Page 14

My training kicked in, and I kept my expression casual as I peered down the hallway. My apartment was at the far end of the hallway, and no one stood between me and it.

Someone was, however, standing in front of the apartment next to mine—the last one on the floor, the one the movers had been filling up earlier in the week.

I stepped into the hallway, my stance casual, although I made sure to keep my hands down so I had easy access to the dagger belted high up my thigh and hidden by my baggy workout shorts.

Every step I took made my inner warnings louder, which meant the vampire had to be the guy standing in front of the next-door apartment.

His straight posture emphasized his height and lean build—he was roughly as casual as the gun I carried when on duty—but his general air of danger was thinly disguised by his chiseled jaw and slight five o’clock shadow that would give him an edge if he shared the vampire tendency towards brooding.

His hair—which looked dark brown in the hallway’s fluorescent lighting—was casually slicked back, and his skin was a warm shade of olive that made him look healthier than the typical vamp.

His over-the-top attractiveness was a knife held to the throat—a weapon he could use with deadly force. Which was another tally for theprobably a vampirecategory.

It wasn’t until the guy—who was either my new neighbor or a budding burglar—glanced in my direction, revealing his eyes that were as red as the blood he assuredly drank, that I knew for certain.

Ah. Yep, he’s a vampire.

The vampire smiled, revealing his larger canine teeth, and waved. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” I smiled in a show of friendliness I didn’t feel but I needed to lure him into thinking I wasn’t a threat. I could physically feel my slayer-work-mode activate and take over, giving me an eloquence that I wished I could harness when I wasn’t facing down potential threats. “Do you need help with something?”

Please don’t tell me he’s my new neighbor? The only reason a vampire would live with so many humans is if he’s planning to make this his hunting ground or if he’s on the run from the vampire governances.

He had to be a fairly new vampire. His clothes—dark navy jeans, a white t-shirt that was sized so it barely hinted at his muscles which I saw as a threat rather than an attraction, a gold ring with a red garnet on his right index finger, and shoes so white they had to be a luxury brand—were too modern for him to be anything else. As magic had steeply declined over the last couple of decades new vampires had become increasingly rare, so what was he doing in my apartment building?

“No, no. I’m just new to the building,” the modern vampire said. “My name is Connor. I just moved in.” He gestured at the door to the apartment, and I spotted the keyring with the apartment’s standard issue key that hung from his thumb.

“In that case, welcome to the building.” My words flowing freely with none of my usual awkwardness as I zeroed in on the vamp. “My name is Jade. I live next door.” I watched his face, trying to catalogue any reaction he made. I needed to figure out his threat level—he could have easily duped his way into the apartment building by dazzling the owner with pheromones.

Connor smiled—it was the perfect amount of charm and sincerity, instantly making me suspicious. “We’re direct neighbors then? How delightful. I imagine that means I’ll see you about?”

“Yep,” I said. “The apartment building is always bustling.” Hopefully he’d take the necessarily hidden hint that this meant he shouldn’t try anything. “If you don’t see me, there’s always a bunch of people around—if you have any questions for us fellow residents, I mean.”

“Thank you.” Connor glanced at his door, a nonverbal hint that he wanted to finish our conversation. It was odd; he was charming, but he wasn’t really friendly. Maybe he wasn’t planning to make the building his hunting ground after all?

Unfortunately, I can’t let you escape just yet. I need to dig and get more information.

I took a half step closer to him to draw his attention back to me. “Are you new to Magiford or just the building?”

“I’ve been to Magiford before,” Connor said. “But it’s been a while.”

“It’s a gorgeous city,” I said. “And the Curia Cloisters is really nice. I’ve been told it’s among the biggest Cloisters in the USA!”

Connor tilted his head. “You find the Cloisters to be a point of interest?”

“Well, yes.” I made a point to look puzzled and tilt my head. “But I figured they’d also be a point of interest for you.”

Connor stared at me.

“Because you’re a vampire,” I supplied.

“You can tell?” Connor asked.

I squinted at him, trying to figure out if this was some kind of weird, post-modern vampire humor. “You have red eyes. That’s kind of a giveaway.”

Something shifted in Connor; I couldn’t have said exactly what it was. There wasn’t anything in his body language, but there was something different in the air around him. “Sorry, I just find it interesting. Most humans can’t tell supernaturals apart.”

He’s falling for my act. Good. Thank you, slayer magic!