“So do I,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. What was she saying? It couldn’t possibly be true. Vampires were myths.Weren’t they? Still, how else could he have survived a gunshot to the heart?
“I guess this changes everything,” he said quietly.
Bryn stared at him. Confused and afraid, all she wanted to do was go home. And yet, deep down, she didn’t want to leave him. But staying was out of the question. Either he was crazy or he was a vampire and she didn’t want to be involved with either one.
“Is there anything I can say to change your mind?” he asked, his voice thick. “You can’t deny there’s a connection between us.”
She wanted to deny it, but even now she could feel that connection drawing her toward him. “I need time.” She told herself he would never hurt her, but she couldn’t help being repulsed by what he was. Or thought he was. “I need time,” she said again. “Time to think.”
He nodded. “I’ll take you home.”
“I’ll get a flight.”
“That’s not necessary. I can have you home in a few minutes.”
“How?”
“The same way I got you here, I don’t know how to explain it. I just think where I want to be and I’m there.”
“That’s impossible.” And yet, how else to explain how they had gotten from Vermont to Wyoming so fast?
“It’s true.” He held out his hand. “You can trust me, Bryn.”
The hand she offered trembled visibly. Biting down on her lip, she closed her eyes and whispered, “There’s no place like home,” as his arm curled around her waist. This was insane, she thought. People couldn’t fly or just wish themselves wherever they wanted to go.
But when she opened her eyes, they were standing in front of her apartment building. Astonished, she asked, “How did you do that?”
“I told you. I just think about where I want to go and I’m there.”
“So, you thought, I want to go to Bryn’s house, and you were here?” She shook her head. “That’s impossible.”
“Then how do you explain it?”
“I can’t.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with wonder. And curiosity. And fear.
Fear of the unknown, he thought. Reluctantly, he lowered his arm. “Can I call you in a few days?”
“I don’t know. There doesn’t seem to be any point to it now, does there? I mean, you aren’t reallyyouanymore, are you?”
“I’m the same guy I’ve always been,” he said. “Just think of it as having supernatural powers, like Superman. You can be my Lois Lane.”
“Very funny,” she muttered, surprised by the urge to laugh. But there was nothing funny about this. Nothing at all. She didn’t know if he was really a vampire, but he was obviously something more than human.
“I’m gonna call you anyway,” he said. “If you don’t answer, then I won’t call again.” Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed her cheek. “I think I’m in love with you, Bryn, and I think you love me, too,” he murmured, then turned and walked down the street.
Bryn stared after him, more confused than she had ever been in her life.
Chapter Thirty-One
Conor went to see his parents that same night. Taking the chair across from the sofa, he took a deep breath. And then, in a voice curiously devoid of emotion, he told them what had happened, and then sat back. Glancing from one to the other, he said, “What do you think I should do now?”
“If you really care for her, I think you should keep trying,” Kadie said.
Saintcrow nodded. “I agree. Where would I be today if I’d believed your mother when she said she hated me?”
“Ididhate you,” Kadie insisted. “With a passion.”
Saintcrow laughed. “It was your passion that got you into trouble.”