Page 18 of Rescued By the Vexed Vampire

“Fine,” she said at last, her voice clipped. “But if you fail, I’ll send someone else to clean up the mess. And there will be repercussions.”

The line went dead, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, slamming the phone down on the desk. The anger simmered beneath the surface, frustration curling in my chest like a tightening knot.

Soft? She thinks I’m going soft?

Maybe she was right. Maybe I was softening. I couldn’t deny that I cared about Alice and Noah, that I didn’t want to see them lose their livelihoods over something that wasn’t their fault. And then there was Bethany...

Bethany. The mere thought of her was enough to send my mind spiraling into chaos. She was supposed to be just another employee, someone I could dismiss or ignore, but she wasn’t. It was impossible for me to keep her at arm’s length. And the more time I spent with her, the harder it was to ignore the fact that I didn’t want to.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration boiling over. Was this what it felt like to have a heart again? To feel things, to care about people, about places? I hadn’t felt this way in centuries, and now it was all crashing down on me at once. It hurt. It hurt more than I was willing to admit.

I needed to clear my head. I needed to remember who I was—what I was. Something dead. Something cold. A monster. Not someone who got tangled up in the lives of small towns and humans.

Grabbing my coat, I stepped outside into the cold evening air. The wind bit at my skin as I walked down the street, the sharp chill helping to clear the fog in my mind. Twilight had settled over Sweetberry Hollow, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets. The moon was high in the sky, half-obscured by racing clouds, and the wind sent leaves swirling through the air in erratic patterns, echoing the chaos of my thoughts.

I walked aimlessly, letting the rhythm of my steps drown out the cacophony in my head. The streets were alive with the sound of laughter and chatter, families walking hand in hand down the sidewalks, couples sipping hot cider and cocoa from steaming mugs. The storefronts were lined with decorations—jack-o’-lanterns, fake cobwebs, glowing ghosts—and the whole town buzzed with the energy of the holiday season.

I watched as an elderly couple strolled past, their hands clasped together as they smiled and whispered to each other, completely at ease in each other’s presence. It was such a simple, human thing, but it tugged at something deep inside me.

What is happening to me?

I wasn’t supposed to care about this. I wasn’t supposed to care about any of it. But as I walked through the square, past the twinkling lights and the laughter of the people around me, I couldn’t help but feel, the emotions tumbling over me like ocean waves. It wasn’t just the town itself, though it was beautiful in its own way. It was the people. Alice, with her quiet strength and motherly warmth. Noah, with his unrelenting optimism and boundless creativity. Even Gary, with his quirky sense of humor and steadfast support.

And then there was Bethany.

Bethany was the reason everything was coming apart at the seams. She was the reason I couldn’t focus, the reason I couldn’t just do what Delilah wanted and walk away. Every time I thought about her—about her laugh, her determination, the way she made me feel like maybe I wasn’t completely lost to the eons—I felt something stir inside me. Something I’d never allowed myself to feel.

The thought made my chest tighten, a painful reminder of everything I had tried to leave behind when I became what I was. I had built walls around myself, around my heart, and I had kept those walls up for centuries. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I wasn’t supposed to care.

But now, here I was, standing in the middle of nowhere, watching the nobodies live their lives, and all I could think aboutwas how much I didn’t want to leave. How much I wanted to stay. How much I wanted to belong.

I stopped in front of a small shop window, staring at where my reflection would have been in the glass. I touched my fingertips to it and felt my eyes growing wet.

This was what I had given up when I made my deal with Delilah. This was what I had traded for power, for immortality, for the chance to escape the pain of being human. And now, after all these years, I wanted it back.

I turned away from the window, my heart heavy as I started walking again. The laughter and warmth of the town seemed to press in around me, suffocating in its beauty. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I didn’t know how to deal with her.

But one thing was clear. I wasn’t going to leave Sweetberry Hollow. At least, not yet. Not while I could still hold out, while there was still something here worth holding on to.

By the time I reached my apartment, the sky had darkened completely, and the cold had settled deep into my bones. I stood at the door for a moment, staring up at the moonlit sky, the wind howling around me. And then I walked inside and back to nothingness.

Chapter Seven

Bethany

Halloween had always been my favorite holiday, but this year was different. There was something in the air, a mix of excitement and nervous energy, as if the universe was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Maybe it was the fact that I was technically undead now, which threw a fun twist on the whole costume idea, or maybe it was because so much was riding on this blood drive. Either way, I was jittery in a way that had nothing to do with the three cups of coffee I’d downed before heading to Sugar Rush.

I tugged at my angel costume for what felt like the hundredth time, adjusting the halo on my head, which, no surprise, had tilted to the side again. The white dress I’d worn to the Halloween party a few days ago still bore the faint remnantsof the drink I’d spilled on it, but it was the only thing I had that fit the theme. A stained angel—how fitting for someone who had technically fallen from grace.

“Not perfect, but it’ll do,” I muttered to myself, giving the halo one last tweak before turning to the mirror. It was still off-kilter. Figures.

I sighed, then shrugged. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

The blood drive was in full swing by the time I arrived at the shop. The community had shown up in droves—people of all ages lined up to donate blood and tour the newly revamped Sugar Rush. It seemed like the whole town had come out to support the cause, and the energy was electric. Parents and kids milled around in adorable costumes, from tiny pirates and princesses to superheroes and even a few miniature zombies. The air was filled with laughter and the sweet, sugary smell of candy.

I stood back for a moment, taking it all in. The shop looked incredible, transformed from the tired, peeling-paint candy store I’d walked into not too long ago into something magical. The decorations we’d painstakingly put together—cobwebs, jack-o’-lanterns, flickering electric candles—set the perfect mood. The windows were draped in glowing orange lights, and the candy displays were nothing short of spectacular. Noah’s hard work was paying off, and even Alice, who had been so stressed in the beginning, was dressed in a Mrs. Claus outfit, beaming from ear to ear as she handed out treats. The counter was lined with Noah’s creations—chocolates shaped like ghosts,bats, and pumpkins. He’d even made a series of “vampire bites,” little chocolates with a surprise red raspberry filling.

“Bethany, these are flying off the shelves!” He called to me from behind the counter, his voice barely audible over the excited chatter of customers. He was dressed as Miss Scrumptious again, this time with a huge orange feathered boa wrapped around his neck and a bejeweled crown perched on his head. His partner, Gary, was there too, dressed this time as Robin, Batman’s sidekick, complete with shiny red costume, yellow cape, and green tights. The two of them made quite the pair, as always.

---