Page 11 of Her Vampire Hero

Xavier was easily seven feet tall, his body a masterpiece of carved stone. His face was a fearsome visage of sharp angles and pointed teeth, but his eyes were surprisingly friendly.

"Welcome," Xavier said, his voice a low rumble that Jenny could feel in her bones. "This must be the famous Jenny. I've heard so much about you."

Jenny raised an eyebrow at Rook, who suddenly looked very interested in a nearby bush. "All good things, I hope?"

Xavier’s laugh was like gravel in a tumbler. "Oh, the best. Rook here hasn't stopped talking about the sassy mechanic who's turned our little town on its head."

Jenny felt a tickle in a place that hadn’t been tickled in a long time. "Well, you know what they say. You haven't lived until you've been kidnapped by a sentient town and forced into supernatural speed dating."

Xavier nodded solemnly. "I’m Xavier Chauvre. Protector of knowledge. Defender against ignorance. Guardian of the Dewey Decimal System."

"Wow. That's quite a job description. Do you get dental with that?"

For a moment, Xavier's stone face was impassive. Then, to Jenny's surprise, his mouth curved into what might have been a smile. "I like this one, Rook. She has spirit."

“I like her too.”

He did?More tickles. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t notice you when I was walking around town,” she said. “I guess I never thought to look up.”

“It wouldn’t matter if you had,” Xavier replied. “I’m cursed to be a statue from sunrise to sunset, only able to move freely in the dark hours.”

“Doesn't it get lonely? Being awake when everyone else is asleep?"

A shadow passed over Xavier's face, and for a moment, Jenny could see the weight of years in his stone eyes. "It can be," he admitted softly. "But that's the nature of the curse, I'm afraid. At least until I find my mate."

Jenny could feel Rook’s gaze on her. “You mean you're stuck like this until you find your soulmate or whatever?" she asked.

Xavier nodded. "That's right. Once I meet my true mate, the curse will be broken. I'll be able to move freely during the day."

Jenny's heart ached for the gentle giant. "That's rough. I'm sorry."

His stone lips curved into a smile. "Don't be. I have hope. And in the meantime, I have friends like Rook here to keep me company during the long nights."

"May we enter? I'd like to show Jenny around," Rook said.

Xavier stepped aside with a grace that belied his massive stone form. "Of course. Just remember—"

"Silence in the library," Rook finished with a grin. "We know."

As they entered the library, Jenny looked over at Rook. “What is your curse like?” she asked, hoping it wasn’t too personal a question.

“Like all of us, I can’t leave Beastly Falls. The town has no access to the outside world, even though we have computers and the internet.” He waved his hand towards the terminals as they passed them while they headed towards the stacks.

“So it’s not just my cell phone that doesn’t work.”

“No, that’s also part of the curse. We’re trapped in time since the early two thousands.”

“You’re luckier than you think,” she said, thinking of the pandemic and all the political upheaval around the world.

“It’s hard, though. To wonder what you’re missing.”

She could understand that. “Do you turn to stone during the day?”

“No, but sunlight will reduce me to ash, so I am strictly nocturnal.”

“Do you drink blood?” she asked, and then clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. Is that rude?”

“No, not rude. Just healthy curiosity. I have my tea, but on occasion I do drink blood. But only from willing participants and never more than once.”

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