“Anyway, he does this thing where he can calm people, and I feel like you do that. Not in a vampire way. Obviously.”

“Obviously.”

I read the words on Kael’s sweatshirt. It said Georgia Southern on top of a picture—was it a bird? I couldn’t tell. The words and emblem were faded, the material of the lettering flaking off. It looked vintage, but not in a pretentious way.

“So, you’re a huge Twilight fan, huh?” he asked, humor in his tone.

“Everyone is.”

He licked his lips before he spoke. “I think that’s a stretch.”

“Is it?” I questioned with sarcasm.

We were flirting, I think? I wasn’t very good at it, though he obviously was since I was grinning like an idiot and he had barely spoken.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say everyone is a fan.” He shrugged. “I can appreciate it for what it is.”

I started to feel a little defensive. What did he mean by that? I couldn’t stand the condescension.

“So you guys can watch a bunch of men chasing a ball, but romance fandom is dismissible?” I asked the question, thinking about how many times I’d wanted to speak my peace on this subject.

He raised his hands. “No, no, no. Not dismissing romance at all. I just like my vampires a little more murderous? I don’t have anything against Twilight. Put your weapon down.” He smirked. “My sister loves it.”

“What’s she like?” I was dying to know more about his family, about him.

He shifted his body closer to me as we sat together on the floor. I could tell his eyes were reading mine to see if he could trust me. Please trust me, I wanted to beg him.

“She’s . . . she’s all the things I’m not.”

I felt like he let me in, even if the door was barely cracked. I kept my focus on his face. In the tiny twitch in his jaw, I could sense his protectiveness of her, and in his eyes, the adoration for her. I was ashamed that it made me a little jealous. Not in a romantic way, not even close, but in a way that I really, really, really wished I had someone who loved me that much.

“When did you see her last?” I wanted to ask more before he closed the door on me.

“Before I deployed.”

“Wow. It’s been nearly a year?”

His face fell. When Kael’s guard was down, he showed emotion so clearly.