“It’s isolating,” I agreed, and that just reinforced my mission. “By the by, do you mind if I head to the community board for a moment? I’ve got to hang some things up.”
“Of course. I’ll order the first round for us whenever our server stops by.”
“Sounds grand.”
I tapped the top of his hand twice, our version of tipping our heads to each other, then got up with my binder full of flyers. I’d been to the speakeasy before, so I knew exactly where their community board was, and I couldn’t help but muse that it was rather telling that the spots were always bare outside of advertisements. Yet another way Naomi was right about the state of things and how we communicated with each other. Strange, how I hadn’t even noticed it until Naomi pointed out how separate we all were from each other, and that there were likely hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of other magical folks who were fighting tooth and nail to cut themselves down to size to fit into a community that would never accept them, never have their backs.
Clearly, the universe wanted me to practice my spiel, because after I hung up a flyer on either end of the board, I returned to my table only to be intercepted by two vampires I didnotexpect to see.
“Celestia,” I murmured, surprised by the long, flowing blonde tresses and deep brown eyes of the vampire who I oncefoolishly thought I was making a connection with. Now that those obsidian-colored glasses had been removed, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could have been so delusional. Her round, cherubic features were arranged in an expression that somehow exemplified both haughtiness and utter derision. How had I ever found that acceptable? Attractive? When Naomi looked at me, I always felt so… so… well, about a million things, but all of them good. “Vinicio.”
“Rowan,” Celestia said, voice sickly sweet in a poisonously nice way. The vampire beside her merely nodded at me, like he couldn’t be fucked to keep a proper greeting. No wonder we had such a bad reputation among wolf shifters. “I did not expect to see you here.”
“And why is that?” I asked shortly.
Satisfaction coursed through me when her eyes widened ever so slightly, as if she were shocked I would talk to her in such a way. Not that I was being outright rude, but I’d definitely been mooning over her before, and that was long over. I wasn’t tempted by her at all. Only baffled, really.
“Oh, well, you know… you don’t often leave your house when you’re on a project. I assumed, since it had been so long since you’d dropped by the coven hall, that you were off fixing some instrument or another.”
“I’ve been busy.”
My flat tones rattled her. And while it wasn’t healthy to gloat about it, it was kind of fun. A bit of the shoe being on the other foot.
“I see.” She batted her eyes at me. Once, that expression would have sparked hope that I’d found acceptance. Now, it just made me want to sigh and get to Iko, who actually liked me for me. “I’m glad to hear that you’re keeping yourself occupied. If you have an opening in your schedule, the liaison you set up for the coven has decided to discontinue trading with us, andwe’d love if you could put in a good word for us or connect us to someone new. We understand times are changing, but it was terribly convenient having a supply on demand. No having to glamour someone to feed from, knowing the blood is screened, or dealing with dead bodies from accidental overdrinking. You know how it is.”
“I do know,” I said simply.
Of course that was why they approached me.Of course.It was so sadly predictable, and yet the two in front of me didn’t even realize it. What a shallow fucking existence. They were the type of vamps who drove Ibrahim crazy. And if I was being honest, me too.
“So…” Celestia continued after an awkward pause. “Do you think you could do that?”
“If the liaison discontinued his trade, I’m sure he had his reasons. I trust his judgment.” Also, I was the one who’d told him a sugar-coated version of the coven basically using me for his supply. I hadn’t asked him to stop supplying them, but the fact that he had made me feel a whole lot better.
Now Celestia lookedreallysurprised, and the Count Dracula wannabe at her side actually managed to move his facial muscles. I was pretty sure he was going for angry, but he was so unwilling to do anything that might make him look anything less than perfect, so it was more like a model pout from Zoolander.
“You’ve always been so good at your deadpan, Rowan. I appreciate that about you.”
“Do you?”
“Of course! I do miss the times we spent conversing. I’ve completed several different works that are just begging for your commentary. You are so insightful.”
A few months ago, her saying that would have had me floating around in a daze for weeks. But I now knew what it was like to have someone genuinely cherish you, someone whowould never lie to me beyond a surprise party or birthday presents, so Celestia’s words grated against my skin.
“Is that so?” I could end the conversation just as abruptly as I had with Orthallow, but I didn’t. I liked to think I wasn’t often petty, but I was ready to rise to the occasion. “Funny, I thought you had plenty of your own that you were happy to fill the space with when I wasn’t there.”
“Pardon? I don’t follow.”
“You don’t? Maybe this will remind you. I’m not a real vampire, that between my personality and my albinism, it’s embarrassing to have me around. That the lot of you only tolerate me for the blood connection you’ve all lost.” I stared her down, daring her to tell me I was lying. “Any of that sound familiar?”
The both of them looked truly gobsmacked for a moment, and God, was that satisfying. Celestia scoffed. I could tell that she was trying to recover from being seen through and confronted, and perhaps I was a bit distracted by that, because she used some of her vampire speed to pluck my binder from under my arm and open it.
“Isthiswhat you’ve been busy with?” she taunted, looking down at the flyers like it was literal shit in her hand. “Magical Misfits Mixer? What, did you just learn what an alliteration was and want to show off?”
God, howpathetic.
She was trying to cut me down because I’d brought her down a notch and wasn’t worshipping the ground she walked on. I hoped that time would eventually bring her clarity, but currently, it was clear the great change of resurrection hadn’t managed to break her out of her high-school mean-girl mentality.
“It’s not an event for you,” I said, plucking my binder right back out of her hands. “Besides, I’m sure your time would bebetter spent finding a new supply. Perhaps a lower-quality blood dealer would be more up your alley.”
