Page 2 of Johann

The awful sound of Vee’s decapitation was unlike anything Jay had ever heard. Wet skin and muscle, the snap of bone, the last gurgle of her attempt to call Jay’s name.

Vee’s head, when it rolled to his feet, was frozen in a mask of rage. Rage at Jay, who’d done nothing to stop this. Who’d disappointed her yet again.

Jay didn’t wait to see the rest.

He didn’t help Wolfe, didn’t stay to see what would win in the battle between sharp ax and feral vampire strength.

He ran.

He ran faster than he ever had, through the woods and all the way back home. He ran up the stairs to his room, tore apart the covers on the neatly made bed (no excuse for slovenliness, Johann), and hid beneath them.

He didn’t come out for a very long time.

one

Jay

Jaybouncedonhistoes, looking in delight at the white powder covering the streets in front of him. It had snowed again last night, and the fresh blankets of it made everything look so lovely in the afternoon light. So pretty, so glittery and magical.

Even if the brightnessdidhurt his eyes a bit.

Oh well. A little discomfort never hurt anybody. Or…Jay bit at his lip, pondering. He supposed itdidhurt by definition. But maybe what he meant was it didn’t harm? What was the difference between the two again?

He made a note to himself to look it up later.

What would be really nice right now would be to dive right in on the snow-covered lawn, maybe even make a snow angel. He’d never made one of those before. He smiled to himself at the thought but ultimately stayed standing upright. He didn’t want to get messy before work. That wouldn’t do.

You’re too pure, Johann. Filth has no place around you.

“Off to work, Jay?”

Jay turned from where he was standing at the end of the drive to look back at the little duplex building behind him. Mr. Sumner was standing at his front door, dressed in a robe, with a steaming mug in his hand. He’d told Jay once that since he was retired, he was allowed to wear robes well into the late afternoon. Jay thought that was lovely for him.

Jay waved at his landlord. “Yes, sir. I’m the closer today.”

He made sure to always call Mr. Sumner “sir.” It was polite to address elders that way, even though Jay had been living in the upper apartment for over six months now and even though Mr. Sumner was technically younger than Jay by close to two centuries. It was more about how it seemed than how it actually was.Soren was always telling Jay to be mindful of appearances when trying to blend in with human society.

Which was why Jay was so pleased he’d remembered to wear his winter coat today. The cold may not have bothered him, but snow outside was a pretty good indicator it would have bothered him were he human.

See? Jay was great at blending in.

Mr. Sumner raised his coffee cup in salute. “Have a good day, then. Make sure those customers treat you right.”

“Will do, Mr. Sumner.”

Not that Jay had to worry about that. His customers were the nicest people in the world. And even when sometimes they weren’t, it never lasted long. His coworker Alicia said that was because Jay had a way with people. Which was, in Jay’s opinion, a super nice thing to say.

He’d told her so, and she’d patted him on the head, which had also been nice.

The walk to the café took nine and a half minutes, and by the time the bell chimed above Jay’s head at Death by Coffee’s door—Jay loved that little bell, its little dinging welcome—he had a bit of a headache from all the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow. It was his fault for not wearing sunglasses, but he liked being able to see everything around him clearly, without dark lenses in the way.

He apologized mentally to the vampire part of himself—the little bit of his being that didn’t like the bright light—for irritating its senses.I’m sorry, little beastie.

Alicia was at the counter, her red hair up in a high ponytail, with pretty blue eyeshadow on her eyelids. She always looked so nice. She would be lovely to paint sometime. But maybe sitting for a painting was a weird thing to ask of a modern-day coworker? Jay would have to think it over, maybe ask Soren the proper etiquette.

Alicia tilted her head and eyed Jay critically as he approached the counter. “Oh, Jay, honey. You really need to let me take you shopping.”

People were always calling Jay “honey” and “sweetie” like that. Jay supposed it had something to do with his looks: he was petite, his facial features were maybe kind of doll-like, and he knew people thought of him as cute. He supposed that made them want to call him pet names. He didn’t mind it though—in truth, it warmed his chest when people called him nice things. It made him feel wanted, even if all it really meant was that he was nonthreatening.

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