“I do,” I say, and Warin leans down and places a soft kiss against my lips.
“Yeah. My own sound proofed, vampire-free room stat. I might throw up.”
“Shut up, Gus,” I hiss at him.
“Keep her safe for me,” Warin says with a wink to Gus, who is now puffing out his chest.
“Oh, real smooth. You had the fairies and Gus convinced you were going to drain them dry, and now they’re all seeking your approval like lost puppies.”
“He knows talent when he sees it. Now, what do we need the grimoires for?”Gus asks.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Warin assures again, giving me a smirk, before zooming out of the room.
I sigh, plopping down on Warin’s bed. I’m still exhausted, but there’s so much that needs to be done.
“We need to figure out what it will take to get the vampires out of town, how to make sure the Slayer and Warin don’t kill each other. Oh, and there’s the whole thing where Warin will live forever and I won’t,” I pout about that last part, because it’s something that I’ve been keeping to myself.
Gus leaves his nest, a trail of crumbs following him on the floor as he hefts himself up on the bed and cradles himself against my arm.
Little shit definitely missed cuddling.
“I don’t know how to solve your first two problems. But I might have an idea for the one that seems to weigh on you heaviest.”
I glance down at Gus, and tilt my head.
“Me turning into a vampire is not an option.”
Gus snorts, like he’s disgusted by the thought.“Of course, it’s not an option. Disgusting. The only reason I’m okay with your vampire is because of the quality of life he can provide me, plus you, like, care for him or whatever.”
“What’s your idea then?”
“I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I’ll reach out to some of my contacts.”
“Are there a network of raccoon familiars who share information?” I joke, and Gus nips my arm. “Ouch, Gus.”
“Do you want my help or not, witch?”he asks.
“I want it,” I say, squeezing him harder. My body betrays me, too exhausted from my long night/day of activities with Warin, and I can’t help it when I drift off to sleep with Gus in my arms.
Chapter 32
Ember is passed out, my stomach churns when I think about why she’s so tired.
Disgusting.
What’s even more disgusting is what I’m about to do to ensure her happiness. But, in the long run, even I can agree the more time I get with my witch, the better.
The magic I’m thinking of is as old as time and complicated. I scurry out of the vampire’s room, knowing Ember is safe with the wards she’s placed. I might not have been pro-vampire from the start, but I can’t deny the change he’s had on her.
She trusts her magic more with the vampire. Not to mention I don’t think I’ve ever seen her as happy as I did when she strolled into the room this evening with a wide grin on her face.
Ember’s always been happy around others, but I see who she really is, when no one is around. She needed this, and if she needs help, it’s my job as her familiar to do whatever I can with my power.
So as much as it fucking pains me, I teleport off of the vampire’s property to the home of the familiar I think may help me.
The large purple mansion is overkill, though I can’t deny Violet and her wolf have substantially made it less tacky. I round the house where the gazebo is.
Sure enough, Walter is sunbathing, Marie next to him, though she doesn’t allow him to touch her paw.
