Page 35 of A Dream of Stars and Curses

Right. That’s way better.

‘Hello, Esta from the park,’ the lady with the pretty red hair says. ‘We didn’t realise you were one of us.’

‘I’m not, I...’

I don’t know how to introduce myself with my power. It hasn’t really come up before now, but at this event? Of course I’ll have to tell sooner or later.

‘She’s my plus one,’ Leverett says. ‘I’m Leverett, a vampire. Esta is human.’

The other fairy—a pretty brown lady with sparkling golden eyes—whistles. ‘Now this is unexpected! I’m Poppy, by the way. This is Sorcha, my wife.’

It feels so odd to be introduced as human, but I’d better get used to it. I doubt it’ll be the last time tonight.

‘It’s nice to meet you properly, sort of,’ I say.

‘I expect we’ll talk more later,’ Sorcha says. She has a lovely, thick Irish accent. ‘We have a few more things to discuss with our friend, but let’s catch up later?’ She glances at my neck. Looking for bite marks? ‘We’ll look forward to getting to know you more, Esta from the park.’ She winks, and they walk back to their friend together.

‘That was awkward,’ I say to Leverett. ‘It feels really weird to be introduced as “the human.”’

Leverett chuckles. I want to sink against him for support. I felt alright when we first entered the garden, blissfully distracted by all the pretty, but now I’ve actually talked to someone—and someone I sort of know, no less—I feel less steady.

‘You get used to it. After a century or so, you barely hear yourself telling other Veiled that you’re a vampire.’

I give him a look that says I don’t have that kind of time but don’t make an issue of it. His point is that it took him a while, too. I have nothing to worry about. While some Veiled have come embracing their natures—I have to duck more than one pair of wings as Leverett leads me through the garden—others are harder to determine. As far as they’re concerned, I could be human... or a werewolf, or a vampire, or something else entirely. I’m wondering if some are keeping their glamours up because it’s easier than taking them down and then remembering to put them back up again.

We take five steps before Leverett pauses again.

‘Watch out,’ he whispers in my ear.

I want to ask what for when a woman steps out in front of us. Her eyes light up when she sees Leverett, but the moment she sees me, with my hand still on his arm, her pretty face turns into an ugly sneer. That must be his stalker. I instinctively start to remove my hand from his arm, but Leverett places his hand over mine and keeps it there. I don’t care that he’s making the point that he’s still not interested in dating her. He can hold my hand for whatever reason he wants; it’s his.

I put on my best fake smile and straighten right along with him. He wants to make a point, and I will help him make it.

Her eyes turn to acid, but then she looks at him and it all melts away. There’s no way he didn’t see it, though.

‘Leverett! How lovely to see you. It has been such a long time.’

Her Italian accent is like honey, except it’s too thick and laced with razorblades.

‘Has it truly?’ he says with a smile. ‘I barely noticed.’

I suppress a giggle. That had to hurt. Personally, I’m delighted.

‘May I introduce you to Esta Anderson? She is my date.’

My heart flutters. I hold on to him a little tighter. He’ll feel the difference, but I don’t care. I can always just claim that it took me off guard, which it did. Didn’t he say that I’ll be a lot safer if people know I’m here with him? If this is what it takes to convince her that she shouldn’t rip my throat out, I can pretend to be his girlfriend all evening.

Although, I haven’t liked that term for a while, and it seems even weirder for a vampire as old as him. We’re not fourteen. There needs to be a grown-up version less vague than partner and less serious than married.

Not that it matters. She doesn’t look at me again.

‘How have you been, Lev?’ She almost purrs the nickname. I glare daggers at her.

‘I’ve been very well,’ he says. ‘I’ve opened a bookshop, and Esta has been with me almost every day since. She’s been very open-minded.’

He gives me a wink that could mean anything from ‘she’s accepted me being a vampire’ to ‘I’ve tied her to the bed and blindfolded her every night.’

Two can play this game—or three, I guess.

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