Page 91

“And what exactly were youreconnoitring?”

“You,” he said. “I had to be sure.”

“Of what?”

“That you were the one.” His voice dropped, becoming almost reverent. “The first time I saw ye – truly saw ye – was outside that coffee shop o’ yours. You were locking up, and you had these huge headphones on,” he loosely cupped his ear with his free hand. “You stopped and closed your eyes, and I could see the way the music was affectin’ ye. The headlights of a passing car caught your hair, turned it right to fire, and I…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I kent then what my heart had been tellin’ me all along.”

I looked away, heat rising to my cheeks. “So… you arranged our meeting at the park?”

“No,” he laughed softly. “Twas pure chance. I’d been followin’ ye that night, worried about you bein’ out alone after ye’d been drinkin’. It wasnae exactly the right moment. But then you went and fell right into my arms – almost literally.”

“Lucky you,” I said dryly. “I had bruises for weeks after that fall.”

“Lucky me, indeed.” The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable.

We fell silent as he paused at a junction.

“What about after?” I asked. “Between the park and when you met me on the hilltop?”

His expression darkened slightly. “I tried my damnedest to stay away. I could feel ye were… hesitant. That you had a lot going on in your life. But I found myself right where ye were anyway.”

“When you were still calling yourself Cole,” I said, remembering the morning he’d helped me wash dishes before the funeral.

He nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Aye. I told myself I was checkin’ on you, but truthfully? I couldnae stay away.”

“And after that? Before I saw you at Adam’s?”

“Twas easier to keep my distance once I’d spoken to ye again,” he admitted. “I knew what I’d be askin’ of ye, when you found out who I was – what I still ask of ye. Tis no small thing, especially for someone like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“A hunter,” he said. “With every reason to hate what I am.”

I couldn’t argue, though with every passing hour, it seemed there were more shades of grey to consider. “You were… still watching me, weren’t you? After that. I could feel you, sometimes.”

“Aye,” he confessed without apology. “The moment the sun set. Makin’ sure you were safe.”

But you already knew all that, Erin. Deep down.

“Your turn,” he said, shifting gears. “What got ye started as a hunter?”

I hesitated, but honesty was the only path forward. “There’s not much to tell, really. I’ve always been able to… sense things. It scared the shit out of me as a kid, but my dad sort of got it. I sometimes thought maybe there was something there with him, that he could…” I didn’t finish the thought. If my dad really could do what I could, then he’d been an even shittier parent than my mum had been – and she’d been pretty awful over the years.

Nicholas nodded, but his mouth turned down into a small frown. “And when did ye start actually… hunting?”

“The first time… it was an accident. More self-defence than anything. But by the time I started university, and met Jon, I’d been avoiding the idea for a long time. He caught me red-handed, sneaking in one night. I was a mess, exhausted, and I couldn’t think of a plausible lie – so in the end I told him the truth.”

I stopped. It felt like forever since I’d thought about those early years – and how much had changed since then.

“Did Jon—?”

“It was Jon who convinced me I basically had a moral obligation to do the right thing. He was so bloody curious about every little detail – which is pretty much how Tom found out. Jon drunkenly running his mouth off.” I twisted my hands in my lap. “Tom didn’t believe us at first. Not until I took him out one night, and he saw for himself. After that, he was happy to take my word for it.” I swallowed, remembering. “He’d have died that night if it hadn’t been for Jon. He was a mess.”

“But he didnae die.”

“No. Something… shifted, though, after that. Inme. For the first time, I had people I wanted to protect.” I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them again, we were passing under a railway bridge, and the sudden darkness made the interior of the car feel even more intimate.

“And you’ve been huntin’ since?”