Page 15 of The Vampire in the Potting Shed

“Life’s too short.”

“That’s very mature of you.”

“It’s not like Lyra was the only one who took a swing at me after her first shift. Once it became obvious I was a dud, the bullying was brutal among my peers. Our whole lives we’re taught to fight our own battles or we can kiss our ranking goodbye. The wolf in them wanted to pit itself against their alpha’s daughter.”

“The wolf had nothing to do with that.” She grated her jaw back and forth. “That was human behavior.”

“Well, anyway, I survived them, and now I have my own life.”

A twist of her lips warned she was about to hit me with more truth, but I couldn’t stand to hear it yet.

“I’m going to check on the owl situation.” I aimed for the side door. “You’re welcome to the breakfast on the counter. I’m not a big fan of the sausage and English muffin combo.” I stepped out. “Back in a few.”

Excited dogs barked or wagged hello as I passed, and I paused to scratch each of them.

None of them followed me to the end of their enclosures, and a few whined as I approached the potting shed. Part of me expected one of the sentinels had scoured the property before I arrived, probably while Dad kept me occupied, but I was careful in case my guest had returned to sleep off the day in the dark.

Casual, as if I had every right to be there, which of course I did, since it was my business, I flipped on the overhead light and stepped in. Bleach swamped my senses, and I saw why a second later. The blood was gone. Not a trace left behind. Nothing remained to prove the vampire had ever been here.

Except for a long gold chain strung with a single charm.

Mycharm.

The one I placed on the vampire to conceal his scent until I figured out what to do with him.

I picked it up, brought it to my nose, but he had bleached it too.

“Hey.” Sloane shoved in. “Ms. Moretti wants to know if you can dye Lulu yellow and not green.”

“Yellow always reminds me of urine stains,” I said stiffly, as she stood right where the vampire had been.

“I’ll see what I can do to convince her green will bring out the blue in Lulu’s eyes.” She coughed into her shoulder. “Keep the door open if you’re going to be much longer. These fumes can’t be good for you.”

“Thanks.” I clenched my fingers over my find. “I’ll do that.”

Alone in the shed, I growled at myself for not confiding in her, but old habits died hard.

I wasn’t even sure what I had hoped to accomplish in hiding the vampire, or the note.

But I was growing surer, intrigue aside, that I wanted to come clean to Sloane.

seven

Sloane metme at the side door with a basket of laundry. “You’re not a huffer, are you?”

“Uh.” The question cocked my eyebrow. “No?”

“Are you sure?” A teasing light entered her eyes, one I should have noticed before yesterday. “Two days in a row you’ve come in from the shed with a dazed look in your eyes and reeking of bleach.”

“Ugh.” I bent down and sniffed the top of my shirt. “Don’t remind me.”

“See?” She bumped the basket into me on her way to the dryer. “You couldn’t resist taking another hit.”

“Okay.” Laughing, I held up my hands. “You got me. I’m a huffer. I can’t get enough of that bleachy goodness.”

“I thought the cool kids inhaled superglue,” Bowie drawled, stepping around the corner with a bag of old chips he must have scavenged from the break room in his hand. “Are you too hip for that?”

“I am not, nor have I ever been, cool.” I snorted at him. “And who sayshipanymore?”

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