There was a frozen sound of dismay from Pelt.
At that, I finally moved away from the door. I’d worried for nothing and getting caught eavesdropping by the stranger would only arouse suspicions again. That was the last thing I needed.
I only made it two steps before I stopped short, surprised at who was waiting for me. I blinked, then blinked again.
"Connor." Not the man I was expecting.
Unlike during our first encounter, this time Connor actually wore clothes over a body I knew was muscular and lean. Eyes of a familiar intense blue met mine. They were framed by hair the color of moonlight—he'd cut it since the last time I'd seen him—and his skin looked like it had never seen the touch of the sun.
Even in a mundane police station, he looked like something out of a story book. A fey creature come to slum it with us mere mortals. Purity radiated from him—a sereneness that threatened to soak into my very being.
I shook the feeling off. I might not be as angry and antisocial as I once was, but I still liked my prickly surliness, thank you very much. I had no intention of shedding it just because I liked the current trajectory of my life.
"What are you doing here?" I managed to say through my surprise.
He paused as the door I’d just exited opened again. Pelt stormed past, shooting a long, lingering look in our direction before she turned the corner and was gone.
When we were alone, I focused on Connor and the question of his presence.
It wasn't that I was ungrateful he'd sprung me from the specter of jail; I was. But I also wasn't big on surprises. Both Liam and Thomas had spent centuries looking for this man. Having him here, now, springing little ole me from the police was unexpected.
Yes, I'd freed him from the glamor he was under, but I hadn't seen him since.
Connor didn't answer, instead peering at the TV with a childlike curiosity. "The human world is so strange. Is this how they see the world now?"
I glanced at the screen. "Not really. It's a story. Make believe."
Connor's head tilted. "Fascinating."
"Ah ha," I managed.
I guess if I had been locked into a stag's form for as long as he had I'd find the modern world fascinating too. It still didn't explain what he was doing here.
"Did you break me out of jail to ask me about Anime?"
Not that I was really complaining. It was a lot nicer on this side of the door.
"I was under the impression you still had trouble with the sun. Was I wrong?"
He wasn't.
"No, you're right."
Much to my continued dismay.
I'd made great strides into being able to resist the call of slumber when the sun rose, but my willpower could only do so much.
Connor waited; expectation filled his expression as he faced me more fully.
I started to thank him and paused, studying him. Connor had spent years with the Fae, more than a century I suspected. It stood to reason some of their habits had worn off on him.
For Fae, words of gratitude were binding. Thank a Fae and you would quickly find yourself owing on debts that you wouldn't want to repay. I already had enough of those in this life. I saw no reason to add more.
"What do you want?" I asked instead.
He made a small sound, his fingers moving restlessly against his thigh.
Yeah, not as easy a mark as he'd thought. Many of my customers were Fae. You picked up a thing or two after a while.
"To do you a favor," he finally said.
"Why?"
The corner of his eyes tightened. "So, you'll feel obligated to do me a favor in return."
Of course.
Connor might have been a vampire, but he thought more like a Fae.
"How did you know I needed help?" I asked him, leaving that for later.
His gaze left mine. "I followed you."
I inhaled sharply as my eyebrows lifted. A stalker. Just my luck.
"Why?"
He lifted a shoulder. "To study you."
I waited, allowing the silence to deepen.
"How did you get them to release me?"
"I wove a story they would believe."
I didn't have to ask how. Compulsion was an ability all vampires had—well except for me. As a vampire, I was a little lacking in some areas. Some of that had to do with the less than traditional way I was changed. The rest could be laid at the feet of my "no live human blood" rule—something that had recently changed.
It meant I was weaker than most, even considering my young age.
"Do I even want to know?"
He paused, a brief flash of uncertainty chasing across his face. "I don't know. Do you?"
My eyes narrowed. Was he fucking with me?
"Why did you interfere?" I asked through gritted teeth.
Soft surprise filled his expression. "That's easy. I want a job."
I stared at him for a beat. He had to be kidding.
Wait. He wasn't. Determination filled his face, stubbornness too.
I shook my head. "No."
I didn't wait for his reaction, striding toward the door and freedom. The night was cool, carrying with it a sharp bite. Winter was courting Columbus, teasing the city with cold and snow before it inevitably dissipated leaving behind rain and moderate temperatures.
It was like a fickle lover who couldn't make up its mind whether it wanted to stay or not. Mid-January and we'd only had one or two snowfalls that disappeared almost as quickly as they'd come.
Most days it felt more like spring, making it challenging to know the appropriate number of layers to wear. Luckily, I had my puffy blue coat to keep me warm.
As a vampire, I didn’t feel the cold as sharply as I once did, but I still preferred the heat and warmth of summer.
Connor trailed behind me as I let myself out of the precinct, stepping onto the street and heading for where my car was parked several blocks away.
"It's so much louder here," Connor mused from beside me.
I slid him a sideways glance. It was past four in the morning. The city was dead, not a soul on the streets except for us. If he thought this was loud, he should wait until rush hour began around seven thirty. Then he'd really see loud.
He tilted his head back to take in the sky. "The stars aren't as bright either."
"That's because we're in a city. Too much light pollution. Head into the country where there's less people, and you'll start seeing the stars again."
The mountains out west would probably offer the best view, the high elevation making the sky clearer, but they were several states away.
Connor hummed in response. "I think I will stick close for a while. Relearn what it means to be a man again."
I shrugged, unconcerned. It was his life. "Sure, that works too."
Connor's gaze was almost amused. "You're very different than I was told."
I paused, not sure I liked the sound of that.
"Oh?"
The corners of his lips tilted up in a tiny smile. "The stubbornness is the same though."
I considered that, then nodded. Fair point.
"Look, if you want me to consider giving you a job, you have to convince me you're worth the inevitable headache you'll bring to my door."
Since Thomas was pretty much a package deal when it came to Connor, there was no chance of that happening.