Page 122 of By the Pint

40.

Casey

Eight months later

“Happy undeath day to you,” Nina sang, walking into my rooms precisely two minutes after her shift began. In her arms, she held a punch bowl of blood with a floating candle in the centre, and several stainless-steel straws poking up around the edges. She continued her singing, “Nobody likes you. You look like a foot, and you smell like a shoe.”

I smiled at her but didn’t get off the couch. She was gonna pull me into a hug just as soon as she’d relieved herself of the blood-bowl anyway. Which, by the way, if she thought I was drinking, she had another think coming. Okay, technically I was no longer susceptible to human illnesses like the common cold and whatnot, but the germs were still there, lurking.

Under no circumstances was I putting anything in my mouth that had been anywhere near anyone else’s. Except Dima’s.

Behind Nina, several other doctors and facility employees entered. Over the past year, we’d developed … friendships? I suppose I could call them friendships, or at least they sort of fell under that whole friendship umbrella.

There was Yelena the Realist. She sometimes did the day shifts. Yelena always made sure if I woke up too early in the afternoon, there was O neg in the fridge for me. She’d warm it up on my little blood stove. There was Vlad the Butterfingered, who worked weekends, and enjoyed a card game or two. I let him win seventy-five percent of his hands to avoid suspicion. Vlad the Wrangler, who was much gentler than his name alluded to. He actually had a small ranch just outside the City, which explained not only the moniker, but the general hay funk. Vlad the Substitute, who covered Nina’s annual leave. Obviously. And Jason the Sullied. Who was, in fact, the cleaner, and my favourite. What could I say? I had high standards, and Jason met every single one.

My party guests all wore huge smiles and cone-shaped, shiny paper hats with foil tassels.

Nina placed the bowl of blood on the coffee table in front of me and, yep, pulled me up into a too-tight bear hug. At least I no longer needed to breathe. “My gosh, I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since you came in and threw up all over the waiver room floor—”

“I did not throw up on the floor.” Jason had told me I’d done a stellar job of keeping it all contained to the wastepaper bin.

“You’re getting so big,” she said, ignoring my rebuttal and rubbing my back like a grandparent. I was the same six-fiveI’d been all year, and before then. “Now make a wish and blow out the candle.”

“Huh? Oh right.” I knew what to do. Of course I knew to blow them out, I’d seen it on videos. I sat on the couch again and sucked in a breath. It had taken a bit of practice to figure out sniffing and blowing when I no longer possessed functioning lungs, but I had it mostly sussed. “I wish for—”

“Ooh, you can’t tell us. It won’t come true if you say it out loud,” Nina said.

I gave her a pointed look.Okay, I wish for loads of incredible sex tonight,I said in my head.

That’s better,Nina said with a smile. Of all my minders, Nina was the only telepath. She had taught me — was teaching me — not to shout my mouth off about my mind-reading powers. My inner exhibitionist struggled with this.

Your wish is my command, Moonflower,Dima said into my mind. We had a sort of bond, which allowed us to chat long distance into each other’s thoughts. Not that he was particularly far away. Dima was in his hotel suite across the plaza from the turning facility, packing up all his bags for the very last time. It wouldn’t take him long. Telekinesis was bloody useful for that. I was still yet to master mine, but I was getting there, and it served as one hellova party trick. Since mine was officially on my paperwork, I could show off about it. Dima still kept his hidden from everyone else.

You’re missing the party. Everyone’s here,I shot back.

I’m on my way. Dropping my room key into the checkout box as I think this.

The reality was, I was missing him. Granted, I saw him at six AM this morning when he left my rooms, and had spoken to him constantly since, through our mind bond connection thing, but I still missed him, nonetheless.

I didn’t remember anything we had before, all the moments we had in my human life, but Dima had shown me everything multiple times, so, in a way, I felt like I remembered. He visited every day, without fail. Except for one time about six months ago when he travelled back to Remy to visit his flatmates and help two of them move across the city. But otherwise, he was here, from dusk ‘til dawn. With me. Beside me.

We’d watch the telly (I begged Nina to install the wingball channel, even though it made me sleepy). We’d chat. He’d teach me how to control my powers. We’d snuggle. We’d kiss. Sometimes, if we were certain Nina or one of the other Assembly employees wouldn’t barge in on us, we’d get handsy. Mutual masturbation with telekinesis was my new favourite thing. But we hadn’t had sex. Anal or oral. Not since I’d been un-unalived. And I was getting a little desperate to find out if the memories Dima shared with me were as good as he was making them seem.

Don’t worry, they are. I promise you,Dima said again.

Where are you now?I asked.

I’m crossing the plaza. Be two minutes. I wouldn’t miss tonight for the Eight and a Half Kingdoms.

Tonight marked my first full year at the facility and as a vampire, but also my last night at the facility. Because tonight, I was being discharged. I was going to pack up my bags and float out of the building a free vampire. No more schedules, no more visiting hours, no more grainy Assembly blood. No more monitors, and clipboards, and hourly check-ins.

Nina had said my release date was an Assembly record. One year. I’d smashed the previous record by three months. Breaking records had become another of my little party tricks.

Freedom. Soon. So soon.

I’d been out on night trips, of course. To test how ready I was. How well I could command myself and handle my urgesaround other species. Particularly humans because of the risk of eating them; and werewolves because of the risk of throwing down. There was something intrinsic inside me now. A deep-seated irritation towards my furry brethren that I’d been told I didn’t possess before. I wouldn’t act on it. I was a master of control, but it was there regardless.

Dima and Nina had taken me out and about in the City of the Undead. Nina confessed I was so strong that if I had gone off the rails, there’d be little she or Dima could do to stop me. Thankfully, I did not eat or bodyslam anybody.

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