“Well, they are hot now!” Foxx huffed.
Wes chuckled. “I’d love a cookie. But why don’t we get seated first, hmm?”
“Right!” He cleared his throat.
They settled in the first half of his living room. Harlow and Foxx took a seat on one of his teal couches, while Wes took an adjacent plush gray chair.
The human quickly ate one of the sugar cookies, mumbling compliments as he finished and wiped his mouth off politely with a napkin, before folding it and setting it down on the coffee table.
“Now…tell me what’s happened. Why the secrecy?”
Foxx opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated, as really…there was more than one thing now, wasn’t there?
Was there…stilla need for secrecy? Harlow knew the council was still a problem, but…like…not talking about it over the phone wasn’t exactly going to prevent them from finding out at this point.
“I mean…the original reason we wanted you to come here, and why we couldn’t speak about it on the phone, is less…of an issue now…I suppose,” Harlow admitted with a shrug.
“It’s still an issue, just not completely for the reason we originally called you here,” Foxx corrected. “There is something else going on that we can’t tell you about. Tony might tell you, if you asked him, though. But the initial reasoning is still a thing. If we were to talk about this over the phone, or meet elsewhere, there are people who may hear things we don't want them to. As for why you are here…it’s because Harlow isn’t—or rather, wasn’t ever—human.”
Wes frowned, his brow pinching. “Wasn’t ever human?”
“I’m not sure if you know much about them… Well, here's the simple explanation… The vampire who kidnapped Harlow tried to change him. It didn’t go well for him, as Harlow, it turns out, was actually an unchanged dhampir.”
The human’s eyes widened. “A dhampir? I’ve…heard about them…but I never thought I’d get the chance to meet one.”
Harlow had to say, the man seemed oddly excited about the prospect… Like there was this spark in his gaze that made his hackles rise just a bit.
“Well, now you have,” Harlow drawled, before deadpanning, “Congrats.”
Foxx snorted.
Wes grimaced. “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you sooner, Harlow. I had some changes happen in my work life that has led to my normal hours being slashed in half. Changes you’ll find out about soon enough, so I suppose I should just tell you both now.”
His head tilted. “Changes?”
“I’ll be taking up the position of your Guild psychologist. Part time, of course, as I still have my own patients. But even before the offer, I had already begun cutting back my hours, in truth, in preparation to shift some of my focus to research.”
“You’re…going to be our new Guild psychologist?” Foxx asked slowly, though it had come out more like a statement.
“I mean, you’ll definitely be a step up from Johansson, I suppose,” Harlow scoffed. “But why would you accept the job if your interest is in research?”
Wes’ mouth twisted into a hesitant smile. “Well…”
“Ah…” Foxx sighed. “We’re what he’s studying.”
“Great… Lab rats…”
The human flinched at the words. “No… You are not lab rats. Me researching something doesn’t make those I’m studying lab rats. And no, hunters weren’t my original focus…but when I received the job offer, my interests shifted. I decided I wanted tostudy the effects that such a volatile job has on the psyche of both humans and paranormals alike. As for those I’ll be focusing on…well, the fact of the matter is…neither of you would be the right candidates for this research.”
Harlow chuckled. “Not normal enough, huh?”
“I am normal, thank you very much!” Foxx huffed in indignation.
Glancing over with a brow raised, he asked, “Foxx…who are you trying to lie to?”
The vampire met his gaze and stared for a moment, just glaring at him, before a giggle slipped out, followed by him smiling wide enough for his dimples, and one of his fangs, to show. “Okay…but…like, I’m more normal than you.”
Harlow smirked. “You are.”
