by Lee Colgin
Gianni followed her into the kitchen where she was already setting out an extra plate for him.
“Is your boyfriend home? Will this be awkward?”
“No, and no. He works nights. If he was here, he’d talk your head off. He didn’t know about vampires until we got serious. I mean, most humans don’t, so I wouldn’t have expected him to. He took it really well, and now he’s fucking fascinated. He’d ask you all kinds of nosy questions. Don’t worry about it.”
“How did you know?”
“My great-uncle is a vampire. He was in his twenties when he was changed, so I call him cousin. My whole family knows. I was a kid when they told me. It’s just ordinary for us.”
Gianni nodded. Tabea’s nonchalance was fascinating. He’d been so wrapped up in vampire culture; befriending a human never occurred to him. Other than Buffy.
“So what do you do?” she asked, stirring whatever smelled so good in the instant pot, the aroma even stronger now with the lid open. Gianni had hit the jackpot with this match. He wouldn’t knock the system anymore.
“I don’t know. Nothing worthwhile. What should I do?”
Tabea’s laugh was becoming familiar. “How should I know? Whatever vampires do, I guess.”
“Write poetry and skulk in shadows?” Gianni suggested.
“Maybe you need a life coach.”
“Maybe I do.”
8
Spike
Franklin
Some nights, Gianni was easy to find, and others, Franklin wandered around for hours with no luck. The last few nights the vampire was nowhere to be found, and tonight was proving the same. With official approval for their bizarre relationship, he was dying to put it to good use. Maybe he’d ask Gianni for his number. Could he do that? It would make things simple. His father would never believe it.
How are you keeping tabs on that vampire, son?
Oh, it’s no big deal. I text him.
Right.
He couldn’t share this mission with his father. Not until it was finished. And if he decided to warn Gianni and the vampire fled, not ever.
Franklin brooded over the consequences of coming clean. Like most things concerning the vampire, it was tempting. At first, Gianni would be furious, but once Franklin explained, he’d come around.
Probably. Maybe. Or not.
Gianni was stubborn; after the initial blow-up, he might not stick around to listen to reason. Or they might fight. It wasn’t Franklin’s fault he was a vampire hunter, and Gianni was a vampire. Since this whole mess started with a mission, Gianni must have suspected something. Hopefully, the fighting would stick to words and not bleed out into action.
Maybe Franklin should tell him in a letter.
That way, there would be no face-to-face explosion. Gianni would have time to calm down before they met again. If they met again.
Eventually, the vampire would understand, and he would flee for his life. He’d never get taken by the Scourge. He would be safe. The Scourge never had to find out Franklin had tipped him off to their plans. Franklin would go back to his regular patrol schedule. Life would get back to normal.
Life would be boring.
Or Franklin could go through with the mission. Let the Scourge capture Gianni and keep the vampire in their labs. Franklin would get a promotion, and his father would be proud. He’d always know where the vampire was, and he could visit whenever he wanted.
Gianni would hate him.
He’d hate himself.
And worse, what would they do to him? Whatever happened, it would be Franklin’s fault.
There was no good answer. Franklin would be alone either way, but he would get used to it. He was good at being alone before Gianni, and he’d be good at it after. Not that they were together, because that would be ridiculous.
Franklin ruminated until he spotted the vampire down a side street. Gianni was inexplicably on his knees, focused on something behind a dumpster and making clucking noises. What the hell?
Gianni’s head turned as Franklin approached, his finger over his lips warning him to stay quiet. How the vampire knew he was there, Franklin wasn’t sure. It was well past midnight and dark out. No streetlights lit the alley. Right when he thought the vampire couldn’t get weirder, Gianni began cooing toward a stinking pile of trash.
“What’s going on?”
Gianni shushed him and continued speaking to whatever was behind the dumpster. “It’s okay. Come on. That’s only my friend Buffy. He’s supposed to be scary, but he’s not, I promise.” The vampire sighed, and his shoulders drooped. “Damn it.” He stood, brushed off his knees, and glared at Franklin. “I almost had her, but you scared her away. Now I’ll have to start over.”
“Had who? What are you doing?”
Gianni stepped aside. “See for yourself.”
Franklin came forward and peered behind the dumpster. A small shaggy dog was squeezed as far back as it could get, out of reach and cowering. “A dog.”
“Yes. A dog. And I almost had her before you showed up. Now she’s hiding again.”
Franklin crouched to get a better view. “Well, hello there.” He held out his hand. The dog watched him but remained in place, shivering. Probably some sort of spaniel mix, thin and dirty, no collar. Not aggressive, but too afraid to be friendly. “It’s probably hungry.”
“She.”
“How do you know?”
Gianni shrugged. “I don’t. Calling her an ‘it’ feels callous.”
“She, then,” Franklin agreed and stood. “Do you have any food for her?”
Gianni rolled his eyes. “Would you believe I managed to leave without my spare bag of dog food tonight?”
“So, that’s a no.”
“I thought about getting some, but I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“I’ll do it. We’ll need a car, too.”
“A car?”
“To take her to a shelter.”
“Oh.”
“What was your plan?”
“No plan, exactly. I just couldn’t leave her.” Gianni gazed back at the mess of quivering fur behind the dumpster.
“Stay here. I’ll be back in thirty.” Franklin turned to go.
“Buffy?”
Franklin paused, glancing over his shoulder.
“Thank you.”
Franklin nodded and cast a lingering glance at the vampire. Gianni stood, hands in the pockets of his jeans, knees dirty from kneeling. An uncertain expression crossed his face, but a little smile emerged for Franklin as he left. A vampire rescuing a stray dog. Franklin shook his head and made for his car.
On the way back, Franklin stopped at a twenty-four-hour grocery to pick up some bribes. Packaged turkey and dry kibble should do the trick. The store sold basic collars and leashes in their pet aisle, so he picked those up too, along with a plush squirrel. Maybe the dog would like a toy.
He pulled into the alley, headlights illuminating Gianni’s lithe figure kneeling nimbly on the street, still beckoning the stray. Franklin got out of the car as Gianni stood and stretched.
“I should have known you’d drive a sports car.”
Franklin shrugged. The old Mustang wasn’t anything special, but he liked it. “Any luck?”
“No, she’s scared of me. I can’t get her to come any closer.”
Franklin tore open the packaging and got out a slice of turkey. “Try this.”
“Here, girl. You hungry? Come on.” Gianni reached his arm toward the stray. Her ears perked, nose sniffing the air, but she didn’t budge. “Maybe she doesn’t like me. You try.”
Franklin took the lunch meat and sat down, leaning back against a building. He stretched out his legs and made himself relax. Then he took a bite of the turkey while the dog watched. “Mmm, it’s good. I bet you’re hungry. You want some? I’ll share it with you.” He took another bite.
Gianni observed from the other side of the alley, arms crossed over his chest. Franklin continued eating, plucking more turkey from
the package. “Come on, get some. I know you want to.” He clicked his tongue and kept his eyes downcast, not staring at the little dog directly.
The dog rose and took a tentative step forward. Franklin lay the turkey on the ground and pretended to ignore her. One cautious step at a time, she came, until she was close enough to gobble up the turkey and retreat.
“Good girl. That wasn’t so hard. See? There’s more.” Franklin held the next slice at his side, waiting patiently. She took it from his hand. He risked a glance in her direction. She was a pretty thing, or she would be when she had a bath. Acorn brown fur going every which way, long floppy ears with curling tendrils, almond-shaped eyes. Definitely a spaniel mix.
“Gianni, come sit next to me. Bring the collar and leash.”
The vampire did, but his presence scared the dog back behind the dumpster.
“She doesn’t like me. Maybe I should leave.”
“You probably smell like a predator. Their noses are thousands of times more sensitive than ours. Let her get used to you.” Franklin took a slice of turkey and handed Gianni the rest. “Hold that.” He gave his attention back to the dog. “Come on back. This is for you.”
They sat together patiently, side by side on the grubby street, waiting for the stray to find her courage. “I always wanted a dog,” Franklin said.
“Why didn’t you have one?”
“My dad would never allow it. Too much of a distraction from training.”
“That’s sad.”
Hunger won out, and the stray took the treat from Franklin.
“Now you hold some out for her.”
Gianni stretched across Franklin’s lap toward the dog, turkey in hand.
“Don’t look straight at her. That’s threatening for a dog. Ignore her and she’ll come to you.” They didn’t have to wait long. The stray was probably starving. Soon enough, she was eating from Gianni’s hand while Franklin scratched her chest and shoulders. She leaned into the touch.
Gianni steadily reached for the dog’s chest with his free hand. He had to lean against Franklin to do it. Their fingers brushed as they petted her together. Side by side like this, working together to befriend a dog, remembering they were supposed to be enemies was hard. Easy to believe they could be more.
Franklin broke free from wandering thoughts. They had a task to accomplish if they wanted to lead her to safety. “Time for the hard part.” Franklin slipped the collar over her head and latched the buckle. When she didn’t seem to care, he clipped on the leash. “We got her. She must have been someone’s dog. She’s used to being collared.”
Gianni frowned. “I wonder what happened.”
They let her polish off the turkey before loading her into the car.
“Do you want to keep this dog?” Franklin asked.
“I can’t. I live at the Farthing. There aren’t any dogs.”
“Vampires don’t like dogs?”
“I guess not. Or maybe dogs don’t like vampires.” Gianni sighed and gazed over at Franklin, eyes sparkling and hopeful. “But you could keep her.”
Franklin could keep her. Nothing was stopping him. But he hadn’t planned on getting a dog. Maybe after Gianni left him, he would.
They loaded the dog into the car and drove to the shelter. A wire fence surrounded the building. They could tie her to it, and the staff would find her in the morning, but that might scare her.
“What if the shelter puts her down—” Gianni’s eyes had grown watery.
“I’ll make sure they don’t.”
“I’ll wait with you as long as I can.”
Franklin and Gianni’s clothes were already dirty from the alley. They sat together right on the sidewalk, dog tied to the fence next to them, and waited for dawn. Gianni nudged him with his elbow.
“We could name her Spike, in keeping with the theme.”
“What theme?”
“Buffy.” Gianni paused, and when Franklin only stared at him, he added, “Seriously?”
“Seriously, what? I don’t know what you’re talking about most of the time.”
“Buffy and Spike.” Franklin’s blank look must have prompted him on. “From the TV show? Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”
“Oh. I never watched the show. I wasn’t allowed to watch TV.”
“Jesus. Child abuse. That show is a classic. It should be required viewing for your lot.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Buffy was the slayer, obviously. And Spike was the big bad vampire, but then he turned good for a while, then bad again, but he fell in love with Buffy so…”
Franklin settled in for several hours of teasing before Gianni had to leave to avoid sunrise. The dog seemed to take the situation in stride. She really was a good girl. Franklin thought Spike was a dumb name for a girl dog, or any dog, but if Gianni wanted it, he wouldn’t argue.
The first rays of daylight teased the sky.
“I have to go,” Gianni said, shoulders slumped. “Sorry to leave you waiting alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have Spike.” Franklin gave the dog a pat. “It’ll just be a few more hours until they open.”
“Still, I wish I could stay.” Gianni turned to face him. “Thanks for looking out for her.”
Franklin was about to say no problem when the vampire leaned in. Fingertips touched his jaw. He thought for sure he was about to be kissed, but at the last second Gianni dodged his lips, and the kiss landed on his cheek.
Adrenaline rushing through his veins, he watched the vampire trot away to wherever he slept during the day. Franklin touched his cheek.
9
Monster
Gianni
Tabea would understand if Gianni was in a hurry. He hated to snack and run but was eager for an update on Spike and couldn’t dawdle. He’d tell her about the dog, and she’d get it. Surely she had better things to do anyway.
He’d nearly reached her place when that familiar tingle raised the hair on the back on his neck. It traveled the length of his spine and settled with a flutter in his gut. Gianni stamped down a flicker of poorly timed arousal. The slayer. But Gianni was nowhere near their familiar haunts. How did the man find him tonight?
He stopped in his tracks and scanned the dark street behind him. “Are you back to being a creeper, stalking me from the shadows? Where are you?”
Buffy turned the corner with both hands in the air. “I wasn’t hiding. I just hadn’t caught up with you yet.”
“How did you find me?” Gianni scrunched his eyebrows together. “Did you plant a tracking device on me?”
“Hello to you, too.”
“Right, yes. Hello. So, tracking device?”
“Would you believe I got lucky?”
“No.”
The slayer shrugged. “Don’t you want to know what happened with Spike?”
He let the matter drop in favor of news. “Is she okay?”
“She’s perfectly fine. We’re lucky they had room for her. She’s in their intake now, which means a quarantine until they get her vaccinated and healthy. Then she’ll be put up for adoption. They scanned her for a microchip, but she didn’t have one. No one’s called looking for a dog like her.”
“Maybe she was abandoned.”
“Maybe.”
“She must be lonely.”
“She’s in good hands now. They’ll find her a home.”
Gianni wasn’t completely satisfied, but he also couldn’t have a dog. It was the best they could do. Unless… “Would you take her?”
Buffy tilted his head, eyes cast down. “I really can’t.”
“But you do want her?”
He nodded. “I’ve always wanted a dog. She’s sweet. I think she’s probably smart too. But what kind of life is this for a dog?” He gestured to the empty street with open palms.
“I don’t know. It might be great. Walking around all night. Dogs love walking around.”
“They’re not nocturnal.”
“Neither are you, really. You coul
d give up the slayage. Not that you’re doing much of it lately.”
“I wish I could take her, but I don’t have room in my life for a dog right now. Spike can do better.”
A number of smartass replies danced on the tip of Gianni’s tongue, but what came out was, “She’d be lucky to have you.” He felt blood rush to his cheeks and couldn’t meet Buffy’s eyes. “Anyway, you’d better leave me alone for a bit. I have an appointment. I can meet you somewhere later.”
“An appointment?”
“Yes, nosy, and I need to go now. Where should I meet you?”
“The ballpark? One hour?”
“Okay, see you then.”
Buffy nodded, and Gianni watched him leave before continuing. At least now he wouldn’t be in such a hurry. And Spike was okay. Too bad Buffy couldn’t keep her. Gianni had trouble resisting him as it was; with a little brown furry friend trotting after him, there’d be no winning that battle.
Tabea greeted him with a welcoming smile. “Come inside.”
“Hey, Tabea, thank you.” The house smelled good again, not like cooking this time, but as if she’d lit candles. It was a spicy and warm autumn scent, pumpkin seasoned something or other. They both sat on the couch. Gianni still wasn’t sure how to do away with the small talk, and he didn’t want to be rude. “How was your week?”
“Busy. I had a midterm and some writing to finish. This far into the semester is crunch time. I always end up behind.” She moved her hair out of the way.
So hospitable. This was such a weird transaction; Gianni was grateful to her for making it simple. “How’d you do?” he asked to be polite, but he was already staring at her neck. The tingle down his spine he chalked up to anticipation.
“I got an A. Go ahead. I’m all set.” She offered her throat.
Gianni took the back of her neck in his hand and leaned in. She met him in the middle. He closed his eyes and bit. Metallic warmth rushed over his tongue, into his stomach, and spread through his body like an embrace. The coppery sweetness flowed thick from her flesh. He fought back a moan.