Page 27 of Viktor

“You can and you will. Look around. Do you see anything out of place? We need a clue as to why demons are snooping around here. You wouldn’t happen to have security cameras?”

“I’ve been looking at getting one, but I don’t have one yet. It’s pretty safe here though. Look, maybe whatever was here realized that I am not the one it’s looking for. I don’t know anything about that woo-woo stuff.”

“You have sage,” he countered, a chuckle following. “Maybe you’re a witch. A witch who won’t date a vampire.”

“Ha ha. Funny guy. I’m a perfectly whatever…I’m human. I’m certainly not a witch. And sage doesn’t count as being woo-woo. Everyone in California buys sage. It, uh, it feels good to release whatever negative vibes I’m feeling.”

“I hate to tell you, but sage isn’t going to help you with this demon problem.”

Waverly opened a storage cabinet and stared inside, searching. “I liked the way it looked. It was in this pretty pearly shell. I think it might be in the bathroom. I put it on a shelf.” Waverly turned around, expecting to make a beeline to the bathroom but instead found a hard chest blocking her path. A deep breath filled her lungs as she attempted to calm down.

“It’s going to be all right, Waverly. I promise I will be at your side. I’ll keep you safe. Sage, however, won’t remove this demon from your life. It’s following you. Which means it needs you for some reason. From the looks of your friend’s apartment, I’m thinking it’s looking for something.”

“Why would a demon want me? So my friend got mixed up with some bad people. I have nothing to do with any of that. I was just her friend. Seriously. I swear I’m just this normal person. I’m boring. I work all the time.”

“I hardly find you boring.”

Waverly smiled at him, her cheeks flushing. “Thank you, but I assure you I am. Why is this happening? This makes no sense.”

“One thing my years on earth have taught me is that reasons are not always ours to know. Shall we check the bedroom?” Viktor shot her a cheeky smile.

“Why do you need to go in my bedroom?” Waverly asked, attempting to tamp down the dirty thoughts spinning through her head. Stop. What if he can read your mind. Think about fruit. Oranges. Strawberries. Peaches. Bananas. Hmm…Bananas. Whipped cream with my banana. Stop.

Viktor smiled at her and raised his eyebrows. “Well?”

“Don’t read my thoughts,” Waverly blurted out as she turned and strode toward her bedroom. “It’s this way.”

“I would never dream of it.”

Waverly peered into her bedroom; her nerves steeled as if a giant, green, horned creature was waiting for her. A breath of relief escaped her lips as she realized her room was exactly how she left it. A pile of shoes heaped in front of her closet. The only speck of color on her virgin white comforter was the crimson cashmere chemise she’d decided not to wear.

“It’s fine. My bedroom looks okay.” Waverly took a single step inside, still unsure if something diabolical was hiding in her closet.

“It was here.” Viktor entered the room and sniffed the air. “Everything’s very neat. But the blood—”

“Blood?” Waverly croaked. “What blood?”

“Perhaps you should go in the kitchen,” Viktor told her, his demeanor serious.

“No. You just said there was blood. Whose blood?” Panic seized Waverly as the vampire approached her bed. As his face tensed in concentration, his eyes locked on hers.

“More like a what. Sorry pet, but I’m afraid I need to rearrange your furniture.”

“My furniture? What are you talking about?” Waverly’s eyes widened as Viktor shoved her bed aside, its wheels screeching across the hardwood floor until a pool of blood came into view. “Oh my God. What the hell is that?”

“You need to go in the hallway,” Viktor insisted.

“No. Whatever this is, it affects me. This is my bedroom and…” The air sucked from her lungs as she caught sight of the decapitated goat’s head, a pentagram smeared in its blood. The color drained from her face. “What is that?”

“It’s a goat. Sacrificial, generally.”

“Why is this happening to me?” She reached for the doorjamb, steadying her wobbly knees.

“Let’s get your things and get out of here.”

“Is it a message? Why leave that there for me?” She shook her head. “Who did this?”

Viktor reached for his cell phone and snapped a picture. “Something about this isn’t right.”