but none came up—”
“Connor I—” I began to respond, but he interrupted me.
