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Dewey glanced behind him as the couch shook. His eyes went wide, and he backed into the corner of the sofa.

“Paige! Paige!” he hissed.

“What?” Paige asked as she returned from the kitchen into the living room.

He tapped his finger in the air toward the reason the couch had quivered.

Paige stared at it, shrugging. “What?”

“Your cat is right there,” he whispered, his gaze sliding sideways to eye her.

Paige shrugged again and tossed herself into the armchair, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. “So? He likes the couch. He usually takes a nap on the back after he eats.”

Dewey grimaced as Dickens leapt onto the back of the couch with a big yawn. The cat arched his back and circled before settling down on the top of the cushions. Dewey eyed him for another few moments, his nose wrinkled.

“Relax, Dewey,” Paige said as she tapped her foot in the air. “He won’t bite…hard.”

She arched an eyebrow and offered him a devilish grin.

Dewey’s grimace deepened, and he stuck his tongue out at her, blowing a raspberry.

A knock sounded at the door.

Paige leapt from her seat and scurried past the kitchen, grabbing the cash tip she’d set out. After a quick glance through her peephole, she tugged the door open, accepting the order and passing off the money.

With her foot, she kicked the door closed and hurried back to the living room, sliding the boxes onto the coffee table.

She popped open the lids on two of the three containers. “Dinner is served!”

Dewey flitted to the table, snatched a plate, and loaded it with three breadsticks and two slices of pizza.

“Don’t forget we have all this popcorn and candy, too,” Paige called as she grabbed cold drinks from the kitchen.

“Don’t worry. I can eat it all!” Dewey settled back onto the couch and bit into a breadstick, kicking one foot over the other as he lounged against a throw pillow.

Paige smiled at the scene of the little teal dragon lounging on her sofa as she slid the Energy Dragon drink across the table to him before cracking open her own soda.

She loaded her plate with a generous helping and licked her fingers as she slid back into her shabby armchair. She aimed the remote control at the television and shot a glance at Dewey.

She arched an eyebrow, a grin crossing her lips. “You ready?”

“Ready!” he announced, pumping a fist in the air.

Paige stretched up to flick off the lights before she pressed the play button on the remote. She settled back in her seat as the opening scene filled the screen.

Deep crimson rays filtered through the window as the sun continued to sink below the horizon.

Blood sprayed from the ceiling at a vampire dance party.

“Ewwww,” Dewey shouted, crinkling his nose.

“So, do they have blood-infused vampire raves, do you think?” Paige asked.

Dewey snorted a laugh. “Get real, Paige.”

“It seems plausible, given what I’ve lived through in the past week.”

Blade appeared on screen in his long leather jacket, striking fear into the hearts of the vampires before he struck them with more than just fear.