Tessa watches me carefully, sensing the tension in my silence.“Is he listening?”she asks, her voice soft with curiosity.
I glance back at her, offering a brief nod.“Probably.”
“So you know what they are?”she asks, her voice dipping slightly lower as if unsure of how much I’ve uncovered or understood.
I can feel my throat tighten.This isn’t something I want to talk about, but it’s been building up since I first discovered the truth.I swallow hard before I answer.“I only found out recently.”
“How recently?”Tessa’s voice shifts, leaning closer as if the question is personal.
“A week ago,” I admit, though saying it aloud makes it feel so much more real.A week ago, my world shifted, and I still haven’t fully processed what it means to be surrounded by these beings, these creatures I never believed existed.
Tessa moves to the front door, locking it and flipping the open sign to ‘closed’ in one smooth motion.Her actions are almost automatic, but I notice the way her eyes flicker to me, the weight of the question hanging in the air.
“Did Ranger attack you?”she asks, her voice suddenly small, almost tentative.
The question causes me to freeze.It hits too close to the lingering memories of that moment when the tension between Blade and me nearly broke, and I thought he might be a danger to me.But I can’t show that fear.I can’t let it show.
“No,” I reply, shaking my head.“No, he didn’t.”
But the truth is more complicated.I don’t want to lie, but I don’t know how to explain the mix of confusion, fear, and a part of me that doesn’t want to expose Blade.Not yet.Not to her.
“It wasn’t Ranger,” I finally mutter, my voice quieter than I intended.I’m not sure if I’m convincing myself or her.
“Was it Vex?”Tessa’s gaze softens with concern, and for a second, I think she might push further.Instead, she picks up a mug from the shelf, fills it with steaming coffee, and takes a sip, her movements careful, almost as if she’s waiting for something more from me.
I feel her eyes on me, watching, but I can’t seem to find the words to explain it all.
“No.Is Vex a werewolf or a vampire?”I ask, trying to shift the conversation back to something I can wrap my head around.
Tessa studies me, her brow furrowed in confusion as if she’s trying to decide if I’m serious.Her lips press together, and her eyes flicker with uncertainty.“He’s a vampire.Why don’t you know?”
I shrug, a bitter laugh escaping me.“I only know about Blade and Prophet.”Sighing, I gesture toward the window where Prophet’s truck still sits outside.“He said you got up close and personal with a werewolf and a vampire.He didn’t tell me who that was.”
After a beat, I glance at her mug, the steam rising gently from the top.“Could I have a hot chocolate, please?”I ask, my voice softer now, almost a plea for something familiar, something that doesn’t feel so monstrous.
Tessa hesitates but then sets her mug down.She moves to the counter, her back turned to me for a moment as she starts making the drink.I can hear the milk steaming, the spoon clinking against the mug as she stirs it.A silence falls between us, but it’s not an uncomfortable one.It’s the kind of quiet where neither of us knows exactly what to say next.
When she’s done, she sets the hot chocolate in front of me, the mug warm to the touch.Then, without saying a word, she slides onto the stool next to mine, her presence close but not pressing.I feel the weight of her gaze, soft and hesitant.
“Do you trust them?”she asks, her voice barely above a whisper as if the question is too heavy to say louder.
At first, I shrug, my mind running in circles.But then I nod a slow, measured movement.“Yeah, I do.I’ve been around them, and none of them have tried to hurt me.What about you?”
Tessa looks down at her coffee, her fingers tracing the edge of the mug.“Ranger turned into...”She trails off, shaking her head as though she still can’t fully process it.“But he didn’t hurt me.He just sort of caged me in.And then they took me captive, buuut...”she drags out the word as though she’s unsure of how to finish.“They did let me go.”
I lean in slightly, drawn into her story.“Have you seen Vex since?”
“No.”Tessa sighs, her voice quieter now, tinged with something I can’t quite place.“And Jasper hasn’t been in all week, which is weird.The police came by yesterday asking about him.”
My heart skips in my chest, and my throat tightens.I try to swallow, but it feels as if the words get stuck.“T-they won’t find him,” I stutter, the panic in my voice barely contained.
Tessa sips her coffee, her gaze drifting to the window, but I see the flicker of unease in her eyes.The silence stretches between us, heavy, almost suffocating.
“He tried to kill me,” I say, though I can hear the faint tremor in it.
“What?”She turns to face me, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.“He...what?”
Her eyes meet mine, and for the first time, I see something raw in them—a vulnerability that’s been carefully guarded until now.
