by J. L. McCoy
I took out a coffee mug, added a bag of English Breakfast tea to it, and set it on the kitchen table. I felt like having cereal for breakfast and poured myself a small bowl of Raisin Nut brand. When the kettle whistled, I filled my cup and let the bag steep as I leisurely ate.
When I was done I went upstairs, threw on some running shorts and put my hair up in a ponytail, grabbed my iPod and my armband, and got ready to take Styvi for a walk. I whistled and she bolted through the doggy door and ran up to me. I helped her into her harness, attached the leash, grabbed my house keys, and stepped out, making sure to relock the door behind me. I quickly glanced around to be sure Jesse wasn’t sitting outside my house and took off jogging down the street.
Styvi Nix loved going for runs with me, but she couldn’t keep up for very long. I normally ran half a mile then walked half a mile and examined the pace so I would not tire her out too quickly. She loved yipping hi to Mrs. Tatum’s shitzu Dolly whenever we passed by and today was no exception. I watched as they happily barked back and forth as we turned the corner at the entrance of my neighborhood. I was jamming along to Guns n Roses, not paying attention to where I was stepping, when I crashed right into someone.
“Oh my goodness!” I said as I reached out and gripped the stranger’s arm. Styvi Nix had wound her leash around both of our legs and I quickly bent down, struggling to free us. “I’m so sorry, sir. I…I wasn’t paying attention.” I stumbled as I took the ear buds out of my ear and hung the cord around my neck.
The man laughed a deep, masculine purr. “It’s okay. It was my fault. I wasn’t watching either.”
His voice sounded really familiar and I glanced up from my work on the leash to look at the stranger’s face. It was Gavin, the guy that I met at the gym and the one who had saved me when Jesse tried to drag me out of Drop Kick Dan’s by my hair last week. He was wearing athletic shorts, a black tank top, and he had an mp3 player strapped to his bicep like me. It was obvious he was out for a run too.
“Gavin?” I asked confused. “What are you doing here?”
He turned around a few times, untangling his legs from the leash. “Me? I live here. What are you doing here?” he asked with a laugh, shaking his head.
“You live in East Wind Estates, too?” I asked cautiously. I sure was running into him a lot and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t following me. A single girl can never be too careful these days.
Gavin rubbed the back of his forearm across his brow and then put his hands on his hips, taking deep, even breaths. You could tell he had been running fast. “Yeah, I just moved in. I live over on Navajo Trail, toward the back of the neighborhood.”
“No kidding,” I said, my brow furrowed slightly. I lived just one street over on Comanche Cove. I had absolutely nothing against Gavin, I liked him; I guess I was just being extra cautious because of Jesse’s recent antics. Ease up, girl. It’s just a coincidence. He’s a good guy and you know it. “How do you like the neighborhood so far?”
Gavin smiled a genuine, heart stopping smile and began running in place. “I love it. I love it even more now that I know you live here.”
I couldn’t help the blush I felt spreading hot across my cheeks. Gavin was very handsome. He was my height, had tattoo covered skin, rippling muscles, gorgeous green eyes, and a buzz cut. He was definitely my cup of tea. I swallowed hard and looked down at Styvi Nix in an attempt to hide the blush.
“Well, don’t just stand there, babe,” Gavin said as he gently pulled my elbow. “Come on. Let’s get our run on.”
I smiled up at him as Styvi pulled on her leash, eager to start running again. “Alright,” I said and fell into a comfortable rhythm beside him.
We alternated running and walking around the neighborhood for the next two hours. At one point, Styvi Nix got too tired and Gavin picked her up and carried her in his arms the rest of the way. She was all too happy for the ride and snuggled contently down into his arms. My heart melted at Gavin’s thoughtfulness. Seeing a guy being so sweet to my Styvi gave me butterflies. Every girl likes a gentleman.
We comfortably conversed during the rest of the walk to his house on Navajo Trail. He offered to walk me the rest of the way home but I declined.
“It’s alright, Gavin,” I said with my thanks. “I’ve got to get ready for work anyway.” He gently handed me a sleeping Styvi Nix, took a card out of his wallet and gave me his number.
“Call me anytime, running buddy,” he said with a smile and walked to his door. I watched him unlock it and step inside. Hm. So he really DOES live there. I immediately chastised myself. Of course he does, Skye. Not everyone is a lying psycho. I shook my head, cuddled Styvi and walked the block home.
I quickly showered, put on my makeup, and did my hair. I didn’t have time to blow dry it so I put a ton of mousse in it, tossed it around a few times, and fixed it with my fingers. I was going for that sexily messy, bed-head look and hit the nail on the head. Tonight I was going to be working the main bar, so I wanted to wear something sexy but comfortable. I chose a black buckle PVC bustier, a matching PVC miniskirt, fishnet stockings and my black buckled, knee high gothic boots. I couldn’t stand the thought of being in high heels for ten hours again today. I added a black slave bracelet and choker combo and then looked into the full length mirror on the inside of my closet door. The outfit looked really awesome but I was momentarily concerned with the amount of cleavage that was hanging out of the top of my bustier. I stuffed, readjusted, jiggled, and nudged, but the cups were as full as I could get them. Oh well, I thought. As long as they don’t pop out, I’ll be okay. I should make us some awesome tips at least. I smiled at the thought, grabbed my bag, phone, and jacket and made my way downstairs.
Styvi Nix was tossing around her tug rope, so I spent the next few minutes playing with her before I finally had to leave for work. I kissed her goodbye, told her to be a good girl, and walked out the front door. I got into my ’88 Pontiac Fiero GT and jammed out to the Black Keys on the drive over to The Mausoleum. It was a damn shame I had to throw away the sold-out concert ticket because I would have loved to see them in concert, but there was no way in hell I was going to go with Jesse.
My purse started ringing, effectively interrupting my thoughts, and I reached over to the passenger seat and retrieved my cell phone from the inner pocket of my messenger bag. I quickly glanced at the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” I asked uncertainly into the phone as I turned down the radio.
“Hey, baby girl! Long time, no talk. Did you like the gifts I left you?”
My whole body tensed as soon as I recognized the voice on the other end of the line. Jesse Prescott, ex-boyfriend/abusive stalker/total delusional asshole, had just called me.
“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Jesse asked with an amused chuckle.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “What the hell, Jesse? Why are you even calling me?”
“Now, now, baby. There’s no need to be rude,” he said with a tsk. “I just wanted to see how my favorite girl was, that’s all. Did you like the lingerie I picked out for us? When I saw it, I knew you’d like it. God I can’t wait to see you in it.”
“Why would you even think that it was okay to buy me something like that, Jesse?” I asked, my voice quivering with the anger I felt. “And, why in the hell do you think I’d ever wear it for you? We broke up almost three months ago! We are NOT getting back together!”
“Don’t say that,” he whined petulantly. “We love each other. We’ll get back together, Skye baby. You just need a little time to get used to the idea.”
My jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you delusional?” I scoffed. “I don’t love you, Jesse. You CHEATED on me. And worst of all, you put your hands on me in the middle of Drop Kick Dan’s last week. That is absolutely unforgiveable. How could you even do that to me? You really hurt me.”
“Man, you have a hard time letting go of things, d
on’t you Skye?” Jesse asked, anger tinting his voice.
“I’m not the one who has a hard time letting things go, Jesse!” I seethed, my voice rising. “Who’s stalking who here?”
Jesse chuckled softly. “Yeah, like I have time to stalk you. You always were silly.”
Lord, help me, I thought as I sighed. “No, I’m exasperated, not silly. And you sure as hell ARE stalking me. What do you call all of the phone calls, text messages, emails, and visits to my house and job? It seriously frustrates me whenever I pick up my phone and see messages from you or when I have to hear from my boss that you were in the bar AGAIN looking for me. You are unwelcome in my life, you KNOW this, and yet you still try to assert yourself into it. This behavior is not normal Jesse. You do realize that, don’t you? ” I asked, but then quickly added, “And please, spare me the pseudo witty ‘but-I’m-really-a-good-guy’ retort. I honestly don’t want to hear it. I’m so beyond tired of dealing with this shit. I’m not trying to be mean to you, Jesse, I’m just being honest. I can’t do this with you anymore. This is completely beyond ridiculous.”
Jesse was quiet for a long moment. Finally, a small sigh broke the silence. “All I wanted was to see how you liked the teddy…and to congratulate you on your new job. You really have no place to judge me on whether you think I’m normal or not, Skye. I’ll go now…for the sake of keeping my own energy positive, but this isn’t over.”
My jaw dropped again in shock. “How did you know I got a new job? Huh? Don’t you dare hang up on me, Jesse!” I spat quickly, but it was too late. Jesse had already hung up.
“Dammit!” I yelled in frustration, throwing my phone back down into my passenger seat. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm my racing heartbeat. I shouldn’t have even talked to him; I should have just hung up the phone when I realized it was him. But, I thought that maybe I could reason with him. There is obviously no reasoning with him; not after that conversation. I realized that it didn’t matter what I said. He was going to hear what he wanted to hear. I should tell Archer and Jameson what’s going on, I thought and then shook my head. No, I can’t tell them. They’ll just freak out and they don’t need that. They have enough on their plates to deal with without my added drama. I sighed and tried hard to put the conversation out of my mind as I drove the rest of the way to work.
When I pulled down the back alley and into The Mausoleum’s employee parking lot, I was surprised to see only three cars and a big, white 16-person passenger van occupying the spaces. It was just now 5 o’clock, so I was a little early. I parked in the parking space closest to the alley, locked my car, and headed in the back door.
A cool blast of air-conditioned air greeted me as I opened the door and walked to the employee lounge. No one was around, so I quickly deposited my messenger bag in my locker and went off in search of the crew.
When I turned the corner, I was surprised to see Aoife standing behind the first floor bar. She was normally stationed at the second floor bar, so you can understand my confusion. I glanced up at the second floor; there was no one else in sight. I groaned inwardly, squared my shoulders, and walked up to Aoife.
“Good evening, Aoife,” I said with a smile, sitting down on one of the swivel barstools. She and I may not care for each other, but there was no cause to be rude. “How are you today?”
She slowly peeled her eyes away from the garnishes that she was preparing and glared at me. “What’s it to you?” she growled lowly.
I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “What’s your deal, Aoife?” I asked, irritated at her constant negative attitude toward me. “I’ve never done anything to you. Why do you hate me so much?”
She scoffed and slammed the sharp paring knife down on the cutting board. “What’s my deal, human?” she screeched with hatred. “You are my ‘deal’.” She put her hands down on the counter and splayed her fingers apart as she leaned in closer to me. “I don’t like you Skye. I see right through you and your pathetic little game. Archer is too dumb to see it, but I’m not. The way you have him wrapped around your finger is disgusting,” she spat. She lifted one long, manicured fingernail and jammed it in my direction. “You had better wise up, child, and stay the hell away from me and my man. I was around long before you and I’ll be around long after you’re dead.”
I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “What the hell are you even talking about?” I asked her angrily. “I’m not playing any games here, Aoife. And I’m not after your man.”
“I smelled you in his bed!” she yelled, her eyes immediately draining of their gorgeous crystal blue color.
I took a step back and shook my head. “You’ve got the wrong idea Aoife,” I said lowering my voice and calming my tone. She was obviously pissed and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her anger any longer. Vampires are positively terrifying when they’re angry. “I spent the night because Archer and Jameson made me. I was too drunk to drive home one night last week. Nothing happened.” Something did happen that night, but I wasn’t about to be the one to tell her that. Archer and I made out on the dance floor that night. It was the same night that I had found out they were vampires…and it was the same night I hurt Jameson.
“Lie!” she screeched louder. “You can’t lie to me, human. I can tell when you are being truthful and when you are being a filthy little liar!”
I backed up even further and put my hands up in surrender. Oh hell. I’m really in deep shit now. Where the hell is everyone, I thought in a panic and looked around quickly, not wanting to take my eyes off of Aoife for more than a couple of seconds at a time. I didn’t know how she knew I was lying, but she did. “Okay, I’m sorry I lied. Honestly. It was just a kiss earlier that night. It didn’t mean anything to me, I swear.”
Her eyes, aside from her tiny black pupils, had turned completely white. She jumped up to stand on top of the bar in one quick flash and stared down at me, her fingers arched like claws. “Lie!” she snarled as she hopped down over the barstools and took another step toward me.
My eyes were so wide I thought they’d pop out of my skull. I took a few more steps back and continued to hold my hands out in front of me. “Okay, Aoife, okay. It meant something to me at the time, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” I quickly explained. My chest heaved and I worried I was going to hyperventilate. I was good and panicked right at that moment. “I saw you kissing Archer the other day. I now know you’re together. I didn’t before. I swear to you Aoife, I won’t touch him again.”
She growled lowly and studied me for a few moments, her head cocked to the side. “Truth,” she finally said. I blew out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and clutched my chest with both hands. This bitch was going to give me a heart attack if she didn’t back up soon. She stared at me with her eerily colorless eyes a moment longer then smiled. “I’m glad we understand each other,” she said as she turned around and flashed to stand behind the bar. She picked up the silver paring knife and resumed slicing fruit while she softly hummed.
I stood there for a minute, unsure of whether it was safe to move or not. Aoife eventually took out two glasses and poured a shot of cold Jagermeister into each. “Sit,” she commanded as she poured.
It took a few seconds before I could get my feet to cooperate with my brain, and I slowly walked over and slid into a barstool. She placed one glass in front of me and met my wide eyes with her own. The color in hers had returned and they were completely back to normal.
She raised her glass and waited for me to do the same. I was too terrified of her not to comply. “To good health,” she toasted and I would’ve been an idiot to have missed the veiled threat.
“To good health,” I mumbled back and slowly drank the shot, never taking my eyes off her. I had a sneaking suspicion that she might just be a tad bit crazy and I was watching her like a hawk.
Aoife swallowed her shot and smiled at me. “There. Now that that’s behind us, there are a few things that you should know.” I swallowed
hard and listened intently. I was going to take mental notes. I didn’t ever want get on her bad side again.
“Archer and I have been together since…” he voice trailed off in thought. “Well, a lady never tells her age,” she said finally, flicking her wrist dismissively. “But Archer and I have been together for hundreds of years, child.” She slid the garnishes into their trays, wiped her hands on a towel, and came around the counter with the bottle of Jager, taking a seat next to me. She poured us another shot as she continued. “Archer and I were married six hundred years ago. Now, every relationship has their ups and downs, but we took an oath for life.”
She raised her glass and touched it with mine before we tossed the dark, thick syrupy liquid down our throats. “We had a lovers quarrel a little over a hundred years ago and decided to spend some time apart. But, we are together again, now, and I intend to make up for lost time.”
I nodded my head and clutched the glass tightly in both of my hands. Dear God, where is everyone? I thought in a panic. I just wanted to get away from her. She scared the shit out of me.
“I can see how you would have been attracted to him. He is quite handsome…but he’s mine,” she warned again with a sharp look.
“I understand,” I said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “I apologize for my egregious error.”
She laughed and threw her head back. “Errors happen to everyone, child,” she said as she patted my knee. My body instantly jumped and I swallowed a scream. “Just don’t let it happen again or I won’t be responsible for what I might do to you,” she said, lightly. “After all, he is my husband.” I clenched my hands together and nodded. She had sounded so blasé just now and it terrified me. It was if she were talking about the weather, not my potential death.
Just then Jameson exited the door to Archer’s private stairwell and made his way down the wide metal stairs to the first floor. Oh, thank you Jesus! My eyes were still wide with anxiety as Jameson walked up to Aoife and me. He looked back and forth between us for a few seconds and then intently studied my face. I quickly looked down at my empty glass, afraid for him to see the swirling emotions that lay just under the surface of my hazel-green eyes.