Page 22 of How a Vampire Falls

“Not a lot.”

“What about college? We were a minority for sure, but we banded together pretty fast, the couple dozen of us. Come to think of it, how did you and I never run into each other in a study group or something?”

She shrugged. Hadn’t given it much thought in the last ten years, but a hint of insecurity poked at her as curiosity crinkled his face. “I didn’t seek out vampires when I got to college. My best friend and I were roommates—she’s still my best friend by the way, lives here in town—and she’s human. And way more extroverted than I am. So her friend group in college became my friend group too, and they were all human.”

Slowly he nodded. “And you weren’t curious about us?”

“At eighteen? No, not really. I was meeting Hannah’s new friends and trying to navigate the massive campus, the class schedules… It was a lot at first, and then once I’d adapted, I had plenty of people to hang out with.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Your college was bigger than your hometown.”

That he listened and understood instead of writing her off… Leslie smiled. “Exactly.”

“I bet you had all sorts of interesting conversations, being the only vampire in their group.”

“Oh yeah. There was this one guy who kept saying I was lusting for his blood, accused me of fantasizing about ‘turning him.’ I explained over and over again—dude, that isnothow it works. It’s genes. You’re born a vampire, or you’re never a vampire. Also I wouldneverbite a human—it would be immoral, illegal… Nothing I said made a dent in his brain-loop.”

Whatever “interesting” anecdote Ryker had expected, his open-mouthed stare said Leslie had just exceeded his expectations by a thousand. “That is disturbing.”

“He didn’t last long in the group. The rest of them got together and warned him to leave me alone, and when he didn’t, they basically kicked him out.”

“Good,” he said. Maybe she was reading into his stormy glower, but Ryker seemed downright protective of her past self.

Over the next few hours their small talk was easy and comfortable, even when it highlighted the differences in their backgrounds. When the fair closed for the day, Ryker again helped her pack up, remembering in detail how she packaged and positioned the various models in the back of the van for their maximum safety. Then they set out on foot. They paused often for her tour-guide descriptions and still covered her entire hometown in less than two hours.

“And there you have it,” Leslie said at the dead end of a final residential street. “The town of Harmony Ridge.”

“I like it,” Ryker said.

“You do?”

His mouth turned up as his eyebrows crinkled. She caused that expression pretty often, come to think of it.

“What’s so funny?” she blurted.

Ryker blinked, cocked his head. “Not funny. You keep surprising me.”

“Oh.”

“In a good way,” he said. “Did you think I wouldn’t like Harmony Ridge?”

She shrugged, but… “I thought you’d be underwhelmed.”

He gave a low hum for her ears only. “Well, I’m not.”

A smile took over her face. Not funny, not underwhelming. “There’s one last place to show you. It’s one of my favorites.”

Seven

Last time Leslie had shared this favorite spot with someone else, she hadn’t felt anywhere near as free. She’d found the place on her own while exploring at full speed along a mountain trail. When she brought Hannah to take in the glorious view, she’d needed to warn her of the steepness and be careful not to endanger her human bestie, whose balance was, well, human.

But she didn’t need to warn Ryker. He wasn’t in danger at all. His excellent sense of balance, his night vision, his ability to course-correct with ease even at top speed—he was a vampire like her. She could surprise him, see his full reaction, have fun, and never have to pause to consider his safety.

“It’s a waterfall,” he guessed as they ran together along the park trail in the monochrome night.

“Nope.”

“But there are waterfalls around here, right?”

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