Page 123 of By the Pint

We went to the zoo, to the Undead Carnival, shopping in the vampire malls, museums, the spa. Sometimes familiars who recognised me from my human life would approach.

“Casey? Is that you? So, you finally got made into a vampire,”they’d say, and I would smile and nod and pretend like I knew who they were.“Ah, of course, you don’t remember me. Well, you look good.”And they’d leave, having lost whatever connection we’d had, and that would be that. But I always saw their thoughts, and I saw, through their eyes, the version of me that existed before.

I was a shit. Not saying I wasn’t now, but people didn’t seem to care too much for me back then.

My undeath will be different, though. I would make sure of it.

“You ready for your gift?” Nina said, pulling me from my musings. She offered me a lopsided smile, having witnessed my little reverie.It’s normal on leaving day to get a little reflective.

“Thank you,” I replied to both her external and internal comments.

She handed me a small parcel wrapped in what appeared to be flocked wallpaper. I opened it. Everyone watched.

“A scrying mirror.” I tried to sprinkle gratitude into my voice. Failed. “Thank you.” I turned the palm sized mirror overin my hand. Hmm, that was odd, it was double sided. One side was plain, with the Assembly logo etched into the handle, and the other side was overlaid with an intricate eye pattern.

“So that you can contact us any time, night or day,” Nina said.There’s more to it than that, and I can already hear you trying to work it out, so I will explain later, when everyone else has toddled off.

“Oh, good. Your boyfriend’s here,” said Vlad the Wrangler. “Not that I mind being here, obviously.” He gave a nervous laugh. “But I gotta start my shift soon.”

“You not staying for the reading of the rite?” Yelena asked Vlad.

“Of course I am,” Vlad said, shaking his head, like it was an absurd question.

The door opened, and without hesitation, I stood again. Dima walked in. All perfect and wonderful and perfect. Wearing his on-brand maroon cloak, a black cable-knit jumper, black trousers, and boots. A locker key hung around his neck, resting on the front of his woollen sweater. A relic from my human life. I absently stroked Dima’s locket, which now lived against my chest. A smile stretched across his face, so big and brilliant and sparkling that, if he could have been photographed, it would have landed him modelling contracts for toothpaste commercials.

I floated him into the air, through the den, and into my arms.

He scream-laughed, like I was tickling him, which, to be fair, I was. “Ooh, it feels so weird,” he said with a wink. He liked to lay it on thick when convincing everyone but Nina that floating was unnatural to him.

Dima had always hidden his telekinesis, and now he had even more reason to. Telekinesis was a gift often inherited from sire or dam, and since Killian was not telekinetic and he wascurrently serving a sentence in gaol for accidentally siring me, well, yeah, Dima had to be extra quiet. Or it’d give the entire game away.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered to me, as I lowered his feet to the ground. I didn’t remove my arms from him. He just slotted so neatly into my form.

“Is it all set?” I asked, finally releasing him after one last squeeze and one last inhale of his beautiful, smoky, metallic scent. His scent was the reason I’d spent so long practicing sucking in air I no longer needed.

“Yep.” He opened his hand, and a key swung against his palm.

“Is that the key to—” I started.

“Yep.” Dima smiled.

My heartbeat kicked up by several gears. Finally, a night alone with Dima. In our new place. A temporary solution, but for the foreseeable future, no risk of someone barging into my rooms to check my vitals or blood intake or to scribble nonsense on a clipboard at the exact wrong moment.

“Welcome to the party, Mr Black,” Vlad the Butterfingered said, slipping a paper hat onto Dima’s head, and accidentally slapping his chin with the elastic strap. Dima winced. “Sorry.”

“Since we’re all here now, let’s get on with the ceremony. Everyone else can go back to work, and you two can head off to your new love nest,” Nina said.

I shot Dima a smile, and he leaned in and planted a light kiss on my lips.I cannot wait to get you back to our love nest. I’m going to fucking ruin you.

My cheeks grew warm. I turned my attention to Nina, who lifted a brow and ran her tongue against her teeth.

Save it, boys,she said, but relented into a smile. She cleared her throat. “Right, well, here we are.” Nina removed ascroll from the butt-pocket of her scrubs and unfurled it. The rest of the vampires shuffled around us in a semicircle.

“Thank you, everyone, for gathering today, for the Reading of the Rite of Casey Freckleman. Who here accepts this vampire into their clan?”

Dima said nothing. I nudged him.

“I do,” he said, pulling his besotted expression away from mine.You look so scrummy today.

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