Page 70 of How a Vampire Falls

“I know,” he said.

“Does she know about Leslie?”

“Yeah, and she knows she’s here in town. Apparently I told Jacqueline years ago about the true match test in college, and she’s been following Leslie on social media ever since. We’re talking for a few years, Claire.”

“You sound surprised by this.”

“Of course I’m… You’re not?”

“The woman is toxic and possessive.”

“Oh.” His chest hurt. He let out a breath that shook, that sounded disturbingly human. “Am I stupid or naive?”

“Neither, Ry. She’s good at her game.”

He nodded. He couldn’t seem to get any more words out. Was he actually messed up? Did he need to talk about it? Shouldn’t he be tougher than this?

“Ryker?”

“I…” He sank onto the couch, covered his face, and bent forward. Claire waited until he could say more. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not in love with her anymore. I didn’t even want her standing on my lawn. I… It’s like all I see in her eyes now is the coldness. So I shouldn’t be freaking out like this. I should be fine.”

“Or—and hear me out on this—you’re not emotionally bulletproof like you try to be. You have soft spots just like everybody else.”

“I love Leslie,” he blurted. “I love her, Claire.”

“I thought so.”

“So this shouldn’t still…still…”

“Hurt,” Claire said. “That’s the word you want. It still hurts.”

“Yeah,” he whispered.

“Are you going to tell Leslie she’s here?”

“I want our weekend together first. I’ll tell her after.”

“Is that worth the risk Jacqueline will show up somewhere and introduce herself?”

He could see her doing exactly that, if she figured out ahead of time where they planned to be. Maybe he ought to talk to Leslie, but everything in him cringed away from the idea. At last he said, “I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Claire said. “Go try to sleep and decide tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I could try that.”

“Anything else you need to say first?”

“You’re a good friend,” he said.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

He needed the laugh that filled his chest and began to ease the tension across his shoulders. “Why did you text me? You didn’t know she’d been here.”

“Just a feeling,” she said. “And I always trust my gut.”

Ryker had been trusting Claire’s gut instincts for years, but she’d never seemed to read his mind before. “That’s all? You’re not plugged into surveillance on my place or anything.”

“If you’re spinning random theories in your head, it really is time for bed.”

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