Vail’s tone softened, her concern evident. “Rosie, you can’t keep going from town to town doing this to yourself. You’ll get caught eventually, and I need you this time. You’ll ruin this for a lot of Vampires if you’re selfish.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it.
Vail’s eyebrows shot up, and her eyes widened. She set the glass down on the table with a little too much force, the clink echoing in the room. Her arms, previously crossed defensively, now hung at her sides as she studied me with a mix of disbelief and relief.
“What? You weren’t expecting me to apologize?” I asked her.
“No, actually, I wasn’t.”
“Well, Vail, I’ve changed in the last fifteen years since you’ve seen me,” I said, taking a sip from her glass of blood. It tasted bitter, like metal, and I forced it down my throat. I hated this blood, but I needed to curb my appetite if I was going to leave the house today. I couldn’t let myself slip up again. But I could feel my skin crawling with an itch I couldn’t scratch.
“Seventeen,” she said.
“What?”
“It’s been seventeen years since you’ve seen me, actually.”
“Time flies,” I murmured, feeling a pang of guilt. A hundred years together, and then nothing. Seventeen years of silence. Funny how easily love can fade when you finally let it.
Vail’s gaze drifted into the distance for a moment before refocusing on me. “Anyway, forget about that. Can you help me with something today?” Vail asked me.
“What do you need?”
“There is a book I need. This bookstore in town might have it. Can you go check for me?”
“Why can’t you get it?” I questioned, propping my feet up on the table. Vail promptly pushed my feet off, a clear display of her frustration. Maybe it would be good to get out of the house for a bit.
“Because you need to get out of the house and I can’t go into the store since it’s only open during daylight hours,” she retorted firmly.
My hand found my necklace, and I played with it, looking out the kitchen window at the snow beginning to fall. “I’ll go in the morning.” I told her, “What’s the book?”
“It’s a new book on medicinal plants, specifically those in Lakeview. I’ve been researching how this Vampire drug is made, trying to identify the ingredients so I might create a remedy.”
“It’s kind of crazy that someone’s spending the time to make this stuff,” I commented, shaking my head at the thought.
“Yeah, and George thought he was getting close to the dealer, but now we’re back to square one,” Vail said. She knew it meant resorting to drinking people’s blood to extracttheir memories for our investigation. A method that could end badly for us.
“We’ll figure something out,” I reassured her, though uncertainty lingered in my own mind.
When dawn broke, I ventured out into the snowy morning. I zipped up my large, puffy coat, and the crisp air cut at my cheeks. I squinted up at the sky, where the sun was again obscured by heavy, snow-filled clouds.
I decided to stretch my legs, opting to walk to the bookstore instead of driving. That’s what I liked about these small towns: everyone walked around, regardless of the weather. People were out, walking their dogs, students walking with coffee cups to class. I listened to the sound of my shoes with each step, the melting snow crunching underneath—anything to take my mind off how vulnerable I was feeling for crying in Vail’s arms the other night. I was embarrassed that a human had made me feel that way.
I spotted the book shop on the corner of a street, the quaint red building with a small café attached to the side. In front of the store, people stood holding coffees, chatting away, undeterred by the gently falling snow.
I started to walk across the street but then stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Connor and Amber in front of the shop together. My heart raced, and I felt suffocated by my winter coat. I needed to take it off, I felt too confined. I rounded the corner, avoiding their gaze, not wanting Connor to see me.
“Shit, shit,” I muttered to myself as I walked away. Would I be avoiding him the whole time I stayed in town?
The truth was, I couldn’t pinpoint why I felt such a surge of jealousy at the sight of Connor and Amber together. Maybe it was because, despite my immortality, I yearned for connections, and seeing them together triggered an ache in me. It reminded me of Vail’s comment that Vampire-humanrelationships were doomed. Draven’s image surfaced in my mind, the ghost of our connection once again finding its way to the forefront of my thoughts.
Glancing back around the corner, I saw Amber making her way down the street and Connor slipping into the bookshop. An impulse guided my steps as I trailed behind Amber through the snowy street.
What am I doing?I thought as I followed her at a short distance. Her fiery red hair swayed behind her, falling in perfect curls that seemed to mock me, and she entered a chain café. The bell above the door chimed as I entered. The warmth of the place was a stark contrast to the frosty exterior.
Amber was met with a burst of excitement from the barista. “Amber!” She exclaimed, rushing over and engulfing her in a tight hug. “You’re back!”
“I’m back!” Amber replied, her voice filled with genuine enthusiasm.
