Page 33 of Nightshades
With the bag of bones in one hand, I swing the door open, the bell jingling to signal my exit. I step outside in a light mist of rain, tilting my head back to enjoy a few seconds of peace before I start wreaking havoc.
Taking a right, I walk down the sidewalk, passing a few people carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from a little rain. Everyone who looks at me takes a step away to put more space between us. They don’t smell afraid of me, wary yes, but not the fear I love to entice.
That’s not normal.
I need to find out why.
I’m about to cross the street when I see a face that belongs to someone in Lula’s case files. She’s running out of Demi’s Diner with a satchel on her shoulder, a red beanie on, and she looks both ways before crossing the street.
Fireopal.
According to her file, she’s a hacker. She’s done a few stints in prison too, for hacking into government websites. Her record is long and dates all the way back to middle school when she was caught changing her grades in the computer system.
Fireopal was also accused of stealing three million dollars, but it couldn’t be traced. She covered her tracks, and the money was never found.
“Two in one day? How lucky am I?” Crossing the street to follow her, a car blares its horn and slams on its brakes, stopping inches away.
I slam my fists on the car, denting the hood. White smoke drifts from the engine, a clicking noise sounding from the vehicle before it shuts off. The driver lifts his hands, slamming them on the wheel, and even goes as far as to step out of the car.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re going to pay for this to get fixed. I had the right of way.”
He hasn’t looked up yet from his car as he spews his anger. I step in his way, and he slams himself against my chest.
“The light was green! And you”—he tilts his head all the way back in order to see my face—“holy fuck.”
I bend down, hating that I am making myself smaller for someone who doesn’t matter.
I don’t say a word. I take a step closer, which causes him to take a step back, naturally.
“I’m going to go. It’s fine. The car is fine. No big deal. We’re both unharmed, right?” He opens the driver’s side door and slips in, pressing the button to lock the doors.
I’d kill him too if I weren’t in such a hurry to deal with Fireopal. She’s a threat to Lula, and the only threat Lula is allowed to have is me.
Pressing my hands against the side of the car, I push it out of my way, leaving the driver who tested me to live another day.
Using my vampire speed, I disappear, leaving him with more questions than before.
Fireopal is walking through the park with her headphones on, her hands shoved in her pockets.
The park is nice. Plenty of humans are around, so I can’t do anything drastic just yet without bringing attention to myself. I hate attention.
Kids are playing on the playground, screaming and laughing as they have fun. Parents are sitting to the side, watching their spawns so they are safe.
As the children play, I begin to wonder if being a father is something I’d want with Lula. I don’t know if I could share her. The thought alone has violence awakening inside me.
But then, if she did have my child, she’d be bound to me in every way possible, and even my nightmare loves the idea of that.
Yessssss.
But then I hear a little human scream when he sees me. His scream turns into a full, out-of-control sob that has me clutching the bag tighter.
That high-pitched cry is annoying. I don’t like it.
Flashing a fang at the annoying little boy, I continue to follow Fireopal, wondering what scheme she is up to next. I only want to focus on Lula, but I can’t do that if all these outside threats take her attention away from me.
Every aspect of her life belongs to me. Her body. Her mind. Her time. Even the breaths she takes belong to me. No one deserves Lula’s energy. The more distractions I take from her, the more of her I’ll be able to get.
The problem is that her world doesn’t revolve around me. There are people taking her attention, like Fireopal, when Lula’s attention needs to be on me.