Page 5 of Fanged Temptation

Maxine

The city’s incessant hum was a lullaby I no longer noticed, but this morning, a cacophony of construction noises had torn me from my sleep. I jolted upright in bed, pink pajamas askew, cursing profusely at the rude awakening. Alongside the typical sirens and distant chatter, the aggressive symphony of jackhammers, drills, and barked orders was happening right outside my window.

Squinting through the smudged pane and with half a mind to rain hellfire on whoever was responsible for that hammering, I came face to face with a pigeon perched on the scaffolding that had seemingly been erected overnight.

The scruffy, rather indignant-looking creature stared back at me likeIwas to blame for the racket going on out there. I scowled at it, fierce fangs on full display, though it could not have been very intimidating considering the ridiculous case of bedhead I could see in my reflection.

The pigeon cocked its head, ruffled its feathers, and then, perhaps deciding I was too much trouble to tolerate this early inthe morning, flapped away with a dismissive snap of pearlescent wings. I glowered after it before flopping back amongst the silk pillows, tugging the pale pink bed sheets up to my chin.

The yellow penny of the sun was already pinwheeling across the sky, but it was my off day and I was perfectly content to remain cocooned under the covers until noon – if not for thatblastedraucous noise going on outside.

I rolled over and clamped a pillow over my head, but the drone of the jackhammer rattled around my skull. There was no escaping it, no fighting the headache already blooming behind my eyes.

In a last, desperate attempt at escapism, my mind clambered back to Leah, to the days when life was simpler, and our biggest concern was how late we could stay out before curfew chased us home. Looking back, we were rather unruly teenagers, and no doubt contributed significantly to the many grey hairs on her poor grandfather’s head.

We had been inseparable once, two halves of a whole.

I pulled my knees to my chest under the covers. I had kept so much from her, secrets that had felt necessary at the time but now contributed to the walls between us. My undisclosed vampiric nature was one of them, a shadow over what I hoped could be rekindled.

But –god damn thatawfulnoise– Leah was here, in the city. We had found each other again, all these years later. And that couldn’t be a coincidence. If anything, it was a sign. Maybe, with a little effort and enough time reunited, the rift between us could mend.

Maybe one day she could forgive me.

With a pillow pressed firmly to my ear, I rolled over and fumbled for my cell phone, which lay somewhere amidst the clutter on my side table. Stretching out an arm, I knocked overan empty perfume bottle and a stack of magazines in my bleary-eyed state before finally fishing my cell from the mess.

Leah had given me her number, a slip of paper like a lifeline thrown across the chasm between us. After days of deliberation, maybe it was time to use it.

Before I could think twice about what I was doing, I dialed the number, burrowing under the blankets as the dial tone chimed in my ear. It rang once, twice, before a clipped, curt voice said, “Hello?”

No time to back out now. So I sucked in a breath and grimaced as the hammering and sawing sounds started anew. “You have no idea what I’m dealing with here.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, before Leah’s voice came again, softer this time, “Maxine?”

“Who else?” I chirped, rolling onto my stomach and stretching out on the buoyant mattress, “Can you hear that – construction! How the hell am I supposed to hear myself think?”

Another long pause, and then, a rather unsympathetic response. “That must be very hard for you, Maxine, but what exactly do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to say you’re free to hang out.” I wove a smile into my words, crossing my fingers and feeling rather silly about my roundabout way of asking for her time. “If you’re up to it, of course. No pressure.”

There was a hum on the other end of the line and I could almost picture her, head tilted, considering – chewing on her lip the way she did when she was distracted.

"I'd love to, really, but I'm swamped today. Got to check on some rescued seals at the aquarium. They’ve been acting up, and I need to see what all the fuss is about."

Seals? Those stinky sea dogs that prowled the harbor? It was hardly the glamorous reunion I envisioned, but something in her voice, that familiar enthusiasm, piqued my interest.

"Can I come with you?" I found myself asking before I could think better of it.

"You? Mucking around with a bunch of seals?" Leah laughed, and it was a sound that warmed me from the inside out. The full concentrated power of the sun. “I think this job might be a little beneath your ‘classy’ taste.”

"I can get my hands dirty when I need to,” I insisted – lying, of course, through my fucking teeth. I could barely tolerate touching a speck of grime, let alone any sort of dirt under my nails. "Really, I'd like to tag along."

Her laughter faded into a soft sigh, and I sensed her smile through the line. "All right, if you're sure. Meet me at the aquarium in an hour?"

"Absolutely." I kicked off the blankets and swung myself upright, bare feet brushing the plush carpet. “I’ll be there.”

“Do notwear heels. You will regret it,” was the rather ominous warning she left me with before the line clicked off.

I stared at the cell in my hand, tangled curls tumbling over my eyes. The tumultuous knot ofsomethingin my chest loosened slightly. Leah was giving me a chance, however small, to step back into her life. There could be no fucking it up this time.

---