Page 23 of The Doctor's Wolf: Part Two
Mil looked over to Adler and bit her bottom lip, obviously shy.
“This is Milea,” the Lar said.“Milea, this is Maxim.He’s my boss.”
The girl perked up.“The one who introduced Gordon to Adler?”
Adler couldn’t keep himself from giggling, and Maxim moaned.“Once, I had hopes higher than the tallest mountain of seeing them mated promptly, but—oh woe!—they were stubborn, thick-headed, and prone to running off or running after.Say, Milea, do you think a vampire can outrun a wolf?”
The girl hesitated, then said, “Not for long.And we can track.Vampires are easy to track.”
Maxim leaned over the counter.“Is that so?”
The girl nodded, hesitant with the eye contact.
Adler smiled at her fondly.“Not all are, but Mil has a good nose.”
Maxim turned in his chair.“Hm.You’re saying this is a famous tracker-to-be?Madame Milea, I find myself even more delighted with your presence behind my bar.”
“Thanks,” Mil mumbled before returning her attention to the gimlet.
The donor on Maxim’s other side took the cocktail Mil made for her and respectfully gave the vampire’s theatrics some room.The fae followed suit, possibly afraid Maxim might break into soliloquy.Only a few of the donors remained.Perhaps they were too drunk to care about Maxim’s poetic ambitions.
Clement looked at Adler.“I told her she can come here again whenever.”
Mil looked at Adler too.“Can I really?”
Adler wasn’t sure why Mil wasn’t in a ball on the floor right now, crying for her granny.If he were honest, he had kind of expected that, but he was glad she was well, not glad the Lar had taught her how to make gimlets perhaps, but glad she seemed to be doing okay.
“Sure, Mil.”Adler looked to Clement.“If that’s alright with you of course.”
The Lar turned to his acidic self once more.“I offered.Why on earth wouldn’t it be?Did I not explain to you downstairs that I am perfectly capable of taking care of a child?”
“Ah, Clement, your sunny disposition always brightens every drinker’s day.Isn’t that just so?”Maxim asked the assembled donors, who mumbled their excuses and found tables at the other end of the room, possibly sensing a looming villanelle.
“You scared them away,” Mil told Maxim.
The vampire grinned at her and showed off his teeth.“But look,” he said.“I’m not scary at all.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”said Heath, who had approached them silently, his skill at being sneaky just as good as Maxim’s.“Old bat, could you not scary-grin at the child, please?And you—” Heath pointed at Clement.“The two of us need to have a conversation about underage drinking.”
Mil looked as if she were shrinking on her chair.
“Oh, Miss Milea, don’t worry about Heath,” Maxim said.“He’s my son, though I’m afraid I failed him in my parenting when I did not provide him with—”
“And don’t you fucking say crayons again, old bat, or I swear I will make you do your own fucking paperwork for a month.”Heath sat down on Maxim’s other side.“Hello, Milea.Adler.”
Maxim cleared his throat.“Language, darling.”
Heath looked confused.“Yeah, I’m using language.Do you want me to resort to expressive dance?”
“He means you shouldn’t curse in front of children.”Mil glanced up from her shaker.
Heath blinked.“Oh.Didn’t realize that was a rule.Well, fuck me—uhm.Dear me?”
“My granny says cursing is important, actually, just not to curse too much in front of adults or they will think I wasn’t raised right.She says cursing is a life skill.”
Clement nodded.“Smart woman.”
“That she is.”And hopefully, she’ll be better soon to teach Mil all the curses.
