Page 27

H arlow sighed. It was very apparent that Foxx was…less sad. And he was glad that the vampire was, but he had forgotten what a less sad Foxx was like around new people. As in, Harlow had forgotten that the vampire, while always talkative, was ten times fucking worse when he was trying to get to know someone. Oh, and also that Gavin was a fucking asshole who had zero filter when it pleased him.

“Oh, oh, I have to tell you this one story! You are going to die laughing,” Gavin said with a happy hum. “So, like I was saying, growing up, I mostly stuck with my guardians. To note, this incident was back before Harlow bought a house. Anyway, sometimes they’d drop me off there?—”

“Unannounced, mind you,” Harlow hissed. “I’d come home and find him literally hanging out with the doorman.”

Foxx giggled. “Which is hilarious as you don’t like children any more than I do. I am surprised you didn’t just ignore him and continue on your way though. Or did you try to ignore him? Did he ignore you, Gavin? You had to bug him until he took you inside, didn’t you? I bet?—”

“Foxx!” Harlow snapped.

The vampire huffed. “What?!”

“Let someone answer your first question before asking more!” he growled. “First of all, rather than dislike, I am more indifferent to children. And no, I didn’t ignore him.”

Gavin chuckled. “Nope, most of the time he would see me and start cursing, and then, ha, attempted to be a responsible adult when I was there. Which I always found funny, as you were pretty horrible at it. Especially in this case. Because he came back to apparently grab something, saw me there and sighed. Instead of just grabbing the thing he needed, and letting me hang out in his apartment, he took me with him on a hunt.”

“Harlow!” Foxx said with a laugh. “You did not!?”

“He was literally nine, what the fuck else was I supposed to do?!” he defended.

That, and he knew the kid would have definitely swiped some of his shit if he hadn’t. But also, Gavin had only been nine…weren’t you not supposed to leave young children alone?! He, of course, based that decision on what he’d seen on TV as…it wasn’t as if Harlow had been a normal fucking child!?

The vampire snorted. “Not take a nine-year-old to a murder?”

He just growled but said nothing.

“Anyway, we get there and he tells me to stay in the car. Me being nine, of course, did not listen.”

Foxx giggled. “I’m surprised he thought you would have listened. Then again, he does keep trying to tell me what I can and cannot do. Most of his clothes having embroidery on them should tell you well enough how that works out for him.”

Harlow hadn’t really banked on the kid listening to him at all, he’d just hoped the little shit would. But, seriously!? Did Foxx really have to tell the dragon about his poor, once untouched clothes?!

Gavin let out a barking laugh. “His clothes have what on them?!”

“Didn’t you notice?!” The vampire bounced in his seat. “Check the sleeve of his jacket.”

He let out a threatening growl when the dragon leaned forward to take a look, and made a cooing noise. “Aww, it’s a cute gray heart!”

Cute?! Fucking hell, someone save him…anyone… He could have just killed them both! There had been so many chances! Numerous fucking chances! He had regrets…he had so many regrets…

“Yep, so cute!” Foxx beamed. “As are all of the other ones.”

“Ugh, murder should have been my choice,” he groaned.

Gavin chuckled. “Ahhh, does he talk about murdering you too?!”

“He does. But he knows he’d regret it.”

Harlow would…in Foxx’s case, at least. Ahh, fuck, who was he kidding? He’d never be able to do it now. Ugh, he was too fucking attached! What sort of bullshit nonsense was that about?!

“Okay, back to the story! So, I sneak into the house, almost get shot by Harlow, who is smoking, by the way. The man tosses his still-lit butt, as he is lecturing me about doing as I’m told. And there’s a dead body on the ground, a vampire. Which is the exact thing his still-lit cigarette landed on.”

Foxx squealed. “Oh, by the Goddess, please tell me he accidentally set the dead vampire on fire!”

“He sooo did—aha—along with the curtains, followed by the rest of the house. Tony was so pissed!”

Foxx let out a snort, right before he burst into laughter, and Gavin joined in.

“If you two don’t change the topic off of me, I will crash this car, I swear to all fuck.”

“FINE, FINE,” the vampire whined. “We were just having fun and getting to know each other through you.”

“Yeah! We are just bonding!” Gavin cried.

“How is revealing that I threw my back out, and that you carried me while dressed as a pink fucking bear, getting to know each other, Brat?! But okay, you want to know each other?! Fine, let me help!

“Foxx has over a hundred fucking sweaters, likes to wear outfits that would do any toddler proud, has zero boundaries when it comes to touching other people’s clothes, is the pettiest fucking son of a bitch that I know, and is the vampire embodiment of a cat.

“And Gavin, he set my motherfucking kitchen on fire when he was twelve, blew up a tree at fifteen, and can’t be left alone for five fucking seconds in someone’s house without swiping, often useless, but shiny things! Oh, and I had to stop him from getting abducted five fucking times as a child, because his ass would literally FOLLOW anyone for a piece of fucking candy!”

“I do not dress like a toddler, and I am NOT a cat!” Foxx cried.

Gavin sputtered, “They shouldn’t have left shit out if they didn’t want it to be taken! Also, the fire stuff was not on purpose! ”

The two were silent for a moment, both just glaring at him, before the chatter began again.

“Was it at least good candy?” his brat asked.

“Mid-level, most of the time,” the dragon admitted. “Though, this one time, it was like the expensive shit. That was some good ass chocolate.”

“Ohh, expensive chocolate.”

Harlow rolled his eyes and tried to tune them out.

Foxx hummed. “So, I know you won’t outright tell me what you do, but if I guess, will you tell me if I’m right?”

The dragon gasped excitedly, “Ooh, a game! Fine, if you guess correctly, I’ll tell you.”

His right eye started to twitch. “I have literally been trying to get you to admit what you do for the last nine years, and now you’re going to tell him if he guesses right?!”

“Well—” Gavin huffed. “—you never made it fun!”

Killing the people he’d collected would be wrong, but boy would it make him so happy right now.