Page 21 of The Minotaur's Valentine

“—girl friends.”

“—friends that are girls. But not our girlfriends. Anyway, they both got dates for Valentine’s Day with some guys who said they’re just passing through. Good looking guys. Pale. I...”

“—We heard that mace doesn’t always work on the pale guys. The pale guys who pass through here.” They lean in and the one on the right gives me an obvious wink.

“Mhm.” My head turns from one to the other as they stammer out a story. “Where are they going on this date?”

“Huh? Oh, we don’t know.”

Damn. I’ll have to tell Robbie when he shows up. He and Leo can investigate along with the rest of our “Neighborhood Watch.” Valentine’s is like a buffet for vampires and other handsome humanoids. They can hook up, feed, and get out of town. Pine Ridge always attracts a few—and some don’t stop at a bite or a sip. They lose control and kill.

I whip off the black velvet cloth and the boys gasp at the row of weaponry. “This will injure almost any supernatural beast. Not kill, unless your aim is perfect, but injure. You realize that not all ‘good-looking’ types that are passing through will be male, right? A hot girl with an ‘overbite’ is just as deadly.”

“Vampires.” The one on the left squeaks.

I hide an eye roll by looking down at my wares. “I want you to know that these are enchanted. I will know if they’re ever used against an innocent.” That’s utter bullshit—if you’ll pardon the pun—but it ought to scare them into responsible usage.

“Whoa. Innocents.” Right Side looks like he’s going to burst. “He said, innocents, man. Like in Buffy!”

“Don’t get me started on that. Not all monsters are bad. Say it.” I growl so low that my table vibrates.

“Not all monsters are bad!” They squeal.

I straighten up and smile. “But some are, and if you want to protect yourselves or your friends, these ought to help. $50 each.”

I take the money and wrap the daggers, which are perfect for saving sweethearts or fending off the not-so-sweethearts who try to get a human snack, hence the nickname. “If you want those girls to be more than friends, stop at the fudge stall.” I point them on their way.

They skitter away, whispering—but these ears don’t miss much.

“Did you see those horns?”

“A demon!”

“I think you call them devils if they have horns.”

“What makes you an expert?”

“Hey, I’m the one who believed the rumors, dumbass.”

“I’m the one who came with you!”

“I’m a minotaur, for fuck’s sake.” I rub my forehead. How can such doofuses be so accepting—yet clueless—while other people remain oblivious?

“No one could argue with that, big guy.”

I spin on my hooves, my face relaxing when I see Leo and Robbie standing in front of my stall. “College crowd. No offense.” Leo and Robbie went to PRNYU.

“It’s like a universe within a universe,” Leo chuckles with a tiny smirk. “You could put your deflectors up, man.”

He means a glamour, but I don’t like hiding what I am unless I know there’s a need for it. People from the campus rarely come to the darker corners of the Night Market, and the regulars know who I am. Honestly, most humans are so oblivious, they’d think my normal appearance was some kind of a costume or mask anyway. “I finished your love tokens.” I change the subject and pull out black leather boxes. “You’ll probably want to jazz those up with red ribbons or something.”

“Awesome!”

“Thanks, Milo.” Robbie opens the lid and looks at the little locket I’ve made for Charlotte. “This... this is a battery pack?” He dangles the necklace between his fingertips with a look of awe on his face.

“Mmhm. For her particular kind of power.” I blush. I know people have sex, but I can’t think of Robbie and Charlotte that way. She’s so sweet. And Robbie’s such a nice guy.

And vampires and part-succubi must be crazy in the sheets.

---