In the Dark by Melody Taylor

weather.
    I started to
tremble. Actually standing here asking this stuff was very different
from thinking about it. “Do you know the woman who did?”
    “No.”
    His face didn’t
betray anything. His eyes stayed flat and calm. I took that as a good
sign, that he hadn’t lied to me. “Why are you helping
me?” I asked next.
    A tiny flash of
his lip happened – I thought it meant he’d smiled. I
almost didn’t see the movement. “I am sure you would not
believe me if I told you it was out of the goodness of my heart,”
he said.
    My eyebrows
jumped. I probably would have, if he’d said it right.
    “No,”
I said instead.
    He shrugged. “To
be honest, I am bored. I have been on a personal quest that involved
having no contact with others. A quest I am finding quite difficult.
Solving mysteries and exacting revenge are things I know how to do.
Your dilemma offers me a respite.”
    Odd answer. “You
know how to exact revenge?
    He nodded, once.
    I gulped. “So
you’ve . . . practiced . . . a lot.”
    His eyes
flashed, hardening a little. “I have.”
    “Only for
revenge, though?” I asked, high-pitched. Thinking I could
justify it if he’d only killed bad people.
    He stared at me,
eyes boring into mine. “I believe you know the answer to that.”
    Okay. Not so
much.
    “Are you
going to kill me?” I squeaked.
    Humor in his
eyes this time. “No.”
    “Why is
that funny?” I said, then more forcefully, “why are you
laughing at me?”
    “I’m
not laughing.”
    Technically, no,
his face was a stone. Only his eyes had flickered.
    “You know
what I mean,” I said, because I knew he did. “That thing
in your eyes when you think something’s funny, why is that
funny?”
    More humor.
“Because, Ian, I have never been a murderer of children.”
    “Is that
supposed to make me feel better?”
    “No. You
asked why I found your question amusing. That’s why.”
    My mouth snapped
shut. I had wanted to feel reassured and instead, I only felt more
uncertain. I still wanted to trust him, but how did you trust anyone
who admitted to murder?
    “Dammit,”
I said. Then again.
    “Are you
done?” he asked.
    “Promise
me you won’t kill me.” I felt stupid the second it left
my mouth.
    “Will that
make you feel better?”
    Good question.
“Are you a liar?”
    Humor flashed.
He didn’t have to say why.
    “Just
answer me,” I said, glad I couldn’t blush.
    “No. I
have never lied to anyone. I don’t intend to start.”
    “All
right,” I said, and had to gulp insane giggles that suddenly
wanted to come. “Promise me you won’t kill me.”
    “I
promise, Ian.”
    I stood there
fidgeting. I sounded like an idiot. He sounded calm, like he dealt
with people like me every night. I bit my tongue to keep the giggles
in.
    “Done?”
Sebastian asked.
    “Done,”
I said.
    “Good.
You’re still experiencing some shock, and you’re
panicking. I want you to sit down and be still until you feel
better.”
    That made too
much sense. A giggle got free. More came before I could stop them,
and I started laughing like a nut. A sick and painful laughter, the
kind that only comes out when nothing’s funny. Sebastian pushed
me into a chair, gently but firmly. Something in my gut melted
unpleasantly, and the laughter turned into tears.
    “I want to
go home,” I sobbed.
    Sebastian
crossed his arms. “This shouldn’t last long.”
    “I want to
go home, and you’re a killer, and I’m laughing because
Kent’s dead!” I yelled, but I wasn’t laughing at
all. I curled in a ball, tucked my face into my arms and cried.
    A hand touched
my shoulder. I winced away, then let him touch me. The chair beside
me sank under his weight and an arm snaked around my shoulders,
hesitantly. Sebastian hugged me. Distantly, as if he didn’t
want to break me.
    Murderer,
vampire, stranger; he was here, he had his arms around me, and I
didn’t have anyone else. I leaned against him and hid my face
against his shoulder.
    After a