Page 12 of Seph

“How about I heal, get better, and kill you? Then after, I’ll leave town without hurting anyone.”

To her shock, Simeon actually seemed to be thinking about it. “I can’t let you do that. That author lady, S.C. something, has a whole series plotted out, and I signed a contract. I have to be her narrator.”

“Dirty books are not enough reason for me to let you live,” Emily tried to cross her arms and decided it wasn’t worth the pain.

“So. You got to the point where it gets dirty?” The nervous edge left the vampire’s voice and was replaced with something sleek once more. “I didn’t think you’d like that sort of thing, Miss Van Helsing.”

“I don’t! I can read a book summary, you ass.”And maybe I like listening to someone’s fictional romance since I know I can’t have any for real.

“I see. Figures you wouldn’t like it. You don’t have a thing for the bad boys. You want yourself a monster-hunting knight in shining armor, don’t you?”

“Nope. I prefer my life free of romantic entanglements. Nothing and no one keeps me from my family duty.”

“All right, all right.” Crow held out his hands, palms forward in the universal “hold on a moment” gesture. “Look, you want to kill me, and I don’t want that. If you try to kill me, the townsfolk will rally round to stop you, and then you’ll get hurt. I don’t want that, either. I saved your life. Correction,fourmonsters saved your life—”

“Four?”

“Eddie, the paramedic, but shhh.” He waved her to silence. “How about a deal, Van Helsing? Don’t tell me your family hasn’t made deals with demons before, because I know that’s a lie.”

“It was once,one deal, and my great-grandfather was desperate. He still killed Dracula, though.”

“Yes, yes, tragic.” Another impatient wave. “You owe me your life. Fair is fair. You get to kill me the first time Iintentionallyharm a human—and I’m not talking about incidents like that woman who had to have a buzzing boyfriend surgically removed from her bum because she got too hot and bothered listening to me narrate a particularly ‘intense’ scene.” He stuck out his hand. “I mess up, you kill me—outside of town, where no one from Pine Ridge gets involved. But if Idon’tmess up—you go on about your business and leave me to mine.”

“How would I know if you messed up if I wasn’t here watching you?” Emily demanded, staring at his hand without moving.

“Fair point. Okay, you stay and watch me, but you don’t bother me while I’m recording, and you don’t go after any of the harmless locals.” His eyes were suddenly sparkling red, and his fangs dropped down silently as he fixed her with a sinister smile. “If you kill one of these innocent monsters, I’ll come out of retirement just for you, Emmy.”

Something about the way he purred her nickname, the name only her mother had ever called her, made her insides shimmy and shift uncomfortably. “You expect me to just set up shop and live in this little town?” she demanded.

You don’t have a home anywhere else, I know that. Egon taught you to live out of suitcases and always be on the move. You might stay in a rental for a month or even a year, but home is your killing kit.”

Home is nothing but ashes.Emily swallowed a sudden painful lump.

To her shock, Crow came and perched on the foot of the bed. “There’s a minotaur here, Milo, and he makes amazing weapons. Don’t cry, Van Helsing. We’ll have you booted and suited againin no time. Erm. You’re probably going to need someone to look after you while you heal up, too.”

“I don’t need anyone.”

“Well, you’re in the wrong place for that. Once the people in this town know you need help, you’ll be adopted and casserole-ed within an inch of your life. It’s rather marvelous, really.” His hand snaked to hers and gripped her fingers, daring her to retreat or squeeze back. “Truce? No harm comes to you, and you bring no harm to others?”

Emily was forced to admit that she didn’t have many options at the moment. She wasn’t in a position to fight. She had no family left to help her heal. There was money in her bank account, but not much.

What else can I do? At least if I pretend to play along, he’ll stay in one place long enough for me to heal. I hope.

Her fingers clasped his, and she could feel three generations of disapproval joining the crushing weight in her chest. “Truce.”

Chapter Five

New York, March, 2024

“Steady. Steady. All right, this time you have to make it all the way to the Walker tomb to get your coffee.” Simeon placed Emily’s favorite, a mocha with extra whipped cream, on one of the ornate stone urns that graced the Walker tomb in Mountain Rest Cemetery.

“I don’t like practicing in a cemetery. You have the homecourt advantage,” Emily huffed, walking stiffly. Her crutches rested on another ornate tombstone.

“You need to practice on uneven turf if you’re ever going to get back to full strength. Besides, the dead can be quite friendly.” Simeon smirked.

“Theundead, you mean. Yeah. Some of them. Present company excluded.” She turned green eyes toward her reward and locked on, her vision laser-focused.

She never saw his face fall, but it did. In the month since she’d been out of the hospital, he stopped by her small apartment every day. She even let him in yesterday, a first.

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