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“What movie?” Esther looked up at her. “I haven’t watched all of the Avengers franchise. There’s so many of them. It’s hard to keep up.”

“Not Avengers,Twilight.”

Crap. She hadn’t meant to just blurt it out.

“Twilight? I remember that being a big deal, but never actually saw it.” She raised a curious brow and looked Ashley up and down. “It was a little before our time, don’t you think? I mean, I guess some…okay, maybe a lot of my classmates were reading it, but what are you? Nineteen? You’re a lot younger still.”

“I’m twenty, sort of, but I also readTwilightwhen it first came out and saw the movie.”

“When it came out? That book was early two thousands. You would have been like four.”

“Okay. I really need you to figure out what I am already.” This conversation was more frustrating than sexy. Why were they out here? Esther didn’t know what she was, and she wasn’t going to guess it. Ashley had all but told her the answer, and she was still none the wiser. “Are you out of guesses?”

“That was vampires and werewolves fighting over a girl, right? So, like, gang stuff?” Esther shrugged. “I don’t really understand how a gang would make you run that fast. Is it a drug?”

All right. Maybe it was time to call it a night. Esther knew something, but she didn’t know the specifics, and as far as Ashley was concerned, that meant they were still in the clear. No one knew her secret. Well, no one except the witch, but he didn’t count. Oh god. The only mortal who knew her secret was a witch.

“You’re looking too sci-fi when you need to go paranormal.”Shut up, Ashley.

“Paranormal?” Esther’s head tilted skeptically. “Like ghosts? Are you a ghost?” She took Ashley’s hand, and damn it, Ashleywas so excited until she realized Esther was checking Ashley’s solidity. She held it anyway, letting the warmth of Esther’s hand seep into her own.

Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. “Have you considered vampire?”

“Like you’re anemic? Or wait…” Esther flipped over Ashley’s hand, touching her fingertips, but the cross-shaped burn from earlier had healed. She snatched Ashley’s other hand and checked it as well. “Well, the speed and the healing and…and the crosses, okay.” A slight tremble made its way from Esther’s hand to Ashley’s. “But the teeth? Yes! The teeth. You smile all the time. It’s a lovely smile and not very umm… teethy.”

“Thanks.” Ashley flashed her signature grin, and for half a reckless second, let her fangs slip as well.

“What the fuck?” Esther tumbled over the log, tossing Ashley’s hand in her haste to get away.

“No, no, Esther, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…” This might have been the greediest thing Ashley had ever done.

Esther crawled across the ground to the woods, and it was all Ashley’s fault.

It was just that, for one selfish second, Ashley thought maybe she could have it all.

Esther opened her mouth to scream, and Ashley snapped back into action, covering her mouth and setting her back on the log before she made a sound.

“Look, Esther. I realize I could have eased you into this a little better, probably. On the one hand, you told me you wanted this conversation, but on the other hand, it has become very clear you had no idea where this conversation was going. So, I want to apologize now for how…jarring this was.”

She waited with her hand still over Esther’s mouth, but Esther remained frozen in place.

“Can I take my hand away,” Ashley said, “and you won’t scream, and we can have a normal conversation like two normal people?”

Esther remained frozen.

Ashley tentatively moved her hand away from Esther’s face.

Two beats passed.

Esther screamed, and Ashley covered her mouth again.

Ashley was the worst no-longer-human on the planet. She needed to fix this. “Esther, I’m so sorry. Telling you was really selfish of me. Just because you think cannibalism is sexy doesn’t mean?—”

Esther mumbled something from under Ashley’s hand that didn’t sound like screaming. Tentatively, Ashley moved her hand away again.

“Never in my life have I ever said cannibalism issexy.” Esther was yelling. She looked pissed even. But she wasn’t screaming or running for her life.

Ashley took this as an improvement. “I mean, it was a couple of weeks ago. But that one lecture on cultural relativism? You said you thought eating a loved one was romantic or something.”