Of course, had I actually slept last night, things would have been different, but I swayed slightly on my feet as I took Forge’s picture down off my wall. It was my final task of the day, since it seemed beyond weird to have it hanging in here, while the vampire himself was in an office right across the hall. I would have taken it down first thing, but he’d already seen it. Awkward.
I pushed it behind the file cabinets before I pulled my door closed for the night. Forge was waiting outside in the hall, staying a few steps behind me as we wound our way through the old building, then outside.
“It’s interesting,” Forge said as we made our way between two of the warehouses toward the parking lot. “You haven’t really changed anything in the main building.”
“We moved the offices to the basement to make space for a conference room, and a tasting room for tourists, of course. There’s been talk of expanding that, but yeah, it’s pretty much the same as when Ambrose built it. A few new roofs and modern upgrades, but it’s served us well for years.” I unlocked the vehicle, shuddering at how much it must have cost, and climbed in.
When Forge was buckled in beside me, he commented, “It felt good to be back there.” I thought I detected a note of regret in that statement.
“Your distillery in Scotland. How long had it been since you’d visited?”
“Quite a few years. I hardly even recognized the driver, it had been that long. But it felt good. As if I’d gone home, if only for a short time.”
“You meant what you said about staying in America?”
“I did.” He shook his head. “It’s a balancing act, staying alive in my world. One of the best ways to ensure a long life as a vampire is to put as much distance between yourself and other vampires as you can.”
While that didn’t seem like a solid long-term plan, I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t know anything about vampires, anyway.
“When the telephone was invented, it became significantly easier to communicate. And now…” He brandished his cell phone. “Push of a button, and it’s almost like being there.”
“But not really.” I backed out of the spot, skirting a large delivery truck coming in.
“No, not really. But it’s the best I can hope for, given the circumstances.”
“What would it take for you to go back? Permanently?”
“Trying to get rid of me so soon, Miss Langston?”
“Not trying at all. I’m just curious. The dynamics between everyone at the meeting…they were very similar to human interactions.” Without all the blood and gore. “It stands to reason you’d like to return to Scotland, and something is preventing that. What would it take for you to go home?”
“The Elder would have to die and the rest of the clan would have to swear loyalty to me, which I don’t want. Which means my return will never happen.”
“Why not? You’d be a better leader than that desiccated old fool.”
Forge smiled faintly. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. I don’t want it. I don’t want any part of the shitshow that is my old clan. They live by antiquated rules. Rules I’d be obligated to enforce, if I were in charge. No thank you. Besides, the Elder will never forget. Not that I killed his offspring, nor that I escaped his judgment.”
God, and I thought humans knew how to hold a grudge. I couldn’t imagine how long vampires could. Probably forever.
“Let’s say he drops dead.” Did vampires ever die? “I’ll bet you’d go back in a heartbeat.”
“Once, I would have. Now, I’m not sure. The distillery runs fine without me, and I’ve grown used to the modern comforts of my life here. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Have you ever thought about leaving home?”
It felt odd to entertain the question. We were once again veering off into personal, forbidden territory. Territory that I had to immediately navigate away from. “I haven’t thought much about it. Philly is my home, and I’m not ready to leave, not until I do everything I want to do.”
“Do you know why Ambrose and I came to America together?”
“No.”
“Because we were friends, and friends stick together.” He leaned against the headrest as he closed his eyes. “Sometimes I forget what it was like to have someone you could trust. It’s been a long time since I felt like that about anyone.”
I kept my hands at two and ten and tried to explain away all the emotions racing through me right now. My heart was not hurting right now. And I definitely didn’t want to pull over and pull him into my arms.
Unguarded Forge was dangerous. But I longed to hear more.
“But today, the second I set foot in the building, it all came back to me. There’s only been two humans I trusted. One was Ambrose, and the other is you.”
Not knowing how to respond, I kept quiet, wondering why Forge was opening up all of a sudden. Before I knew it, we were cresting the hill at the top of the drive. I parked in front of the door, pocketing the keys on the way out. Forge followed me to the door, and for just a second, I had the strangest déjà vu that we were just your average, everyday couple coming home from work. Why I was thinking of us a couple, I didn’t know, but there it was.
The warm, fuzzy feeling engulfed my stomach, then sank lower, smoldering in my core, while Forge pushed open the door for me. The place smelled clean—wax and cinnamon and lemons—and I toed off my shoes at the door.
Forge was practically crowding me as I dropped my briefcase into the nearest chair, wondering why this place was starting to feel like home.
23
The second Selena and I breached the door, I knew something was wrong. Beneath the
