“She’s pretty.” Lilith blinked, unable to detect a hint of magic in her aura. “Is she human?”
“Yeah. Her dad’s human; mine’s the shifter.”
“Fascinating.” She turned toward him. “Does she know about our kind?”
He nodded slowly. “Kinda hard not to when your brother turns into an owl for the first time at the dinner table, wings flapping in the mashed potatoes because he’s not sure how to use them yet.”
She laughed. “Oh, I bet that was a hoot.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. A real hoot, for sure.”
“Oh.” Lilith pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I wasn’t trying to poke fun.”
“It’s all right.” Heat sparked in his eyes, and for the first time since she sat down, his gaze wandered down her form. When he reached her eyes again, her chest burned in a most pleasant way. “What about you? How’d you become a vampire?”
A buzzer sounded before she could answer, signaling the end of speed dating. The people around them began to stand, searching out the ones they’d felt a connection with, but Lilith and Spencer remained in their seats.
With his palm flat on the table, he tapped his index finger on the cloth. “Are you free tomorrow?”
She was hoping for some action tonight, but Spencer seemed like a man worth waiting for. “I am.”
He cast his gaze over her shoulder. “Can you unglamour us? My sister is looking for me.”
“Of course.” Lilith reined in her magic, and Mandy approached, confusion drawing her brows together.
“Where have you been, Spence? I thought you decided to speed date, but I never sat with you.”
Spencer winked at Lilith before rising to his feet. “A vampire held me hostage. Mandy, this is Lilith.”
Lilith stood and shook Mandy’s hand. “Thank you for dragging him out tonight. I’ve had a wonderful time getting to know him.”
Mandy cut her gaze between them before grinning. “I’m glad someone made a match. I didn’t click with anyone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Venus said as she approached. “I do hope you’ll try again next week. I’ll do my best to find someone for you.”
Mandy shrugged. “Thanks. I might.”
“And you.” Venus wrapped an arm around Lilith’s shoulders. “You found the only other magical being in the room. I knew there was a reason he had to participate.”
An adorable blush rose on Spencer’s cheeks, and Lilith’s pulse quickened again.
“Don’t let the rumors fool you.” Venus took Spencer’s hand, holding it between both of hers. “Lilith isn’t the demon people make her out to be. She was kicked out of Eden for wanting equality. Nothing more. Remember that.”
Spencer’s face fell, and he slipped from Venus’s grasp. “I didn’t realize you were… You’re Lilith.”
Her heart sank into her stomach. She had her answer. He was only friendly with her because he didn’t know. Cue the testosterone overload. If her previous experience with men—and she’d had millennia of it—was any indication, his sweet demeanor was about to shift to asshole mode. “Yes, I’m Lilith.”
“We should go, Mandy.” Spencer jerked his head toward the exit.
“Umm…” Mandy looked from him to Lilith. “Okay?”
Lilith crossed her arms. “What about tomorrow? Weren’t we making plans?”
Spencer’s jaw tightened. “I’m leaving for Costa Rica the next day, and I need to pack. It was nice to meet you.” He nodded once, turned on his heel, and strode out the door.
Venus’s jaw dropped. “What in Lucifer’s name just happened?”
“He’s a typical man.” Lilith inclined her chin, hoping it would ease the sting of rejection. It didn’t. “Once they find out who I am, they either want to conquer me or want nothing to do with me.”
