“We can’t do that!” Caleb cried. “What’s my boss gonna think? And my coworkers? I’m just a guy working the night shift, they’re not gonna understand why I randomly have a bodyguard! I mean, not that I don’t appreciate what you’re doing, and I sure as hell don’t wanna get killed by Margaret, but…”
I reached over and put my hand firmly on Caleb’s shoulder. He froze up.
“Trust me,” I said. “I have it under control.”
The anxiety in his eyes faded. “Okay.”
Caleb waited on the curb after I told him not to go anywhere, then I parked the car in the employee section of the lot. I took one last protective glance at my car.
If any humans touch it, I swear I’ll suck the life out of them...
I returned to Caleb. “Ready?”
“I guess so.” He took in a deep breath. “Okay. Hopefully this won’t be weird…”
We entered through the front door. Brightly lit aisles and arrays of colorful packaging greeted us. A few customers roamed around, picking up late night snacks.
The only thing I didn’t like was the fluorescent lights beaming down at us. I scowled a bit, but tried to ignore them. At least they wouldn’t set me on fire.
A young woman at the front counter perked up when she saw us. “Caleb! Hey!”
“Hi, Jess!” Caleb smiled and raised a hand to greet her.
“Hello, sir,” Jess said to me. “Can I help you find anything?”
“No need. I’m not here to shop, but thank you for the offer.”
She blinked, a little confused by my statement, but said, “Um… Okay. Anyway, how was your mini-vacation, Caleb?”
He joined her behind the counter. “It was good and bad. I got to see my brother, finally. And he’s, like,reallypregnant. It was so weird to finally see it in person. It was like… Woosh!” He made a brain exploding gesture.
Jess laughed. “So crazy! When was the last time you saw him, ages ago, right?”
“It felt like it, yeah,” Caleb said a little sadly. “But it’s all good now. Actually, Benji’s mate - his name is Pierce - he’s the one who offered me a place to stay.”
Jess gasped. “No way! You’re not living in that crappy apartment anymore? No offense.”
“None taken. No, I live on the fancy Tenebrae estates now.”
Her jaw dropped. “That rich-ass mansion place? You’re joking.”
“Totally not joking,” Caleb assured her. “It’s as cool as it looks, by the way.”
With a laugh, Jess said, “Cool but kinda creepy. I mean, it looks like vampires live there!”
For a brief moment, Caleb’s eyes flashed to me. Then he quickly looked back to Jess and gave a fake laugh that she apparently bought. “Yeah, totally. Just likeAbyss Blood Saga.”
“Yeah!”
Watching Caleb and Jess, I felt a strange pang of jealousy. Their conversation was so lively and animated. So comfortable. Nothing like the way Caleb and I spoke when we were alone together. What did this human girl have that I didn’t? Why could Caleb get along with her so well, but not me? Was I doing something wrong?
No, it can’t be. I’ve lived decades longer than Caleb. Even if I am a vampire, if anyone should know more about human interaction, it should be me.
At that moment, a door behind the counter opened and an older man trudged out. He wore a different colored shirt and I saw the text above his name badge that readLewis: MANAGER.
“There you are, Caleb,” Lewis said. “Good to see you in on time.”
Caleb tried not to make a face, and I shared his offended sentiment. We weren’t just on time, we were early. I made sure of it.
