I smiled.
He became serious again.
“I think we need to let them talk about it if they want to,” I said. “Last night was a lot to process. They need a safe space to discuss it and ask questions.”
He nodded. “And if they don’t want to talk about it?”
“Then today, we just let them be kids.” The answer came out before I could think about it.
Conrad studied me, then he nodded. “I think that’s the right thing to do. We won’t force them to talk about it if they don’t want to.”
When the coffee finished brewing, he poured two mugs and handed one to me. A gesture so automatic it took me a second to realize he’d done it.
He treated me like I belonged there, as if there was no question I’d still be sitting at this kitchen counter.
“Hey.” His voice softened.
I looked up.
“You know you’re not going anywhere, right?”
My throat tightened. He said it so casually. As if it were obvious. As if there hadn’t been any other possibility.
I swallowed. “Okay.”
His smile returned. “Good.”
A few minutes later the kids shuffled into the kitchen. They were sleepy, disheveled, and hungry. There was nothing abnormalabout them. The sight of their innocent (well, mostly innocent) faces made me emotional. They’d been so brave.
Before I broke down into a sobbing mess in the middle of the kitchen, I focused on serving breakfast. I piled pancakes, bacon, and fruit onto each plate. It was enough to feed an army. Then again, fighting a vampire to the death tended to drain a person.
Everyone gathered around the table, and I found a cushion for Conrad to sit on. For a few minutes, the only sound was chewing.
Soon, though, Bianca asked the question I’d been expecting. “Will Bogdan come back?”
Conrad set down his coffee.
I met her eyes. “No, he won’t. He’s gone. Forever.”
She studied my face, making sure I wasn’t just trying to appease her. When she finally nodded, I could almost see the relief.
Conrad reached across the table and squeezed her shoulder. “You three were incredibly brave yesterday.”
CJ immediately perked up. “I hit him with that garlic oil multiple times.”
“You did.”
“I think it helped.”
Conrad nodded. “It absolutely helped.”
Billie smiled. “I helped, too.”
Bianca looked down at her plate. “I was so scared.”
“So was I,” Conrad said.
She looked up. “You were?”
