Warmth floods through me, and I find it very hard to get out of his lap. “Fine. Don’t miss me too much when I’m gone.”
“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises.” We kiss, and then I force myself up and out of the house, with all three of my familiars and Scarlet in tow. My familiars are never an issue, but Scarlet is a bit annoying to have in the car, reminding me why I’m a cat person.
Betty and Danielle are working today, and I feel bad that I haven’t had a chance to take Danielle out for a stiff drink while I explain everything. The longer we go without talking, the more awkward it gets. Obviously, I know more than I’m letting on. I saved her as well as many others from having their body parts harvested by a demon. And now…now I’m showing up with three cats and a puppy, who all happen to be freakishly well-behaved. At least I can count on Scarlet for acting like an actual puppy and being rather annoying at times.
“Hey,” I say with a wave, setting Scarlet down. I clipped her leash on when we got out of the Jeep, and she runs forward as fast as she can and chokes herself, flipping over and falling to the ground. It’s funny and endearing and so fucking weird when I stop and think about what she really is.
“Hey, Callie!” Betty replies. She’s straightening the books in the front display. “You brought a zoo!”
“Yeah,” I laugh as my familiars waltz in like they own the place. Act like cats, I remind them, and Binx jumps up on the counter, immediately knocking shit off. Pandora trots off, and Freya rubs against Betty, purring as she picks her up. “I need to take some pictures for the store’s Instagram. I’m behind on posting.”
“I can help with it if you want. I decided to overhaul my Bookstagram feed and am getting lots of interaction. It’s fun and kind of an addiction now.”
“If you want to and it doesn’t put you out, then by all means, take over.”
“Send me whatever photos you get of the animals and I’ll be in filter-heaven. I might have spent a small fortune on apps to filter my photos.”
“I did notice you’ve upped your game. I’ve spent a good hour or so daily just scrolling through Instagram.”
“Just an hour?” Betty laughs.
“Fine, it’s more like three hours. But your feed did offer a nice distraction last night when I was lying in bed at three a.m. unable to sleep.”
“Your new hubby didn’t offer to help?”
“He wasn’t home.”
“At three—oh right. Vampire. That’s like three p.m. for them, isn’t it? Is it weird that he sleeps all day? Do they really sleep all day? Do they even need sleep?” Betty’s cheeks flush a bit. “Sorry. I don’t want to be rude.”
“You’re not. I think it’s better to ask questions than to make assumptions, anyway. And no, they don’t have to sleep all day. Most vampires figure out a way to seal up their house and avoid the sun. And they do sleep, but they don’t need much. If they haven’t eaten in a while, then they require more sleep to heal or regenerate or whatever it is vampires do.” I unclip Scarlet’s leash and watch her walk around sniffing everything.
“Can I pet her?” a girl in the children’s section asks.
“Yeah, go ahead. Her name is Scarlet,” I say slowly, hoping it comes out in English and not Enochian. No one gives me a weird look, so I think I’m safe. “And it’s not really weird for us. Lucas stays up with me during the day, we go out a lot at night, and I go to bed around three or four some nights. Being able to sleep in makes a big difference.”
So does being a Nephilim. I don’t need as much sleep as a full human.
“Though if I do go to bed earlier, Lucas comes to bed with me and stays until I’m asleep. It really works out well.”
I do wish we could go out together during the day, but I still think there has to be a way I can figure out how to make that possible as well. A customer needs help finding a book, and Betty shows them down the right aisle. I call for Binx, Freya, and Pandora, and we move around the store, posing and taking photos.
Scarlet doesn’t comply quite as well as my familiars, but I do get some adorable photos of her in the children’s section, lying down as Binx sits in a chair with a book, making it look like he’s reading to her.
I spent about twenty minutes taking photos and get sidetracked talking with Mrs. Bishop, an older woman who owns the antique store in town.