You run your hand down the blade, jerking back with an “Ouch!” as you accidentally cut yourself.
Oops.
“That was supposed to be a joke, human,” Ziros says darkly, and before you realize what’s happening, he grabs your hand, pulling your finger into his mouth.
What the?
Oh, right:Vampire.
You look away, blushing. For some reason, this feels way too intimate, but also a little awkward.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s just a tiny cut,” you grumble as you pull your still-bleeding finger away.
Shoving your tiny sword back in its tiny sheath, you pocket the whole thing and pinch your wounded finger with your other hand.
Man, now youreallyhope Lizzie hasn’t been watching out the window.
“Ha,” Ziros says, narrowing his eyes at you like he’s trying to decide how life-threatening a tiny finger cut would be for a human. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one whose immortal life is now wagered on the ability of a very accident-prone human to stay out of trouble.”
“I’m hardly accident-prone!” You protest as you follow Ziros deeper into the alley, scanning for trash all the way. “I’ll have you know, my life was perfectly normal before you showed up.”
“Was it?” He asks, and he doesn’t sound like he believes you. Fortunately, the alleyway is as devoid of people as it is of monsters, because he says, “The magic in your blood didn’t just appear overnight. You’re anything butnormal.”
“Yeah, well, nothing weird ever happened around me. Not until that bookshop appeared.”
“Nothing weird?” Ziros asks, waving his hands, and a gust of wind billows through your hair.
You’re about to complain that he’s just making trash-collecting harder, when the magical breeze sweeps down the alley, gathering up all the loose garbage in one go.
“Hey, human. Better open that bag,” he says with a grin as all the trash rushes back toward you at once.
Oh, hell no—
You’re not fast enough.
You’re about to get a face full of used disposable coffee cups, paper towels, and random street trash picked up along the way.
And on your birthday, of all days!
Fortunately, Zirosisfast enough.
Just at the last second, he steps in front of you, grabbing the bag and holding it open as the entire alleyway-worth of scattered trash sweeps in.
All but one little candy wrapper, floating like a leaf on the wind.
Ziros clears his throat, and a last little gust whisks it in with the rest.
You just stand there.
Heart still strangely pounding—wait, are you impressed by this man’s trash collection skills now?
Ha, that can’t be it.
You’re probably just relieved that you didn’t get a mouth full of the stuff(ewwww).
He grins smugly at you as he ties up the bag, hoisting it over one shoulder like some sort of trash Santa.
“What d’ya say we hit the dumpster, and then we go do somethingactuallyfun for your birthday?”
