Page 13 of The Baritone's Rival

Justin chewed on his lip as he stared at Oscar. After a long moment, he let out a breath and jumped in.

“I guess it’s okay to talk about. I…remember when I left the Azarian coven?”

Oscar leaned, being careful not to jostle the body. “Of course. We all wondered where you’d gone. I think most of us were jealous that you had managed to escape without anyone going after you. I always hoped you had found some quiet nook in the woods somewhere.”

“I did, sort of.” Justin blinked his eyes a few times, as if he were trying to remember. “I went to stay with my aunt. She lives upstate. And it was really great for a while.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow. “And then?”

“And then a bunch of shit went down that I don’t really want to go into. I couldn’t live with her anymore. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I ended up traveling with Rick. It wasn’t so bad at first, but ultimately…well, you saw what he did. I haven’t had much reason to be peppy recently.”

“I guess.” Oscar flashed Justin a smile. “I’m sorry you’ve had a rough go of it. I missed having you around. You always made the place a little more festive. Which, with the Azarians, was quite a feat.”

Justin didn’t answer. After a long, awkward silence, he looked back down at the cadaver. “Do you think he had, like, a wife or something? Anyone we should tell?”

“I’d imagine anyone married to a man who’d shoot someone in a mugging wouldn’t be a particularly good person themselves. I wouldn’t worry about them.” Oscar chuckled. “Besides, how do you know it wasn’t a husband? Or a nonbinary spouse?

“Oh…” Justin stammered. “I just assumed a guy robbing people at gunpoint would be straight.”

“Queer people can be just as monstrous as…” Oscar’s eyes fell on the man’s unkempt hair and stained black clothes. “He was probably straight.”

Oscar sauntered over to the cupboard and took out two stemmed wine glasses. Some of the vampires in the coven would drink out of tumblers, but a wine glass full of blood created such a perfect image, like something out of an old Hammer horror movie. He reached into the refrigerator, pulling out a bag of blood and filling the glasses.

“Why not quaff your thirst while you wait?”

Justin giggled. “You talk so funny sometimes. It’s…”

“Pretentious?”

“No!” Justin’s brows furrowed in concern. “I didn’t mean?—”

“Oh, I don’t mind. Itispretentious. I was leaning that way before I was turned, and becoming a vampire gave me the permission to embrace it,mon cher.” Oscar winked and held out a wine glass.

Justin reached out and gingerly took the glass in his hand, gulping down a couple of swallows of the deep red liquid. His cheeks flushed pink as the vital essence chased the squeamishness from him. Oscar sipped from his own drink, cool and delicious as it hit his tongue. Most vamps preferred blood to be warm, as close to body temperature as possible, but Oscar found the chill refreshing.

“You were really brave back there.” Justin’s glanced at the dead man on the kitchen island. “He was scary. He shot you!”

“This one? Please.” Oscar rolled his eyes. His hand went to his chest, unbuttoning his shirt and running his fingers over the restored skin. “See? Good as new. It’s not as if a bullet could hurt us, and he didn’t have any wooden stakes on him. Or grenades.”

“I guess.” Justin blushed. “I just thought you handled it really well. Although it’s too bad for his imaginary wife or husband that he shot you.”

“Indeed. He might have survived and returned home to his imaginary family.” Oscar drained his glass and set it down. It clinked against the dark granite countertop.

“I don’t…it’s hard to think that the people we kill have loved ones who will miss them.”

“Well, he was a bastard, so if he hypothetically had anyone who loved him, I hypothetically doubt they are right in the head.”

Justin looked up at Oscar, pausing as if he was gathering the courage to speak his mind. “Everyone deserves to have someone that loves them.”

Oscar rolled his eyes. “Some of us don’t require that. Definitely not assholes who would shoot unarmed civilians. Alright, let’s change the bag and tilt him down to encourage the flow of blood.”

The cadaver wasn’t heavy for either of them, considering their enhanced strength, but it was awkward. Justin connected an empty bag to the line and they held the man’s legs up, hanging his torso off the island and angling it toward the floor. They stood there motionless as the bag began to fill.

“What are you talking about? Everyone needs love.”

“No, thank you.” Oscar chuckled at Justin’s shocked, wide eyes. “I’ve had enough romance for multiple lifetimes. Let’s check in about this conversation again in two hundred years.”

“But, but you’re so…” Justin looked away as he trailed off.

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