“We will get past it,” she said. “You are my friend. I must also take care of you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered and moved past her, taking my coat to leave. She stopped me and pulled me into a hug.
I softened, nuzzling my head into her neck, savouring her warmth. “You smell the same,” she said, catching me off guard.
“Pardon?” I said laughing.
“People always talk about how Blood Hunters smell like death and decay … but you smell the same,” she remarked, pulling back, and smiling at me warmly. “Be safe,” Vail added, and she kissed me goodbye on the cheek.
On my walk back to the cabin I looked down. Amongst the melting snow, small snowdrop flowers emerged. I knew that brighter days were around the corner.
FORTY-FIVE
January 31, 2010
As we drove, the air in the car hung heavy with unspoken tension, broken finally by Connor. “You know, I got really mad at Sam for not telling me about the ambush at the show,” he confessed, momentarily turning his gaze from the road to look at me. I didn’t meet his eyes; I couldn’t let him see the emotions I was struggling to hide on my face. “We got into a huge argument. I’m actually surprised he called me today.”
“What was the argument about?” I asked.
“It was about you.” His words made my chest feel tight. “I got really angry that he didn’t tell me because you could have been hurt …” His last few words trailed off.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” I told him sternly, turning to face him.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I understand, but it’s hard not to worry,” Connor replied, his voice tinged with frustration. “It wasn’t just about you. There were other people there—my friends from town, other humans. I even stupidly invited Jet Phoenix. Thank God he didn’t show up.” He ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his. “I like to be prepared for situations like that. Not only did we ambush the Vampires, but I felt like I was being ambushed, too.And I was really in the zone with my music, you know? It’s all complicated, but I ended up lashing out at Sam.”
“What did he say?”
Connor sighed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. “Sam was pissed. He felt like I was questioning his judgment and didn’t appreciate me going off on him, especially since Ivy was around. We both said things we probably shouldn’t have. I just wish he would’ve trusted me enough to clue me in.”
As we neared the house, Connor glanced at me with a softened expression. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted you to know what was going on.”
“I appreciate it,” I told him. Neither of us brought up what he told me in his bed, though his words kept replaying over and over in my mind.
We pulled up to the house. Vail was already standing on the sidewalk, waiting, wearing a long blue puffy coat. She opened the door to the van.
“It’s not that cold out,” I said, pointing to her coat.
Vail got in and sat next to me. “What’s he doing here?” she asked.
“He insisted on coming with us.”
“He can speak for himself,” Connor said. Our legs touched, and I pressed mine tightly together, shifting closer to Vail. “Hi, Vail. Thanks for saving me the other night.”
“I expect you to return the favour if I ever need it,” she said, pulling the seatbelt across her.
“Of course,” Connor replied, pulling away from the curb and toward Sam’s house.
“Did something happen?” Vail motioned toward us with her finger. “It feels really tense in here.”
“No, everything’s fine,” I told her, giving her a small smile. I didn’t feel like getting into this with Vail. Not now, anyway.
“No, actually, everything is not fine,” Connor told Vail. “Rose tried to break up with me.”
“Tried?” Vail’s voice was skeptical.
“First of all, we’re not even dating, so there’s nothing to break up. And yes, I tried to end things with Connor … he just wouldn’t stop talking,” I said, crossing my arms.
“So, I guess you could say that we are in the middle of a breakup,” Connor said. I could sense the small smile in his voice, seeing just a hint of his dimples forming.
