Page 41 of Seph

She was killing him. Women were supposed to be the talkative ones. His past dalliances had never shut up.

But Emily... Now, when it mattered, when this might be his last week on the mortal coil, when he was on the verge of combusting with confusion and tension, the woman didn’t speak. She made a damned humming noise. He swallowed a thousand questions and narrowed it down to one. “This is nice, init?”

She chuckled, but the noise was melancholy and thick. “When I started to like someone or make a friend—my father would make sure we moved, or he’d find some other reason that I couldn’t see them anymore. He said I was like my mother, weak and using my heart instead of my head. My mother died because of me, he said, and my friends would die, too. Vampires like to take people as bait.”

“Oh, love. No. That’s wrong. Not about vampires in general, but about blaming you—”

“Somehow, in my head, this is all twisted. The vampire is the one I like. The one I want to save. He wants to save me. And now you’re in danger. Some part of me believes it’s my fault. That what my father said is true. I liked a guy, and something bad happened to him. I feel... I feel like this is my fault. If I hadn’t kissed you, you wouldn’t be in danger.”

“One, we kissed each other. Two, this deal has been going on for a thousand years. I’m just the one who drew the short straw. Buuut,” he cautiously squeezed his arm around her back, “I’m the lucky one, ‘cause I have you to help me.”

“I’m no help. We don’t even think the same way about this mystery. Or... about anything, really.”

“That’s not true! We think the same way about a lot of things.”

“Name one.”

“J.J..”

Emily glared. “No fair. You’d have to have a heart of marble not to think he’s adorable and so bright.”

“See? Proves I don’t have a heart of marble, then. Um. Maple glazed donuts.”

“Mmm.”

“Hunting bad guys is an adrenaline rush.”

“Well... Yeah.”

“And I like you. And you like me.”

Emily lifted her head. Words came—brokenly, slowly, as if she were afraid to let them escape. “That makes us friends. You and me. That makesusfriends.”

That was better than enemies. It was a good place to start. Simeon told his tongue to keep still.

It disobeyed. “I guess friends is better than nothing.” He forced a brave smile on his face and rose as the microwave gave another impatient-sounding beep, reminding the occupants of the room that they’d left something inside.

Her hand grabbed onto his, keeping him on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t say we had to bejustfriends. I was thinking... it might be nice to have a f-friend who is more than a friend. I’m thinking it. I’m in the thinking stage, you get that? But I wanted you to know. That I was thinking it,” she concluded lamely and let go of his hand.

It’s because she’s jealous of Demeter.

It’s because she’s off the leash, free for a day, maybe a week.

It’s because hotel rooms and magic sports cars do something to people.

It’s because she can hear the clock ticking, and she knows this is our last chance. Maybe.

I’ll take it.

“Thinking is good.”

Chapter Thirteen

She lay on her left side. He lay on his right. They were back-to-back, not touching.

Not sleeping, either. “Emmy?”

“Mhm?”

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