Page 115 of Bite Marks

Peaceful.Domesticin a way that was hard to piece together when paired with the impossibly beautiful woman I’d first seen on stage.

I trailed my fingers down her bare arm, reveling in the smoothness of her skin, the knot of worry that’d been tugging at my chest finally loosened after last night.

Somehow, before I’d seen how it could work, it had still been difficult to believe the coven would be willing to share. That I wouldn’t have to choose between the vampires who had steadily been capturing my heart.

My phone began to ring on the nightstand, and Elsie rolled, pulling a pillow over her head. I leapt into motion, fumbling around in the low light for my clothes. By the time I’d dressed and made it into the hall, my phone in hand to answer the devil device, the bank was already leaving a voicemail. The text-based version of it popped up in my texts, informing me that they really needed to discuss one of my overdue accounts.

Fuck.

This fucking credit card really was the bane of my life.

How the hell was five grand really giving me so much trouble?

I poked my head back into the bedroom to find Elsie sound asleep, her breathing steady and even, hair strewn over the bed in a sheet of silver.

A look down at the clock on my phone told me it was still early, just a little past noon—okay, so maybe notearly, but since I was usually working until three in the morning, I could go for some breakfast.

I guess I burned more calories last night than I’d thought.

Can’t imagine how, I thought smugly.

There were coffee pods on the counter, but that wouldn’t solve the breakfast problem. And no one was going to enjoy a relaxing morning if I tried to cook. Smoke detectors and I had a long-standing personal grudge.

I’d have to sneak down to the bodega on the corner to grab us something actually edible, preferably before Elsie woke up for some breakfast in bed.

I resisted the urge to go back for a kiss, worried about rousing her before I could return with a supply of caffeine and carbs. The sweatpants and oversized hoodie of Danny’s I’d tossed on were oversized enough that I wouldn’t need a bra. Not exactly fashionable, but I was just going to the corner and back.

The remnants of our movie snacks and drinks from the night before littered the living room as I padded down the hall and past to slip into my shoes by the door. Kaylee’s loud snoring punctuated my movements, her shirt rucked up to expose her flat stomach. She was the least graceful sleeper of all time, looking more like a caricature than someone actually getting any rest. Something that’d been true since we were kids.

Fondness for my best friend flooded me. She’d really done me a solid by pushing Elsie and Dana into my bed last night. My lips were still swollen from the hours spent wrapped up in each other, and a giddy, optimistic feeling settled into my chest that felt a lot like…

Okay, Vi! Too early!

If I weren’t such a coward, I might’ve admitted to myself what that feeling was. But I was a lot of things: a responsible driver, great at cards, andabsolutelya little bitch baby when it came to my feelings.

I grabbed my wallet and keys from where I’d tossed them on the counter last night. The apartment’s door had barely snapped shut behind me when my phone began to buzz in the front pouch of my hoodie, making me groan. Pulling the device free, I didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID before I connected the call, holding the phone between my cheek and shoulder as I locked the door.

“Listen, I know! I need to make a payment, and I will.”

“Do you always answer the phone like that?” Danny asked, their warm laugh drifting through the earpiece.

I groaned. “No… It’s just?—”

“Trouble with the bank?” they offered, tone bordering dangerously close to worried.

“No, Danny. I’m fine. I’m taking care of it.”

“Sure,” they said skeptically. “You know I could?—”

“You could what? Pick up even more hours between shifts at the hospital? I told you I’m taking care of it.”

Danny sighed. “Okay, fine…” A little pause. “I was calling about the game today.”

My feet carried me toward the stairs, the phone jostling a little as I made my way down with my slip-on sneakers making the metal clang. “Born ready! Did you see the seats Ren got us? I looked them up online and they’re fuckingprime.” I dragged the last word out for emphasis, the smile in my voice evident.

“You really like her.”

“Yeah,” I conceded. “I really do.”

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