“If you grew up the way I did, you’d understand. But you didn’t. You were safe behind the wall.”
“You weren’t in any real danger. Falcon would have dropped her if she needed to. The best way to get rid of your fear of vampires is to face them. I thought you trusted me.”
How could he say there wasn’t real danger? Just standing out here right now in the open at night could be deadly. We were probably being watched or hunted at this very moment. My blade was finally clean. I sheathed it and rose. “Was this whole thing set up before we even left? Because if it was, then no, I don’t trust you. You could have given me some warning. I feel like you tricked us. Was that argument with Ghost part of the show?”
He pulled down his mask. “No, I didn’t have this extravagant plan to trick you. I took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. This pack wasn’t three, it was twelve. We cleared the problem, but I let two go past me and watched.”
I huffed. Heletthem pass. “That was reckless,sir.”
He laughed but there was no humor in it. “Oh, you’ve finally remembered who you’re talking to. And it was calculated. I’m not reckless. Not with you.”
Not withme...When he said things like that it made me lose my train of thought. “I...” I swallowed to wet my dry throat and crossed my arms. I found the moon and marveled at it for a moment.
“I understand you are afraid of vampires, but I’m not going to let one hurt you. And I’m training you so that you don’t need me. That requires me not to do it for you.”
I found his eyes again; they were softer now.
“Are you angry with me for attacking your—partner? I shouldn’t have lost my temper when she spoke about my people so coldly, but after seeing that pile of bodies... She talked about them like it was nothing.”
He slowly smiled. “Why did you say ‘partner’ like that?”
“Well, I don’t know what you call your lovers here. Back in Neverglade, we call someone who is not your wedded partner but your lover anaskair.”
Now he was full-on grinning. “She’s not myaskair. We’re not lovers.”
My body warmed in a way it shouldn’t, and I flushed. “I just thought, well, I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“Why did you think we were?”
I didn’t want to tell him I’d caught him sneaking out a few nights. “It’s the way she looks at you, and you seem close.” And she was beautiful. Beautiful in a way that made me notice all my own flaws.
“We spent all last year going on missions together. We are close, but not bedmates.”
“That’s good to know.” I shrugged then wanted to punch myself. Why would I say that?
I didn’t think he could smile wider. He was all but laughing. “Why is that good?”
“I said, good to know, not that it was good. Because if she was youraskairshe might, you know, get jealous that we share a room. Not that she should be. And I also punched her.” I stared at my boots and rubbed my forehead, trying to fight off the new flush working its way up my neck. “Can we go now?”
“You get flustered easily when it comes to talking about this subject.”
“Because it’s not usual for a man and woman who are not wed or not family to live together, let alone share a bedroom, where I’m from. It’s strange for me.”
“You may have noticed there are more men than women assassins, so sometimes we’re partnered up as you and I are. And usually the rooms for male–female assassins have two chambers separated by a sliding door, but I likemyroom. It has private bathing chambers. They couldn’t pay me enough to use the communal bathhouse again.”
“So your uncle must trust you.”
He only smiled and something about it made me think his uncle might underestimate him. The glint in his eyes held secrets and part of me desired to unfold them. Who was he really? Where did he sneak off to at night if not with Ghost? Maybe he was hunting vampires. And why did his smile have to look likethat?
“And Ghost got what she deserved as far as I’m concerned. She knows you’re from out here. And the people in Lothleton matter.”
I lay on my bed,staring out the window. Soft rain began to tap against the glass and streak down in little rivulets. Thunder rumbled in the distance. I loved the sound and smell of summer storms.
It was so quiet otherwise, I thought that Vander had fallen asleep until his voice broke through the silence, soft as if he were afraid to disturb the peace. “You haven’t asked me about what Dred said.”
He didn’t have to elaborate further. I rolled onto my side to face him, though I couldn’t see him through the curtain. “I suppose you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
He went quiet for a few beats. “What did you do before this? Did you have a job?”
