If it didn't work out or he proved too much trouble, I could always fire him.
Connor inclined his head in a bow that was more elegant than anything I could pull off. "I will not forget this kindness."
"Don't thank me yet. Consider this a trial period to see if we mesh. I'm still not convinced your help will offset the problems you bring with you."
And the biggest of those problems was named Thomas. I had a feeling our sire was going to be less than pleased I now had a corrupting influence on the first vampire he'd made.
I sighed. Really, why couldn't I ever learn my lesson?
THREE
I PULLED INTO the parking lot of the place I called home. A second-floor walkup in a plain brick building, my apartment was on the outskirts of the university district in the no-man's land before it transitioned to the next big neighborhood. Four bars were located within a ten-minute walk, an obvious draw to the college and grad students who made up the majority of my neighbors.
Once little more than a slum, it had seen some improvements over the last few months, courtesy of the new landlord. He'd made a point of repaving the parking lot and replacing the lights in the street lamps.
The stairs he'd decided to replace were finally done. No longer a death trap, they were more than sturdy enough to hold multiple people at once.
It was enough to make a person grateful. Something that would be easier if my landlord wasn't also Thomas, the sire I'd prefer to avoid at all costs.
Still, I couldn't argue with the changes. All of which had come without an increase in rent.
I put the car in park and hit the button to turn it off. It gave one last throaty purr before powering down.
No matter how many times I drove this beauty, I still couldn't get over the fact she was mine. No strings attached. After years of doing most of my travel by bike, it was amazing to have a car again. Like a dream come true that I hadn't even let myself dream about.
I faced Connor, not yet getting out of the car. "First rule. Driver gets to choose the music."
He settled back and regarded me with eyes that saw way too much. "I will remember that."
I grunted. Good.
If this was going to work, there needed to be rules. Boundaries.
"I guess I'll see you later then," I said.
Connor nodded. "I will be here."
I paused in the act of opening my door, settling back to study him. The way he said that made it seem like he was going to hang around like a giant gargoyle on my roof while waiting for unknown Fae to attack.
"You're not going home, are you?" I asked, giving into the inevitable.
"I thought I would watch over you for a time."
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, staring out the window. I'd been afraid of that.
"Look, I need to do some research. I don't plan to go out again tonight."
Connor perked up at that, looking interested. "I could help with that—if you were serious about us being partners."
I held up a finger. "I never said partners. You can work for me. I will be the boss."
We needed to get that straight right now. This was my business. My livelihood. Maybe one day when I trusted him, we could have more of a partner relationship, but that wasn't today.
Connor inclined his head. "Of course. You're the boss."
I narrowed my eyes at him, unable to help the unsettling feeling that he was humoring me.
"You might find the tool I use for research a tad suspicious." Liam certainly had. Then again, Connor's experience in a Fae court could lend him even more insight into the book that I'd gotten saddled with—the one that liked to have conversations via the written word and set my bedspread on fire when I threatened it.
