Who the heck was calling me nonstop?
I tapped the phone, bringing up my messages and pressing play.
A voice from the past spoke into my ear. "Aileen, it's been a long time. A few things happened, and I'm in town. We should talk. It's very important."
I lowered the phone to my lap, staring unseeing at the wall.
The captain. The man who had explained to me what I was after I woke up in the morgue. The man who had gotten me honorably discharged from the military despite having a year left on my contract. The person who had called in a favor and gotten me a job with Hermes Courier Service when it became clear that working in the mundane world wasn't going to be possible due to my new condition.
I hadn't heard from him in years.
Honestly, I thought I’d never hear from him again.
Liam had come out of the attached bathroom and leaned against the door frame. His gaze was thoughtful as he studied me.
"Who was that?" he asked in a neutral voice.
I set the phone on the bed beside me and rubbed my hands against my legs. Briefly, the urge to lie filled me.
I ignored it.
"That was the captain." I slid out of the bed, reaching for the sweater that had been discarded at some point last night. There was a tear in one sleeve from our antics, but otherwise it was intact.
I pulled it over my head, feeling like I needed to be clothed and less vulnerable for the conversation I knew was about to go down.
Liam's face was carefully blank. "Someone from your military days."
Already I could see him putting the pieces together.
He'd asked me once who was responsible for hiding me from the vampires. I never told him. I knew he'd try to kill that person, and at the time I'd felt loyalty and gratitude toward the captain for helping me at an extremely low point.
Things had changed since then.
I was no longer entirely certain the captain had had my best interests in mind. I'd learned since then that vampires weren't the monsters I'd feared. That drinking human blood wouldn't turn me further to their side despite what the captain had insinuated.
With the advantage of time and space, I could see all the clues the captain had laid that had led to my decision to shun the vampires. He'd been smart, never outright pushing me in one direction. He'd simply provided the information that formed my choice. Information I'd since learned wasn't entirely accurate.
"Yes," I said.
Liam's lips flattened into a thin line. "Is he the one?"
I was silent for a long time. Finally, I nodded. "Yeah."
Liam moved toward the door.
"You're not going to do anything to him." I didn't move from my position by the bed. There was nothing I could do to stop Liam if he'd truly decided on this course. So, I didn't try.
Liam stopped, swinging toward me and taking a step in my direction. His uncaring mask had ripped, showing me the anger and rage burning deep inside.
"And why's that?" he practically hissed.
I didn't back down, meeting his gaze with resolve. "Because I asked you not to."
"He kept you from us," Liam roared. "He made you so afraid of what you were that you nearly destroyed yourself trying to deny it."
I nodded. "Yes, he did."
"Is he that important to you?" There was an ache in Liam's voice, a vulnerability that made me hesitate.
