Page 94 of Magic and Muffins

“The only way to kill a vampire is to remove his heart or head,” Shepard said.

“Or sunlight,” Cross added.

Shepard nodded in agreement.

Craig turned his attention to Shepard. “You know a lot about killing vampires, it seems.”

“I do. It’s what my kind was created to do. Kill vampires to protect humans.”

“And yet you’re sitting here with Cross. Why haven’t you killed him?”

“Everly convinced me he wasn’t like the vampires we normally see.”

“How was Cross different?” he asked, looking at me.

“He didn’t kill me or my friend,” I said with a little shrug. “He had plenty of opportunities and reasons to do so, but he chose a different path.”

Craig’s gaze darted from me to Cross. “I sense there’s more to that statement.”

“Everly’s friend accidentally took something that was mine,” Cross explained. “My kind are protective of what we consider ours. Objects and people. So I wasn’t pleased when I woke to find something of mine missing.

“With the taste of Everly’s blood on my lips and a hint of her life filling my mind, I tracked her to her home.”

“Wait…what was it you just said? A hint of her life filled your mind? What does that mean?”

“When my kind feeds, we become intimately tied to our donor. We gain glimpses of their lives, their thoughts, and their feelings. Each drop of blood is like a puzzle piece. And with enough feedings, we eventually see the whole picture.”

“Fascinating. I didn’t know that about vampires.”

“Not many do.”

“So you tracked down Everly and her friend, and what then?”

“I tracked them to their home and found the plate of bonbons Everly had made for me, a handwritten note apologizing for the misunderstanding, and the item they’d taken.”

“You stole from a vampire and left him bonbons?” Craig asked in disbelief.

“Sugar helps people feel happier, and everyone likes the sweet treats I make.” I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed in hindsight. “I think I was still in a state of denial that vampires were real and one would be coming for us.”

Craig laughed and looked at Cross. “And what was your reaction to what she left for you?”

“I went to find her.”

“Because you were angry and wanted revenge?”

“Because she’d bled into the bonbons she’d made. I’ve never met another person who had thought to atone for their mistake with that kind of gesture. It made me curious about the woman who’d woken me. The woman who I knew was kind yet courageous. Timid and stubborn. And loyal to a fault.”

His words and the new understanding of how we’d started had me blushing.

“I’m guessing the second meeting went better than the first,” Craig said.

Cross grinned. “I thought so, although she might not have. It’s not like she wanted a vampire following her after what had happened. But seeing her for the first time was like seeing the sun after centuries of darkness.”

“I feel like I should be taking notes. But seriously,” he said, turning to Shepard, “that he didn’t kill Everly was enough to stop you from killing him.”

“No. That he protected someone I loved was what convinced me.”

Craig was silent as his gaze bounced between the three of us, and I felt my panic rising.

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