Page 53 of Magic and Muffins

“Like I said, I didn’t expect the interview to be pretty, but Cross kept his cool when I didn’t, and he made some valid points. The fact that a vampire said vampires are dangerous and killers will hopefully hold more weight than having me say it.

“Hugh is already running damage control. Trust me when I say he wasn’t happy with how we were set up for this interview. We’re not liars. He was ready to tell the truth and thought Denise was ready to hear it. A miscalculation on his part that he promised won’t happen again.

“But let’s focus on the positive. We’re more than a novelty TV show, and the world now knows it. We’ve officially stepped out of the shadows. Change always comes with a few bumps, but we can handle it.

“Now, who wants some of this amazing food your mates provided?”

The mass exodus from the chairs was a little chaotic, and Vena jumped into the fray without hesitation. Shepard left to talk to a few people. The conversation turned lighter, and rather than scowls, I saw smiles.

“He’s quite the motivational speaker, isn’t he?” Cross asked.

“He is. But so are you. Come on, let’s make a plate before Vena eats all the bacon watermelon.”

Being at the complex with Cross didn’t feel as weird as I’d thought it would be. Shepard had chased him out of bed the last time he was inside. That’d also been the last time the three of us slept in the same bed together. I wondered if it would ever happen again because I’d kind of liked it.

“You’re distracting us both,” Cross said as he added a finger sandwich to my plate.

“What do you mean?” I asked, looking around for Shepard.

He was on the other side of the room, staring at me while someone talked to him about something that needed big hand gestures.

“We both have noses. What were you just thinking about?”

“None of your business. Will you carry that plate to our table for me or surrender it?”

He carried it, and I sat next to Vena, who was scrolling through the comments regarding the werewolf “breaking news.”

“A lot of haters, but more are questioning vampires now. Someone said they tried to go to one of the Night Club meetings, but the people who came to meet him looked sketchy, so he bailed. Finally, people with common sense.”

“Um…aren’t we waiting for a call to meet up with sketchy people?”

“Yes, but it’s different for us. We’re using common sense to ferret out the truth while staying safe. Right, babe?”

Anchor gave her a doubtful look, and she pouted.

“You’re supposed to support everything I do and say.”

“I do. I just doubt your ability to keep yourself safe.”

“That’s why I have you,” she said, hugging his arm.

He flushed and took another bite of his food. At the same time, an alert sounded on her phone. It was the ominous one she’d set up for Orphia.

“Don’t do it,” I said. “Don’t be a mood killer.”

She was already tapping on the notification to open the link to a video. I made a face when I saw Orphia and her fake, chilly smile.

The room quieted as we all listened to Orphia’s rant.

“You may have seen the recent interview between a vampire and a werewolf. Don’t be fooled. It was staged to suppress the truth about the prejudice werewolves have against vampires. It was blatantly obvious in the way the leader of the werewolf organization treated the supposed vampire at his side.

“And I say ‘supposed’ because a wolf would never willingly sit next to a vampire. The vampire would be dead within seconds. Other than the so-called vampire’s speed, there’s no proof he is one. He might be a werewolf or even an infamous vampire hunter with a fae charm, enabling him to move faster than a normal human. After all, vampires can’t walk around in daylight, which was when the show was pre-recorded.”

She then gave the address of the pack complex and suggested that those who wanted the truth protest until Shepard explained his unjustified hate and duplicity.

“I’m going to kill her,” Vena said.

“You might need to stand in line,” Cross said, glancing around the room.

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