“Chemical engineering,” River answered.
The man let out a high-pitched whistle as he eased up off the brake and they moved once more. They drove past the town limits and hit the highway. River ground his teeth so hard together that it gave him a headache. They would have to find a meeting point closer to the university. There was no way River was willing to go to the city every time he was to meet Caydem.
“What made you choose such a difficult field?”
Why? River didn’t have that answer. He randomly chose one and went with it. River never understood the long process it took some to find the perfect fit, but that didn’t apply to River. It had been River’s motto his whole life—adapt, accept, and keep moving.
“I don’t know, it seemed cool, I guess,” River said, giving the driver some answer that would hopefully satisfy him.
Another fifteen minutes passed in silence, and River welcomed it.
“How did you meet Mr. Caydem?” the driver asked.
River knew the question would come and wasn’t surprised at all. Although he’d hoped the driver would have maintained his professional attitude and kept the chatter to a minimum.
River caught his eyes briefly in the rearview mirror. “I don’t think that is any of your concern.”
Before the driver could say anything, River leaned forward, the seat belt across his chest restricting him slightly. He pressed a button and music played. River hoped it was signal enough that he was in no mood for talking. He leaned back against the plush seat, feigning sleep as to avoid any more unwanted conversation.
The next thirty minutes went by with no more words passing between the driver and River. The door opened, and River got out of the car. A woman with a navy blue fitted dress and five-inch heels strolled out of the building. Her blonde hair was tied into a knot at the base of her neck. She smiled as she made her way over to River, her hand outstretched, and River shook it. Her grip was firm as she greeted him.
“Mr. River, it’s so nice to have you here. I’ll be showing you to Mr. Humphrie.”
She turned smoothly on her heels and walked toward the building. River glanced down at his watch. She noticed that he wasn’t following and turned back to look at him. The sun had gone down, and the air had gotten colder.
“Mr. River?”
River turned around and got back in the car. Both the woman and the driver looked stunned and confused by River’s actions.
“Uh, si—”
River put his hand up, halting anything she had to say. “This appointment has exceeded its time. I need to go back to the university,” River said.
He grabbed the car door and shut it, cutting off anything the two had to say. His foot bounced as he waited for the driver to get into the car, but no such luck. River contemplated catching the bus or grabbing a taxi back to the university, but with his funds, it would cost too much to go from the city to a small town, not to mention take twice as long.
There was a knock on the window, and River sighed as he lowered it. He wasn’t surprised to see the woman standing there, her lips turned down in a frown as she stared at him. Her eyes had the same gray flecks as Caydem. When she opened her mouth, a hint of fang showed.
“You need to get out of the car and come with me, now.”
River suspected she was used to being obeyed, but he didn’t do that. He had a schedule to follow, and he was so out of it, it felt as if he was grasping at pieces of himself.
“No,” River said.
She blinked slowly at him, not breaking his stare. She reached into the car faster than the eye could see. There was no way River would win in a fight against her—didn’t mean he didn’t try. He gripped her wrist, and although the car was spacious, fighting through a window wasn’t ideal.
“You are nothing but a lowly human,” she bit out in a low voice.
River’s brain raced with a million scenarios, all of them ending with him dead. Dying didn’t frighten him as it should because what was death when he’d already lived close to it? A white noise came over him, and he relaxed in the other vampire’s grip.
“If you kill me, I don’t think your boss will be thrilled,” River said.
Her upper lip curled as she snarled at River.
“There are plenty of humans. You aren’t special.”
River shrugged. “Then kill me. Just make sure you do it right. I don’t want to be left in a vegetable state.”
The woman eased her grip on River’s shirt, thrown off by his answer and reaction. River stared at her with boredom, waiting for his life to end. She didn’t go through with it as a deep, loud voice penetrated the air. River knew the voice, and it sent a tingle of awareness through him.
“Let him go,” Caydem said.
Instantly, River was released. He smoothed out his shirt, grumbling at the sight of the wrinkles in his button-up.
“Sire, he refuse—” She never got the words out as Caydem slammed her against the car.
It rocked with a force that made River brace his hands on the armrest and the door. Luckily, the car stayed on all four wheels.
“Never touch him again. He is mine,” Caydem hissed.
The woman fell to her knees asking for forgiveness. River watched her with a detachment he figured most people wouldn’t have. Caydem leveled his too-pretty hazel eyes on River and opened the door. He yanked it so hard the metal of the car screeched. River stared at the hinges, the car door staying intact.
“Does everyone in this building know about vampires?” River asked.
He glanced at the skyscraper and all its windows.
“Humans only see what they want to see,” Caydem answered.
River shrugged, not caring in the least bit. He’d only just found out about vampires, anyway. “I guess.”
Caydem stared at him with unblinking eyes, and River fought the urge to pull back and put some distance between them. The intensity in Caydem’s eyes felt as if River were under a microscope, something for the vampire to study.
“Why are you refusing to come up?” Caydem asked.
River tapped his watch. “I should be back in my dorm room now. I have other things to do. The time slot you penciled yourself into has already passed by twenty minutes.”
Caydem was silent, with no need to breathe unless to talk. River relaxed in the seats and tried his hardest to wait the vampire out. River had patience usually, but at that moment he had very little to work with. He was adapting; had the past few years of freedom erased all that he knew? No, not possible. River just needed a moment to get used to the new things and make it fit him.
A laugh erupted from Caydem. “You’re too fun.”
Caydem shook his head, scratching at his facial hair absentmindedly. If River hadn’t known the monster Caydem was, he would have thought he was all too human with some of his mannerisms. But River guessed that helped fool people into believing he wasn’t what he was. “Normally I would kill anyone who defies me.”
Caydem leaned into the car, his face only a breath from River, their lips nearly touching.
“There is no smell of fear from you when I mention death. You were more afraid when I fed on you the first time.”
River shrugged. He knew what to expect now when it came to Caydem being a vampire. It didn’t take much, but this disruption to his life was taking a little more time than usual. He relaxed in the presence of a man that could break every bone in his body.