Page 20 of Cruel Destinies

“Fair enough. Where, then?” The amusement I detected in his tone made my walls of suspicion wobble a bit, but I willfully hoisted them back into place.

“There’s a coffee shop a few blocks away.Incredible Brew.”

“Great. Meet you in twenty minutes?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” I glanced at the afternoon daylight blanketing my floor from the open window and almost asked if the sun would be a problem, but then I remembered I'd seen him during the day last time. I'd have to ask him about that.

“Alright. See you soon.” I could practically hear the smile in that man’s voice, and it warmed my insides in a way that conflicted me further.

I ended the connection, frowning at myself as I quickly cleaned up. I simply could not feel this way about Julian after what Caesar and I had just done—had been doing. I was crazy about Caesar, even if our situationship was super complicated.

I mean, it wasn’t like we were in any way exclusive, though, right? He didn’t say he wanted me to be his girlfriend. In fact, he was pretty much ashamed to be seen with me. He’d only said he wanted me. That didn’t make me his girl.

Ugh, that didn’t even matter because I didn’t know if I could really trust Julian. That was the whole point of this meeting. And nothing was going to happen this time because we were meeting somewhere public. We were just two people getting coffee.

Well, he was a vampire so he wouldn’t have coffee. He liked to drink… My cheeks—and several other places—burned at the memory of our last meeting, and I swooned slightly as I ran my hand over the spot on my neck where he’d bitten me.

Stop it, Shea!

Done with these stupid romantic notions, I grabbed my coat and headed out of my room.

“Where are you going?” Gram asked from where she sat on the couch. She had a blanket draped over her lap, a sitcom playing on the small tv that sat in the corner.

“To meet a friend.” At her raised brow, I added, “I won't be long. Promise.”

“Is your homework done?”

“Yep!” I swung the coat on.

Gram sat up a little straighter, her gray eyes sparkling like that of a fox. “And is this friend a girl or a boy?”

I smirked. “Boy, but it's not like that.”Well, it is, but it definitely isn’t.

“Is it the man from the other day?”

My face reddened, spiking my frustration. “No—ugh—Do you want me home before dark or what?”

“No later than five-thirty,” Gram acquiesced, though I didn’t miss her unspoken “or else.”

I gave a noncommittal grunt before rushing out the door.

I pulled the zipper on my coat all the way up to my chin and withdrew the hat and gloves I kept in the pockets. I didn’t mind the brisk air, but with the approaching nightfall, it was going to get a hell of a lot colder, and soon.

As I walked down the sidewalk, I couldn’t help but beam at the Christmas decorations peppering the block, letting them distract me for just a moment of peace. Wreaths twinkled, trees glistened and glowed, and even the most mundane festively designed wires were transformed into pure magic with the tiny bulbs and tinsel.

This was my favorite time of year. I loved everything about Christmas, from putting up the tree to picking out and wrapping presents to the festive music that blared from every station.

But even with the magic that seemed to embody my every hope and dream, this year, I was having a difficult time getting into the spirit. Because the world wasn’t just full of magic. It was also full of very real dangers, and those dangers had never felt closer to home.

When I arrived at the quaint coffee shop, I lingered outside the front door for a moment. I couldn’t help but be nervous. Of course, I had plenty of reasons to be apprehensive about meeting a vampire—one who hadfed on me!—but none of those were the reason why my hand trembled as I reached for the door.

Stepping slowly inside, I scanned the room—no sign of Julian. I sighed, deflating a little.

I found an out-of-the-way spot and started studying the menu. Coffee wasn’t really my thing, but they made the best hot chocolate here. Nothing like a steaming mug of cocoa to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Mug in hand, I turned gingerly away from the counter so as not to spill it, only to find Julian sitting where I’d just been, smiling like he owned the place.

I rolled my eyes as I sat across from him. “You’re late.”

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