I scrolled through the text thread as Michael drove us toward home after work.
Drew: Hey guys, remember the werewolf, Sarah, that we talked about after my surprise party?
Antun: Yeah.
Syla: You mean the one you said almost attacked you at work that one time?
Drew: Yeah. I think she should be part of the investigating team.
Michael: Oh? Wide eyes emoji Y?
Drew: She could bring a different perspective to the table as a werewolf, plus she might have helpful skills or traits that we don’t have.
Antun: Like…?
Drew: Idk but she’s a different kind of different from us. Who knows what the investigation might need.
Syla: I’m going to make cake. I hope she turns out nice.
I hadn’t responded to that. Hope she turns out nice? In your dreams maybe. Michael had asked when, and Syla suggested tonight. Great, no reprieve. Ugh, fucking Sarah…
❖ 🩸 ❖
After getting home, I changed out of my work clothes into a more comfortable tee shirt and sweats so I could help Syla in the kitchen. If nothing else, maybe I could spit on Sarah’s piece of cake before she got here.
Walking into the kitchen, the cake wasn’t even done baking yet. Syla was whipping up fresh whipped cream, and a bowl of rinsed strawberries sat on the counter ready to be sliced. “Are you making angel food cake?” I asked, my mouth already watering. I could just start to smell the delicious aroma from the oven.
Syla beamed at me. “Yep! I figure that we’re heading out of summer and into fall, may as well have a cake with strawberries while they’re still in season. And I didn’t feel like having strawberry cake, so I went with this option instead. Do you think she’ll like it?” she asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
It took an effort of will not to cringe at the thought of Sarah coming here at all. “I’m sure she will. Your baking is phenomenal; I know I can’t wait to try some,” I said as I snuck a finger toward the whipped cream.
Syla slapped my hand away and grabbed the bowl, holding it off to the side with a teasing scowl. “No taste testing with fingers. At least grab a utensil,” she giggled, unable to keep a serious face.
Soon enough, the cake was ready to come out of the oven to cool, and Syla looked at it ponderously. “Should I cut the cake into tiers and layer the whipped cream and strawberries? Or should I be lazy and just plop the whip cream and berries on top of each slice of cake?”
I gave her a look with a raised brow and she giggled. “I know, I always go for broke with these things. Tiers it is. Would you mind slicing the strawberries, darling? I want to go freshen up a bit before our guest gets here and the cake needs to cool before I can cut it anyway.” Syla smiled as she skipped out of the kitchen like a little girl.
Why is she so excited? I honestly would’ve expected her to be more nervous. At least, in the past she’s been nervous around meeting new people. But then again, in the past we were talking to Davor’s progeny on their own home turf. I was nervous, too… hmm, maybe she’s excited because it’s at home and it’s only one person.
I topped the strawberries and began slicing, trying to think about the cake instead of the wolf trying to dig her claws into my life. It didn’t work. Maybe if I pretend these strawberries are Sarah instead… I chopped. It wasn’t satisfying.
I love seeing Syla’s excitement, but why does it have to be excitement about Sarah? She’s the actual worst. But I have to keep this act up. If I don’t, the others will begin to suspect, and Sarah might report mine and Michael’s relationship if she thinks I’ve told anyone.
I heard the doorbell and my stomach dropped. She’s here already? Damn it. I hurried to try and get the door before anyone else, not knowing exactly how she’d behave, but I was just slower than Antun.
“Are you excited or something?” he asked about my rush.
“Don’t mind me,” I said, a little breathless from the sprint, motioning to the door. Not going to answer that question properly. Antun can always see right through me. He’s even probably already figured out that I have beef with Sarah…
He opened the door, and there stood Sarah in a pretty flowered tea dress, holding a green bottle of something in her hands. “Hello!” she crooned. “I’m Sarah, Drew and Michael’s coworker. It is so nice to meet you.”
“My guest, I’m Antun. Please, come in,” Antun greeted with his signature charming smile.
Sarah stepped through the door, then held out the bottle to Antun. I looked at the label, some kind of dessert wine by the look of it. “I didn’t know what kind to bring, and I know wine is kind of cliché, but I wanted to celebrate getting to meet new people and hopefully becoming friends.”
Antun held out his hand to shake hers. “I’m always open to making new friends. Come on upstairs.” He turned and led the way, and I took up the rear behind Sarah.
I didn’t trust her, not one bit. Yet here she was, in Antun’s home – my home – with my friends. A mix of anger and trepidation ran through my veins like blood used to, and it took every ounce of self-restraint not to tackle her to the ground and search for her phone right then.
I went back to the kitchen, needing to be away from Sarah before I did or said something. Back to cutting strawberries. Antun came in and put the wine in the fridge, stopping by the cake to get a deep whiff. “God, that smells good. I can’t wait to try it, and the wine.” Before I could respond, he went back out to the living room.
A moment later, Syla bounced into the kitchen. “Is she here?” she asked, bouncing on her toes.
“Yeah, in the living room. Is this enough?” I held out the bowl of sliced strawberries.
She grinned, “That’s perfect.” She grabbed a long knife, carefully cutting the cake horizontally so she could begin making the layers. With quick, efficient strokes, she spread a layer of whipped cream before arranging the berries all over it. Then she did the next layer, and then finished with the top layer covered with whole and halved strawberries. It looked like it could’ve been on Pinterest it was such a perfect looking cake. It was a shame that we’d be cutting into it soon. More of a shame that Sarah was why.
Once Syla was satisfied with the cake, she gave a little nod and smiled wide. “Now, go introduce me to your coworker,” she giggled as she hooked her arm around mine and walked us out of the kitchen.
Sarah stood as we came in and immediately introduced herself. “I’m Sarah, I’ve worked with Drew and Michael for a while. It’s so good to meet people from Drew’s life outside the office. She’s so quiet about her own life that she’s the office enigma.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” I countered, irritated but doing my best to put on a show of civility.
“Sure you are,” Sarah pressed. “Everyone wonders what’s going on in that brain of yours with how quiet you are at work.”
“You haven’t seen me in my role as a manager,” I parried. This felt like practice with Ravena, only with words. “I’ve had to come out of my shell quite a bit in order to do my job well.”
“She really has,” Michael voiced as he entered the room, having changed out of his business clothes. His shirt had a sasquatch on it with the word “BELIEVE” in a bold, all-caps font. It made me laugh inside, a vampire wearing a Big Foot shirt.
“Drew’s had to conduct interviews and lead meetings, and she’s doing a fantastic job of it.” He smiled as he crossed the room to sit beside me.
I didn’t miss the flicker of envy that flashed in Sarah’s eyes, but she easily covered it up. “It’s such a shame we’re on different floors now. Say, Drew, do you think you’d have any say on if I could get transferred?”
Not on your life would I ever let you transfer to our floor, regardless of if I have any say.
“I really couldn’t say; I’d have to check the handbook and I left it at the office,” I demurred, trying not to sound too objectionable but wanting to change the subject.
Sarah looked at the walls, covered in maps and papers, photos and string. She turned to Antun, pointing at a section of the wall of insanity. “May I?” she inquired, and Antun nodded. Standing, she strolled over to the wall, her flowery dress swishing perfectly.
I caught myself staring, jealous of her perfect, tall figure. I was tall and petite, but she somehow carried her lean yet curvy figure more elegantly than I could ever manage. Well, before I was a vampire, that is. The practice I’d gotten with hunting wild game for blood had made me a lot more fluid with my speed, and add in Ravena’s training, well…
… I could take her… I think. But why does she have to be so much prettier? It’s not fair.
This line of thinking was not going to help me. If anything, it was just making it harder to mask my dislike in front of the others.
Sarah stared at the chaotic wall as she asked, “Would you mind giving me an explanation of what all this is? If I’m going to be involved in this investigation, I’ll need to know what’s up.” Turning, she faced Antun.
Antun, to his credit, was ready with an explanation. “To put it simply, we are under the impression that vampires are being targeted and killed, most likely by another vampire turned by my sire, Davor, centuries ago. There’s another murder we are investigating that also seems to be vampire related.”
Sarah nodded ponderously as she listened to Antun. When he finished, she affirmed, “It certainly does seem off, all of it.” She glanced at the wall, then back at Antun. “I want to help. I’m sure I can be of some use. Is there anything I can do to help now?”
“Right now, our next steps include meeting with the rest of the vampires who Davor turned. There are six left. And two of them are overseas.”
“I have a passport, if you think that I might be a good fit for those meetings. It looks like you’ve done a lot of research on these people already,” she proposed. “Would you mind giving me a quick rundown of who’s who?”
As Antun began to list the vampires we hadn’t yet visited and their occupations and locations, I thought about how I could possibly get out of this. “I’ll be right back, just need the bathroom,” I whispered to Syla, getting up discretely.
Michael sent a look of worry in my direction, but I waved him down before he could get up, mouthing, “Bathroom.” He nodded, settling back in his seat again, but kept his eyes on me the entire way to the hall where he could no longer see me.
I closed the bathroom door behind me, leaning against it and sinking to the floor. My arms wrapped around my knees automatically. Breathe in for four… Hold for four… Out for four… Eyes closed, I kept up the rhythm, trying to ignore the fact that we had let Sarah of all people into this place. Keep breathing… In for four…
There’s got to be a way to get out of Sarah’s blackmail. I can’t expose her without her exposing us. Maybe Antun knows a guy who can hack and delete photos, I’ll bet he does… but that would require telling him. And I can’t tell anybody without Sarah exposing mine and Michael’s relationship. Damn…
The breathing wasn’t helping, only serving to frustrate me further. I got up and washed my hands, looking in the mirror as I did so and gave myself a mental pep talk. Okay Drew, just like at work. Loosen your face so you stop scowling… there. You’ve got this. You’ll figure out how to get out from under this soon enough. You’re immortal, you’ve got all the time in the world.
Except I didn’t. Someone was out there, killing vampires. Someone was out there draining mortals’ bone-dry. And we had no new leads, so other than continuing to interview vampires, one of whom may be behind it all, we had no course.
