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“He has his days.”
A non-answer if I’d ever heard one. “Why am I here? Please don’t tell me it’s because you’re protecting me, because I know there must be another reason. You’re the only one who’s been nice to me since I’ve arrived.”
She shuffled uncomfortably. “Would it be enough for me to tell you he is trying to do the right thing?”
“Not really.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, and it’s not my place to tell you. I’m sorry.”
“Like how my dad’s a vampire? Sebastian told me that much.”
She tilted her head. “What else did he say?”
“That’s it.” My eyebrows furrowed. “Is there something else he should have said?”
She sighed. “No.”
That felt like an outright lie. I lowered my barrier and could almost taste the anxiety waving from her.
She cleared her throat, forcing a small smile. “Are you ready to talk about what happened yesterday?”
“No.” I swallowed the rest of my coffee.
“We need to know as much about your ex-boyfriend as possible. He’s a risk to your life, and if he tells the leaders of Nightshade who you are, they’ll come straight here.”
“Is he one of them?”
She glanced down, pity creasing her forehead. That was all the answer I needed.
“What do you need to know?” I asked, placing the empty mug on the floor.
“You said he was supposed to be dead. When did that happen?”
I worked out the dates in my head. They were a little hazy. “Close to three weeks ago, I think.”
“How did he die?” She added, “Supposedly.”
“Suicide.” The word stung, even now, when I knew that was a lie. “They told us he threw himself off a cliff and into the sea. That’s why no body was recovered.”
She tapped a long nail against her chin. “It’s clever and sounds like the work of Nightshade.”
My stomach churned. “Why would they change him?”
“It’s rare, I’ll admit. Normally, they’d have to get the king's permission to do it. So, I imagine they offered him something he wanted enough.” Realization swam in her eyes, but she kept her calm.
“Astor knew about vampires being able to make other vampires. He was in the guild, and all members were told.”
“I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“To the rest of us, it was. The royal family and guild keep that fact hidden, so people don’t have a reason to come here.”
She stuck her lips out, nodding. “They did the right thing. This is no city for mortals.”
“No shit.”
Her laugh was infectious, and before I could overthink it, I caught myself smiling.
“He’s a coward,” she said, and my eyebrows raised. “The woman he was with, Gwen…”
