“That’d be great.” I smiled. More awkward silence fell, and suddenly, I wondered if the kiss might be coming after all.

“Do you… do you want me to walk you to the door?” he asked.

“What? Oh, no. Thank you. It’s right there. I’ll be fine. Thank you.” I realized I was on the verge of sounding like Jill.

“Well, then,” said Brayden. “I had a really nice night. Looking forward to next time.”

“Me too.”

He held out his hand. I shook it. Then I left the car and went inside.

I shook his hand? I replayed the moment in my head, feeling dumber and dumber. What is wrong with me?

As I walked through the lobby, kind of dazed, I took out my cell phone to see if I had any messages. I’d turned it off tonight, figuring if ever there was a time I’d earned peace, this was it. To my astonishment, no one had needed anything in my absence, though there was one text message from Jill, sent about fifteen minutes ago: How was your date with Brandon? What’s he like?

I unlocked my dorm door and stepped inside. His name is Brayden, I texted back. I pondered the rest of her question and took a long time in trying to decide how to respond.

He’s just like me.

CHAPTER 6

“YOU SHOOK HIS HAND?” Adrian asked incredulously.

I shot an accusing look at Eddie and Angeline. “Is nothing private around here?”

“No,” said Angeline, as bluntly honest as ever. Eddie actually chuckled. It was a rare moment of camaraderie between them.

“Was it supposed to be a secret?” he asked. We were over at Clarence Donahue’s house for Jill and Adrian’s biweekly blood feedings. Jill was off right now with Clarence’s human housekeeper, Dorothy, who doubled as his feeder. I could take a lot of Moroi things in stride now, but drinking blood—human blood—made me shudder every time. My best coping mechanism was trying to forget why we were here.

“No,” I admitted. Julia and Kristin had grilled me for date details a couple of days ago, so I’d given them some. I supposed I had to accept that once I told them anything, it would inevitably get back to everyone in the world. No doubt my Amberwood family had then passed it on to Adrian.

“Really?” Adrian was still hung up on the end of my date. “His hand?”

I sighed and sank back into a sleek leather sofa. Clarence’s house always reminded me of some stereotypical haunted manor from the outside—but inside it was modern and well furnished. “Look, it just happened—okay, you know what? Never mind. This is none of your business. Just let it go.” But something in Adrian’s expression told me he would not, in fact, be letting it go anytime soon.

“With all that red-hot passion, it’s a wonder you guys can stay away from each other,” said Adrian, deadpan. “Is there going to be a second date?”

Eddie and Angeline looked at me expectantly. I hesitated. This was information I hadn’t given up to Julia and Kristin, largely because it had only just been arranged. “Yes,” I said at last. “We’re going on a, um, windmill tour later this week.”