Page 110 of Your Coffin or Mine
Moments later, I swoop over the abandoned cathedral not far into the forest and land on a branch to scout, my hackles raising immediately. The wind pushes familiar scents into my nostrils and annoyance flashes.Frank is here too.Doyle didn’t tell me about him. Frank probably found his own way onto my lands, as no one likes being alone with Jekyll in tight, unescapable spaces like a car with the way he annoyingly rambles.
I fly in through a broken window and morph as I land before them. Jekyll stands near the podium steps with his hands overlapped on top of his cane. Frank, the broody, quiet half-man, has his arms folded with his back against the wall. Neither react to my materialization. They knew I would come.
I growl in frustration before clearing my throat. “Gentlemen, isn’t this a surprise?”
“Good to see you, old friend,” Jekyll says, his blue jeans and black leather jacket not matching his cane and hat. Frank leans, unmoving, dressed similarly to Doyle, like a fucking peacock in a business suit.
“Yes, it seems after all this time, Doyle is getting his wish,” I say. Doyle’s been trying to get me to meet with them for over a century now. I just wish it wasn’t now—or ever. “All of us in one place.”
“The old blighter kept you entertained, then?” Jekyll asks, breaking me out of my reverie.
Jekyll has always been the most unpredictable of the bunch, and I don’t care for the wild look in his eye. The concoctions he drinks often make him appear inebriated, but he has a cunningand intellectual mind. He makes most mad scientists from the past seem tame.
“So tell me, where is the delectable Hilda? I bet the old bag of bones has only grown more lovely with time,” he says, lifting his cane as he shrugs.
“No one is touching Hilda,” I bite out. “And what the fuck are you all doing here?”
Frank waves his hand. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Vlad,” Frank says, his gray eyes narrowing on me. Not one for humor, he sneers. “What? You think I wouldn’t know about your new human pet? I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“My business is my own, Frank, and as ever, keep your nose out of it,” I say, wishing Doyle would hurry up. I am sure it’s his fault these imbeciles are here, as much as Frank would love to make me believe otherwise.
Doyle finally shows up, lightly sweating but mostly fine. The old dog is used to running long lengths, just not as fast as I can fly. I take in his disheveled appearance.
“What the fuck happened to you? It’s been five seconds,” I say incredulously.
“The fucking chef is trying to poison me,” he says furiously, his eyes flashing yellow. He shakes his head and his eye turn to normal. “Never mind. It’s not important.”
Jekyll, Frankenstein, the wolf, and I all in one place? It bodes ill.
I vaguely wonder how in the hell Frank knows about Aubrey, and I question if perhaps Doyle is at fault for all of this. The only one who knows how much I care for her is my friend and confidant.
I give him an untrusting look as he stands beside me, and he gives me a confused one since he’s just arrived.
If he’s betrayed me, I’ll flay him and put his head on a spike like the old days. My claws elongate, ready to tear into flesh. I’mtoo old, too tired for all this—and too damn desperate to return to Aubrey and make sure she’s safe.
Jekyll grins in delight at my fangs, and his eyes start to glow a bright, deep green. “If you want to play, Vlad, all you had to do was say.”
Growling, unsure if my new costume can handle the type of brawling Jekyll enjoys, I make my fangs and claws disappear.
“He looks testier than usual, Doyle,” Jekyll says, straightening his jacket, and he tips his cane. “Have you not been taking care of our blood sucker? He hasn’t been this way in, well, I can’t remember how long. Is something wrong in paradise, Daddy Dracula?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Don’t call me that.”
“Well, perhaps had you checked in more often, you would understand more about his state of wellbeing,” Doyle snarls at them both. “It has not been the easiest of centuries, as I am sure you have guessed by now, but really, you have no fucking idea.”
“Et tu, brutus?”
“He had me fucking fire my own employee for an oversight to some human, so I think I have some idea,” Frank snaps, finally pulling away from the wall.
“Yes, and I am sure he had his reasons,” Doyle fires back.
Frank points a finger and waves it between us both. “This entire situation is entirely unacceptable. Why did no one inform me of the ludicrous idea to open up a hotel? Did none of you learn anything from what happened? We arenotfor humans. When I learned of Vlad’s playmate, I nearly choked a minion to death. Well, tomoredead.”
Doyle laughs at this, and the sound is hollow. “Times have changed, have they not? Mr. CEO ofTalbotGlobal.”
How do they know about her already?
I blink, and something that feels oddly close to betrayal registers in my sternum. “What happened, Doyle? Did you justcasually give them updates every day? Abused by my one true friend, or so I thought.” My eyes begin to glow red.
