Cody swipes through, trying not to be too curious about everything else on Simon’s phone. Everything looks weirdly normal—music, social media, puzzle games. Having a specific Vampire Social App in the app store would violate secrecy laws.
“I apologize for my temper last night,” Simon says, suddenand quiet.
Cody freezes briefly. “No need.”
Simon leans against the back of a chair, seeming to relax. “I was rude on purpose several times. Trust me, I’m old enough to know better.”
“How old are you?” Cody asks, then grins. “Or is that rude to ask?”
“Four hundred fifty, give or take.” Simon points at the phone. “I need all those little apps to keep up with the culture. And to make Kimiko cringe when I say she ‘ate that.’”
Horror shivers down Cody’s spine. “I don’t know Kimiko, but she’s right. Please don’t.”
“How old are you?” Simon asks.
Cody’s already getting to the point where he has to think about his exact age. How much harder is it to remember after the first couple hundred years? “Twenty-eight.”
“An infant,” Simon remarks, and damn. He looks cute with a smile.
Vampire, Cody reminds himself. Ruthless bloodsucking monster.
Plus, Cody’s here on a job. Watching for threats, not cute vampire smiles. He puts the phone on the table. No touching. “Press this button once to alert me for anything non-urgent. Press it twice for anything urgent—that will alert both me and Atwood. When in doubt, press twice. We’d rather overreact than under-react.”
Simon retrieves the phone. “What would be non-urgent?”
“You can’t remember the security password, you’re mad I left dishes in the sink, you spilled milk—uh, blood on the floor, whatever.” Cody gestures to the fridge. “I won’t mop it up foryou, but you can still call. I’ll do my best not to bother you, and you get to bother me whenever. That’s how the job works.”
Simon is quiet. That cold vampire stillness again, when he looks all of four hundred fifty years old. Give or take. Then he comes alive with small movements. “You should bring your groceries in before the raccoons find them. I can get the garage door—it’s a more direct route to the kitchen.” Simon taps his phone, and rumbling starts from the ground floor. “Isn’t technology magical?”
“Appreciate it,” Cody says. “Stay downstairs, away from windows, while I’m out. Okay?”
“Understood,” Simon says cooperatively.
Cody flips through the camera feeds on his work phone. Nothing is amiss, so he takes off via the garage. Clearly a sign of a paranormal monster: Simon’s two-car garage holds two cars. No piles of boxes and junk.
This time of year, full dark fell hours ago. Small lights outline the driveway and front gate, helping Cody’s keen eyes. He scents for any intruders as he jogs towards the gate. No humans, no raccoons. Everything looked fine on the camera feeds, but being alert is part of the job.
Tonight is going better than expected. Simon is easier to deal with compared to the night before, and Cody has to sympathize with his previous prickliness. Cody hadn’t exactly reacted well to this assignment, but he’d had a couple days to get over his initial refusal. Losing control on the full moon is a great distraction.
Simon only learned about the werewolf moving into his house when said werewolf was already on his doorstep.Because vampires are assholes to each other too, apparently, and his shitty sire didn’t warn him.
When Cody returns with groceries in tow, Simon is still in the kitchen. He holds a bag of coffee, peering at the label.
“Can you still eat things recreationally?” Cody asks, because Simon seems not to mind questions.
Simon sets the coffee down. “Some do, but I find it unpleasant. I like smelling food, though.”
Cody starts transferring groceries into the empty pantry. Turning his back on a vampire feels wrong, and he shoves down his bristling instincts. “Any favorites?”
“Fresh fruit,” Simon answers, his voice still safely across the room. “Fresh bread. Coffee.”
“I’ll add more fruit to the next delivery,” Cody says, though hopefully this job will end before the first batch runs out. “Did you have any plans for today? I mean, tonight?”
He turns around to find the kitchen empty. Cody’s principal is missing, and alarm jolts him more awake than the coffee.
Seconds later, a mechanical growl clarifies everything—the unmistakable sound of a car starting in the garage.
Simon is sneaking out.
