I held my breath as I waited.
I was on shaky ground with my family. It wasn’t that my parents were angry that I wasn’t working as a slayer—my mom’s entire family were slayers, too, but they were semi-retired and now owned a very successful construction company.
No, they were upset that I’d moved away from the family—something unfathomable to them—and that I was still working in a combat-based position, without them.
My parents and I didn’t fight. It was more like our conversations were heated and my dad was—in general—loud and growly.
My phone beeped as Jasper’s reply came in.
Jasper
No, but he’s wondering why you had to look up elder vampires.
All the air I’d been holding in leaked out, and I slumped with relief.
He hadn’t noticed my perusal of the file we slayers had on one particular vampire, good!
I’d used the database to pinpoint the identity of Ruin, the mysterious vampire that had claimed downtown Magiford as his territory in early September. I knew Ruin was old, but it wasn’t until I saw himturn into a batthat I’d realized he must have been turned in the BC timeline.
Turns out, Ruin was most likely Considine Maledictus—one of the oldest and most powerful vampires still alive, and one we slayers had labeled as someone to be avoided at all costs.
If Dad realized Considine Maledictus was in Magiford, he would bust out one of the family’s more expensive methods of transport usually reserved for work, pack me up, and drag me back home no matter what I wanted.
Thankfully, it seemed like I was safe. For now.
I looked up from my phone tilting my head as I instinctively tried to pinpoint Sunshine’s movements through the store—a cat’s happy meow of greeting tattled on her: she was in the heart of the maze.
Sunshine secured; I peered down at my cellphone again mulling over all possible responses I could give before constructing a reply. Jasper wouldn’t tattle to Dad if I told him about Ruin, however, I couldn’t risk him figuring out that Ruin was Considine or he’dbe the one driving out to get me.
I was trying to remember the sire of a vampire Family, and we have better records than the Cloisters.
Jasper
Naturally. The Cloisters couldn’t find a vampire in a blood bank.
I rolled my eyes but let the insult at my employer go—my family would always be convinced the Cloisters were less efficient and skilled than vampire slayers—and put my phone away.
Sunshine paid for her new puzzle book—a collection of crossword puzzles—then marched through the store, clutching it to her chest. “Everything okay?”
“Yep! It was just my brother checking in on me,” I said.
I hadn’t told Sunshine or anyone at work about Considine. Yet. I’d have to tell Sarge or Captain Reese eventually, only I wasn’t sure how to spill the news.
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Sunshine said. “I got my crossword book, so I’m ready to head to the Cloisters!”
“Okay—are you sure you don’t want to hang out here for a bit? I still have time. I mean, I appreciate that we can hang out for even this little bit. I don’t want to drag you to work on your day off.”
Sunshine flashed me a smile that was as warm and bright as her name. “You’re too sweet—I’m the one that should be apologizing. I’d be able to hang out at better times if my familywasn’t always so busy. But! I was planning to stop by the front desk tonight anyway. Emi texted me to let me know she was going to leave the bread loaf pan I lent her at the front desk. Oh—I almost forgot! She said she also found another Cloister manual she’d leave for you. She thought it might be useful for your paper.”
Ahh yes, my paper.
I’d upset Sarge the previous week when I’d lured a giant snake to Ruin’s territory by myself, leading it away from my injured squadmates but risking my life in the process. Now that I knew Ruin’s identity, I’d be upset with me, too.
As a result of the mess, Sarge had given me an assignment to write a paper about the culture and design of the Magical Response Task Force. He told me it would make me understand why my slayer training that dictated self-sacrifice for the sake of the mission and the good of the team was not the standard within the Department of Supernatural Law Enforcement.
“Great. I’ll have to thank her.” I rattled my empty smoothie thermos. “I need every resource I can get. All these employee handbooks and manuals Emi keeps finding are lifesaving.”
Sunshine’s smile dimmed, and she suspiciously peered up at me. “Youareworking on your paper then?”
