TWICE BITTEN Teaser No. 3

I didn’t look up when I heard soft footsteps.

“It’s a nice evening,” he said.

“Yes, it is.” I flicked the water from my fingers, then stood up again. Ethan stood on the other side of the water in his suit pants and shirt, hands tucked into the pockets of his pants, hair tucked behind his ears, gold Cadogan medal peeking from the triangle of skin at the hollow of his neck.

“You left?”

I nodded. “For a little while. Just to clear my head.”

He cocked his head at me. “Shifters?”

I assumed he was asking if they were the reason I needed space. “Sorcerers,” I corrected.

“Ah,” he said, then lowered his gaze to the water. “Mallory?”

“Yeah. Mallory.” He knew we’d fought. I doubted he knew that he’d been what we’d fought over. Part of it, anyway.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “The transition can be a challenge for friends. For loved ones.”

“Yes, it most definitely can,” I agreed, then opted to change the subject. “What are you doing out here? Shifters?”

“Yeah,” he mimicked, a hint of a smile on his face. “Shifters.”

“Maybe the shifters have it right,” I said. “I mean, heading off into the woods, keeping to themselves.”

“Your theory being that if you don’t have contact with anyone, you can’t be hurt by them?”

That was a very astute conclusion for a four hundred-year-old vampire who usually seemed clueless about human emotion. “That would be the idea, yes.”

This time, when he looked at me, there was sadness there. “I don’t want to see you become cold, Merit.”

“Not wanting to be hurt isn’t the same as becoming cold.”

“Not at first,” he said. He walked to a low, brick wall that surrounded the pool and leaned back upon it, ankles crossed in front of him, arms still crossed over his chest. And then he looked at me, the pool lights making his eyes glow like a cat’s.

“Now that you’ve finally completed the change, beware the creep of insensitivity. Humans accept the concept of death; they may not wish for it, but they recognize that the decay of the human body is an inevitability. Vampires, on the other hand, have the possibility of immortality. They implore strategy to protect it, and they often forget about the details of life between the change and the aspen stake.”

He shook his head. “You are a wonder of vampiric strength. And yet, you treasure your humanity, and care greatly about those who were in your life before your change.”

“Quit flirting with me, Sullivan,” I dryly said, but I wasn’t kidding. Ethan was seductive enough even if he was being snarky; I’m not sure I was prepared for complimentary Ethan.

“I’m being completely honest,” Ethan said, lifting a hand and holding up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

I made a doubtful noise, then glanced up at the sky. The indigo of evening was beginning to shift and fade into something lighter as the earth turned on its axis.

“We should get inside,” I suggested. “Unless you want to test that sunlight allergy issue?”

“I’ll pass,” Ethan said, standing and holding out a hand. I walked past him, across the back yard and to the brick patio that spanned the back of the House, then to the back door. He reached out as we reached the door to grasp the handle before we went inside—but he stopped before opening it.

I glanced over.

“I’m not your father, you know.”

It took me a moment to find words. “Excuse me?”

“I’m capable of giving you a compliment and being completely sincere about it.”

I opened my mouth to snipe back, but I realized he had a pretty good point. Offering a compliment to goad someone into doing something was just the kind of thing my father would do. I gave Ethan credit for recognizing the difference.

“Then thank you,” I told him, a hint of a smile at my lips.