Page 56 of The HalloQueen

“Oui, just a long day.” Shaking off the cloud that loomed over me, I extended a hand to Trae, “Hello, Trae.”

He took my hand, shaking it roughly and his anger seeped through to me. I quickly dropped contact with him - I’d told Annabel I wouldn’t feed from others and this man wouldn’t be the reason I failed.

“Hey, Bels was acting weird this afternoon. You got anything to do with that?” He asked gruffly.

“I just left her place, she’s fine.”

Shannon tilted her head, “We are going out for a few more drinks, want to go with us? I don’t have my kids tonight and I’m not wasting the night off! We could text Bels and see if she wants to come back out now that you’re here.”

I warmed at the idea of doing something as simple as a double date with my beautiful girl but knew that it wasn’t the time. “Thank you, Shannon, but you and Trae should enjoy your evening. I am just walking off my thoughts.”

“Okay, well here, give me your phone.” I took it out and handed it to her and she quickly typed out a text to herself so I’d have her number, “Figure if you’re with Bels you should have some way to get a hold of me if you need me. Especially while we are at work - she is absolutely terrible about leaving her cell on airplane mode.”

I couldn’t hide the small smile remembering the night we’d watched a cake competition and she’d gone on a full rant about my vampire magic somehow kicking her phone off of airplane mode and stopping her filming multiple times - as if such a thing was even possible.

“Thank you, Shannon. I appreciate it. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me either, I’m sure if I have problems reaching her at work that you must have the same when she’s at home. We can work as each other’s answering service.”

She laughed. Her laugh was higher than Annabel’s. Where Annabel had a lower and rhythmic way of speaking, Shannon’s voice was much more stereotypically feminine and her laugh almost sounded like chirping. “Sounds good, Tommy. We’ll see you later, yeah?”

Nodding, I gestured for them to pass me, “Of course. Have a good night.”

Trae guided Shannon past him, possessively placing his hand on her bottom which was noticeably flatter than Bels’ despite her pear like shape and he glared at me for even following him with my gaze.

Quaker's Wharf in the Fall was so different than when we lived in Boston. It was amazing how a half-hour car ride could make all the difference. In Boston, our haunted tour business would be exploding with drunken college kids and vloggers, and I’d be filled to the brim off happy Red Sox fans. The buzz of living in a city, no matter which city, was so different than a small coastal town whose whole tourism industry was based on the fact that they’d murdered a bunch of women hundreds of years ago over toxic bread.

This small town loved witches now. It was because of the town’s sordid history that many people made their livelihoods. It made you wonder how the Puritans would react to a bunch of young girls celebrating a birthday by heading down to a local shop to make their own broomsticks, or that you could get magic wands for chopsticks at the sushi place.

I wandered well into the night, unwilling to return to my air mattress, and resigned myself to a night flight to see some lights and exhaust myself. I’d been sitting on an empty patch of beach, removing my shoes and socks when the crunching footsteps sounded and the scent of chai tea and cinnamon wafted to me.

“Ah, there you are. You have been quite busy, my friend. Your scent is all over this town.”

I froze, recognizing the voice. When I turned, I saw him leaning against a tree with the same kind smile he’d greeted me with for 200 years. He had been there through so much, we had been together longer than mortals and their grandchildren’s lives, but not for the past year. I’d been alone for a year and had lost everything. I opened my mouth, gaping like a fish, trying to sort through the questions my mind was screaming. Was I happy to see him? Where was Monique? Why now? Were they okay? Did they need help?

“It is good to see you, Thomas.” He pushed off the tree and walked toward me but my hand shot up to indicate he should keep his distance.

“Yusuf,” my mind and body fought between falling into old habits and hugging and kissing him hello, or if I wanted to punch him in the face for scaring me into chasing them around the world. “Yusuf…it’s-”

“I know, my love, it’s been a while.”

“Yusuf, where the fuck have you been?”

23

ANNABEL

I’d spent the night curled up on the couch with Tim. I kept telling myself Thomas would come back, but he never did. It wasn’t until the sun rose the following morning that my heart sank. Maybe I’d freaked out and pushed him too hard, but for him to just leave after what we did? To leave me feeling insecure and vulnerable especially after announcing his ex was back? I pulled the blanket up closer to my face and checked my phone. Not a single text. Not a single call. Did he find Yusuf? Were they working it out? Thomas had said he wouldn’t open himself up to that again, but that was before he’d left me. He’d walked away like he hadn’t just shattered me from the inside out without as much as looking back.

Sitting up, I held my head in my hands and sniffled. I couldn’t let myself fall apart over a guy I’d been fucking for a week. Seven days! I was a strong, confident, independent woman and didn’t need anyone else to make my life have value. I made my own and created my own joy. Using the side of my pointer fingers, I swiped beneath my eyes to clean off any mascara flakes and blew a raspberry. Fucking men.

I couldn’t even remember what I’d said to him in the heat of the moment. I was out of my mind with lust and anger - I’m sure I would have apologized if he’d stuck around if I’d known he was upset. A loud meow echoed through the room when Tim jumped up onto my lap, purring and coiling himself in the hole of my crossed legs. “I know, he isn’t here, so you’re starving aren’t you?” I spoke softly, scratching his ears and looking out the front window to the street through the lace curtains. My house suddenly felt hollow. There weren’t French curses spewing from my kitchen or the sound of gentle kisses trailing up my back to wake me up. He wasn’t humming to my plants or feeding my cat.

I shook myself repeating over and over that he’d followed me. He’d stalked me. He’d scared me and then he walked away. Also, he was a fucking raven! What kind of vampire is a raven? At least if he got so mad he left, he wouldn’t make me pay for his move or give him a stake in my company. We’d never discussed if this failed because of him - I don’t think he ever thought that was a possibility, so he’d never said anything about it.

He had said that I was everything. His everything.

Scoffing, I placed Tim on the floor and got up, straightening the robe I’d passed out in, and grabbed the empty wine bottle and glass from the coffee table before heading into the kitchen. My late-night bowl of cereal was still in the sink and rainbows projected throughout the room through the crystal that my mom had hung in my window when I moved in. Shit, I’d been so drowned in dick town that hadn’t even checked in on my moms for days. So much for being a helpful daughter.

I resolved that I’d call them on my way to work and quickly fed Tim, hitting the brew button on my coffee pot. The room felt beautiful and peaceful, but devoid of energy until the machine made a horrible dry grinding noise and I remembered that Thomas had been making the coffee all week and I hadn’t set it up last night. How the hell had he dug his claws in so much in such a short amount of time? I slapped the button off, cussing at it and threatening to replace it, then walked from plant to plant, sticking my finger in their soil to ensure everyone would make it through the odd vibes.

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