There can’t be any harm in telling him, right? I don’t think he can use it against me.
“Yes,” I said, slowly, as if I was afraid to part with the word. “I saw you turn into a bat, then did some research into what vampires are old enough to have that power and are still awake.”
“That would make it rather easy,” Considine said. “Although I am disappointed with myself. I was sure you hadn’t seen that.”
“I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t a slayer,” I admitted.
Considine laughed—it was Connor’s laugh, which had my heart aching all over again. “Am I really so pathetic that you feel the need to reassure me…” He trailed off, blinking a few times, then turned around in the chair to peer in the direction of the door.
A second later the sensation of fire and spicey food brushed my mind—dragon shifter magic.
“Gisila?” I whispered.
“Probably.” Considine stood up and casually leaned closer to me, so his side pressed into my bed.
“Already? Even if she knew my face, she couldn’t have figured out my name,” I said.
“She likely figured out you came to the hospital—I wasn’t exactly covert in moving you here. From there it would be easy enough to figure out your room. The staff is shocked to be dealing with a supernatural, even a human one,” Considine said.
I mentally chewed on Considine’s offered explanation. For a moment I wondered if maybehehad told her—he’d been standing with her, after all, when I saw them in the alleyway.
No, that’s not feasible. He went through a lot of trouble to get me here. If he was working with Gisila he wouldn’t have bothered.
“Shall we set her up and see what she wants?” Considine asked.
I weighed out the options. Considine had said my team would arrive soon, but I didn’t have a way to contact them in the meantime. Considine would have no problem crushing Gisila, but that didn’t mean he wanted to.
Given his offer, though, I think he’s willing to exert himself.
“Okay,” I agreed.
Considine turned, his eyes scanning the room as he searched for a place to stand out of sight.
I stared at his leather belt, homing in on the daggers strapped to it. “You carry weapons now?”
“Yes,” Considine said. “I decided they were necessary in case you ever feel the need to unleash another giant snake upon me.” He took a step towards the shadows.
“Wait.” I put one hand on his belt and tugged on him. He twisted for me and obligingly raised his arm so I could pull one of the daggers he carried free from its sheath on his belt.
It didn’t occur to me until after I held the blade that despite him having Connor’s face and Ruin’s carefree attitude it was no longer safe to act so familiarly with him.
“Go ahead, help yourself,” Considine said, shattering my concern. “It’s not like I could use a weapon when we’re about to face off with a powerful dragon shifter.”
“You’re fine.” I worked on hiding the blade in my blankets in a way that I could quickly draw it. “You could kill her blindfolded, and I don’t have any of my usual weapons.”
“Ahh yes. Those scruffy Drakes did take your things, but I’m not certain where they stored them.” Considine peered around the room.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway—she was coming.
“It’s fine, just hide.”
“What, don’t you want to strip me of additional weapons?” Considine turned to put the small of his back to me, revealing another dagger.
“Connor!” I snapped as I found the little remote for my bed again. “She’s almost here. Hide!”
It wasn’t until Considine silently approached the wall and mingled with the shadows that I realized I’d used the wrong name.
I grimaced at the reminder—that Considine was Connor and I was an idiot—but turned my attention to the door just in time to see Gisila nudge it open.
