Chapter Twelve
JULIAN
My sleep is fitful at best. Since I was up all night, I try to sleep during the day, but wake around ten in the morning when I hear something, positive that whatever I heard is in the house.
Even though I’m well aware that there is nothing in the house beyond my own anxieties, I still get up and check every corner before climbing back in bed where I have to convince myself to close my eyes and try to sleep.
When that doesn’t work, I shift into a wolf and climb under the covers. That way if something is in the house, I’m already in “Fuck you” mode with fur and fangs.
I give up around noon and get ready for the day by slumping down on the couch.
It’s ridiculous feeling anxious when nothing bad really happened yesterday besides having my throat nearly crushed, getting chucked out the window, and being licked by Casimir, which…
shouldn’t have been as horrifying as it was.
My phone rings just after dinner as I’m trying to figure out a time for Casimir to pick me up to paint his dog.
When I see that it’s my father, I debate blocking the number. Honestly… I’m surprised it’s taken this long for the news about Casimir and me “dating” to reach my father. I’d started to wonder if people were straight up too scared to tell him and how much bloodshed happened when they did.
My phone almost immediately beeps, telling me I have a text since I’m doing a phenomenal job of ignoring the call.
Dad: Answer.
Dad: Your.
Dad: PHONE
Me: I don’t wanna.
Dad: Fine. Meet me at my bar in ten minutes.
Before I can answer, my phone starts ringing, and I notice it’s Casimir who seems much more fun to talk to.
“Hello, this is Julian. I have ten minutes left to live, so make it fast,” I announce.
I hear a chuckle from Casimir, like the thought of my life nearly ending is amusing. “Oh? But you have to paint my dog.”
“I like how you’re not concerned about why my life is in danger, just that I might not have time to paint your dog.”
“Well… those are the real concerns,” he says.
“My father is insisting I meet him.”
“It was surprisingly okay knowing you. You might be missed when I think about how fun it would’ve been to have a painting of my dog. Do you know someone else who could take your place? Maybe one of your students is decent?”
“No! You’re going with me.”
Casimir hesitates. “Am I?”
“Yes, I’d like you to meet my parents. That’s what people on dates do.”
“I already met them. I’ve actually met your father about one hundred times too many, and your mother was the one who looked like she had a bird’s nest on her head. I later realized it was just her hair.”
“Oh my god, you’re seriously going to make fun of my mother’s hair because she was sitting in the hospital with me and never went home to brush it?” I ask as if I hadn’t done the exact same thing.
“I am. I’ll be over in ten. Bring your paints. If you live, you will paint Gustov, and then I will parade you around town or something as your reward.”
“Lovely,” I say as I get up and get ready. About the time I’m finished, Casimir is pulling into the driveway.
As soon as I’m in the car, he takes one look at me and reaches out to rub my cheek. It’s quite strange and makes me think that I possibly had something on it.
“What’s… going on?”
“I have googled the art of the flirt,” Casimir explains.
Why’s he so freaking suspicious? “Uh…”
“It says that I should touch the person while staring them in the eyes. How is this?” His rich brown eyes lock on to mine, staring into my soul while he proceeds to finger my face, much in the way an alien would touch a human it was uncertain of.
“As awkward as it sounds.”
“Perfect.” Casimir shrugs out of a thin gray button-up he was wearing as an overshirt and hands it to me. “You look cold.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, you do,” he says as he forces it on me. As in, grabs my arm and physically forces it onto me. It’s weird, beyond weird, but the smile on his face is really what just tops it all off.
“Did Google also tell you to force clothes on them? How is this romantic? And why are you smiling like that?”
“Yes, yes it did.”
And then he gives my face a light smack like that could be romantic in any way, and off we go to hell.
“Did you find anything else out about last night?” I ask curiously as he pulls out of the driveway and starts toward my dad’s bar.
“I did. I found out that Ezio can’t fly.”
I try not to laugh about that and then feel like maybe I’m a horrible person because I nearly laughed! “Well… is that something you didn’t know before?”
“Cyrus said that he wasn’t confident and would like to perform more testing.”
“Why does Cyrus hate him so much?” I ask.
Casimir shrugs. “I mean, have you looked at Ezio’s face?”
“I have… and?”
“It just seems easy to dislike, right?”
I think about the man’s handsome face. “I… don’t know about that, but sure?”
He drives for a bit before reaching out and petting my head.
I narrow my eyes as I shift them over to him. “What is happening?”
“You’re a good boy,” he says, like that could possibly explain these actions.
“I’m not a dog!”
“That’s why I said ‘boy.’”
I stare at him. “‘Good boy’ is literally a dog thing.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
“There are a lot of problems.”
He pets me again, which is as weird as the first time he did it, but he does seem rather jolly as he drives, which is making me even more suspicious.
“Why do you seem so happy?” I ask.
Casimir shakes his head. “I’m not. I’m actually miserable.”
I eye the man who literally is beaming. I’ve never seen him look so happy. “Are you really this excited about having your dog painted?”
“I even gave him a bath when I got home so he’d look perfect for you.”
“I hope I can paint him well enough. I’m a bit worried now that I see how excited you are about this.”
“As you should be,” he says as he pulls into the parking lot of my father’s bar.
I don’t even want to get out, but I honestly just need to get this over with.
With a sigh, I exit the car, body like a heavy weight as if someone’s replaced my limbs with sandbags.
Oh, but not Casimir, who zips around to my side of the vehicle and holds his hand out, like I hadn’t just taught him how to hold hands literally days ago.
“I am not holding your hand as I go in there.”
His smile drops. “You’re going to refuse to hold my hand?”
This man! “Yes! You know how in nature, some animals will eat their young? That is one hundred percent what will happen if I walk in there holding your hand,” I say.
His smile has returned in full force, hand still extended.
“You are the worst.”
Casimir tries to give me a pitiful look, but it’s not convincing at all when the grin is trying to break through. “I thought we were boyfriends… lovers… what do you call it?”
“Heart bros.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not what it is. But if that’s what it takes for you to hold my hand, then I will be the best heart bro you’ve ever had.”
“I’m not holding your hand; my father would murder me.”
“Yes, but as your partner, it would be my duty to protect you.”
That’s when it dawns on me. “You want an excuse to kill him!” I realize.
His satisfied look returns.
“You are a monster.” And still so very handsome.
“You just now noticed?” he asks as he walks beside me while trying to snag my hand.
With the bar currently open, I go around back since I’m sure my father won’t want to murder me in front of the patrons. One of the workers, a wolf named Benny, is smoking in the back when we come up. He flinches when he sees Casimir, but I know he’s a pretty decent guy.
“Hey there, Julian. Casimir.” He gives us both a nod.
“Hey,” I say.
“Your father is in a mood. I think if I was you, I’d probably start running now.”
“He’s in the back?”
The door flings open and slams into Benny who is chucked off the step he was sitting on.
First my father looks at me, and then he looks at Casimir before growling.
Benny scurries off as my father struts up to me and stops directly in front of me before leaning in and taking a deep breath that results in a sour-faced scowl.
“You reek,” he announces.
Oh.
My.
God.
Casimir didn’t think I looked cold. He wanted me to strut right up to my father wearing his shirt. And he wasn’t petting me because of some… Google nonsense. He literally wanted to wipe his scent all over me. Which he did! While I dumbly accepted it!
I look over at Casimir who is so thrilled that he looks almost giddy. How I ever thought that this man was some prestigious vampire, I will never know.
“What have you done?” Dad asks.
“Well, after Casimir saved my life, we started talking and realized that we have a lot in common—” Good start! Good start!
“Like?” Dad asks, and I try to think back on what hobbies Casimir said he enjoyed but weirdly, the only one I can remember is the one about chasing naked people.
“Um… a lot of stuff. We just hit it off. Dad, I think it’s really important to show that a werewolf and a vampire can get along well enough to be together,” I say as I realize that nearly all of the damn pack is standing here, watching in morbid fascination.
Clearly, someone took it upon themselves to call them all in to enjoy the show.
There was probably the promise of bloodshed.
“I look forward to being your son-in-law,” Casimir says because he is literally a monster who doesn’t want to just fan the flames, he wants to dump a barrel of kerosene on them, all because he wants to watch my father try to eat me.
Dad looks prepared to tear out of his human skin and eat the first person he can reach, which I’m sure as shit going to make sure is not me.
“Dad!” I snap.
“What?”
“It’s not your life, okay? I know you want to herd me into your pack, and I know you’re used to taking care of everyone in your pack. And I know that everything inside you tells you to dislike the vampires, but there’s nothing horrible happening here. We just really like each other.”