did the little bugger from down the hall return the money he’d stolen and swear he’d never break in again, but my landlord decided to change my locks and fit a bolt, free of charge.”
“Well that was a good day,” Holt said, still giving nothing away.
I grinned. Was he really going to sit there and pretend he had nothing to do with it?
“Oh and Mr Jackson said to tell you that he did what you’d asked and that he also has unpickable locks now, so if you have any further complaints, you’ll have to knock.”
Holt lost his look of innocence and frowned. “Bloody hell, I told him not to mention me.”
“Well, in all fairness, he didn’t. I figured it out and asked if he’d had a run in with you; he just didn’t deny it.”
“You figured it out?” Holt asked.
“Well yeah, it wasn’t that difficult,” I laughed. “I mean neither Ben nor Mr Jackson have ever been the least bit scared of me and yet there they were with their tails tucked between their legs and almost trembling in fear. Do I even want to know what you did to them?”
“I didn’t do anything. I just had a little chat with them,” Holt said.
“A chat?” I said sceptically.
“Yes, I can be very persuasive.”
I raised my eyebrows, “Clearly, and I’m very grateful that you are.”
A small smile touched Holt’s mouth but he squirmed a little and glanced down at his hands. It dawned on me that he was uncomfortable with my gratitude. It felt good to have learned something about him, even if it was something as simple as the fact that he clearly wasn’t one for sentimental moments. I had to hold back a smile as I tried to imagine how he would react if I threw my arms around him and gave him a great big bear hug.
“I’m glad you called,” Holt said, eager to change the topic.
“Well, I’m not sure you’ll be thinking that when you leave,” I admitted. “I have a whole list of questions I want to ask.”
Holt smiled, “I thought you might.”
I wriggled in my seat a little so that I could reach the folded pieces of paper in my back pocket. I flipped them open to reveal a page load of questions that I’d jotted down over the last couple of days.
Holt’s eyebrows lifted. “Better get started with those now, then; don’t you have to be at work by six?”
I chose to ignore his sarcasm and started with the interrogation.
“Are the stories about churches, crosses and holy water true?” I asked, although I expected I already knew the answer. After all, I’d never had a problem with any of them.
“Most of them are myths,” Holt confirmed. “We’re not affected by holy water, churches, crosses, garlic or daylight.”
“Daylight doesn’t bother you at all?”
“No, and we don’t sleep in coffins either.”
That had been a question from further down my list. I wasn’t sure if he’d mentioned it because it was appropriate or because he’d somehow seen it from across the room, but I tilted my list slightly away from him anyway. Some of the questions had been difficult to word and so I’d written them rather bluntly. I didn’t want to risk him seeing and getting upset.
“What about stakes?” I asked.
“True,” he replied. “The only ways to kill a vampire are by either fully decapitating him with something made of silver or wood, or piercing his heart with a sharp wooden or silver object like a stake or a dagger.”
“You said ‘him’, does that meant there aren’t female vampires?”
“There are, but they’re a lot rarer than the males.”
“And how is it that you can’t die from anything else?” I was aware the question sounded blunt and decided to try to sugar-coat the rest of them.
“Our blood has healing qualities.”
I’d thought that might be the case. I’d almost cut my attacker’s face in half and it had healed within a minute.
“So you can heal any wound? Even if you fell from a multi-storey building?”
“Yes. Older vampires
“Well that was a good day,” Holt said, still giving nothing away.
I grinned. Was he really going to sit there and pretend he had nothing to do with it?
“Oh and Mr Jackson said to tell you that he did what you’d asked and that he also has unpickable locks now, so if you have any further complaints, you’ll have to knock.”
Holt lost his look of innocence and frowned. “Bloody hell, I told him not to mention me.”
“Well, in all fairness, he didn’t. I figured it out and asked if he’d had a run in with you; he just didn’t deny it.”
“You figured it out?” Holt asked.
“Well yeah, it wasn’t that difficult,” I laughed. “I mean neither Ben nor Mr Jackson have ever been the least bit scared of me and yet there they were with their tails tucked between their legs and almost trembling in fear. Do I even want to know what you did to them?”
“I didn’t do anything. I just had a little chat with them,” Holt said.
“A chat?” I said sceptically.
“Yes, I can be very persuasive.”
I raised my eyebrows, “Clearly, and I’m very grateful that you are.”
A small smile touched Holt’s mouth but he squirmed a little and glanced down at his hands. It dawned on me that he was uncomfortable with my gratitude. It felt good to have learned something about him, even if it was something as simple as the fact that he clearly wasn’t one for sentimental moments. I had to hold back a smile as I tried to imagine how he would react if I threw my arms around him and gave him a great big bear hug.
“I’m glad you called,” Holt said, eager to change the topic.
“Well, I’m not sure you’ll be thinking that when you leave,” I admitted. “I have a whole list of questions I want to ask.”
Holt smiled, “I thought you might.”
I wriggled in my seat a little so that I could reach the folded pieces of paper in my back pocket. I flipped them open to reveal a page load of questions that I’d jotted down over the last couple of days.
Holt’s eyebrows lifted. “Better get started with those now, then; don’t you have to be at work by six?”
I chose to ignore his sarcasm and started with the interrogation.
“Are the stories about churches, crosses and holy water true?” I asked, although I expected I already knew the answer. After all, I’d never had a problem with any of them.
“Most of them are myths,” Holt confirmed. “We’re not affected by holy water, churches, crosses, garlic or daylight.”
“Daylight doesn’t bother you at all?”
“No, and we don’t sleep in coffins either.”
That had been a question from further down my list. I wasn’t sure if he’d mentioned it because it was appropriate or because he’d somehow seen it from across the room, but I tilted my list slightly away from him anyway. Some of the questions had been difficult to word and so I’d written them rather bluntly. I didn’t want to risk him seeing and getting upset.
“What about stakes?” I asked.
“True,” he replied. “The only ways to kill a vampire are by either fully decapitating him with something made of silver or wood, or piercing his heart with a sharp wooden or silver object like a stake or a dagger.”
“You said ‘him’, does that meant there aren’t female vampires?”
“There are, but they’re a lot rarer than the males.”
“And how is it that you can’t die from anything else?” I was aware the question sounded blunt and decided to try to sugar-coat the rest of them.
“Our blood has healing qualities.”
I’d thought that might be the case. I’d almost cut my attacker’s face in half and it had healed within a minute.
“So you can heal any wound? Even if you fell from a multi-storey building?”
“Yes. Older vampires
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