Page 56

Leslie:No worries. Headwinds delayed us a bit, so I only just got my luggage. Heading outside now.

Ryker’s tense shoulders lowered a few inches.

Leslie:I’m standing in front of a pillar painted with a pink 4.

She was easy to spot, radiating the vampire aura—chilled vitality and muted power—that his kind could spot in one another from half a mile away. Humans double-glanced at her as they passed, though Leslie seemed unaware of their notice. Her silver hair was loose and full, dipping around her shoulders and falling down her back. Her hard-shell carryon was white, covered in a pink-and-purple floral print.

Ryker pulled his car into one of the parallel spots, and Leslie hurried to him. She tossed her luggage into the back seat, then hopped into the front. As Ryker pulled into traffic, she said, “So much exhaust.”

“Yeah, it can be a lot sometimes.”

“I still smelled you though. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to.”

They were quiet a minute as he navigated back to the highway. After he merged on, Leslie turned to grin at him.

“Hi, boyfriend.”

He chuckled. “Nice to see you, girlfriend.”

“I feel like I should mention again— I’m totally fine getting a hotel room overnight while you sleep. Your parents don’t need to put themselves out for me.”

“Oh, don’t underestimate Senna Maddox. She wants a chance to approve of you. And she probably also wants to tell you at least one story of me as a toddler.”

Leslie’s laughter pealed. “It’s only fair.”

He rolled his eyes, but his grin matched hers. “Parents.”

“Here’s hoping yours like me as much as mine like you.”

“No reason they shouldn’t,” he said. “How was the flight?”

Leslie shrugged. “Close quarters with a whole lot of humans, and a few of them were sweating nervously, so…” She wrinkled her nose. “But overall it was fine. Uneventful.”

“Good. How’s the mill wheel coming?”

“I took some pictures to show you, right before I left. From the right angle, it looks like a real water wheel. It’s super cool.”

Ryker could listen to her talk about her art for hours, especially when she talked about it in terms that valued the beauty she added to the world. She’d been working tirelessly on her new diorama, inspired by the success of the waterfall to create more models with the illusion of moving water.

She pulled her phone from her purse, tapped out a few texts, then tucked it away again. “Sorry. I promised to text both Mom and Hannah when you had picked me up. Mom’s just doing the mom thing, but Hannah wants regular updates.”

“One of these days, she and Jake should come with you. We could do a weekend of double dates all over the city.”

Leslie clasped her hands in front of her as if in petition. “I would love that, and so would they.”

Ryker had met Hannah and Jake twice so far—once at the diner, once at the coffee shop. Hanging out socially with humans felt a little strange at first, but he was more than game to get to know them better.

As he drove, Leslie poked his shoulder. “How’s the Biggest Case of the Year?”

“I cracked it about ten minutes before I headed for the airport. That’s why I left the house late.”

“Oh, Ryker, that’s amazing. Congratulations. I knew you’d solve it.”

“Apparently Detective Kim knew too. I was the only one worried.”

She reached across the console and gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. Come to think of it, his shoulders were tightening up again. But he wasn’t anxious anymore. He’d reached Leslie right on time. So why did he feel so…off?

As if in response to his silent question, an ache seized the back of his throat. One moment he didn’t feel it at all. The next it was unbearable. His right hand clung to the wheel as his left hand latched onto his throat.