Page 79 of How a Vampire Falls

“More or less. He’d glare at me for painting him in a good light, but whatever. He’s not here to accuse himself.” Ryker’s shrug came with a mischievous smirk and a thoughtful crinkle between his eyes. She loved the combined expressions that were so uniquely her vampire. Her match.

Her match.

Fingers twined. Not tattooed yet, though they would be. A glass spilled, an unmistakable red stain on a lace tablecloth. Laughter.

“Leslie?”

She blinked. “Here. Just saw…”

“The future?” His eyes sparked with invitation, with a reminder of how they’d behaved behind this partition last night.

“Very briefly. Somebody tipped a glass over, and we laughed about it.”

“That’s all?” But rather than disappointment, he looked fascinated.

“This time, yeah. And we’ve sidetracked from our purpose long enough, Mr. I-Don’t-Evade-Anything-Ever.”

The crinkle formed between his eyes again, less mischief now, more uncertainty. She wanted to hug him.

“Does it feel unsafe to tell me?” she said, instinct hushing her tone despite their soundproof environment.

“No. I’m just a coward, I guess. Talking about it’s going to suck.”

She couldn’t stand the dread in his eyes, dulling their blue toward charcoal. In a discreet, fluid motion she vaulted the table and landed beside him. She tugged his hand into her lap and held it between both of hers.

“Better?”

“A little,” he said. “Thanks.”

“I’m here.”

“I know. Um…to summarize…Jacqueline cheated the whole time we were together. Her favorite game is getting someone to trust her so she can betray them. I shouldn’t still care about the things she said when we broke up. I don’t most of the time. But then sometimes something pokes at me and…and it still…um, it still almost kind of…hurts a little.”

He was statue-still, and his eyes had gone charcoal gray. Leslie wrapped her arms around him, and he leaned into her, rested his chin on top of her head.

“Can you tell me?” she said.

“I just did.”

“Can you tell me what she said to you?”

“Oh.” He was quiet a long time. At last, barbs snagging the velvet of his voice, he said, “If I didn’t want her to cheat, I shouldn’t be so devoted to my job. If I didn’t want her to cheat, I shouldn’t be so boring. She needed someone interesting.She needed someone worth being faithful to. I’m…I’m a useless coward who plays dead for attention.”

“Oh, Ryker.” Leslie cupped her hand around the back of his neck when he gave a shudder of pure emotion. “She isn’t only a cheater. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know. She’s a liar too.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not all. She’s an abuser, Ryker.”

He flinched. “Nah.”

“Yes, she is. Verbally and emotionally abusive. Women can be too, you know.”

After a long minute, he lifted his head. “I don’t like to think of it that way.”

“Of course not. Our stupid culture says men have to be the toughest all the freaking time.”

He gave a broken laugh against her hair, and she tightened her arms as though that could be enough to show him the truth of how valuable he was.

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