“Aren’t you cross that I had a dream about Trace?”
Edwin gave me a thoughtful look, like he was really considering his answer and not saying the first thing that came into his head, or worse, what he thought I’d want to hear.
“No, I’m not cross, of course not,” he replied. “If I’m being totally honest, I am vain enough to be disappointed it wasn’t about me, but we’re not in control of our dreams and I’d always rather you were honest with me. Trace is exceptionally hot. But let’s face it, it has to be on the basis of his personality, because bless him, he’s a long way from a ten. Which is good, right? Means we’re not shallow arseholes who only care about physical beauty. So,” he bestowed a guilty grin on me, “while I’ve not yet woken myself up with a racy wet dream, I might have spent odd moments indulging my acquired knowledge of him to give my fantasy time a little boost.” His lips twitched. “I was going to say I’m only human, but you know what I mean.”
I chuckled softly. “Not sure pleading humanity is going to save you this time.” I narrowed my eyes, hoping he could see I was finally able to joke about my earlier mortification. “I know you wank, Eddie. But if you want, I can pretend to punish you by getting you to make my tea all night.”
Edwin snorted and tipped me off his lap. “You are a cruel master. I might not survive.” At the bathroom door, he stopped me from continuing to our room where I was headed to pick out clean clothes. “You all right?” I nodded. “Good. I know you were embarrassed, but we won’t get far if we keep stuff like this secret from each other. We can be boyfriendsandyou can have smoking hot fantasies about Trace, you know. It doesn’t mean you have to act on it.”
I met his serious expression with a gulp. “You really don’t mind?”Why do I keep needing him to tell me this is okay? He’s already said it is.
“No, I promise you I don’t mind.” This time, there was no hesitation.
I went to choose some clothes for the night ahead in a slightly brighter mood than I’d been in for over a month. For whatever crackpot reason, Edwin Marsh, supermodel-hot vampire, reallydid want to be my official boyfriend. Which subconsciously I’d known well before today, but now, for some unknown reason, this time I almost felt I could truly believe it.
29
TRACE
Edwin was worried.I was worried. James, for no reason either of us could fathom, had been noticeably chipper for about a week, but then he’d sunk into a mire of silence and twitchiness that suggested something was badly wrong. Possibly even the kind of wrong that could be called diagnosable depression, although I wasn’t much of an expert on diagnoses of any kind.
Things came to a head one afternoon after they’d been simmering increasingly aggressively for a few days. He bit Edwin’s head off when he tentatively suggested James should perhaps talk to someone. “How the fuck would you expect me to talk about thatbastard,”his chest heaving, he took a shaky breath, “without mentioning that he was a vampire. Huh? It’s not possible, so thanks for the idea, but no. Anyway, I’m fine. I don’t need therapy. I need to be left alone for a while. I’m never bloody alone! Supernaturals are so clingy. Nobody told me it would be like this.”
He stormed off with a clatter of the door and a crunch of gravel into the hazy sunshine. I offered to go after him, but Edwin beseeched me not to in case James interpreted that as us not trusting him, or not treating him like the adult he was. We paced, one either side of Bluebell’s front door, the ringers onour phones turned to maximum, and counted down torturous minutes that turned into an hour, then more, waiting for him to get in touch.
I considered calling Baxter, but restrained myself. If James had been angry when he flounced off, he’d be incandescent if he discovered we’d used Council resources to attempt tracking him down. I twisted and re-twisted my long hair into a plait and resisted the urge to look up her number.
Edwin, his face creased with misery, asked me if I thought he should suggest James should use his own bedroom for a while. “I don’t want to say anything and it feels wrong to even think about it, but d’you think he’d be happier with his own space? Or will he think I’m rejecting him?”
“God knows. I sure as hell don’t. Do you think it’s me? Am I too much, now I’ve moved in and I’m no longer a theory but a reality? I know I can’t do anything quickly, but should I be looking for somewhere else?” My chest ached at the thought, but James had seemed a lot more together before my move had been completed.
Edwin turned horrified eyes on me. “What? No, no way. It’s not you. It can’t be. James is a lot of things, but he’s not a liar. I’m absolutely certain he likes you.” His shoulders curled as he added, “And he wants me to be happy. You make me happy, both of you.” His gaze was stricken as he reached carefully for me, his hand grasping mine where the open doorway gave him the protection of shadow. “Please don’t leave me, Trace. I…I…” His jaw clenched and his grip tightened. “I need you.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but an entire swarm of butterflies had a sudden party in the space where my stomach was supposed to be. Decades came and went in the seconds it took me to respond, and, hoping I didn’t sound like a breathy teenager, I managed, “I need you too.”
We held hands until my growling belly reminded me I hadn’t eaten. Edwin insisted I cooked and ate with him. I accepted gratefully, loath to be alone.
As I sipped a fresh mug of tea, a loudtap tapnoise against the living-room window made us both jump. I headed outside, unwilling to open the blinds and chance a stray sunbeam striking Edwin.
Terrance was perched on the fence.
“Was that you?” I barked, my emotions on edge from worry about James and from Edwin’s unexpected confession.
“The vampire’s windows are sealed. You told me not to speak loudly.” My familiar sounded bored, as if amused I could draw any other conclusion.
“Well, what do you want? You were gone all night again. I suppose you’re hungry.”I want to go back to Eddie. He might hold me again if I do.
“I have news of the boy.” I glared at him impatiently. “Nothing bad.”
Once back indoors, the crow took position on the table. “The hybrid is well. I was returning when I noticed his departure. I followed.”
As Edwin leant forwards, I snapped at Terrance, “Don’t call him that!”
“He is neither human nor Fae. What else would I say?”
Edwin caught my hand again. “He’s not wrong. It’s a poor descriptor, but we don’t seem to have a better one. That’s what everyone refers to Charley as.”
I harrumphed. “I bet they don’t do it in Dalziel’s hearing.”
