Page 32 of Vampire's Vixen

As I ascended the steep grade toward the campground, there were a couple cars in front of me, and at least two behind me. I couldn’t see who was in them, but figured they were part of the class. There were about a dozen people in the class, total, and I knew at least four had said they wouldn’t be able to make it.

By the time we reached the turnoff into the campground, I’d finished my sandwich and most of my coffee, and I was starting to feel uneasy. The area was pretty, but then again, the entire peninsula was gorgeous. But pretty didn’t mean safe, and Hollow Hill had a reputation that was supposedly well-earned.

I eased into a parking spot next to another car and stowed my purse under my seat. I tossed my keys into my tote bag, which contained my phone, a notebook, pens, and my tablet, along with gloves, earmuffs, a couple protein bars, and a bottle of water, and swung out of my car, into the bracing chill.

The skies were clear, but it was cold—around forty-two degrees—and I pulled my gloves out of my tote bag and slid them on, grateful I’d remembered to bring them. I was wearing a suede jacket and zipped it up, and I put on my earmuffs.

“Hey Maisy, how goes it?”

I glanced to my right. There stood Kyle, a tall, dark-haired witch who was more brains than brawn, but he washed up pretty nice. He wore gold-rimmed John Lennon glasses, his hair was down to his shoulders and pulled back in a ponytail, and he was wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, and a pair of Doc Martens. I thought he was around forty or so, and he had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

“It goes,” I said. I shivered. “I’ve never been here before, at least that I remember. Have you?”

“Once or twice, but I didn’t go prowling around much. The energy feels thick here, you know? Like it’s trying to choke you.” He pointed across the parking lot, to a trailhead. “The prof said to meet over there.”

“I’m glad you were listening. Apparently, my head was in the clouds and I missed that.” I flashed him a smile. Kyle and I had talked a couple times, but until now, I’d never noticed how much his eyes sparkled, or how throaty his voice was.

“Walk with me?” he asked, turning toward the trailhead.

I joined him. It was a large parking lot, but I realized why. Not only was it for the campers, but there were spots where people could hook up their RVs.

“So, what do you do for a living?” Kyle asked.

“I’m a matchmaker,” I said. “I own Married At First Bite, a new shop downtown. I also give tarot and psychic readings, and if need be, I can investigate hauntings or cleanse houses.”

“I’d love to own my own business,” Kyle said. “Right now, I’m working security at the Lace & Bow.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard of that,” I said.

“The Lace & Bow is a leather club in Port Townsend,” he said, tensing up. He must be waiting for my reaction.

“Tavern?”

“Fetish bar,” he said, shaking his head. “They serve booze, but it’s more of a club, to be honest, with burlesque shows on weekends, and spotlight nights during the week. I’m head of security, which means I make sure the bouncers are where they need to be, that they do their job and not needlessly rough anybody up. I also keep a tight watch on the magical age verification system. We don’t dare let minors into the club or you know people will get up in arms about it.”

“People get bent over the simplest things,” I said. “Seriously, though, that must be an interesting job.”

It wasn’t one I’d want, and I had never set foot in a fetish bar in my life, but at least it sounded interesting. It did make me wonder, though, about Kyle himself. Was he just there for the paycheck, or was he into everything they offered? Hell, you don’t even know what they offer, woman, I thought. So stop with that train of thought before you completely derail yourself.

“I suppose,” he answered, shrugging. “I guess it’s like being a camera guy on a porn set. Once you’ve seen one bondage show, you’ve seen them all. Oh, it’s a talented group they have there, but it’s not fully my flavor. I’m about to open my own business soon—an IT business.”

Part of me wanted to ask if he was vanilla, or just a mixed swirl of flavors, but we came to where the professor was waiting.

Jason Willows, the teacher, was leaning against the sign that marked the trailhead. As Kyle and I joined the small throng, Jason began to count aloud, pointing to each one of us.

“We’re missing one student out of those of you who said you could make it. We’ll wait for another five minutes, but the minute she gets here, we’ll head out. If she doesn’t show in ten minutes, we’ll forge on. I don’t want to leave anybody straggling behind, not in this area of the woods, but we can’t wait all day.”

He glanced up at the sky. “We’re due for a clear morning and afternoon, so hopefully we won’t get rained out, though around here, you never know. Just wait fifteen minutes and the weather changes again.”

One of the other students raised her hand. “Professor Willows, what are we looking for today?” Some of the students stood on ceremony with Jason, mostly the youngest ones.

“As I told you the other night, we’re looking into wild places today. These are the areas where worlds intersect, where portals form.” He frowned, looking around. “Does anybody know if Lizbet is going to join us today? Did she talk to any of you?”

Nobody volunteered any info. Even after just a few sessions, I instinctively recognized her as the problem child of the group. She was the one who wanted to know if we’d be tested on everything the teacher said. She was squeamish, hated going outdoors, and I would be surprised to see her here today. I’d figured that she would skip the trip. It counted as part of the grade, but Jason offered other ways to make up the work.

A few moments later, Jason grew tired of waiting. “All right, we’re leaving. I’ll tape a note to my windshield that we’re already into the hike and it’s too late for her to join us. She could, of course, but I don’t want any of you wandering alone in the woods here. Not on my account. I’ll be back in a moment, so if you have to use the facilities, please do so now. We’re going to be walking for about half an hour before we come to the Hollow Hill. Also, pick a forest buddy. I don’t want anybody drifting off on their own.”

As he returned to his car to leave the message, I looked at Kyle. “Want to be my forest buddy?” I asked.

---