touch, which was a nice change of pace. “One of the men knocked me into the corner of the shelf.”
He mouth twitched down. “Are you or are you not, a vampire?”
I crossed my arms, not appreciating his condescending tone. All in all, I thought I’d done pretty well in the struggle. There were four demon-like (probably not demons) men and I didn’t even wake up Izzy. If anything, he should be telling me how great I did.
“You could lift a car if you wanted to. You can move faster than any of them. Now tell me, with all of that in mind, how did you get injured?”
“A small car,” I mumbled.
“But you get what I’m saying. There’s no reason any of them should have escaped or even have touched you, unless you let them. Did you let them? Did you need them to hurt you so you wouldn’t feel bad about hurting them?”
I pushed back my boiling emotions. I saw his point, but apparently he couldn’t see mine. “You know, waking up one day like this doesn’t actually change years and years of learned behavior. I didn’t become a completely different person. I’m still me. Boring, regular me. And regular people don’t go around being attacked for no reason—or smiting their enemies in a heartbeat. So I’m sorry if I don’t live up to your expectations. I don’t have a killer instinct. I was protecting myself, not attacking. I was hoping for a peaceful resolution when he hit me and knocked me into the shelf. No, I didn’t want to be hurt, but it’s fine. I managed.”
Phoenix opened his mouth to say something that probably would have pissed me off, but his phone lit up and he glanced at it instead of speaking. “I have to go. Don’t tell anyone about what happened.”
“Wait. What about those guys? What if they come back?”
He didn’t look up. “Don’t let them get away again. I don’t care who you were, this is who you are. You can do more than just manage. Stop holding yourself back.” He looked up. “Have you been adequately pepped.”
“You suck at pep talks.” Though I did feel better. “But who is Val—”
He pressed his finger to my lips. “Stop saying her name,” he said. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. No one will come to your store or house again—and if they do, I have every confidence you can handle it.”
I was getting really sick of him disappearing on me. I stared into the spot he’d just been, where now only wisps of smoke remained.
“All finished,” Ethel announced.
I went into the living room, prepared for gore, but everything looked exactly as it had before, except for two large black bags next to the front door.
She handed me a business card. “I’ve never worked with a human before, but any friend of Phoenix is a friend of mine.”
I locked the door behind her, pulled down my lower eyelid, and removed the dry, itchy contacts that hid the redness of my eyes. I had eaten enough today that even if Izzy woke up, she probably wouldn’t notice. Energy still coursed through me, despite how much I had consumed and there was no way I would be able to keep still. Not tonight. Not after everything that had happened. But there was nothing to do. My matchbox-sized house was the cleanest it had probably ever been. I could cook, but then I couldn’t eat any of it. Television required too much sitting and so did reading. What I really wanted to do was talk, but it was the middle of the night and I no longer had anyone to really talk to in my pathetic life. Maybe I should join a gym.
My phone chirped in my pocket. I glanced down, expecting Phoenix, but saw Boone’s name instead. My stomach sank. Could something the two of us have done gotten Valefor’s attention?
“Hello?” my voice cracked.
“Were you sleeping?” Boone asked. He was quiet, but sounded perfectly alive and not at all injured.
I lowered onto the couch, relief washing over me. “Sleep and I haven’t seen eye to eye in a while.”
“Right. I knew that.” The quiet baritone of his
He mouth twitched down. “Are you or are you not, a vampire?”
I crossed my arms, not appreciating his condescending tone. All in all, I thought I’d done pretty well in the struggle. There were four demon-like (probably not demons) men and I didn’t even wake up Izzy. If anything, he should be telling me how great I did.
“You could lift a car if you wanted to. You can move faster than any of them. Now tell me, with all of that in mind, how did you get injured?”
“A small car,” I mumbled.
“But you get what I’m saying. There’s no reason any of them should have escaped or even have touched you, unless you let them. Did you let them? Did you need them to hurt you so you wouldn’t feel bad about hurting them?”
I pushed back my boiling emotions. I saw his point, but apparently he couldn’t see mine. “You know, waking up one day like this doesn’t actually change years and years of learned behavior. I didn’t become a completely different person. I’m still me. Boring, regular me. And regular people don’t go around being attacked for no reason—or smiting their enemies in a heartbeat. So I’m sorry if I don’t live up to your expectations. I don’t have a killer instinct. I was protecting myself, not attacking. I was hoping for a peaceful resolution when he hit me and knocked me into the shelf. No, I didn’t want to be hurt, but it’s fine. I managed.”
Phoenix opened his mouth to say something that probably would have pissed me off, but his phone lit up and he glanced at it instead of speaking. “I have to go. Don’t tell anyone about what happened.”
“Wait. What about those guys? What if they come back?”
He didn’t look up. “Don’t let them get away again. I don’t care who you were, this is who you are. You can do more than just manage. Stop holding yourself back.” He looked up. “Have you been adequately pepped.”
“You suck at pep talks.” Though I did feel better. “But who is Val—”
He pressed his finger to my lips. “Stop saying her name,” he said. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. No one will come to your store or house again—and if they do, I have every confidence you can handle it.”
I was getting really sick of him disappearing on me. I stared into the spot he’d just been, where now only wisps of smoke remained.
“All finished,” Ethel announced.
I went into the living room, prepared for gore, but everything looked exactly as it had before, except for two large black bags next to the front door.
She handed me a business card. “I’ve never worked with a human before, but any friend of Phoenix is a friend of mine.”
I locked the door behind her, pulled down my lower eyelid, and removed the dry, itchy contacts that hid the redness of my eyes. I had eaten enough today that even if Izzy woke up, she probably wouldn’t notice. Energy still coursed through me, despite how much I had consumed and there was no way I would be able to keep still. Not tonight. Not after everything that had happened. But there was nothing to do. My matchbox-sized house was the cleanest it had probably ever been. I could cook, but then I couldn’t eat any of it. Television required too much sitting and so did reading. What I really wanted to do was talk, but it was the middle of the night and I no longer had anyone to really talk to in my pathetic life. Maybe I should join a gym.
My phone chirped in my pocket. I glanced down, expecting Phoenix, but saw Boone’s name instead. My stomach sank. Could something the two of us have done gotten Valefor’s attention?
“Hello?” my voice cracked.
“Were you sleeping?” Boone asked. He was quiet, but sounded perfectly alive and not at all injured.
I lowered onto the couch, relief washing over me. “Sleep and I haven’t seen eye to eye in a while.”
“Right. I knew that.” The quiet baritone of his
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