I left the bathroom, not feeling any better than when I went in. As I entered the living room, Syla stood. “Would anyone like some cake? Antun said it should go perfectly with the wine Sarah brought.” There were nods and affirmations, and she smiled. “Excellent. Drew, would you mind helping me bring out cake for everyone?”
I changed my trajectory from the couch to the kitchen, walking in just after Syla. “Darling.” I looked up. Syla was leaning against the counter with a look on her face that said, You’re hiding something and I know it.
“What?” I asked innocently.
A brow lifted as if to say, Really, that’s how you’re going to be?
I shrugged, “I don’t feel all that well. I must be coming down with something. Sorry about hiding it.”
The brow dropped, Syla’s face going deadpan. “Vampires can’t get sick, Drew. Try again.”
I looked over my shoulder, making sure that the others were busy talking and couldn’t hear us. Turning back around, Syla’s brows had dipped into a look of concern. “You can talk to me, Drew. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do, Syla. In all honesty, I don’t feel well, but it’s probably just the stress of everything. I’m not putting too much stock into it. No reason for you to.” I went to the cupboard, getting down plates for the cake. Syla merely watched me as I got the forks out as well. Sighing, she went to the counter and grabbed a knife from the block to cut the cake with. She plated the slices and I began walking out with a plate.
“Oh, wait,” she gasped, “The wine.” She got it out of the fridge, looking at the label with appreciation. “It seems Sarah has good taste.” The wine glasses retrieved, Syla poured an equal amount in each one. Carrying a plate in one hand and a goblet in the other, she walked out to hand the first serving to our guest.
“I hope you enjoy angel food cake,” Syla grinned as she handed them to Sarah.
“Oh, thank you, I do! I think its… divine.” She giggled at her joke, and the others chuckled.
It wasn’t that funny, I groused internally as I gave my best polite smile, then handed a plate and goblet to Michael once I reached him. He winked at me when our fingers brushed and damn it if I didn’t start to blush. I went back to the kitchen probably a little quicker than was absolutely necessary. In the kitchen and out of sight, I waved my hand in front of my face, willing the blush to subside.
Syla gave me a wink of her own as she came in, as if to say, I saw that, you adorable mess you. “I’ve got Antun’s, why don’t you grab a glass and a plate for yourself?” she suggested.
“Yeah,” I responded a little dumbly, shaking my head as she chuckled quietly under her breath at me. I took the plate and the goblet, walking back to my seat on the couch. I set the glass on the coffee table, holding the plate as I took a bite. Light and airy, and with the whipped cream and strawberries, it was like having a little bite of spring.
“Syla, you’ve outdone yourself with this cake,” Michael complimented as she sat down beside me.
“Thank you,” she accepted graciously, although her ears went red from the attention.
I took a sip of the wine. It was a sparkling white, and like the others had said, it was good with the cake. I hated that I liked it. Stupid Sarah with her stupid wine… but I couldn’t help finishing it along with the cake.
❖ 🩸 ❖
By the time Sarah left, we had determined that, for the sake of our work schedules, we needed to wait to go overseas again. We’d stick with the continental United States for the next few weeks as we waited for the next three-day weekend to schedule the visits to Europe and the Middle East.
Coming back up the stairs after sending Sarah off, Antun gave me a very bland look. He lifted a brow as if saying, Well?
My own face must’ve said, well what, because he turned to Syla, a little exasperated. “She’s not going to say a word, is she?” he asked her.
“Not without prompting,” Syla agreed, face placid.
“Uh, guys? What are you talking about?” I asked, starting to feel five inches tall instead of five feet.
Another pause, then a beleaguered breath from Antun. Pointing in the general direction of Seattle. “That woman was not normal.”
I was completely taken by surprise. “Excuse me, what? Of course she’s not normal, she’s a werew—”
Antun’s stern gaze froze the words in my mouth. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” He turned to Michael, asking him, “Is that how she usually acts at work?”
Michael shrugged, his brows creased. “I guess? She’s always very civil and friendly at work.”
Antun glanced at me as if to confirm. I so badly wanted to spill everything: the incident in the bathroom months ago, the stairwell today. But mine and Michael’s jobs were on the line, and I couldn’t imagine finding work after being fired for something like interpersonal relationships between managers and those they manage would be easy.
I shrugged too. “That was typical Sarah.” Not a lie, she typically is hiding her true colors.
Antun shared a look with Syla before they both focused on me. “Why did you really want Sarah to be involved? There’s something you’re not telling us, and we’re willing to stay here all night to figure it out.”
My eyes bounced between Syla beside me and Antun in front of me. “Guys, really, I just thought it might be a good idea to have a different species on the case in case she has any insights we might not have.”
Michael was staring at me now too, wondering himself why I had invited Sarah in seemingly out of nowhere. Our eyes locked, and I could almost hear him say , Is there something you’re not telling me?
I cracked under the scrutiny of those beautiful evergreen eyes. I couldn’t help it. “Earlier, today, in the stairwell… Sarah saw us. She took a picture of us kissing to use as blackmail in order to get on the case.”
“What?!” The word exploded from Michael. Syla’s hand went to her mouth in shock.
Antun’s eyes closed and he nodded his head. “That tracks with what I observed tonight.” Looking at me again, he asked, “She’s infatuated with Michael too, isn’t she?”
I hated the fact, but my head bobbed, confirming his suspicion.
“The blackmail is what exactly? So what if she saw you both kiss, its none of her business,” Syla wondered.
Michael answered her begrudgingly. “There’s policies in place at work prohibiting certain romantic relationships, such as those between a floor manager and her floor’s QCE, for example.” He pointed at me as he said my position, then at himself at his.
“Well… I suppose it makes sense but I don’t like it one bit,” Syla said, folding her arms across her chest indignantly as though the news caused her personal offense.
My brows rose once, “You’re telling me.” I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees and my hands clasped under my chin.
Well, the cat’s out of the bag now. All I can do is hope that Sarah doesn’t find out.
“Michael, you have to pretend that you have zero clue about any of this whenever you see Sarah at work,” I urged. “If she gets even a whiff that it’s not just between she and I anymore, she’ll take the photo to HR and we’ll be facing disciplinary action.”
Michael’s head tilted, his eyes unfocused as if thinking. “She might, or she might not.”
“What do you mean, she hates me, of course she’d do it just to get me into trouble.”
“But she doesn’t hate me. She wouldn’t want me facing disciplinary action, but her blackmail involves both of us. She can’t tell on you without telling on me.”
Well, damn, that was a good point. “You might be right,” I murmured. “But still, just in case she is crazy enough to do it anyway…”
“Don’t worry Drew, she won’t know a thing about it from me,” Michael assured. “Antun’s a pro at keeping secrets, and I’m sure Syla’s just as reliable on that front. There shouldn’t be a reason for her to suspect anything.”
I nodded, trying to tell myself that and believe it. But I was still nervous.
Syla bumped my shoulder with hers and gave me an encouraging smile. “Even if things spill, we’re here to help you clean up the mess. We’re in this together, alright?”
I nodded my thanks. I knew that they’d stay around. They stuck around during all the Nikola stuff, and if they had stuck around through that, was there anything they wouldn’t stick around for?
“Come on, why don’t you help me with the dishes,” Michael offered. “I’ll wash; you dry?”
❖ 🩸 ❖
That evening as I laid in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about… well, everything. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, one moment thinking about Sarah and her blackmail, the next thinking about the bloodless corpse. Then I remembered the multiple likely vampire murders that had been happening. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that one of Davor’s progeny was likely involved in some part of all this.
Sleep was impossible. I tried not to move around a lot so I wouldn’t wake up Syla. Listening to her breathe, she was definitely asleep. I glanced around the room, eyes falling on the dresser and on the tufted chair in the corner. The moon shone through the window blinds like slivers of light.
My eyes drifted to the painting of Selene that was hanging up on the wall. She’d said that I only visited her when times were dire. Well, things were feeling pretty damn dire at the moment. So dire that I didn’t know what to do, where to turn, who to turn to.
No, we do have a plan: visiting Davor’s vampires. As much as I hate that Sarah is now part of the investigation, perhaps there’s something she could bring to the table. If she’s willing. Part of me wonders if this is just a ploy to try and steal Michael’s affection, but despite what everyone assured me about the blackmail, she still had it. She could still use it, gambling that Michael would be fine.
I know that I will be okay. Even if I lose this job and have to search for a new one… Fuck, I really don’t want to lose my job. I’ve been here for years, and I know the lay of the land. Until these vampires came into my life, this job was one of the only things I had. It might not be that way now, but it’s still important to me.
My brain wouldn’t stop. And so, the minutes and hours ticked on, and on, and on. Eventually, I gave up. Walking over to the window, I stared out at the forest surrounding Antun’s property. A mournful howl called through the air outside, and goosebumps sprang up at the sound that it made through the glass. Low, almost sad.
But the howl didn’t make itself. While my hunting skills had improved with continued practice, my body still held a mortal’s memories. A mortal’s fears. I rubbed at my arms, trying to calm the chill that persisted on my skin. Quit it, Drew. You’re at the top of the food chain, easily above a wolf.
Still, if I ever came across one in the forest, could I do what Syla had and fight the predator head on? Or would I run? Would I freeze? I didn’t know. But there was a wolf in my life, and I’d have to act fast.
