Chapter 19
Nineteen
JULIAN
Some idiot townie thinks that he’s going to buy my wife a fucking feta wrap?
He’s a dead man.
“My apologies, Maris. There was an incident at the hospital this morning that made me late.” I make a show of smiling like nothing’s wrong even though I want to rip the idiot with a man bun’s throat out just for breathing Maris’ air.
“Late?” She looks confused. It makes sense.
We had zero plans for breakfast but that doesn’t matter.
I was on my way to her house when I scented her and realized she was gone.
I’d thought Maris would take a bit slower getting ready but I should have known better.
Vampire blood does have the get up and move urgency to it that humans don’t ever know what to do with.
While I’m cursed, the walking dead, my blood isn’t.
It’s pure life. It heals all, invigorates humans to the point of feeling reborn, and of course, sustains me indefinitely.
I look Maris over. My blood agrees with my wife. She looks stunning. The very picture of vitality and life. Perfection suits her.
“Yes, for breakfast. We made plans last night…” I let my voice trail off and nod with a sheepish smile, “Of course, you forgot. I should have thought of leaving a note. You were exhausted.”
Maris’ face flushes and she dips her head. The idiot at her side bristles like he has a right to her.
“Who is this, Mare? What does he mean last night?”
Mare?
Like a fucking horse kind of Mare? Ugh. How provincial.
“I’m Julian Vale,” I say, holding out my hand to him. I want to snap every bone in his hand when he shakes mine with far too much force to be friendly. I let him think he’s won his little pissing contest with his show of force. “I’m Maris’ neighbor."
“Julian is also the new doctor in town,” Maris adds and frowns at the way the idiot is jerking my hand up and down like he’s trying to rip it off. If I was human, it might hurt. Good thing I’m not.
“A doctor, huh? We have enough of those.”
“Not hardly,” I reply. “And you are?”
“I’m Billy,” he grunts like that means fuck all.
“Pleased to meet you, Billy.”
“Billy was just about to go on his way,” Maris says and takes a step closer to me. “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I forgot breakfast. I should have called you, I mean, I would have but-”
“No number,” I say.
She blushes prettily for me and nods. “Right. I should have asked for that earlier.”
“No,” I correct, “I should have. Since we’re both here, I’ll get us breakfast. You can show me the news office like you mentioned.”
Again Maris looks confused. She never mentioned the news office. Anything to get her away from his townie glaring at us before I kill him in broad daylight and ruin everything.
“I was getting her breakfast. We were about to catch up. Like old times,” Billy interjects.
Maris looks like she wants to vomit at his words. Right. She doesn’t like him. Spectacular. When I rip his head off she won’t cry about it and I won’t have to comfort her and pretend it’s a shame. A splendid time saver.
“No, we were not.” Maris looks over at the barista. “I’m sorry, Belinda. Can we add on Julian’s order? I’ll get it. I owe him,” she says, pulling out her wallet like I’m going to let her spend a cent on me.
I put my hand over hers and hold a black card out to the barista. “Maris is too generous. I’ve got breakfast today. Just a black coffee for me and whatever she’s ordered.”
“Sorry, Billy. You lose.” Belinda the Barista snatches my black card with lightning speed when Billy the Townie starts to protest. “You got it. I’ll have them right out for you both,” she says, swiping the card and turning the screen around for me to sign.
I make sure to add a hefty tip to the total for her help.
You know what they say, it takes a village when you’re a vampire trying to woo your human wife in a coffee shop. Or something.
Maris sidesteps Billy and gives me a smile. “I’m sorry, again, about forgetting breakfast. This morning has been a little…odd.”
By odd she means the fact that she woke up with a brand new face.
Not a blemish marred her beautiful body when I left her sleeping.
I stayed for much longer than I would have if Maris was anyone else.
The morning light had begun to filter in through her curtains when I finally forced myself to leave her.
It was difficult even then. I’d been on my way across our lawns when my phone had gone off with calls from the hospital.
The incident I mentioned had been real. The generalist had slipped on their way up to the second floor and could I come in to help set their shoulder.
It was an easy enough task. One that any of the nurses could have done but when I’d walked in I understood why I’d been called in.
Liz.
The nurse that I’d sort of met for coffee yesterday morning to make good on my promise.
I thought about ghosting her and making my way over to Maris’ house but I hadn’t.
A doctor that ghosted staff wasn’t going to have an easy go of it in a town as small as Vesper Point.
That kind of doctor would get attention—aka the last damn thing I wanted.
But coffee had been before I’d realized Maris was mine.
I’d stand before the Varcolacus and let them hand me the Final Death before I let someone like Liz get in between Maris and I.
I’d rather front flip into a vat of holy water, lick a cross, the list goes on.
Liz tittered and simpered telling me she “wasn’t strong enough” to reset the doctor’s shoulder.
Doctor Gavin was a bigger man, barrel-chested and had at least four inches on Liz so it wasn’t a complete lie.
Even so, it pissed me off. I’d reset the doctor’s shoulder with barely a jerk of my hand and had been on my way with a quick apology.
“Very sorry. I’m needed in town. I’ll try and come back right away,” I lied to Doctor Gavin on my way back out the door.
There was no way I was coming back. They could fire me if they wanted.
I was going to spend the day with Maris.
There was so much to learn about her, so many assholes in this town to set straight.
All-in-all I had a busy fucking day ahead of me.
He’d waved me off and was already working his own sling on while Liz did zero nursing. “No need, Julian. My shoulder’s fine now. I’ve got it from here. Sorry she called you in on your day off. I told her not to.”
I smiled like it was no big deal. “No worries. Happy to help,” I told him and turned away. The smile on my face vanished the second they couldn’t see me.
“Julian!” Liz called. “Julian, wait!”
I hadn’t waited. I’d kept walking, not even bothering to wave goodbye to Liz or make up an excuse.
She’d brought me the hospital because her idea of a “coffee date” had been a resounding fail.
I’d met her for coffee, and was polite and cordial but professional.
It was practically a business meeting on my end.
The vibe was not date, no matter how much lipstick Liz had smeared on, or how many times she’d tried to find a way to touch me.
Now I was here, late and nearly missing Maris completely with this loser harassing her.
I swear to god, if Liz doesn’t knock off her crush shit, I’m going to kill her just to make it easier for myself.
I could always glamour her to walk into the sea and never stop.
That would be easy enough to do with the way she follows me around the hospital.
I make a mental note to revisit the idea of a watery grave for Liz and focus back on Maris.
I follow her to the end of the counter where our orders are being prepared. “You needed rest. I don’t mind,” I tell her. “It worked out in the end, didn’t it? We’re here now.”
She nods with a shy smile. “We are.”
“Mare, I need to speak with you. I’m serious.”
Maris’ eyes slide over to Billy and she frowns. Even the downturn of her lips is beautiful. She’s lovely. “Billy, there’s nothing to talk about. We broke up, remember? You’re engaged now. To Minnie.”
Whoever Minnie is, Maris means business when she brings her up. Billy’s eyes narrow and he practically vibrates with annoyance.
“Don’t be like that. We grew apart. You know that, Mare.
” Billy comes closer. I don’t like it one bit and take a step closer to match his movement.
It’s enough to stop Billy in his tracks and Maris looks at me in surprise.
Just because I haven’t claimed her the way I want, doesn’t mean I’m going to let this fucker get closer than he already is to her.
“Here’s your order! Have a great morning.” The barista puts down our food and coffee with a sunny smile.
“Um, thanks.” Maris snags her food and hands me my coffee. “We can talk while we walk,” she tells me, making a point of avoiding Billy.
I nod. “Sure thing, Maris.”
Maris turns back to the counter to grab her coffee just as someone turns from the counter and walks past with a mumbled ‘murdering bitch’ and I almost think I’m hallucinating when I see them stick their foot out to trip her. But this shit is real and Maris stumbles to the side.
“Mare!” Billy moves in close to try and catch my wife but I refuse to let him touch her.
I grab him by his arm and throw him back so hard that he nearly falls.
Pity. I’ll have to throw him harder next time.
Maybe through a building or out to sea. I think over suitable places to dispose of Billy as I catch Maris with my free arm.
“Oof!” Maris hits my chest with a grunt. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
The woman I’m holding is capable of killing, brutally so, and here she is looking up at me like a broken doll.
Dead. They’re all fucking dead. Every last one of them.
I look around the room, making note of the laughing faces, the ones that look on in satisfied judgement of Maris.
I don’t need super powers to read their minds.
She deserves it. I’m going to protect her until the Final Death takes me screaming from her.
“Hey! That was not cool!” The barista yells at the man who’s already on his way back to his seat with his cup of coffee. That sonofabitch. I’m going to rip his guts out and suffocate him with it, lace it right through his nose and watch him choke on his own shit.
“You okay?” I ask Maris while I shoot a glare at the fuckshit high-fiving his friends. All of them. All of them are dead. I take a mental snapshot of their faces. I’ll be seeing them before the end of the week.
“Yeah,” Maris gives me a wry smile and lifts up the bag holding her breakfast. “I didn’t drop this, so I’m good.”
I set her on her feet and look around the coffee shop. “Are they always like this with you?”
“This is a good day. It’s usually worse."
“Fucking animals.”
Maris’ eyes widen when I say that. I know why.
It doesn’t fit the image she has of me as the calm, kind doctor, the easygoing, not a mean bone in his body doctor.
I wish she knew that even that kind of man wouldn’t stand for this shit.
My anger rises quick and hot. If I wasn’t trying to maintain a low profile I’d take revenge for Maris right here and now.
Fuck witnesses. They’d all find out what a soulless demon monster bastard I am, and that secret would die here with them.
There wouldn’t be a single one of them left to tell the tale.
Every last one of the blood bags sucking down lattes would be dead at Maris’ feet before they realized what was happening.
But as it is…
I take in a deep breath, unclench my fists and force myself to tamp down my murderous rage before I throw a table at someone. These fucking mortals think they can get away with disrespecting my wife? No fucking way.
“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that,” I tell Maris.
She looks away. “But I-”
“You don’t even know what she did.”
Maris and I both look at Billy. I should have thrown him through the front window earlier.
“Fuck off, Billy,” Maris snaps.
He rolls his eyes. “Right, right. I’ll be seeing you Mare. I’ll call later, come around after dinner tonight. Leave the porch light on. Nine o’clock.”
“What?” Maris’ eyes bug out. “You better not. I do not want to see you, you idiot.” She looks ready to hit him with her breakfast, which won’t do at all. I need her to eat.
Billy doesn’t pay any mind to her anger.
He lets it roll off him like he’s used to it.
He’s already back at the counter to order his morning coffee.
For a second, I think about hitting him in the back of the knee to take him down but in the end, I take Maris’ arm and guide her out of the coffee shop.
He’ll get what’s coming to him later.
“Is he really going to come by your home tonight?” I ask. I already know the answer before she says it. I saw it in the leer he gave her. Billy thinks he still has a shot with Maris.
“Yeah, he’s stupid enough to do it. We’ve been over for a while now.
Two years,” she sighs and looks back at the coffee shop when we’re on the sidewalk.
Two years. I put together the timeline. Billy dropped her the second the town turned on her.
Somehow the low opinion I had of him sinks even lower.
Men are disgusting, weak-willed creatures. They always have been.
She glares at Billy where he lounges against the counter and talks to the barista like he wasn’t just making a fool of himself. From the shit eating grin on his face, he thinks he’s fucking Casanova.
“I wish…I wish I didn’t live here,” Maris whispers. Her voice is so soft at the end that it makes me sad. The feeling is entirely new. It hurts. It makes me angry. I feel like I’m too full and coming apart at the seams.
This will not do.
“I’ll be there to meet him then. You don’t have to worry about him anymore,” I tell her and then nod up the road towards the newspaper office. “Why don’t you show me around now?”
Maris nods and takes a sip of her coffee. “I’d like that.”