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His feeble smile twitches as I scan his face. “No, I’m a witch.”
“Right…and that’s not human? I have a friend who is Wiccan.” I should be asking him why he was about to rail my naked doppelgänger, and why he’s haunting my dreams, but my mind latches on to that question instead.
Max squeezes my shoulder, and I flinch. Blair may not be dangerous to me, but he could still be a threat. He lets go right away and takes a step back. “There’s some overlap. I don’t know about your friend, but I have magic in my blood. That makes me a witch in paranormal terms.”
“Magic is real,” I whisper, trying to let that sink in.
Blair nods. “A lot of things are real.”
“Oh god,” I groan, feeling lightheaded again. “Is that why you won’t get out of my dreams?” I turn and glare at Max, who startles and takes another step back. “It’s bad enough that you were watching me and scared the shit out of me, but now I can’t sleep because you’re constantly fucking me when I close my eyes.”
Blair’s eyebrows shoot up and red blotches dot Max’s pale skin. He shakes his head vehemently. “What? No! I don’t control your dreams. And I didn’t lie. I wasn’t there to watch you!”
“Then explain to me why you were taking photos of my apartment! And why I can’t stop dreaming about you!” The anger I felt that night builds inside me again.
Max looks over at Blair, then back at me. “I shouldn’t say…”
Blair glares at him in disdain. “I don’t give a shit about anything other than keeping my friend safe. I certainly don’t care about your secrets. So, either tell her what happened, or get out and never go near her again.” Her fangs re-emerge, gleaming with predatory sharpness.
He shakes his head and sighs, rubbing at his temple. “Fine.I’m a private investigator. My client asked me to follow someone and watch them. They were at Nightlight, then went to see the man that lives below you. I was working. I swear I didn’t follow you.” His black eyes beg me to believe him as he speaks. He pulls out his wallet, rifling through it until he finds a business card, then hands it over to me.
It says “Pearce Investigations” on it in neat writing and looks legit as far as I can tell. He wasn’t stalking me?
“You may have seen me there before. I was watching your neighbor’s place a few weeks ago. I…saw you then, but I wasn’t there to watch you.”
“You saw me?” I think back, letting out an undignified squeak when I remember the night my boob popped out of my robe. “Oh god, that was you?”
His face reddens even more. “Y-yes. I’m sorry.”
Blair takes the card from my hand and scans over it, then passes it back to Max. “We should go, Mona. It’s been an eventful night for you. I’ll call you a ride if you don’t feel comfortable with me driving you home.”
I search myself again for any fear of Blair—of thevampiresitting next to me—but all I find is exhaustion. She’s right, I need to go home. “No, I’ll ride with you.”
We both stand and as we reach the door, Max calls out my name. “Those dreams—I’m not causing them. But I have them too. Every night. I dream ofyouevery night.” I see the confusion, arousal, and need that the dreams fill me with reflected in his eyes and scorching heat roils through my body.
Unable to formulate a response, I nod. I scramble away to follow Blair, terrified not of the monsters I’ve just learned are real, but of whatever that feeling connecting us is.
12
When we turn onto my street, I’ve finally summoned the courage to speak. Blair’s been silent the whole car ride, but I can’t take it any longer. “Do you want to drink my blood?” I blurt out as she pulls up alongside my building.
She turns to look at me, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not an offer! I mean, I guess you could drink it if you didn’t take enough to cause lasting harm, but do you feel the urge to drink it?”
Blair puts the car into park and turns off the engine, still staring at me. My face flames in embarrassment. “Shit, is that rude to ask?”
Her lip twitches. “No, it’s not rude. When I don’t have an enthusiastic donor, I have access to other…humane sources. I’m at no risk of losing control. Though, if you want me to drink from you, we can discuss that. It’s quite pleasurable for the person getting bitten.”
“O-oh! Right. Wow.” The idea sends flutters through my stomach.
Blair smiles at me, and it’s hard not to stare at her teeth. “Go ahead.”
“Huh?”
“Ask me your questions.”
With answers on offer, I suddenly feel shy. My mouth opens and closes a few times, unsure of what’s okay to ask.
“I’ve been a vampire for about a decade. I don’t sparkle, and can’t go out in the sunlight without burning. Holy water and crosses don’t affect me, and while I never loved garlic, it also doesn’t hurt me. I can use the energy I get from blood to appear more human. That’s how I show up in the mirrors at Ignite. I have some ability to charm people, but I try not to use it. What else?”
