Chapter 6
I glancedat Vena as I came to a stop in front of Miles’ place.
“How old is that book?” I asked.
“It was written before the creature reveal.”
“So we can assume everything in there was written by humans for humans. You saw Gunther last night. Those bites were already healing. And you heard Shepard’s talk with the police. Werewolves are just as much the hunters as the vampires are. Which probably means werewolves won’t be as susceptible to vampires as humans.” I paused for a moment then added, “Anchor will be fine.”
She nodded and reached for the car door as my phone buzzed.
Shepard: Just checking in. Saw you were at Miles’.
I chewed on my lip for a minute and dialed him. He answered on the first ring.
“Is everything all right?” he asked. Urgency and worry laced his words.
“Everything’s fine. I’m sorry for calling. I just thought it would be easier than texting.”
“You can call me anytime. Sorry if I overreacted.”
“It’s okay. I understand why. Actually, that’s why I wanted to call. I didn’t want you to read a text and think I was being ungrateful.”
“Ungrateful?”
Vena settled back into her seat to listen to my side of the conversation.
“I know you’re worried about us with everything that’s going on, but wouldn’t it be better to use the manpower available to you to track down the vampires instead of having them babysit us? Four seems a bit much. Again, I’m not complaining. I’m super grateful, but our neighbors might start noticing if really big guys are suddenly loitering on porches in the middle of the night.”
Shepard was quiet for too long.
“You know what? Forget I said anything. I trust you, Shepard.”
He let out a long breath. “It means a lot to hear you say that. I trust you too, Everly. Which is why I’ll make sure you’re down to one guard tonight, and you’ll call me if anything goes wrong. Or if you just want to talk.”
The last bit he added quickly as if an afterthought, and I smiled slightly.
“I appreciate it. Oh, and Miles’ place is a stop on the way to check out a new bakery outside of D.C. Just in case you notice us veering west.”
“Got it. Thanks for the heads up.”
When I hung up, Vena was making kissy faces at me.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said.
She laughed as we got out of the car. It was a good sound but one that died too quickly as we walked up the sidewalk.
Thankfully, the little blue nemesis was once again absent when we approached the door and knocked.
“Check it out,” Vena said. “He actually got a doorbell camera.”
“Come in,” Miles called.
I looked at the device as she opened the door.
“Nice security addition,” she called .
“Thanks. I installed it this morning,” Miles said from his place at the table.
I nodded to Boulder, who was watching TV quietly.
“What are you both up to?” I asked.
“Trying not to die of boredom,” Miles said. When he turned in his chair, I saw the fairy sitting on the edge of a coffee mug in front of him. It dead-eyed me even though I tried to smile and wave. My insides were cringing hard, and it could probably sense it.
“Brought you the books,” Vena said. “Interesting stuff on vampires. I marked a few spots for you.” She turned toward Boulder. “Are werewolves immune to vampire influence like being compelled or thralled?”
He shut off the TV. “They are.”
She continued to wear her thinky look.
“I’m expecting smoke to start rolling out of her ears any second,” Miles said with a smirk at me.
She ignored him.
“The easier food sources are obviously humans then,” she said to Boulder.
“They are,” he agreed. “And it makes the most sense. Vampires can’t control any of the other races like they can humans or gain any information from feedings. Humans have been their preferred food source for centuries. They only deviate when they’re up to something.”
Vena nodded slowly. “Like revenge.”
“Is there something I don’t know?” Miles asked.
“No,” Vena said. “Nothing. Those books just got me thinking about how much I don’t know about vampires–or a lot of other races, for that matter.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” he said. “I just so happen to know a bit about everyone.”
Vena snorted. “Except for vampires. You didn’t know much about them, did you?”
“Knowing about vampires wouldn’t have stopped Sierra from kidnapping him,” Boulder said, defending Miles.
“I wasn’t blaming him for that. I just wish we knew why,” Vena said.
“You and me both,” Miles said. He motioned me over to the table. “Take a look at this, Ev.”
I looked at the note he’d written.
Can I have Cross’ contact information? I have questions.
“Interesting,” I said as if I was reading an article. “Might need to fact-check that.”
“Yeah. No rush.”
He folded the paper into a small square and handed it to the fairy. It tore into it with its tiny claws, making the note into confetti.
“Wow. That’s impressive,” I said.
It gave me a flat stare again, and I dug into my pocket for a dime.
“It’s the shiniest one I have,” I said.
The fairy darted at me, stole the dime, and disappeared into Miles’ cupboard.
“Is it a pet now?” Vena asked.
“You don’t want a fairy as a pet,” Boulder said. “I promise you nothing good will happen.”
Miles just grinned and shrugged. “At least, I won’t be bored.”
We chatted with Miles and Boulder as we waited for the meet-up with Cross. But Vena kept sneaking glances at the time as if she was actually impatient to see Cross.
After checking the time again, Vena glanced at Miles, who had lured the fairy out of the cupboard with a paperclip.
“Everly and I are going to head out,” Vena said to Miles. “We have errands to run before our shift tonight. Make sure you keep sending me those proof of life photos. And that fairy better not be in them. You are not allowed to keep one as a pet, or I’ll tell Mom and Dad when they get back.”
Miles frowned at her but then smiled at the fairy. “Chompers can come and go as he pleases. He’s not a pet.”
“Chompers?” she asked.
“If you hold onto one of his treasures too long, he’ll bite. But then he’s nice again. He even has his own treasure hoard here.”
“It’s too late,” Vena muttered. “He’s already a pet owner.”
“We’ll revisit this pet problem once he’s back to researching like normal,” I whispered.
I waved to Boulder and Miles and pulled Vena with me out the door, knowing we couldn’t do anything to stop Miles’ friendship right now. As soon as it closed behind us, she zipped over to the car.
“Can you GPS the bakery?” I asked as I texted Cross we were on the way.
“On it,” she said.
By the time I pulled from the curb, she had the coordinates set. Whether from hunger or the fact that my mind needed a break from vampires and the problems they caused, I was already dreaming about the delicious food I would discover at the bakery.
It wasn’t until we arrived that I realized Vena had been oddly quiet in her own world. The thinky look in her eyes worried me.
“Are you okay?” I asked when I parked.
“Fine.” She pointed outside the window. “Cross is here.”
She had her seatbelt unbuckled and had traversed the parking lot before I even got out of the car.
Dressed impeccably in a new suit, Cross eyed her approach as if she were a rabid dog and veered around her to meet me halfway. It was hard not to stare at him. The blue of his jacket really set off the red in his hair.
“I’ll grab a table,” she called.
Cross eyed her and then me. “Do I want to ask?”
“She read books about vampires and probably has a few questions for you.”
“Then I’m not worried.”
With a light touch on my lower back, he guided me into the bakery. The warm scents of sugar and cinnamon wrapped around me. I inhaled deeply, finding my happy place.
Vena sat at a table near the window. She waved us over. I gave her the hang-on-one-minute finger, grabbed Cross’ hand, and led him to the bakery cases that lined the back portion of the space.
The number of options awed me. Elephant ears larger than my head. Texas donuts, which looked like super-sized, frosted cake donuts. Large squares of various tortes. Slices of pies. Large cookies.
There were so many selections that I wasn’t sure where to look first.
Cross dipped his mouth to my ear. “Your pulse kicked up when you saw the cases.”
I didn’t doubt it, but I did doubt if it was entirely due to the selections in front of me. Cross’ fingers had intertwined with mine, and he was slowly rubbing his thumb over my skin in a way that made it hard to concentrate on what to pick.
Cross chuckled as he watched me. “Your indecision is adorable. Choose whatever you like.”
“That would be one of everything, which wouldn’t be smart. I have to work tonight and can’t afford a sugar coma.”
Under the guise of pointing, I freed my hand from his hold and placed a reasonable order, selecting seven options to share with Vena. Cross helped me carry everything to the table.
Vena barely managed to wait until Cross was seated before leaning forward in her chair.
“If you’re not affected by the sun, does that mean you never rest?”
“I can choose to rest whenever I’d like, but it isn’t necessary.”
“So then, what do you do with your free time?”
“Is there a reason you’re asking?”
“Yes. I’m still thinking about where you can live where the hours you keep won’t call attention to you.” When he didn’t say anything, she sighed a little. “And I’m wondering if you’ll be able to help look for Anchor.”
“I use my free time to observe and learn.”
“And shop?” she asked, looking at his new outfit.
He glanced at me. “The same clothier we frequented has opened an account for me. I will need your assistance settling it.”
“No problem,” I said after swallowing my first bite of a beignet.
The pastry hadn’t been bad. Like everything else in the cases, it was larger than average, but it lacked that softness beignets usually had. A nice subtle level of sweetness, though. I glanced at the case, wondering how well they sold as I took one more bite to verify my silent critique.
“Are you unique, or are there more like you?” Vena asked, drawing his attention from me licking my fingers. “I’m wondering if we need daytime guards, too.”
“No, you don’t need daytime guards. I would prefer you didn’t have any at night, either, but I agree with the necessity. At least until we can determine what happened to your easily distracted friend.”
“Easily distracted?” I asked, pushing the beignet to Vena.
“The wolf who I saw run from your house the morning prior–Anchor, I believe–reeked of wolf lust and wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings.”
I nudged Cross with my foot under the table and glanced meaningfully at Vena, who’d looked down at the pastry I’d pushed toward her. He nodded in understanding when I shook my head.
“Yeah, that was Anchor. The one I asked you to look for. Did you find anything?” I asked.
“I returned to Blur and tracked the injured wolf’s scent to a nearby hotel. The area was crawling with wolves, by the way.”
“Oh, yeah. Shepard called in some backup. They’re from California.”
“It’s a state to the west,” Vena said.
Cross shot her a look. “I know.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to assume. It wasn’t yet a state when you decided to take a nap.”
“You went to the hotel?” I asked, trying to bring the conversation back on track.
“Yes. I persuaded one of the workers to let me into the room, which was still locked for police investigation. One of the scents was very familiar. The scent was on the cat that was at your house the morning prior.”
“That proves it,” Vena said. “If the cat was at our house the morning Anchor disappeared and at the club where Gunther disappeared, then the vampires took Anchor. But where? And why both Anchor and Gunther?”
Cross shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the case. I went to Juicy to see if I could find the scent there, but it’s being well guarded by wolves and human police.
“While watching, I crossed paths with a newly turned vampire. It seems the humans know a vampire nest has gained a foothold and have made it impossible for the vampires to return to their haven. Which means they’re scattered and looking for a new location to regroup.
“My young friend was willing to trade me information for advice on how to feed without killing while they set up a new feeder bar.”
I made a gross face, which Cross noticed.
“Apologies.”
“It’s fine. What did your friend tell you?”
“The brutality that your wolf friend suffered was sanctioned by D.C.’s current alpha vampire. It was a declaration of war against the wolves. No other wolf was taken. There was no need. Damaging one in such a way is enough to ensure the retaliation they want.”
“Then, where’s Anchor?” Vena asked before I could ask why they wanted retaliation. “Why would a vampire’s cat be at our house the morning he was taken? A cat that we saw at Blur and at Juicy, mind you.”
“Understandably suspicious,” Cross said. “Perhaps my friend is simply unaware. Or perhaps others are trying to learn what the wolves know about otherworld activity.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The fae and the dwarves are not as innocent as they seem. There were reasons the fae, dwarves, vampires, and wolves hid in the shadows for centuries.”
I frowned at my triple layer death by chocolate mousse cheesecake and slowly forked my first bite.
“So you think another group might have taken Anchor to figure out what the wolves know since they had gone after the vampire nest?” I asked.
“It’s one theory,” Cross said.
“But I thought wolves hunted vampires. That’s the reason for their existence,” Vena said. “At least, that’s what all the old books are saying.”
I took my bite and groaned at the flavor before slowly sliding the tines from my lips. The texture was perfect and the chocolate layers were well-balanced. While the other desserts had been okay, this one was out-of-the-park amazing.
“Cross is going to forget how to speak if you keep making love to your fork like that,” Vena said. “Focus, Ev.”
“You shouldn’t have brought me here if you wanted me to focus on anything but how heavenly this tastes and mentally figuring out how to level it up.”
“I don’t mind,” he said with a quirk of his lips.
“I do,” Vena said, handing him a pair of her sunglasses.
I glanced at him and saw his eyes flickering between black and brown.
“Sorry,” I said, setting down my fork. “Carry on.”
“Thank you,” he said to Vena, slipping on the gender-neutral shades. “As I was saying, I simply believe we shouldn’t make any assumptions regarding where Anchor might be. However, it is safe to assume that Shepard and his people have stirred up some serious trouble. It would be in your best interests to avoid Blur and the wolves as much as possible.”
I shook my head. “We can’t. Tuition is due in six weeks. We’ll need every shift possible between now and then.”
“There is no need to concern yourself with money,” he said. “I have plenty, and I’d rather see you safe than laboring at a place that could be attacked again. Being around the wolves right now is asking for trouble.”
In a way, he was right. But I couldn’t take his money, either.
“Shepard will never let anything happen to Vena or me. He protects his employees.”
“Just like he protected Gunther and Anchor?” Cross questioned.
Vena choked.
“Apologies,” Cross said.
“No, you’re right,” Vena said. “Ev, maybe you should think about it. Shepard would understand.”
“Think of it as pin money,” Cross said. “All the women of high society are given pin money for their frivolities.”
Vena stared at him, and in her contemptuous expression, I knew she was no longer siding with Cross.
“It’s amazing how someone who looks so hot and young can have archaic views falling out of his mouth. You’re not helping win over Everly. You’re basically telling her you’ll give her an allowance so she can toddle off to the candy store.”
He reached over the table and took my hand. “Everly, I simply meant that your life has more value than tips at Blur. I have the means to help you. If nothing else, think of it as a reward for guiding me in this new world. Without you, I wouldn’t have funds at all.”
Vena nodded. “Very true. You’re starting to make sense again.”
I glanced between both of them. “I’ll think about it. But I’m not going to leave Shepard and the others stranded. And I’ll still need a job to pay for bills. So, until I figure out a solution, I’ll keep working.”
Cross frowned as he played with my hand, stretching his fingers along mine. “Then I will stay near Blur in case you need me.”
His actions and his words were doing things to my insides.
I shook my head. “The wolves are against all vampires right now. They won’t see you as a friend.”
“It doesn’t matter how they view me. They’d never be able to catch me.”
“Your life has value, too, Cross. Don’t risk it for no reason. The California pack is here. One-on-one, you might win, but not against two packs.”
Vena nodded. “I agree with Ev. Stay away from Blur for now, and focus on getting more information and finding Anchor.”
Cross didn’t look convinced, but I allowed him to play with my hand a little longer until a text popped up on my phone.
Miles: Don’t forget about your research.
Research? It took a moment before I remembered what he was talking about.
“Cross, is it okay if I give Miles your phone number?” I asked. “He wants to ask you a few questions about vampire stuff.”
Cross paused for a moment then nodded. “Of course.”
Surprisingly, Vena didn’t bring up what she’d learned about enslavement links and breaking them. After I found Cross’ contact information in my phone, I forwarded it to Miles, and he replied with an emoji of a happy-faced fairy.
We were going to need an intervention once everything settled down again.
I collapsedon the couch before I remembered I had Cross’ scent on me. Between playing with my hand at the table and his hand on my back as he walked with me, there had been a lot of touching…even before the unexpected hug when we said goodbye at the car and the kiss on my forehead.
Peeling myself off the couch, I headed to the bathroom to wash and change.
“Vena,” I called from the bathroom, “can you research sprays that can remove vampire scents? There has to be a better way than having to shower and change every time. And I’m not sure it’s really working. Shepard gave me a funny look last time.”
“I’ll check, but I doubt there is anything. You might be stuck showering and using perfume every time you see him.”
“Shepard hates perfume,” I grumbled.
And I hated that I had to hide Cross. He had done nothing wrong. In fact, he had only been helpful, but having to wash off his scent made meeting him feel cheap and dirty. He wasn’t a back alley hooker.
By the time I finished my shower, I had a text on my phone from Shepard, asking if I could come in earlier than usual for a quick one-on-one. Usually, those meetings were about personnel changes. Was he replacing Gunther with someone else? Sierra?
“Hey, we need to go in early,” I called to Vena. “Shepard wants to talk to me.”
“I’m already ready,” Vena called back.
I poked my still-wet head around the corner and saw her in the living room with a piece of our leftover bakery from this morning. It was the chocolatey one.
“You better savor every bite of that,” I said.
She grinned at me. “Hurry up and do your hair. If you’re fast enough, there might be some left.”
I had my hair dried and styled in ten minutes. It wasn’t fast enough, though. Making a face at her, I fixed myself a quick sandwich and joined her on the couch with my bakery notebooks while she watched The Other House reruns.
“Knowing what I know now makes this less enjoyable,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, look at the way he looks at her. It used to be funny. Now I just feel bad. I mean, we know how much he likes her now, you know?”
“You’re thinking of how much Anchor likes you.”
She nodded. “I have so many regrets. I should have rocked his world while I had the chance. His howl could have rattled windows, I bet.”
“You have once again crossed the TMI line.”
She latched onto my arm so tightly that I felt the knife she had hidden in her modest cleavage.
“There’s no such thing as too much with me, lover,” she said with a sultry purr.
“I have regrets, too. I should have let you have your way with Anchor. You’re obviously overdue. Now, let go so we can get to work. And you can’t just live on cake. I know; I’ve tried. You should make yourself a sandwich.”
She pouted at me. “But they don’t taste good when I make them.”
Rolling my eyes, I went to the kitchen to fix her a sandwich.
“I really need a day where we’re not running around before a shift so I can work on my recipes,” I said as I worked.
“You still want to open a shop?” she asked. “Being a business owner doesn’t seem any more sedate than a treasure hunter.”
“You might have a point there. Won’t know until I try, though, right?”
She made grabby hands as soon as I finished and happily followed me out the door to the car.
“Do you think Doc will couch surf again tonight?” she asked as I drove to work.
“Why? Do you want someone else? And no, I’m not talking about Anchor.”
“No, Doc’s fine. I just don’t want MC. He seems nice and everything, but he’s coming off a little too intense for me.”
“Pfft. Says the girl who’s been pushing me at Shepard because of his intensity.”
“Completely different vibes,” she said, stuffing the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth.
“Shepard knows we prefer someone we’re familiar with. He won’t send MC.”
Yet, a small part of me worried that was the reason Shepard called me in. Was he upset that Doc hadn’t managed to sleep at all? Was he upset that I’d noticed how many guards he’d put around the house?
For Vena’s sake and my sanity, I really hoped he didn’t switch things up.