Conrad stared at the girl in the hallway. Like a deer in headlights, she was rooted to the spot, staring back at him with wide and petrified eyes. How was she there? How had she overcome his mesmerization? He’d fed her more blood just before he’d left. She shouldn’t have been able to resist his control after two doses and not with the second dose having been just a couple of hours ago. Ruby Myers was no ordinary human girl.

  “What are you doing out of your room?”

  Amazingly, her hands curled into small fists at her side, and she raised her chin in opposition. “I was checking on my friends,” she said firmly. The fear that laced her tone was almost imperceptible.

  “Aren’t you a defiant little minx?” he said. “And what was the outcome of those checks?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “How did it go at the police station?” Now, she was questioning him. Conrad arched an eyebrow at her boldness.

  “Faultless. Your boyfriend did what was required of him without deviation.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she said, echoing his words. “So, can we go now then?”

  Conrad admitted a small smile, amused by her act of insubordination. He stepped forward, and she shifted back. “Not quite yet, I’m afraid. Once I am sure that the investigation is closed and that the four of you will not cause me further problems, I will allow you to leave. Does that sound agreeable to you?”

  “Will it make a difference if I say no?”

  Conrad’s smile broadened. There was something delightfully refreshing about her impudence. “No,” he admitted.

  “I guess it will have to be fine then.”

  Conrad turned and Ruby tensed as though readying herself for an impact. “I’m going to sit in the garden. Feel free to join me,” he said.

  Her lips pursed as she stared at Conrad with narrowed eyes. “You’re asking instead of ordering me,” she said.

  “It would appear that my orders don’t have the desired effect on you,” he said as he began walking down the stairs. As he passed the living room, he told Simon to keep an eye on Jay. If anybody was likely to cause trouble, it was him.

  The garden was as quiet as it had been the night before. There was a beautiful stillness that came with living in a place so far from everybody else. The houses on the cul de sac were so spaced out that Conrad was barely aware Simon even had neighbors. That was likely why Simon had chosen this house.

  He took in a needless breath, wanting to smell the night air. He wrinkled his nose, the unmistakable scent of urine drifting up his nostrils. Checking that it was unsullied, Conrad lowered himself onto the bench and looked up at the waning silver moon. A few stars were visible in the almost-black sky, but not many. Conrad remembered a time when the sky was always full of twinkling white lights. The people of this modern age didn’t know what they were missing. Not that they would care, they were too busy staring at their screens to look up at the sky.

  Ruby followed him outside and stood at the edge of the bench, not yet willing to sit next to the big bad vampire.

  “You’re smarter than your boyfriend,” Conrad said. He kept his eyes on the sky, believing that she’d find it more inviting to sit down if he was not staring at her.

  “I don’t think that’s true,” she mumbled.

  “And why is that?”

  She shrugged. “He’s just smarter than me. He’s always pointing out my mistakes and correcting me about things.”

  He cast a sideways glance at her and saw the truth in her expression. Jay had convinced her to believe his truth rather than the truth.

  Conrad nodded. “And when he corrects you, do you check that his corrections are correct, or do you simply take him at his word?”

  Ruby shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I’ve got no reason not to trust him.” Her voice was prickly, suspicious, and annoyed.

  “Of course not. What use would an untrustworthy boyfriend be? Or even an untrustworthy friend, for that matter. I am by no means saying that your boyfriend is not smart. He is. However, he lacks foresight, and his own ambitions give him an almost crippling case of tunnel vision. You, on the other hand, possess the ability to think about the consequences of your actions. That’s why you didn’t leave when you discovered that you were not compelled to follow my instructions. You knew that it would have ended badly for you and your friends. Can the same be said for Jay, or would he have flown the coup the moment he discovered he could? You would never have attempted to attack me as Jay did because you knew in advance that it would not go in your favor. Had Jay taken an extra moment to consider the ramifications of his decision, perhaps he would have come to the same conclusion. Instead, he acted impulsively, and for what purpose? To avoid losing his new-found internet fame.” Ruby chewed on her lip and wrapped her arms tightly around her. “He put his desire for success above his own life and the lives of his friends. Does that sound like the hallmark of an intelligent person?”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Ruby stared off down the garden, her unblinking gaze searching for some answer she could use in her boyfriend’s defense. All she found was empty air. “No,” she admitted as she perched herself on the bench.

  “No. Which leads to my next question: how did you overcome my mesmerization?”

  “I don’t know how I overcame it,” she said, and it was clear that she was as disturbed by the mystery as he was. He tried to comprehend what it must be like to have a rare ability and yet not know how you came by it. As exciting as it must be, it opened up all kinds of questions. If those questions weren’t already on her mind, they would be soon. They were certainly on Conrad’s.

  “Does your boyfriend know you can do this?”

  “He knows.”

  “And since you were out of your room, I presume your other friends do too?”

  “Only Tyler.”

  Three out of four knew, so they all would soon enough. The only way for a secret to be kept was for it to never be uttered in the first place. “Your boyfriend’s myopic constraints of the mind have the potential to prove dangerous with this ability. He is cooperating for now, but he may well decide that your immunity to mesmerization could be used to his benefit in regards to regaining his internet fame.” Conrad wasn’t sure if Jay was stupid enough to try anything but he was certain that Jay’s will had not been completely subdued yet. There was still some fight in the boy, and after Conrad was gone, his absence might serve to rekindle that defiance and ambition.

  “He won’t,” Ruby assured him.

  “If he does, it will end in his death. Probably not just his.”

  Ruby turned suddenly, and her eyes met Conrad’s. “What does it feel like when you kill?” He saw no fear in her expression, just an intense curiosity.

  For a moment, Conrad was taken aback. He’d expected her to assure him that Jay would not be a problem, but instead, she’d flipped the tables and turned the conversation in an entirely different direction. He considered ignoring the question and forcing the subject back to the topic of Jay, but something about the cold defiance in her staunch gaze made him curious to know where she was taking this.

  “What does it feel like?” He broke eye contact to look up into the dark sky, pondering the question. “I suppose it depends on who is being killed and why.”

  As though she’d been expecting that answer, she was ready with a follow-up question. “What about Scott? You beheaded him with your bare hands and then carried on like normal. How did that feel?”

  Conrad stared at her with wonder. She was so curious and inquisitive, and even though she was sitting mere centimeters from a vampire who had decapitated somebody in the blink of an eye, she didn’t seem at all daunted to be questioning him. There was far more to Ruby Myers than Conrad had anticipated. Far more than the likes of Jay Hickey deserved. And she was worthy of an honest answer.

  “Almost two months ago, I turned 1,000 years old,” he said, his voice floating delicately on the still air. “I have existed through some of the most barbaric times the world has ever seen. Times when, for some, killing a person was as natural as eating dinner. I have loved and lost people beyond count. While one does become numb to death, one never truly becomes numb to the loss of people. Instead, one simply becomes more selective about those they choose to feel for. Scott was a vampire I’d never met or heard of until the night he arrived at this house. So, when I ended his existence, I felt absolutely nothing.”

  Ruby’s eyes wandered over Conrad’s impassive face, perhaps searching for more than what he’d said. Was it difficult to accept that he could take a life without a sliver of remorse? Perhaps she was trying to figure out how somebody who looked so human could be so inhuman. Many people had trouble separating vampires from humans. All vampires were humans once, but the longer a vampire lived, the less human they became.

  “Not the answer you were expecting?” Conrad asked. He raised his eyebrows just a fraction.

  “I don’t really know what I was expecting.” Her voice was a hushed, almost breathy whisper. Still, she did not seem afraid or even bothered by his admission. “When was the last time you cared about somebody you killed?”

  He held her inquisitive gaze for several silent moments. The gentle wind whistled around them, casting a chill on the air. “You must be tired. You should get some rest.”

  “Okay.” No argument. She was clever enough to know when to ask questions and when to stay quiet. She stood and was at the door when Conrad stopped her.

  “I will release all of you as soon as everything is settled. I am many things, Ruby Myers, but I am not dishonest. Do not allow Jay to persuade you into taking any foolish actions.” Conrad was careful to make it sound more like a request than a command. In this brief conversation she had earned more than a fraction of his respect, a high accomplishment for a human.

  “I won’t. I’ll cooperate fully. I just want to put this behind me.”

  “There is one other thing,” Conrad said, standing. “This…ability of yours. If other vampires were to discover it, they would not rest until they understood it. You must keep it a secret, or you will be inviting danger to your doorstep. Do you understand?”

  A blush rose in Ruby’s cheeks as she nodded. Now, she was afraid. “I understand,” she said and then hurried inside.

  Conrad stared at the spot she had previously occupied, wondering what about her made her immune to mesmerization. He had his suspicions, but he needed confirmation. In a few weeks, after his blood had worked its way out of Ruby’s system, he would send Lydia to steal a sample. A few tests would shine some light on the mystery.

  Which character interests you more?