Page 5 of Cuddling Sucks in Coffins
“Another vampire, maybe?” Jacek asked from my other side.
I swallowed another bite of pie, its cinnamon sweetness delighting every taste bud. “What could a brand new vampire have done in such a short amount of time after rising to piss off another vampire though? The vampire had literally just crawled out from a grave.”
Eddie nodded, pacing away from the microwave while he waited for his mug of blood to finish heating. His white button-up dress shirt had come undone from his black pants and poked out like a tail. “Plus, the fact that this person, whoever it was, was inside the cemetery at night where new vampires tend to congregate. It feels deliberate. As if they wanted to be seen.”
“Or as if they couldn’t help it,” I said, blotting my mouth with a napkin. “Like me. If I procrastinate enough, my stomach starts cramping and my feet start itching unless I get to the graveyard.”
Eddie frowned as the microwave beeped. “We need more information.”
“What did their sword look like?” Sawyer asked.
“Uh.” I hadn’t been as focused on the sword as I had the person carrying it. Closing my eyes, I rewound my memory like a movie reel. “Black steel. It may have had some symbols etched into it. Sharp enough to reduce a vampire to confetti.”
Jacek glanced at Sawyer over my shoulder. “No bells are ringing from the description.”
Eddie strode toward the table, his sinful mouth puckered as he blew into his cup. His wild blond hair fell across his forehead and skimmed his glasses. “Should you see this person again, try to engage them in conversation. Even one detail might tell us who it is.”
“I sort of tried that already,” I said.” The only thing I got out of them was that they don’t think too highly of me.”
Jacek grinned. “All that tells us about them is that they’re an idiot. Hardly enough to go on, unfortunately.”
“I have a feeling I’ll see whoever it was again. I think they were sizing me up.” Kind of the story of my life lately. First impressions probably portrayed me as just some blonde with a messy bun, a wooden stake pushed through it Pebbles-style, and aDuck Talesshirt on. Nothing to take too seriously. Except I was dead serious about my forced role as the slayer, so much so that even Paul hadn’t taken me down. Yet. And I planned on keeping it that way by becoming the monster that could defeat another monster. So first impressions be damned. I was so much more than my appearance anyway, a lesson quickly learned by those on the wrong end of a stake.
Sawyer put his arm behind my back and massaged his fingertips into my shoulder, lessening some of the burden I carried there. “What did your slayer sense tell you about them?”
“That they’re not very impressed with me or what I do. That they could do better if I got out of the way.” I heaved a sigh. All of this made me feel severely off my game when I needed to be right on track. I couldn’t even open the trapdoor in the Appelt mausoleum with the shovel or blowtorch. “That they’re a slayer.”
Frowns crossed my vampires’ beautiful mouths, though I didn’t doubt for one second that they believed me. We had always been honest with each other, and I knew they valued it almost as much as I did.
Eddie started from the room, his mug in one hand, while he pushed his glasses higher on his nose. “I’ll do some reading on it after these damn law students stop asking me elementary questions.”
I smiled after him. Eddie worked as an online law librarian, that sexy brain of his constantly in use.
“Next time they ask a stupid question, insist on answering with an interpretive dance,” I called after him. My boss, Sylvia, and I always joked we’d do that at The Bean Dream next time someone asked if we sold coffee. It’s a coffee shop, people!
Eddie chuckled on his way out, his shoulders bouncing.
Jacek turned to me, wide-eyed. “Did you just make Smiley laugh?”
I grinned as I picked up my mug. “Probably.”
Sawyer rose from the table, taking his massaging fingers with him. “I’m supposed to be on shift right now, but I’ll help Eddie research as soon as I’m finished.”
My grin morphed into a wince. Sawyer worked for a suicide prevention hotline, and I hated that I was pulling him away from such important work. He strode out quickly.
That left Jacek and I sitting at the table next to each other in comfortable silence. Our expressions were both stuck on thoughtful frowns, so he snapped us both out of it by winking at me. I attempted to wink back, but it probably looked like I had something lodged inside my eye. He laughed, the sound bubbling happiness throughout the warm, cozy kitchen.
“Were we just having a scowling contest before you winked at me?” I asked.
“We don’t hold a candle to Eddie. He wins all the scowling contests unless you’re making him laugh.”
I grinned while studying the handsome cut of his jawline, the curve of his beautifully honed bare shoulders. “So what makes you so happy?”
His orange-yellow eyes crinkled in the corners. “You mean other than you?”
“Yeah.”
“Movement.”
