21. Willow
Twenty One
Willow
“ W here did you put the little cheat sheet at?” Marla asked as she danced around Willow behind the counter in The Coffee House Bunny.
It was only her first night working here, but she was picking things up quicky. It helped that Willow had spent a few hours crafting her own little book of recipes for all the popular drinks. If anyone ordered anything rare or off the wall, Willow gave her permission to craft it however she wanted. She wasn’t a stickler for things like that.
“It’s under the register. I think we should make that it’s designated spot so it’s easier to find.” Willow watched as Marla flipped through the pages to find what she needed, then placed it on top of the counter by the tip jar.
Willow sighed and left it there.
She had asked Marla to work in the coffee house the night she was attacked. There were two reasons she had decided to hire her, one of which was that Marla was tired of her boring retail job, the other being that she felt more comfortable having another person with her in the café at night. After learning about the attack, Marla was quick to agree and started the very next day.
She hadn’t told anyone about what Jesse James told her, how Clay may not be the innocent, kind man she had come to assume he was. She was still processing the fact that Clay had killed his best friends and father. True, he was getting revenge for a few human lives lost, but why did he go to such an extreme?
She frowned at herself for being so surprised. She knew better—her ex-boyfriend had shown her on more than one occasion that some people could turn violent very, very quickly for no apparent reason. Still, she felt like she was missing a piece of the puzzle.
“Have a good night.” Willow smiled and handed the copper-haired man his drink. She had meant to get his name, but he was already out the door before she could ask. He was definitely a squirrely one.
“I’m surprised you haven’t asked about Gage at all,” Marla remarked.
“I guess I haven’t been thinking about him,” she lied.
Marla snapped her head around to give her a dramatic stare. “You know I don’t believe that for a second, right? You two had amazing sex, once in this very café, then he runs off to Miami without talking to you? Yeah, no, you’ve been thinking about him.”
Willow regretted telling her about sleeping with Gage. She had finally confided in her friend everything that had happened between them, and how confused and angry he left her feeling. After applauding her for telling him to fuck off, Marla’s response was to remind her that men were dumb and to give him time to figure out his feelings.
“Miami? Why would he go there?”
“Matteo said something about trying to find new family members with Robby. I don’t understand why he can’t turn me and add me to the family.” She pouted. “He turned Sammy and she’s obnoxious as hell. I would make such a cute little vampire, don’t you think?”
Willow didn’t answer, not comfortable with the thought that her one and only friend here wanted to turn and join a family she wasn’t quite sure she trusted yet.
It didn’t bother her finding out about Sammy. She had yet to consider Sammy a friend, agreeing slightly with Marla. Sammy gave off the vibe that she was one of those popular, mean cheerleaders back in high school, and Willow was slightly concerned that someone with that attitude had become a vampire.
“I guess they think Waldo—er, Jesse James, as you call him—is planning to attack us and take over this territory since the family is so small,” Marla continued. “Gage probably went down there to find out more information about that too. I’m really glad we have the boys to protect us. I wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of a vampire fight without someone making sure we’re safe.”
“Who’s to say we’re on the right side of the fight?”
Marla bent down to put the almond milk back in the fridge, but froze mid-crouch. “Um, I think it’s obvious that we’re on the right side. We have the hotter men and Waldo’s a power-hungry psychopath who enjoys tormenting Gage.”
“I don’t think he’s like that, he was very sweet to me the night he saved me. Maybe we can convince them to combine their families instead of having to fight each other.”
Marla snorted and stood up. “I don’t think that would happen. I see the way Matteo talks about Waldo and he spits every time he says his name. Did Gage not tell you about what happened with Venice?”
Her voice was more bitter than intended. “Who the hell is Venice?”
“I don’t know the details, but Matteo said that Gage used to date this stripper chick named Venice.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Was that her real name, or her stripper name?”
Marla shrugged and continued, “I guess they were really in love. Well, he was really in love. Matteo thinks she was only with him for his money and status.”
Willow hated that a seed of jealousy was beginning to bloom in her chest. Marla must have been able to tell from the look on her face because she continued, “Don’t worry, any leftover love he had for her is dead because the skank cheated on him with Waldo and ran off with him. No one has heard from her since, so who knows what he did to her. You should really talk to Gage about this, maybe that has something to do with why he pushed you away. Or maybe he’s already falling in love with you but is scared?” She cooed and brought her hands together over her heart, “Oh how cute is that! Some big, tough vampire is scared of love, but you can change that! Damn, you really are living the dream.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I ever want to talk to him again.”
“I would bet money that he’s going to come back from Miami and you two will work it out. How cool would it be if we both dated vampires from the same family? I think you would get to pull rank though, since you would be with the head of the family. Don’t forget to think of us poor peasants that have to date lowly normal members.”
“I think you’re living in a fantasy world, Marla. When did you and Matteo officially start dating?”
She pouted. “We’re not official yet. We hang out a lot, mess around a lot, and that dinner at the Italian restaurant felt date-ish, but he never called it that. He’s also never referred to me as his girlfriend, so my status is still a single lady. That’s where I get jealous of Sammy. Horatio is so good to her, and basically worships the ground she walks on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get married soon.”
“That would be a whirlwind romance. They haven’t even been together that long.”
“When you know, you know.”
Marla greeted the two nurses who had walked in. They both looked like they had been through hell tonight. One had her frizzy blonde hair in a ponytail that was coming undone, with dark blue bags under her eyes. The other had a matching brunette ponytail with light stains over her scrubs, like she had accidentally sprayed herself with bleach.
“Tough night?” Willow asked as she readied the espresso machine.
The blonde one took the double espresso shot from Willow. “Yup, Daytona has been sending their overflow our way. I’m not sure what’s going on, but a lot of people have been getting attacked both here and in Daytona. You two girls be careful tonight. It makes me nervous that you’re open all night, but I’m very grateful.”
Willow scrunched up her face in concern, realizing that she could have been one of their patients the other night. “What’s going on with these attacks? I haven’t seen anything on the news.”
The brunette responded, “And you won’t. You must be new to the area. Most stuff like this never gets talked about on the news because they don’t want people to panic and kill the tourist income.”
“Do we know who’s causing all the attacks? It’s not the dolphins, is it?” Willow asked.
“No. It’s all the damn vampires.” The blonde one gave a sad smile and turned to leave, her coworker hurriedly following behind her.
Willow turned and faced Marla. “Was I the only one living here who didn’t know about vampires?”
“There are some who genuinely don’t know or choose to ignore the signs.That’s why the news doesn’t usually cover vampire stories, unless it’s something sensational like a teen goth who kills people. But even then, they say it’s a delusion. I guess it’s to keep us all dumb and ignorant about the real world. It makes me wonder what else the government and media is hiding.”
“I miss being dumb and ignorant. Those were the good old days when I could have sex and only worry about STDs or pregnancy. Now I have to worry about if I’m going to get my blood sucked too. How awkward would that be if he killed me and the police found my corpse naked and mid-orgasm?”
“Do you think you would be frozen with your O-face if you did die like that?”
“I really hope not. I can’t imagine that would be pretty.” Willow looked at Marla and the two broke out in laughter.
The heaviness that had been weighing on Willow’s chest since the night of her attack began to lift. Laughing about being murdered by a vampire might not be sane, exactly, but it was her form of therapy, and she was glad that she had a friend to share it with.
????
Willow sent Marla home early since Matteo had come in and invited her to stay the day at his place. Her usefulness dissipated as she began bouncing in place and all common sense left her at the promise of spending time alone with him. Willow only had three hours left of being open and she was feeling confident enough to be able to handle them alone. The sun would be up by the time she left, so she felt safe walking to her car.
She did not have much to do, so she leaned against the counter and researched cookie recipes on her phone. Baking was not her strong suit, but she was eager to add bakery items to her menu. She made a mental note to ask Marla if she was any better in the kitchen.
As she was scrolling, she heard the chimes on her door open. “Hi, welcome to—”
Her voice abruptly quit on her as she made eye contact with brooding green eyes and a mane of shaggy blonde hair.
She put her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. “I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance.”
“I figured you might need some space.” Gage made his way up to the counter carefully, like a man approaching a sleeping lion .
She nodded. “I did.”
“How are you doing after the attack?”
“Well, I never want to physically fight a vampire ever again.”
He looked around the café and a spark of anger flickered across his face. “Why are you here alone? Nikolas said he would watch over you.”
“I don’t need a man to watch over me. Marla was here earlier. She actually works here with me now, but I sent her home early to go spend some time with Matteo. I thought you were supposed to be in Miami?”
“I was, but something happened and I needed to see you.”
“What happened?”
He hesitated, like he wasn’t sure if what he was about to say would make the situation worse or not. “I…I tried to sleep with a girl, but I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”
The jealousy from earlier came back full force. It ignited her anger, and she could tell it showed from the way he took a step back from the counter. “Oh? And how far did you go with her?”
“Well, my dick wouldn’t get hard, so we didn’t go far.”
She cackled. “Serves you right.” She wondered if her mother’s spirit was seeking revenge for her in the afterlife and had cursed him with a limp dick.
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that you consume my every thought, Willow. I don’t get it. I’ve never met anyone like you who has taken over my mind like this.”
“Let me guess, that’s a line you used with Venice?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she wanted to take it back. She knew it was a nasty thing to say and could tell by his hurt expression that it was a low blow.
“Who told you about her?”
“Marla. She said you were in love with her, but she ran off with Jesse James.”
“There’s more to it than that. Can I sit, or would you rather just chop off my dick and call it a night?”
She motioned toward the stool at the counter. “Have a seat. I have to sharpen my knives first.”
“Wouldn’t a dull one be more fun?”
She side-eyed him and they both gave each other a small, wary smile. “Tell me about Venice.”
“Before I tell you about her, I have to tell you about my father’s family. He had a big one, but he knew them all by name. Hell, he even knew their children’s names. One thing about my dad that I respect more than anything is how much he can care about the people he’s in charge of. The humans in Vista Maria were considered part of his family, even if they didn’t know it, and he designed his rules not only to keep them safe but to better their community.
“I wasn’t raised by only my mother and father. I considered everyone in his family like an uncle. They would come over for holidays, birthdays, big sporting events, you name it. Our lives were entwined. But then one day that was all destroyed. Miami ran by different rules and would kill innocents in other territories. They chose to kill a group on our beach and my father got justified retribution.”
Willow nodded, “I know, Jesse James told me that already and he seemed genuinely remorseful about what he and his friends had done. I don’t understand why Clay went to such extreme lengths—surely that’s not the first time an innocent has died on your territory.”
“Waldo’s playing you, that’s what sociopaths do. They’re expert liars and know how to manipulate emotions.” He looked away and clenched his jaw. “My dad lost his cool after the beach incident, because he almost lost me. I was with the group that night and almost died trying to protect them. I can still remember what it felt like as two of Waldo’s friends held me up while he repeatedly stabbed me with a knife. ”
Willow’s breath caught in her throat. “Oh, he left that part out.”
“I’m sure he did, but I’m surprised he didn’t brag about almost killing me. I still don’t know why he didn’t, unless he kept me alive because he wanted a new toy. He must find some kind of sick joy in messing with my life. My dad had to pull me out of the sand and carry me home after the damage Waldo did, and even with our ability to heal quickly I still was not in the best shape when Gerald came and attacked. Waldo wasn’t with his father, so if he said he had nothing to do with their slaughter, he’s not technically wrong.”
“Slaughter?” She came around the corner and sat next to him.
“My dad’s entire family was wiped out in one night. We didn’t even see it coming, but Miami stormed our city, killing any humans they could get their hands on, so my dad rounded up his family to stop them. They had it all planned out and lured us to the beach to trap us. They came in on all sides and cornered us against the ocean and started murdering everyone we loved.”
His voice cracked and his gaze looked far away like he was reliving the night. “I tried to fight, I really did, but there were too many of them. We had called Daytona, but by the time they arrived, it was over. They walked up to a beach soaked in blood and littered with bodies. We were able to kill a lot of the Miami family, though some ran away probably to tell Waldo the outcome. My dad and Gerald were left, but my dad screamed at me and Uncle Al to stay out of it—he wanted to kill Gerald himself. And he did just that. Ripped his head right off his body and beat his chest in until there was nothing left but bloody pulp. I had never seen my dad cry like that, even at my mother’s funeral. He was covered in so much blood his tears looked like they were made of blood themselves. And he was just screaming, and screaming, and nothing we could do would make him stop.”
He finally turned and looked at Willow, his eyes glassy. “It was fucking horrible. He stayed in his room for days before he finally came out and told me that he was stepping down and I was to take over the family. I was thrown into a role I wasn’t ready for, while also having to start my own family from scratch. Thankfully I had met Nikolas long before this, and he became the first member.”
He rubbed his face and sighed. It took everything in her not to reach out and touch him. “I was in a terrible mindset for obvious reasons, so Nikolas took me hunting for this rapist to get my mind off things. We found him in a strip club, which is where I met Venice. We also met Horatio and Matteo there that night, but I was more focused on Venice the Vixen.” He rolled his eyes. “That was her stage name, Vixen. Fucking stupid. Anyway, she knew who I was and came over to me. I was in such a vulnerable state, I let her in and like an idiot, I fell in love. We were together for months, but it was the most toxic relationship. I clung to her, though, because she would give me a sliver of happiness and I craved that after all that happened.”
Willow nodded, understanding exactly what he meant.
“I never suspected that she was cheating on me, but she had been for weeks with Waldo. The very man who was the reason my dad’s family was slaughtered. And she knew about that. Then, on the night I was going to propose, she left me a note saying how Waldo treated her better and that she was in love with him, so she was leaving me.”
He gave a dry laugh. “I had that whole night planned, but looking back I realize it was stupid. I’d set up an elaborate picnic on the beach during a full moon complete with candles, wine, and rose petals. I’d spent over ten grand on a ring I customized myself, and had it put on top of this molten lava cake. I’d even planned out how to hold the damn dessert just right so the ring would reflect the moonlight.”
“I don’t think that sounds stupid, it sounds romantic,” she whispered.
“Yeah, it was real romantic as I waited there for over three hours. Nikolas was the one to find the note and bring it to me. I already knew something was wrong by the time he showed up, though. To top it off, I threw the fucking ring into the ocean in my rage and couldn’t even get that money back. I hope some fish choked on it.”
He looked down and played with some stray coffee grounds that she’d missed in her wipe-down. “Ever since then I’ve been telling myself I’m not the dating type, because I can’t survive another heartbreak like that. It was better to be alone. But then you came along and opened this little café in one of my dad’s properties.”
She placed her hand under his chin and made him look at her. She meant to say something about how she understood what it was like to prefer being alone to risking pain. That she knew what it was like to get sucked into an abusive relationship, never feeling like you could fully escape the memories. She was even ready to disclose to him what happened the night she left her ex-boyfriend. But looking into his eyes caused all thought to leave her mind except one.
She leaned forward and kissed him.