Page 44 of My Vampire Plus-One

“Shall we knock on the door?” he asked.

“Oh, we can just go on in,” I said, my free hand already on the doorknob. “Aunt Sue never makes us knock.”

His smile faltered. His grip on my hand tightened. “I’d feel better if we did. I’ll need your aunt or uncle to explicitly invite me inside before I can join the party.”

I peered at him. “Why?”

He didn’t answer me right away. Eventually, he said, “One of my idiosyncrasies.”

“Okay,” I said, squeezing his hand reassuringly. I hadn’t taken him for someone who adhered to formalities like this. It was strangely endearing. “I’ll knock first.”

He smiled at me in obvious relief. I absolutely didnotnotice how well his smile suited him. Or how much it lit up his entire face. “Thank you.”

We can do this, I told myself as I knocked on the door and waited to be let in.This will work.

I refused to think about what I’d do if my family saw straight through us.

THIRTEEN

Text messages from Frederick J. Fitzwilliam to Reginald Cleaves

FREDERICK:Sorry for my delayed response. Cassie and I are enjoying ourselves immensely while away and I have not been checking my messages.

FREDERICK:Anyway, no: I will NOT give you “kissing advice for humans”

FREDERICK:I am not that crass. Additionally, what are you THINKING.

Amelia

The party was already infull swing by the time my uncle Bill opened the door and invited us to come in.

Reggie surveyed the crowded room, still holding my hand. Irefused to think about how well our hands fit together, or just howniceit felt to be touching him. I noticed, with no small degree of envy, how at ease he seemed here. Like he wasn’t at all nervous about how we barely knew each other but were about to try and convince a bunch of people we were dating anyway.

That made one of us.

I scanned the crowd for my immediate family and saw Sam chatting with his husband amid a throng of people I’d never seen before in my life.

When Sam saw us, he smiled, and motioned for us to join him.

“Leave it to Aunt Sue to throw a party for half of Winnetka and say it’s only for close family and friends,” he said, shaking his head. His gaze darted between me and Reggie. “Is this your—”

“Reasonably serious boyfriend who Amelia’s been dating for exactly six weeks, no more, no less? Yes.” Reggie stuck out his hand for Sam to shake. “I’m Reginald.”

Sam blinked at him in confusion for a few moments, taking in Reggie’s riot of a coat, the bright blue of his eyes, and his serious expression. He hesitantly clasped his outstretched hand.

Then dropped it again almost immediately.

He must have been as surprised by Reggie’s perennially cold touch as I was at first.

“Reginald,” Sam repeated, as if trying to place the name. Then he snapped his fingers. “Of course. You’re Frederick and Cassie’s friend, right?”

“That’s me,” Reggie confirmed. “And you must be Sam.”

“Yes.” He glanced between Reggie and me. “Amelia, can I talk to you for a second?”

Sam pulled me to the side without Reggie before I could reply. His eyes, usually so warm and kind, were sharp as steel as they darted back and forth between the two of us.

“What’s going on?” I asked, alarmed.

---