sucking on his shake.
“Well?”
“I do not know. We shall have to find out.”
“And what is this about them hanging out with my uncle? Who IS Ulrich? He is obviously more than what the fat man was saying.”
“Again, I do not know.”
“And do you want to know the worst part?” I almost shouted.
“Worst?”
“That ghoul is decomposing into slime in the middle of that grave meaning I don’t get my skip money and I’m not going back for him, meaning my rent is not getting paid this month.”
Killian laughed, “You shall be taken care of.”
“YOU ARE NOT GETTING ME TO OWE YOU ANY MORE FAVORS ELF.”
The entire diner stopped and looked at me.
I gulped, “I’m auditioning for a movie. We’re just running lines.”
Normal conversation resumed and the waitress came over, “I’m an actress, too! What are you auditioning for? I think I would make a really great elf. Was it in the breakdowns?”
I raised the glass to my eye, “I’m sorry. I’m a stunt person. I got bumped up to do a line.”
She seemed disappointed and just dropped the check.
I leaned forward and whispered, “Killian, this is not good. We’re not safe if the vamps can come out during the day.”
“Listen, they did not attack. They stretched things out and then waited until dark which means they must not have all their power. We will go back tomorrow at noon and see what we can find. Deal?”
I sighed, “Yah. Deal.”
He opened up his moneybag and pulled out several gold coins.
I placed my hand on his, “Stop. I’ve got it.”
“I told you it was my treat.”
“I’ll take it out of the per diem I’m about to start charging you.”
He gave me a sideways glance.
“You can’t go throwing gold around here.”
He looked down at his little pile of elf money, “I had forgotten that the currency is not the same as the Other Side.”
I patted his hand, “It’s okay, you’ll just have to save my life again, okay?”
He gave me a slow half smile, “You have yourself a deal.”
Chapter 15
Bed had never looked so good. I crawled into the lacy chintz goodness and nestled into the 1000 thread count sheets. I was reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in?” I asked, hesitantly. I’d learned long ago that anyone knocking at your door at 11:00 at night was there for a booty call or emergency call. Sometimes both. Never neither.
Mindy came in softly and padded over to my bed, sitting at the foot of it like when we were kids.
“How’d it go today?”
I knew this was not the reason why she had come into my room. You don’t spend nine months in utero with a person without being able to read their tells.
“Melted my skip, which is gonna be helluva lot of paperwork, and staked a couple vampires. Blah blah blah. You?”
She shivered, “I hate what you do.”
Mindy had it rough. During school, she had gone the super brains/ballerina/cheerleader route, I think, just to get some normalcy. I hadn’t been really surprised when she had gone into finance.
“Me, too. I wish I could have done anything else in the world besides this, but...”
She shrugged, “But Dad’s genes.”
“Yah,” I humorlessly laughed, “his damned genes.”
“Do you ever feel like he’s still with you?”
I nodded, “Yah.”
She got really quiet, “No, like, he is in the room with you. You can smell him. And you hear his footsteps like he’s right behind you.”
“You feeling okay?”
“No. I... It’s just sometimes... it’s like I catch him out of the corner of my eye, but he’s not here. He’s dead.” She stopped and repeated, “He’s dead, right?”
I sat up, “Are you saying you have Mom’s gift?”
She waved her hands, “I don’t know. I don’t know at all. I mean, I must, because normal people don’t see... Well, they don’t see dead people, right?”
I shrugged, “Some swear they
“Well?”
“I do not know. We shall have to find out.”
“And what is this about them hanging out with my uncle? Who IS Ulrich? He is obviously more than what the fat man was saying.”
“Again, I do not know.”
“And do you want to know the worst part?” I almost shouted.
“Worst?”
“That ghoul is decomposing into slime in the middle of that grave meaning I don’t get my skip money and I’m not going back for him, meaning my rent is not getting paid this month.”
Killian laughed, “You shall be taken care of.”
“YOU ARE NOT GETTING ME TO OWE YOU ANY MORE FAVORS ELF.”
The entire diner stopped and looked at me.
I gulped, “I’m auditioning for a movie. We’re just running lines.”
Normal conversation resumed and the waitress came over, “I’m an actress, too! What are you auditioning for? I think I would make a really great elf. Was it in the breakdowns?”
I raised the glass to my eye, “I’m sorry. I’m a stunt person. I got bumped up to do a line.”
She seemed disappointed and just dropped the check.
I leaned forward and whispered, “Killian, this is not good. We’re not safe if the vamps can come out during the day.”
“Listen, they did not attack. They stretched things out and then waited until dark which means they must not have all their power. We will go back tomorrow at noon and see what we can find. Deal?”
I sighed, “Yah. Deal.”
He opened up his moneybag and pulled out several gold coins.
I placed my hand on his, “Stop. I’ve got it.”
“I told you it was my treat.”
“I’ll take it out of the per diem I’m about to start charging you.”
He gave me a sideways glance.
“You can’t go throwing gold around here.”
He looked down at his little pile of elf money, “I had forgotten that the currency is not the same as the Other Side.”
I patted his hand, “It’s okay, you’ll just have to save my life again, okay?”
He gave me a slow half smile, “You have yourself a deal.”
Chapter 15
Bed had never looked so good. I crawled into the lacy chintz goodness and nestled into the 1000 thread count sheets. I was reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in?” I asked, hesitantly. I’d learned long ago that anyone knocking at your door at 11:00 at night was there for a booty call or emergency call. Sometimes both. Never neither.
Mindy came in softly and padded over to my bed, sitting at the foot of it like when we were kids.
“How’d it go today?”
I knew this was not the reason why she had come into my room. You don’t spend nine months in utero with a person without being able to read their tells.
“Melted my skip, which is gonna be helluva lot of paperwork, and staked a couple vampires. Blah blah blah. You?”
She shivered, “I hate what you do.”
Mindy had it rough. During school, she had gone the super brains/ballerina/cheerleader route, I think, just to get some normalcy. I hadn’t been really surprised when she had gone into finance.
“Me, too. I wish I could have done anything else in the world besides this, but...”
She shrugged, “But Dad’s genes.”
“Yah,” I humorlessly laughed, “his damned genes.”
“Do you ever feel like he’s still with you?”
I nodded, “Yah.”
She got really quiet, “No, like, he is in the room with you. You can smell him. And you hear his footsteps like he’s right behind you.”
“You feeling okay?”
“No. I... It’s just sometimes... it’s like I catch him out of the corner of my eye, but he’s not here. He’s dead.” She stopped and repeated, “He’s dead, right?”
I sat up, “Are you saying you have Mom’s gift?”
She waved her hands, “I don’t know. I don’t know at all. I mean, I must, because normal people don’t see... Well, they don’t see dead people, right?”
I shrugged, “Some swear they
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