“How’s Kyle?” he asked.
“He’s Kyle,” she said with a smile. “But he likes it here too.”
Julian was sure he did; the city provided a lot of opportunities to meet new women, and before Julian left, Kyle was making his way through the girls in their school. Some of those girls were a few years older than him.
“Have you two had any problems here?” he asked.
“You mean like what you encountered last night?”
“Yes.”
“No.” She tilted her head to the side and stared out the door as if she were listening before looking to him again. “The occasional vamp wanders in, but no Savages.”
“Hmm,” Julian said as he rubbed at his beard.
“It seems you were the lucky one,” she said with a smile. “You know about Willow, right?”
“She joined the Alliance.”
He’d considered doing the same thing himself. Destroying Savages would be a great thing to focus his killer instinct on, but in the end, he decided against it. Without his mate, he would still spiral away into madness or death, and killing regularly might accelerate that in him.
He wasn’t like the other purebreds who fought against losing control of themselves; he already found his mate and gave her up. There was no staving off Savagery by focusing on something else; for him, it was only a matter of time before his life ended either in death or as a Savage.
“I thought Mom was going to lose it, but she took it better than I expected,” Cassidy said. “She did try to pack protective pads into Willow’s suitcase.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I am.” Cassidy’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement as she leaned forward. “But I stuffed a handful of worms into one of her bras. She called me, screaming.”
“Willow always hated worms.”
“She still does.”
“Why did you do it?”
“So she doesn’t forget me.”
Julian laughed. “Who could ever forget you?”
“No one, and I make sure of it.”
“I missed you.”
He hadn’t let himself think about how much he missed everyone while traveling, but he couldn’t bury it now. Growing up with his nine siblings was annoying, frustrating, and infuriating. But it was also an adventure, fun, and a lot of love between them.
His siblings were his closest friends and knew him better than anyone, even if they didn’t know his biggest secret. They’d made him laugh, and they’d made him cry, but they were always there for him. And now, he was back. They would all be excited to see him, and though they were going to bombard him with questions, he couldn’t wait to see them too.
They could never know he’d returned to say goodbye; he would never put that burden on them.
“We missed you too,” Cassidy said. “A lot. How long are you staying in Boston?”
“I’ll be around for a little bit.”
“Is that hours or days?”
“At least a couple of days.”
When her beautiful face split into a grin, he realized he would’ve promised her a month for that smile. She was trying to stay mad at him and failing. Although, he would have to check his shoes and clothes regularly as he suspected Cassidy would find a way to get back at him for leaving.
She rose and walked over to embrace him again. He hugged her as she rested her head on his chest.
“Cassidy!” a man shouted down the hall. “Two minutes!”
“I’ll be right there!” she yelled back.
She stepped from his arms and smoothed out her shirt. “I’m singing until eleven; will you stay and watch some if it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good. Kyle and Aida will be so happy to see you.”
The blood rushed into Julian’s ears as excitement and dread filled him. “Aida will be here?”
Cassidy’s brow furrowed. “Didn’t you know she was our roommate?”
“Yeah, I knew.”
“She usually comes in to have dinner when she gets off work.”
“Oh.”
He’d known there was a chance of running into her here, but he’d hoped to avoid her. And he’d also hoped she would walk through the door so he could see her again.
“I thought you liked Aida,” Cassidy said. “You used to be really close.”
“I do like her. It will be good to see her again.”
Cassidy peered intently up at him, and he could tell she didn’t entirely believe what he was telling her. “Are you still going to stay?”
“Of course,” he said as he rested his hand on her shoulder.
“For a couple of days?”
“Yes.”
The worry in Cassidy’s eyes made him feel like the biggest asshole. He’d ruined her trust in him when he walked away, and he wouldn’t do it again by leaving now. Even if he did see Aida, and if she was with someone else, he would control himself, and he would go when the time came. He’d done it once before; he could do it again. This was the last time he’d see Kyle and Cassidy, and he was going to spend as much time with them as he could.
She inspected him more closely. “Is Aida the reason you left?”
“I left because I wanted to see the world.” It was partially the truth, but she didn’t look like she was buying it.
“Cassidy, it’s time!” the man shouted down the hall.
“Go on.” Julian nudged her toward the door. “You have the masses to entertain tonight.”
“Aida works at Gallery Tremont down the street,” Cassidy said. “It’s a beautiful place. The owner, Nicolette, is a bit of a bitch, but I love visiting Aida and seeing the work they exhibit.”
“O…kay,” he said slowly, unsure why she was telling him this.
Cassidy tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “It’s a nice place and pretty close to here.”
Was she trying to play matchmaker? Her eyes were guileless, but Julian suspected something behind her innocent words.
“Cassidy!” the man yelled, and Julian gritted his teeth against going down there and beating the shit out of the guy.
“I’ll see you soon,” Cassidy said.
She hugged him again before slipping out the door. Julian stepped into the hall as she strolled toward the large, bull-like man at the end. The man said something to her, and she glanced back to wave at him.
The man glowered at him as Julian waved back. He waited until the piano started playing, and the haunting melody of her voice filled the air before he walked down the hall and into the bar.
Kyle still wasn’t here, and Cassidy stood on the stage beneath a dim spotlight. Her voice was more beautiful than he remembered as he listened to three songs. Tapping his foot, he glanced at his watch and realized he still had half an hour before Kyle was due to arrive.
With nothing to distract him from the humans filling the bar, the beat of their hearts drowned out the sound of Cassidy’s voice.
He had to get out of here. Slipping through the shadows of the bar, he dug his fingers into his palms until they bled as he made his way to the front door.