“So, are you and Connor dating now?” Diana asked me as I made my way over to the sink.
“No, we’re just—” I started, then she cut me off.
“Sleeping with each other?” Diana finished for me.
“Kind of? Not really,” I said. “Or not yet. I don’t really know how long I’m going to be in town for, so I don’t want to lead him on.”
“Connor really likes you, you know,” Diana said, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.
“Yeah. It seems like that,” I told her.
“And do you like Connor?” Diana asked when I was washing my hands, inspecting me.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I smoothed my messy hair as I began to speak, noticing a sparkle in my eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I think so,” I told her, and I caught the questioning look on Diana’s face as I continued, “He’s charming.”
“Be honest with him, Rose,” she said. “You owe him that. I’ve seen him get hurt too many times to watch it happen again.”
“Yeah, I’ve been there too,” I told her.
Diana discreetly kept my bathroom incident to herself, sparing me any embarrassment in front of Connor and Donovan. After we resumed our seats for a while longer, we eventually decided to leave the pub. Diana and Donovan entertained the idea of continuing with more drinks, but Connor declined. They left, and Connor and I stood under the tungsten lights of the street.
“Do you want to go back to my place?” he said after a moment of silence. His arm wrapping around my waist.
My phone rang in my pocket, a shrill interruption to the warmth between Connor and me. I shot him an apologetic smile before answering.
“I think they saw me,” Vail said, her voice trembling through the phone, urgency beneath her words.
“What are you talking about?” I asked her sternly and glanced at Connor, who furrowed his brows in concern.
“Ivy,” Vail said in a small voice.
“Why?” I walked down the street from Connor a couple of paces.
“Because I followed them,” Vail confessed. I wanted to strangle her through the phone or yell at her, but with Connor right there, I didn’t.
“Why would you do that?” I said, my voice calmer than it would have been if Connor wasn’t watching me.
“Because I was excited when you told me that Sam and Ivy weren’t at dinner. So, I followed them. Then I got a strange feeling and left. But when I did, I made eye contact with Ivy.”
“You were warded, right?” I said quietly, hoping Connor wasn’t listening.
“No, I didn’t think of it at the time.”
“Vail. You’re a witch,” I said under my breath. “And you didn’t think about it?”
“No. It was the thrill of the chase, you know? And I forgot.” I heard Vail making a lot of noise on the other line.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m warding the house again. I think added protection wouldn’t hurt,” Vail explained, sounding frantic.
“I’m coming home,” I told her, hanging up the phone.
I turned back to Connor. “Sorry, I have to go. Vail needs me.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, looking concerned.
