Page 94 of Twisted

“We are.”I smile back at her.“And I saw Ryder, that ex I told you about.”

“Ohhh, the loser who couldn’t stand up for love?”

“That would be the one.”

She wrinkles her nose.“He’s going to regret losing a good woman like you for the rest of his life.”

“I kinda feel sorry for him.It felt different this time, seeing him.I realize now that he never gave me what I deserved and he was a weak, pathetic liar from the start.”

“Any man who leads a woman on like that is a loser.I get that it’s hard to stand up for yourself sometimes.But getting someone else involved only to walk away and leave them shattered…I know the universe will punish him.I saw it in the tea leaves.”

“You drink tea?”

“No, but sometimes the blood in my teacups leaves a pattern, so I read it.”

“Oh,” I just say, loving Mabel even more when she has her little moments like this where she’s a little unhinged.“And I agree.When I look back with clarity, I see he really had nothing to offer me in terms of improving my life.He was cute, I’ll admit that.”

“If the best thing a man over thirty has to offer is his looks, he’s probably a broke loser who can’t provide for you.”

I laugh.“You need to write that down.That’s some solid advice.”

She laughs, too.“I haven’t dated of course, but I watch a lot.Observe.I was alive and then undead before social media.It’s been interesting watching the world change.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“I’m lucky Zeke found me and I found him.”

She looks happy when she says it, but I can’t help but wonder if she was held spellbound by him so many times before she was turned if it’s just ingrained in her brain or not.“I will say, this new wave of men is gross.I believe the term is ‘soft men era’, and I am not a fan.”

“Me, neither.I want my rights and independence but I don’t want to be a mother instead of a lover.”

“Right?”Her blue eyes widen.“I don’t get it.If a man is over forty and he doesn’t have his own place to live, run.Men should be providers.You’re telling me, in the last couple of years he hasn’t been able to figure out a way to secure his own housing?My mother would roll over in her grave if she knew I even gave a man like that a second thought.”

I’m too tired to tell Mabel most people don’t grow up or marry into rich vampire families, but I see her point.And it’s okay to not want to be taken care of by a man nowadays, but it’s also fine if you still want to have a more old-fashioned role, as long as you’re safe and happy.

“The sun will be up in a couple of hours,” Mabel starts.“I want to enjoy the garden in the moonlight.”

“It’s quite peaceful out there at night.I’m exhausted.”

“I bet.”She pushes my wet hair back.“A man who chooses safety over a soul connection has just damned himself to a lifetime of loneliness and disappointment.Your ex will feel it.I just hope you can leave him in the past.”

“I think after tonight, I have,” I tell her honestly.“I used to imagine him coming back and telling me he’s sorry and he wants to try again, but now, I can really say that thought gives me the ick.”

“Good.”She smiles.“You’re a good person, Wren.Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you, and I don’t just mean some silly man-child.”

“Yeah,” I say, thinking about the Russos.Mabel and I say goodnight and I lay down, scrolling through Instagram to try and clear my head.I end up falling asleep only to have a vivid dream about a modest Cape-Cod style house in a normal looking neighborhood.I see the dream unfold as if I’m watching it on a TV show.I’ve never seen the actors before, but I know exactly who they are.

They’re my parents, and they’re very much alive.

CHAPTER37

“Good morning, Mrs.Malus,” Alan, the cook, says.He’s looking past me and almost appears high, but I know better.Xavier held him spellbound one too many times and the guy’s brain is trying to process what limited info it has access to.

And he’s definitely been told not to look at me.

“What can I make you for breakfast this morning?”

“Something high protein but vegetarian, if it’s not too much work.”