"All the more reason for me to stay by your side," he said.
I considered him, the silence in the car deepening. He was patient, not trying to push his agenda or manipulate me into the course of events he thought best. In that, he was smarter than Thomas—and Liam.
"Fine, but we do things my way." I pointed at him again, tacking on as an afterthought, "And you can't hurt, maim, or kill anyone I consider an ally."
The stipulation seemed like overkill, but I'd been burned before. There was a reason the witches considered me persona non grata and tried to kill me whenever they saw me. Liam had done a good job of fucking up that relationship. Granted, I'd helped a little, but he’d done most of the heavy lifting.
"Agreed."
I frowned at him again and climbed out of the car.
Already feeling slightly off balance from Connor's presence, I almost didn't notice when a second car door slammed as we headed for my stairs.
Beside me, Connor went rigid, power sliding off him, ice cold and deadly.
"Aileen?" Jenna paused in her approach, picking up on Connor's hostility. She stopped a few feet from me, fiddling uncertainly with her keys.
"Jenna, what are you doing here?" I asked, looking around.
With the attack not that long ago, I couldn't help but be on my guard, especially with my little sister now in the mix.
There was more than one reason I was somewhat estranged from my family. They may have sensed something was different about me, but I also hadn't fought very hard to mend the breach. If something ever happened to them because of me, I don't know what I would do. The supernatural world had a habit of spilling over onto others—just ask Caroline.
"I wanted to talk to my big sister," Jenna said, a note of pleading in her voice.
Connor shifted beside me, drawing her attention. His gaze held a hint of unfriendliness, but otherwise he regarded her from behind a mask of indifference.
"Who is he? I thought you were dating the man who brought you to the hospital. I forget his name." There was no judgment in Jenna's tone, but I couldn't help stiffening anyway.
"I'm her brother," Connor said stiffly.
Confusion wrinkled Jenna's forehead.
A fake sounding laugh left me as I patted Connor's arm. "He's so funny, isn't he?" I glared up at Connor, trying to threaten him without words. "How about you go wait in my apartment?"
I shoved my keys into his hand and pointed to my door. Reluctantly, he took the keys from me. Good thing for our future working relationship.
Jenna and I waited until Connor climbed the stairs and the door closed behind him before speaking.
Jenna lifted her eyebrows at me. "Replacing me already?"
I bent a censorious look on her. "Is that what you came here for? To ask questions about my friends."
Her grin was unexpected. "Not really, no." Her glance up at the apartment was contemplative. "Army buddy? I know you guys sometimes refer to each other as your brothers and sisters in arms."
I shrugged, hoping she'd take it as confirmation. Lying to her and my parents was never easy and I tried to avoid it when I could, preferring to rely on half-truths and letting them draw their own conclusions when possible.
"He's cute," she offered.
Oh no.
No. No. No.
My sister wasn't going to get the hots for Connor. I had enough problems in my life. I didn't need that one.
"Jenna, why are you here?"
She focused on me, seriousness entering her face. "I know Dad came to see you. I want to help."
