“Besides, look who’s talking. Aren’t you supposed to be staying inside? Lawrence’s orders?” Charles glared at Thomas, who was picking the bags back up.
“Necessary errand.” Julia glared back.
“Well, you get inside and be ready in case this turns bloody. We’ve got to go. James is already there waiting for us.”
The two fighters glanced at each other then sped off. Small dirt clouds kicked up behind them, a few pieces of trash swirling on the ground.
Julia watched them disappear, a corner of her lip pulled back in her teeth. Thomas hadn’t seen her bite her lip before, and he momentarily forgot his concern for Charles’ leg.
“What if it’s a trap?” Julia confessed. Her eyes were wide, searching Thomas’ face for reassurance.
Thomas wasn’t sure how to respond, but he didn’t enjoy the tense silence between them as they pondered worst case scenarios. To break the silence, he grabbed her bags from the ground. She hadn’t let him carry them earlier, and now was his chance. They were heavy, and the combined weight with his own bags required him to use some of his vampire strength, which flared the wood shards in his chest. He cringed and glanced down the empty road to where Charles and Jericho disappeared.
“It’s a risk they’re taking,” Thomas said, unsure if he should offer comfort or a distraction. “They better not get hurt again. I don’t want to ruin dinner.”
Julia chuckled and yanked a few bags from Thomas’ hands. She remained tense, but her attitude shifted. Thomas wasn’t sure if she was still worried about the fight or her other concern: dinner. She’d already checked the groceries they’d bought twice as they walked back to the pub’s apartments. She started looking through one of the bags again.
Thomas sighed. “I’m sure we got everything, Julia.”
“But I want to double check before we go inside.”
“This is the third time you’ve been through the bags.”
“So sue me. I’m thorough.”
Thomas set the rest of the bags down again. “We’re already here, though. And late. And we can’t go back to get anything we missed, anyway.”
Julia didn’t reply and continued counting objects as she shifted things around in the bags, occasionally glancing at the grocery list on her phone.
The banter was playful, but there was a strained undertone to Julia’s words. They’d spoken like this their entire walk from the grocery store, so Thomas knew the tension right now wasn’t only from her concern for Charles, Jericho, and Jugular James.
At first, Thomas had thought Julia wouldn’t want to risk another trek outside of the Red Lightning Pub. The blood junkies were closing in with alarming determination, especially since the police pulled the extra patrols since Vivian lost control of the precinct chief. The result was an increased lockdown and extra precaution on everyone’s part.
In spite of the increased pressure on the Red Lightning vampires as a whole, Thomas couldn’t help but feel the immediate stress on Julia wasn’t caused by the war. If he was reading the situation right, she was nervous about getting along with his friends.
Julia was laid back about everything, which made seeing her nervous about meeting his friends, whom she’d already met, hilarious and endearing.
“Everything will be okay,” Thomas said. He adjusted the bags to one hand and pulled Julia into a quick hug. “This dinner will be perfect, and everyone’ll be thrilled to have you there.”
For a second, Julia looked like she’d argue for argument’s sake, but after a moment or two she shook her nerves and returned to the cool, confident woman she loved to play.
“Okay, let’s do this,” she said, twisting from Thomas’ grasp and stomped to the lobby door. She pushed it open and stopped.
“Oh wait.” She frowned.
“What?”
“We got margarine instead of butter,” she said, shuffling the bags and pulling out the insulted container.
“Oh well. That seals it. You ruined dinner,” Thomas said in a serious voice and finished opening the door.
Julia paused for a moment before kicking at him playfully with a laugh.
He struggled to keep from smiling. “No really, we might as well not go.”
“Oh, shut up.”
15 Dinner During Danger
Despite the travesty of cooking with margarine instead of butter, the dinner progressed as well as could be expected.
The vampire war had impacted the lives of Thomas’ human friends, but their expressions were carefree as they divided to prepare dinner. They laughed as they bumped into each other in the small kitchen despite it being much larger than the one at Artemis’ apartment.
In contrast, Thomas and Julia stuck to themselves, almost as if this were some party they’d accidentally stumbled into. The kitchen didn’t fit everyone, and it was easier for Thomas to stand a few feet away from the warm heartbeats and throbbing veins. Penny soon grew annoyed and gave both Thomas and Julia jobs in the kitchen, forcing them to mingle.
As he stared at the old knife he’d been handed, his stomach tightened. He was beginning to hate knives, especially antique ones resembling those who injured so many from his vampire family. What weapons would Charles, Jericho, and Jugular James face tonight? What new injuries would Thomas need to mend?
Julia threw herself into the conversation and mingled better than Thomas. The awkwardness faded around her, but her shoulders never completely relaxed. Yet she still found a natural rhythm in conversation and enjoyed herself. If she could play cool and not worry, so could he.
Thomas rinsed corn next to Artemis. As they worked, Artemis talked less and refused to return Thomas’ attempts of catching her eye. She glared at her own cutting board, and when she left the kitchen to fetch something she’d forgotten, the bounce in her step was missing. Sean’s continued absence worried her. But the way she responded to questions from Penny and Nelson and ignored Thomas made him think she was angry at him—or at least off-put—by accidentally walking in on him and Julia.
Julia, on the other hand, didn’t mind Artemis’ lackluster responses and glances. Despite Artemis’ awkward behavior, or perhaps because of it, Julia insisted on engaging Artemis in conversation. It gave Julia a challenge, something to further distract her. Thomas also suspected Julia was testing her on purpose, but he let it go because it was helping. After Artemis finished seasoning the mashed potatoes, she and Julia laughed like old friends. Julia had shown keen interest in both Artemis’ art projects and her belief in the supernatural, and things had improved from there.
As Artemis chatted happily about another book on ley lines she’d finished reading, Thomas watched with a small smile, relieved both women got along. Julia caught him watching and stuck her tongue out.
When the bulk of the meal’s prep work was finished, Thomas found himself alone with Artemis. Penny and Nelson were rearranging chairs while Julia stepped out to check something on her phone.
Artemis handed Thomas some lemons for the lemonade.
“It’s kind of strange to be having a dinner like this at any other place than yours,” Thomas said while he rinsed off a lemon in the sink before placing it next to Artemis’ cutting board. “Your place was always the social hub.”
“Yeah. Funny how things change,” Artemis replied as she took a knife and sliced the lemon. The good mood she’d cultivated with Julia was ebbing away.
“I’m sorry,” Thomas said for what felt like the thousandth time as he washed and pushed over three more lemons.
“I’m not blaming you,” Artemis said. She chopped the lemons and lodged the knife in the ratty cutting board. “Why do you always assume I’m blaming you?”
Releasing a long sigh, Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. He hated that she wouldn’t look at him—it was such an unusual behavior for her. He couldn’t remember the last time any disagreement went beyond something they could laugh off.
“Listen, Artemis, I really am trying here. I know it’s been stressful and everything,
but I don’t like seeing you upset like this. Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Thomas asked. His cheeks heated as he lowered his voice. “I mean, if it’s about last night, I’m really sorry you saw—”
“No,” Artemis said, cutting Thomas off as she clanked glasses onto a serving tray. “It’s just . . . Sean is missing and I’ve been pretty tired lately. That’s all. Really.”
Thomas wasn’t convinced. She smiled before she left the kitchen, but it was a pale impostor of her usual smile and she still wouldn’t meet his eyes. Thomas only followed after he heard the clanking from glass being set down on the table.
“You’ve been to Paris? It must be so beautiful. I’ve always wanted to go. That was the main reason I learned French in high school.” Penny said as Julia reentered the apartment.
Julia smiled at Thomas, a crinkle in her eyes. He tried to return the smile, unsure at what prompted her to fully relax.
“I’ve been to Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux, though my favorite has always been the French countryside. It’s absolutely stunning. Not like Colesbrooke,” Julia laughed as she took a seat at the table.
Everyone followed and sat down. Thomas slipped into the chair next to Julia and squeezed her knee under the table. She grinned and slid him her phone.
god I hate phones I know about your little dinner dont get too comfy
keep an eye on sawbones
strike team successful were gonna pick up ernests stash
The text conversation was rough, but the last message from Lawrence explained Julia’s new demeanor. She winked at Thomas as her hand brushed his. He returned the phone and relaxed. Her new smile was brilliant.
“I really started traveling a couple of decades ago. After a while, living in the same town all the time didn’t appeal to me anymore,” Julia continued. “I had to be free, y’know?”
“You’re in a lot of trouble with Thomas,” Nelson joked as he reached for his lemonade. “He thinks visiting a coffee shop ten blocks from his apartment is an exotic trip.”
“Hey, that’s not true. I like to travel. . . .” Thomas said. “Well, I mean, I want to try and like traveling. I just, uh, get busy sometimes.”
“Pfft, more like attached to the OR at the hip,” Nelson continued to tease, taking Sean’s traditional role of giving Thomas grief. “Hey, now that you’re looking for new opportunities, you could look into being one of those medical seminar guys that travel from hospital to hospital, telling the greenhorns which end of the scalpel to hold.”
“Are you kidding?” Penny asked. “Can you imagine Mr. Mumbles giving speeches for a living? Remember how he almost fainted in the school spelling bee?”
Although his friends sought to embarrass him in front of Julia, Thomas didn’t mind. He was more relieved the vampire strike team hadn’t walked into a trap. He wouldn’t need to stitch up anyone tonight—or at least someone who was already seriously injured. Spending time with Julia and his friends felt right, natural. His heart swelled. His friends were trying to have regular lives—for themselves and for him. And they were succeeding. Right now, in this moment, everything was normal with good friends, good food, and a great girl on his arm.
No war, no vampires, no danger. No more wondering if Charles, Jericho, and Jugular James were on a suicide mission. For this moment, he could finally relax.
The meal was modest compared to some of the feasts the friends had whipped up in days gone by, with a few sides of mashed potatoes, corn, and canned peaches paired with some chicken and dumplings made from scratch. However, this dinner was nothing short of a feast compared to the bland and usually microwaved food everyone had been subsisting on since they’d moved into the apartment complex.
But Thomas figured the company seated at the table was a whole lot more important than the food sitting on top of it.
With this thought in his mind, Thomas quietly stood, holding a glass of lemonade in his hand. He cleared his throat. “I know this isn’t wine, but I’d like to make a toast. I’ve been a complete jerk these past few weeks. You guys, right here at this table, are some of the most important people in my life, and I haven’t been acting like it. I know I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I’m sorry.”
Thomas glanced around the table, lingering briefly on Artemis. Her eyes had finally softened back to their standard sweetness. Finally, resting on Julia, he continued, “I’m going to try harder to be a part of this family again, to not forget I’m still human.” He raised his glass, and the table followed in suit.
A comfortable silence fell over the table, everyone quietly eating and enjoying each other’s company. Julia reached for Thomas’ hand as he sat back down and gave it a comforting squeeze. He felt all of the guilt he’d been storing in his chest dissipate as each of his friends gave him a genuine smile. As Julia had first advised, he wouldn’t forget about the humans in his life.
“So, Thomas was shy even back in school?” Julia asked, casting a mischievous glance at him and comfortably breaking the silence. “Any more stories you can tell?”
“A few.” Artemis gave Thomas a smug smile. “Where to start?”
Penny joined in with an evil smirk, and Nelson all but rubbed his hands together menacingly.
Thomas shook his head and laughed.
Maybe he was wrong about the company being better than the food.
As his friends swapped embarrassing stories from Thomas’ adolescent years, Thomas felt a small, repeating vibration near his hip. The vibrations were quiet, probably going unnoticed by Thomas’ human friends. Julia tensed her leg, her thigh tight against Thomas’ leg. She shifted in her chair and slipped her phone from her pocket. She tried to glance at the glowing screen under the table while throwing herself deeper into the conversation. When everyone laughed, Julia laughed harder. Nelson narrowed his eyes; he must have caught on that something was off.
“Sorry,” Julia laughed as she stood. “May I use the restroom?”
Everyone nodded, and Julia slipped away. Thomas wanted to follow her.
Penny snickered. “Sean will miss this. He’s got much better stories.”
Thomas groaned. He wished his best friend would return, but there was truth to Penny’s words. “Just don’t tell him or he’ll want to do this over again.”
Artemis gave a half-smile, “At my place next time. These potatoes need my spices.”
It was as if Julia’s phone had broken the spell—even if Artemis, Nelson, and Penny hadn’t heard the vibrations. A blanket of awkwardness settled over the long-time friends. Thomas wanted to break it, to promise the war would be over soon. He opened his mouth but closed it as the bathroom door handle rattled.
Julia didn’t laugh or smile as she approached the table. She didn’t sit down, instead preferring to hover behind her chair and hand Thomas her phone.
tell sawbones dinner is over injuries incoming 20 minutes
“Um, sorry guys,” Thomas said before shoveling the last few bites of peaches into his mouth. “I’ve got to leave early.”
“Someone’s hurt,” Artemis said. Her face was blank, stiff, but her voice sounded tired.
Thomas nodded as he handed Julia her phone and picked up his plate. Dinner had to be cut short, but he had time to clean up after himself.
“When will this war be over? How long can it go on?”
It was a question Thomas had hoped no one would ask, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it as three pairs of eyes were staring at him intently, almost begging for answers.
He didn’t have them.
He carried his plate to the kitchen sink, rinsing the food in hot water and watching bits of potato act like boulders in a small waterfall. Julia’s voice was difficult to hear over the running water.
“There really isn’t a solid answer to that. You see, we’re in a delicate position. There’s an amount of subtlety required on both sides, even if it doesn’t seem that way. If this war gets too loud and drags out too long, it might start attracting attention neither side is willing to deal
with.”
Thomas sighed with relief. Julia truly was the adoptive daughter of two faction leaders. He scraped off the remaining mashed potatoes and turned off the water.
Penny asked, “Like, attention from the police? Or the national guard? Or something like that?”
Julia shook her head as Thomas returned to the dining room. “Being discovered by humans was the initial fear that drove us into action, but we mostly have that under control for now. For the moment, we don’t have to worry about being exposed. But if we continue as we have for the past week, we’ll have another threat to worry about.”
“She means the supernatural community,” Thomas said. He didn’t sit back down but leaned over his chair.
His girlfriend rolled her eyes. “That is such a human term.”
Thomas shrugged. “Did Lawrence send anything else?”
“No,” Julia said.
Thomas kissed the top of her head. “I’ll probably be fine by myself then. You should stay and finish eating.”
Nelson stood. “I can come. I’m almost done.”
Thomas nodded and waited as Nelson cleaned his plate.
“There are a lot of neutral vampires here, ones who don’t want to get caught up in this kind of mess. But there are older flocks out there in the world, older vampires who are well established and have developed an intense paranoia of discovery,” Julia explained quickly. “Those are the vampires who remember mobs with pitchforks and torches chasing them. They will do anything they can to protect our existence, and if they find that an entire city is being torn apart because of warring vampire gangs, they might want to step in and. . . . Well historically, their reactions to this kind of thing are . . . heavy-handed.”
Artemis stared at her half-empty plate. “So this will be kept as a gang war? Even if it has to go on for a long, long time? For everyone’s safety? Even if it means you guys keep getting hurt over and over?”
Nelson returned from the kitchen. “Just so some old vampires don’t get cranky?”
Shadows of Colesbrooke Page 24