Page 44 of Blood and Bonbons

“A phone.”

“Phone?” He looked thoughtful for a moment. He then nodded and held it out to me. “I see.”

I grabbed Vena’s arm and dragged her down the stairs with me so I could take my phone from Cross.

“Good morning, Everly,” he said, steadily watching me.

“Did you sleep in our basement?” Vena asked.

The annoyance that flashed in his eyes didn’t bode well for us if he was the killer.

“Good morning, Cross,” I said, drawing his attention away from murdering Vena. “We were about to make pancakes. Please join us.”

Vena’s jaw dropped at me. Ignoring her, I tried for a friendly smile at Cross and forced myself to lead the way to the kitchen as if having a vampire walk behind me was no big deal.

“Your mood is far preferable to your companion’s,” Cross said from right behind me. “She reminds me of a fishwife.”

“She’s upset for a reason. We heard people are dying near a place we know, which is why she asked where you were last night.”

“Pardon?” His hardened tone warned me that we were walking a fine line.

Apparently, Vena was tone-deaf, though.

“My guess is that you woke up hungry and had a feeding frenzy.” Vena went straight to the kitchen cupboards like she wasn’t purposely antagonizing him.

I watched him as she continued.

“I don’t blame you. You had to be starving in that cave. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.”

Cross didn’t look hungry, per se, but he did look annoyed.

“In today’s world, you can’t kill humans or supernaturals for food,” I said, cautiously.

“I believe in a catch-and-release system.” His steely smirk was aimed at Vena, but it softened when he turned his attention to me. “I could show you if you like. It doesn’t hurt. Some have even described the experience as euphoric.”

“So, you didn’t kill anyone?” Vena asked.

He shook his head, his gaze never leaving me. “I will admit to killing the first rabbit I came across. As the fishwife stated, I was starving.”

Cross seemed to sense the doubtful look Vena shot his way.

“It’s a pity you cannot gain knowledge from me as I can from you,” he said, glancing at her. “One taste of my blood, and you would know I’ve done nothing but watch and learn these past days.”

“Wait, what?” I asked. “You can read the mind of the person you drink?”

He gave me a slightly disappointed look.

“I learn from the blood I consume. The small samples you provided gave me a glimpse of today’s world. Your world. Or rather, your life in it. A full feeding would give me a very intimate knowledge of you. Your hopes. Your dreams. Your secrets.”

“Are youkidding me?” Vena shot me an accusing look. “You might as well have strip teased in front of a peeping Tom’s window.”

“Hey. You’re the one who dragged me up the hill to the fairy hoard,” I said, briefly forgetting our audience. “I wouldn’t have been there or bleeding if you hadn’t tricked me.”

“Ladies. No need to quarrel,” Cross said smoothly. “You’ll simply need to trust that I didn’t kill anyone.”

Vena snorted. “We’re a long way from trust. Hurry up and get your daily question quota met. We have a lot to do today.”

“Like what?” he asked as he made himself comfortable at the kitchen table.

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