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“He looked like he’d want to cuddle.” I grimace.

“What’s wrong with a cuddle?” he asks, wrapping his other arm around me.

I roll my eyes at how much of a sap he is. He and I are so different, yet we both bend to accommodate the other. We strive to ensure we’re both comfortable and satisfied, emotionally and physically. It is a dance where we give space and come together when needed.

“With a one-night stand? What’s right with it?” I counter and turn to wrap my arms around his neck, enjoying being enveloped in his strength.

“I was supposed to be a one-night stand, remember?”

I reach up on my tiptoes, kissing him tenderly. “You were supposed to be a tipsy hookup until you stopped mid-make-out to feed me a sandwich.”

Connor laughs. “You were trashed, and I wanted to not be a one-night stand. I knew that first night I wanted to be more to you.”

“Ugh, you guys are gross. Later,” Alice says, leaving the dorm.

“She’s right. You’re so grossly mushy,” I say, tunneling my fingers into his hair.

“You’re one to talk,” Connor groans and grips my hips.

“So, dinner will be here in thirty minutes, and I believe we had some… interesting plans for the evening that we should probably get started on.”

Connor slides his hands down to cup my ass. “Well then, Tuatha De Daanan, better get to it.” He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him, giggling as he carries me to my bed.

54

Summer

“So, Carmelina is sleeping with Joylee and Henderson?” Connor asks, his gaze firmly glued to the laptop screen.

I may end up regretting this. After Connor and I feasted on one another, enjoying our dessert first, we curled up in bed to eat dinner. I just pulled up the show that Alice likes for some background noise, but Connor took to it like duck to water and is already completely invested.

“I think so, but Carmelina is also sleeping with her stepsister, Hilly.”

Connor blinks. “How does she have the time?”

I scoff. “Please, I know all about your player history, Connor Morningstar,so-calledangel.”

Connor sputters, finally dragging his attention away from the screen. “Excuse me. I was not a player. I just enjoyed…”

My lips twitch as I wait for him to continue, enjoying watching him struggle to justify his slutty, slutty past. I burst out laughing as I watch him scramble. “Chill out, Con. I’m joking.”

Connor narrows his eyes at me, pouting his lips in that insanely adorable way he does. I’m still laughing as I climb out ofbed and pull on my silk robe. I collect the takeout containers and take them into the kitchen. Noticing that the trash can is full, I decide to take it out now instead of putting off the grim job until morning when it’ll smell worse, and I’ll be even less inclined to do it.

I tighten the ties of my robe, grab the trash bag, and slip quietly out of the dorm. The quad is eerily beautiful at night. The street lamps cast white, almost magical puddles on the path, but I find the shadows thriving between the pools of light infinitely more interesting. I start down the small sidewalk, heading for the communal trash cans around the back of Kelpie. There is the slightest hint of a breeze, but apart from that, the night is calm and cool, making it all the more startling when something brushes a lock of my hair from my forehead. Startled, I yelp and jump, throwing the garbage bag into the air and scattering trash everywhere.

There is a slight shift in the air, something as casual as the brush of a stranger’s hand as you pass by. Slowly, the trash disappears from view, disintegrating to nothing before my eyes.

I am not alone. I am not alone. I am not alone.

I feel the start of a shiver trickling down my spine. I slowly lift my hand, reaching forward as I did in the school corridor. My breath catches in my throat when my fingers meet hard muscles, and I can feel a faint, steady thud of a beating heart.

I tilt my head, and the being becomes a little less translucent, a solid piece of the shadows detaching from the night. He is still barely visible, but I can definitely see an outline. It’s definitely a male. His shoulders are broad, and even in this form, I can tell how muscular he is. As my eyes roam his silhouette, I feel his heart beat a little faster. My gaze flicks up, locating the outline of his head and focusing on where I imagine his eyes would be. I’m once again surprised at how at ease I feel, especially given the circumstances.

“You’re back,” I say, my voice soft. He lifts his arm slowly, as if trying not to spook me, and carefully wraps his hand around my wrist. His touch feels like a cool breeze against my skin, but I can faintly feel the calluses on his palm and fingers. He lifts my hand and gently presses my palm to his cheek. He nods, finding a way to communicate with me even in this form. Can he not always talk? It does take a tremendous amount of power to do so, but he could do it the other day.

I slowly lower my hand, my fingers brushing against his mostly translucent form. “H-hi,” I stutter out, looking up at him.

I should be running. Why am I not running?