Page 25 of How to Entice a Fiend

I’m over here convinced she’s horrible at conniving when she’s playing the long game. Her plan is obviously to get me to form some sort of attachment to the beast so I won’t make her get rid of it.

“I think it’s well past your bedtime.”

“No!” she whines.

“Come on,” I say as I set the cat back in her arms. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Why do I have to brush my teeth? I’m a vampire, I shouldn’t have to!”

“You ate enough candy to rot them out. How do you plan to bite anyone with rotten teeth?”

Rylee groans and heads off for the bathroom as I trail after her. “You’re not going out tonight, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Please? Just stay here. Aren’t the bad people gone? Can’t we just have a normal life now? I get scared whenever you leave.”

“You don’t have to be scared, Orin’s here.”

“No! Not like that,” she says as she squeezes her cat to her chest. “I get scared you’re never going to come back. I don’t want you to disappear or die.”

“I won’t disappear or die.”

“You’re not the best at making friends and you seem to bully a lot of people.”

“Only people who deserve it,” I assure her.

“Finn said you bullied him and he’s super nice.”

“Sometimes I make mistakes,” I say. “I was led to believe the VRC was involved… I was rash. This is why you should do your homework. So you can analyze situations better than me and don’t rashly throw someone off a bridge.”

“Did you do your homework?”

“I never went to school.”

“NEVER?” She gasps. “Why do I have to do school then? You’re all smart and stuff and never went to school. I’m not going to school anymore.”

“You are doing schoolwork,” I say. “Did you listen to anything I said?”

“Yeah! Of course I did!”

“Finish getting ready for bed.”

“Then will you read me a bedtime story?”

“Depends how well you listen.”

“I listen the best of the best.”

“Sure,” I say as I head to her bedroom to wait for her. She comes rushing back, cat still in her arms. I’m positive he’s in a bliss coma or something. As long as she’s touching him, he would go through anything for her.

She crawls into bed, and I pick up a book Orin had set out for us. I start reading it to her and she follows along before I tuck her in and give her forehead a kiss at her request.

“Señor Fluffybottom also needs a goodnight kiss.”

“Don’t push your luck, kid,” I say as I head out the door. I go to my room, honestly not sure what else to do. I feel like I’m caught up in so much turmoil. Do I keep pushing forward and by doing so, put Rylee at more risk? Do I draw back now that I have her and let them get away with everything they’ve done and are doing and hope that they never come looking for her again? But he’s hunting me. He’s always hunting me. She’ll never truly be safe until he’s dead.

But pulling her along with me puts her at even more risk as time moves on.

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