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“You don’t have to come over,” I said. “Or if you’d rather bring a blood pack that’s fine.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not usually one to dabble with stupidity.”

I blinked. “Sorry, what?”

Connor didn’t seem to hear me. He rubbed his jaw line, sporting a faint five o’clock shadow. “I’m experienced enough not to get attached, so why should I give it up? This was meant to be a holiday when I first arranged to come here. Why not act out? All the snake-brats get to do that year-round.”

“Not attached? Connor, does our friendship mean so little to you?” I tried to keep my expression casual, but his response kicked off enough warning bells that it had me doubting my instincts.

Was I wrong about Connor? Is he secretly a crazy psychopath of a vampire?

Connor fixed his eyes on me again, his smile back in full force. “Don’t worry, Breakfast. I was referring, of course, to Magiford in general. You’ll find that I’m a very specific sort of friend. Regardless, I’ll come over for drinks. Just ring the bell of my apartment.”

“Okay.” I studied Connor trying to pick up on any visual hints that would clue me into his mood. He was lying, obviously. I couldn’t tell in what capacity. He definitely wasn’t planning to eat me—he was too smart to prey on humans in the apartment building he lives in. But whatholidayandsnake-bratswere he referring to?

Connor, meanwhile, stood up and crossed my small apartment in just a few strides. “For now, though, I will go—as a delicate human you surely need your rest. You have a nice place. It’s very tidy and wonderfully suits you.” A playful wink and he was gone, slipping out my front door.

I stared at the closed door baffled by the abrupt changes in his attitude.

…Maybe he’s just older than I thought. Vampires get more eccentric as they get older.

Regardless, I was cautiously optimistic that Connor was becoming my third friend in Magiford—the first two being Sunshine and Emi. If I wasn’t wrong about him and he was just odd, he was an accomplishment of the biggest goal I had for this year which was making a friend in my apartment building.

Better yet, he even has time to do things with me.

Sunshine and Emi were always so busy, but Connor, being Unclaimed and, as far as I could tell, fun employed, had all the time in the world.

I should still be careful—until I can really be sure he’s not hiding anything dark. No matter his intentions, I’m pretty sure I could get him to help me befriend the other residents of our building. He’d probably find it funny, and I can put his vampire pheromones to good use on our fellow residents.

I was determined to make a life for myself in Magiford, even if that meant trying things my family would question—like befriending vampires.

* * *

I was backto work that night, my knee and shoulder fully healed after I drank a fae potion before I fell into bed and my slayer healing had time to work.

Connor had come over as he’d promised. He drank only a sip of the tea I’d made for him, but he had a lot to say about my burnt lemon poppyseed muffins that had come out with the consistency of a hockey puck. (The muffins were the box mix variety—I was getting desperate to succeed in baking/cooking.)

Unfortunately, Connor was just as clueless as I was about cooking, so he didn’t have any wisdom to offer. That didn’t matter, though. The absolute joy to just have someoneover—to chat over breakfast—had been so fun I didn’t care.

My apartment didn’t feel so blasted lonely, and I didn’t feel so desperate—like I was clawing to settle in a city that didn’t want me. Plus, Connor hadn’t said anything else that had set off mythis is unsettlinginstinct, so it was a great time.

I leaned back in my desk chair, drinking the last of the peanut-butter banana smoothie I’d brought to work.I still miss my family, but at least friends can make things bearable.

“If you don’t mind my asking, Blood—err, Ma’am?—what is that you’re drinkin’?”

I froze in my tilted back position holding my cup straight up to get the last sip.Blood…someone’s talking to me…about something that isn’t work related? They’re being friendly?

I set my drink down with a little too much force before I spun my chair around to face Medium-Size Robert.

Medium-Size Robert—who insisted that we call him that when he joined, because his father was Big Robert and his nephew was Small Robert, even though Sarge had pointed out the squad both lacked other Roberts and anyone larger than him—was wearing a slightly amended version of our department uniform. He didn’t have much on his belt besides a radio and his mace because he carried a backpack of stuff for the squad whenever we were sent out.

He was smiling weakly at me in a way that suggested he maybe regretted asking me the question, but he’d asked. And I’d take whatever I could get.

“It’s, it’s a smoothie.” I had to try twice to spit the words out.

Easy, take a breath. Just pretend he’s Sunshine—or Connor.

“I made it with a blender before I came in—it’s got banana, peanut butter, some Greek yogurt, spinach, and frozen cucumber.” I looked back at my mostly consumed smoothie, which was an unappetizing green color.