“You really frightened that poor man,” I managed weakly.
“Good.”
A startled laugh escaped me. Conrad smiled faintly, but his gaze remained serious.
“You’re special, Winnie. Don’t let idiots make you feel otherwise.”
The entire world narrowed to him and his hand on my arm.
I had been flirted with countless times over the past two centuries. Men had admired, desired, or even obsessed over me. But this? This felt horrifyingly different. This wasn’t about wanting something from me. It was about valuing me. That was infinitely more unsettling.
For one impossible moment, I thought he might kiss me. And judging from the way his eyes flicked briefly toward my mouth?—
He might have been thinking about it too.
“There’s a monster stuck in the walls!” Billie screamed from inside.
Conrad let go of my arm as if he’d been burned.
From the dining room, CJ yelled, “It’s a demon summoned from the depths of hell to exact revenge for centuries of imprisonment!”
Bianca’s exhausted sigh floated after them. “Billie’s dragon toy fell into the vent.”
Conrad closed his eyes briefly. “I should…”
“Yes,” I said faintly. “Probably.”
He hesitated another second anyway, then he went back inside. “What happened now?” he called.
Billie appeared around the corner holding a flashlight. “The beast consumed Senator Crunch.”
“His tiny screams haunt us still,” CJ said.
Bianca appeared in the foyer and went into the closet there. She came out with a screwdriver. “I can fix it.”
Conrad disappeared into the chaos. And I remained standing alone on the porch holding packages, while my heart continued beating far too fast for someone technically deceased.
After a long moment, I forced myself back into the kitchen. The onions still needed to be caramelized, and I had to check the loaves in the oven.
Yes, those were all normal things.
Safe things.
I gripped the edge of the sink for a second before exhaling slowly. Then I looked down at the spot on my arm where Conrad had touched me. Despite every ounce of common sense accumulated across nearly two centuries, I touched it gently with my fingertips and smiled.
14
CONRAD
Spring break began with my skull attempting to split itself open behind my left eye. I woke before my alarm, that familiar, awful pressure already building at the base of my neck.
For several minutes, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying to negotiate with my nervous system.
Not today. Please, not today. Winnie had agreed to be here with the kids so I could get some home maintenance items marked off my to-do list.
The universe, unfortunately, declined my request.
By the time I dragged myself downstairs, the headache had evolved from annoying into ominous. The light in the kitchen was too bright. The coffee smelled too strong. Even Billie’s humming had an edge to it.
