Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
“How well do you know Vail?” Connor asked me.
We were in his van, driving back to his apartment.
I offered to drive him home after the party; he had been wallowing on Sam’s couch, drinking beers all night, and was too drunk to drive home.
I could tell he was sad or pissed off after the revelation Sam told him.
But I continued to pretend like I didn’t know anything.
“Vail?” I asked, my gaze fixed on the road ahead. I already knew what he was going to ask me, so I maintained a composed expression, unwilling to reveal anything in my facial expressions.
“Yeah.” The city lights blurred in streaks of colour, casting a glow across Connor’s face. Reluctance tightened my chest, and my jaw tensed as I struggled to find the right words.
“I’ve known her since childhood,” I confessed, though it wasn’t entirely a lie. I had known her since childhood—my childhood just happened to be over one hundred and thirty years ago.
“But you’ve told me that this new year was the first time you’ve seen her in a while?
” Connor’s casual tone morphed into an interrogative, detective-like vibe.
I saw the gears in his mind clicking, the unspoken accusation hanging in the air.
He probably thought that Vail and I hadn’t seen each other because she was absent due to a Vampire transformation.
Little did he know the truth was far more intricate.
“It’s been a while since we last saw each other.” More like over seventeen years.
“Why didn’t you see each other?”
“Because we ...” I hesitated for a moment before deciding to rip off the band-aid. “Because we broke up.”
The silence in the car stretched for a couple of seconds longer than I would have preferred, and I held my breath, waiting for Connor’s response.
“You two dated?” Connor’s eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise, and I could see the flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
“Yes, we did.” I couldn’t help the nostalgic smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth. Mine and Vail’s relationship had always been complicated. A whirlwind love affair that was on again, off again for most of the twentieth century.
“And what happened? Why did you break up?” Connor inquired, his tone gentle and understanding.
“I was too hung up on an ex, and I could never fully commit.”
“The man you were married to?” Connor asked me in a voice that was less accusatory and more empathetic.
“Yes,” I confirmed, meeting his gaze.
“So, you broke it off?
“I think it was mostly mutual in the end,” I said.
“And it’s not weird now?”
“It doesn’t feel weird to me. I don’t know how Vail feels though. I haven’t talked to her about it. But for me, anyway, enough time has passed, and she’s always been my best friend first.”
“Okay,” Connor said, staring at me.
We didn’t say anything for a while. I grew self-conscious, wondering if he was now turned off by my past relationship with a woman. “Why?” I asked tentatively.
“I think that Vail is a Vampire,” Connor blurted out as I pulled my car and parked in front of his apartment building.
I let out a laugh. I didn’t mean to, but it was just something that I couldn’t control. “What proof do you have?” I glanced over at him, and the look he gave me made it clear that he thought I was crazy for laughing at such a serious accusation.
“I don’t have any proof.” He was staring at me, and I realized I wasn’t talking to the Connor that I knew anymore.
I was talking to Connor the Slayer. His gaze was no longer one of familiarity or friendship; it was purely tactical and calculating, as if he were assessing me for potential threats or deceptions.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, the knuckles of my fingers turning white. “Don’t throw around accusations like that, especially not toward Vail,” I warned. I could feel the tension coiling within me, my jaw clenching as I fought to suppress the instinctive urge to bare my teeth.
Connor’s shoulders slumped, and he looked down. “Sam told me.”
A scoff escaped my lips. “Well, Sam’s wrong.”
He looked at me, his gaze earnest. “Sam usually isn’t wrong with this kind of stuff, Rose. He has a sense for it.” Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Did Sam have a rare ability among Slayers to sense the presence of Vampires?
My mind raced. Why hasn’t Sam detected me yet? The effort to maintain a calm facade was becoming increasingly challenging; my body felt uncomfortable beneath the surface, a reminder of my territorial nature.
“Connor, if I tell you something, you have to promise me that you will not tell Sam.” I had to get him off Vail’s track, I had to tell him a truth.
“Well, it depends on what it is,” Connor said honestly. It was obvious to me at that moment where his loyalty lay.
“I won’t tell you if you don’t promise me.”
Connor sat there staring at me for a moment, his eyes never leaving mine, digging deep into them. “Fine.”
“Vail is a witch.”
“A witch?”
“Yes, it runs in her family. Her grandmother taught her. I think that’s probably what Sam is sensing. Just another supernatural being.”
“I don’t know about that,” Connor said.
“Next time you see Vail, I’ll get her to do a spell or something to convince you. Trust me, please.” Vail was going to hate me for telling Connor about her and asking her to parade her magic around like a circus animal. But it was better than the alternative.
A small laugh slipped from Connor’s mouth as he took me into his arms and pulled me over the middle of the car seat.
“I trust you,” he said and trailed kisses down my neck.
I shuddered under his touch, my body growing hot.
I felt vulnerable in that moment, a prey to a hunter, but I couldn’t help myself as I moved my lips to meet his.
When I finally pulled back, I found myself gazing into his eyes, the lights of the streets casting a mesmerizing glow that made them appear like a forest at dusk.
Connor looked at me, his facial expression serious again. “This might be weird timing, but I’m just going to throw it out there because it’s been eating me up inside for a couple of days, and also, I feel a little drunk.”
My body tensed, awaiting his question. Did Connor know that I was a Vampire too? Did Sam also sense it, and that was the part of the conversation I missed?
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
I almost laughed at the unexpected turn of events. I had braced myself for an accusation, not this.
“I’ve been trying to find the right moment to ask you, but none came up—”
“Connor I—” I began to respond, but he interrupted me.
“No, stop.” Connor ran his hands through his hair. “This was dumb and childish. Let’s just keep doing what we’re doing. I like it, and I shouldn’t have asked." He moved his arms to my thighs, pulling me closer to him. I kissed him to shut him up for a moment.
“Connor, I like you, but I don’t know how long I’m staying in town for, and we barely know each other.
” I looked at him, and I could see the sadness spread across his face.
“I also think you’re drunk. This doesn’t mean that I won’t eventually change my mind.
I want to keep seeing you, but I won’t be the one to make you happy. ”
If I were being honest with myself, I wanted to say yes. Part of me yearned to forget about the drug, Vail, the Vampires, and Slayers and find peace in the simplicity of a relationship with Connor. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
The old me might have said yes, enjoying a couple of months of fun before inevitably breaking Connor’s heart. But now things were different. I didn’t believe I had enough love left to give to someone else, not when I was still struggling to put together my own broken pieces.
Connor and I were supposed to be a fun fling, a way for me to gather information and to escape. But this was becoming too real, too permanent.
Connor gave me a small smile. “Thanks for being honest with me. Do you want to come up to my place?” He motioned outside. “Talk about this more?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” I replied, my voice tinged with regret. “But I still want to see you. I’ll be at your show on Saturday,” I assured him, leaning in to kiss him softly.