by Lane Mason
As the two agents put the criminals in the back seat of their car, Kat remembered her prize. “Shit.” She turned to look for her grocery bag filled with sugary goodness. It was gone.
“No,” she yelled.
“What’s wrong?” Agent Smith asked.
“My ice cream is gone.”
“Want me to fill out a missing snacks report?”
Kat’s eyes narrowed. She liked Agent Smith, but you didn’t joke about Ben & Jerry.
“Miss! Oh, Miss. I have your groceries in the store,” called out a voice.
Kat turned to see the clerk who’d served her standing at the door of the store. “You do?”
“Yes, I was watching the fight and called nine-one-one. I was describing the fight to the nice police lady and I kept telling her that you were looking at your grocery bag as if you were protecting it. I thought you must’ve slipped something important into the bag before going outside. I snuck out during the fight and grabbed the bag. But it didn’t have anything special in it. Just your groceries. I put the ice cream in the cooler so it wouldn’t melt.”
Kat went to the clerk and he handed her the bag. She planted a kiss on his cheek. “You are a hero, sir.”
5
Kat
Home with her prized ice cream and snacks, Kat beelined for the kitchen. She took out a salad bowl, as the dessert bowls were far too small for the amount of ice cream and toppings she deserved after having to deal with demons, vampires, and gross, icky webs of magic.
“Woah, somebody’s not messing around tonight. That looks delicious. It also looks like about six thousand calories,” Vesper said as she entered the kitchen.
Kat looked down at her dessert. “You’re thinking it needs more nuts? I’ll add more nuts.”
“I think it looks yummy How’d your day go? Is that celebratory ice cream or eat-your-sorrows ice cream?”
“A little of both. I killed that damn gorilla demon today, which was why I picked up the ice cream for a little Netflix and chill action.”
Vesper frowned. “You know that eating ice cream isn’t what the chill stands for, right?”
Kat shrugged. “It is in my world. Anyway, I picked up the ice cream and boom, another Blood Runners attack.”
“Well, you’re still alive, so I’ll assume their attack failed. Any collateral damage?”
Kat shook her head. “No. Thankfully Ben and Jerry survived. I thought I lost them, but a nice clerk saved them before they could melt.”
“You are really becoming obsessed with your ice cream. I suggest a therapist. I meant was anyone hurt?”
“I killed a vampire. No civilians were hurt.” Kat took another bite of her dessert.
“A vampire working with the Blood Runners? Interesting. I wonder if you’ve pissed off the local clan or if it is just a rogue vamp working with the Blood Runners.”
Kat frowned. “Good question. Maybe I need to go have a chat with what’s her face.”
“Lola Arvel?”
“Yes. That’s the one,” Kat said before taking another bite of her ice cream. “You want some of this? It’s amazing.”
“I’ll pass. I’m going out for dinner and dancing with Aldo tonight. You’re welcome to join us.”
Kat almost spit out her ice cream. “You’re going dancing with Aldo? Aldo the dwarf who runs around our house wearing nothing but his underwear and black socks?”
“Yes. It turns out Aldo loves dance music. So we’re meeting a couple witches who come to the shop all the time. And we’re taking him dancing. Although from what he tells me, that means he’ll be doing lots of drinking and standing in the corner while we girls dance. He seems rather excited to go.”
Kat shook her head. “I’d come just to see him dancing, but I’m watching Sabrina and eating ice cream. And after that I’ll probably go find Lola.”
“I love that show,” Vesper said. “And be careful with Lola. She’s no joke. I wouldn’t go around calling her ‘what’s her face’ either. The last thing you need is trouble with the Arvel clan.”
“You’re right. I’ll be more careful about how I talk. No need to be pissing off powerful supernaturals who aren’t already trying to kill me. That list seems long enough on its own.”
“It’s your natural charisma.”
Kat sighed. “I doubt it. It likely is more to do with me being draia. Like that is my fault or something.”
Vesper stole Kat’s spoon and took a big mouthful of her ice cream. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “Oh, that is heavenly.”
Kat grinned. “Ben and Jerry. The two men in my life who never fail to satisfy me.”
...
After a couple hours of Netflix and snacks, Kat looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. A perfect time to go to bed, if you were a normal person with a normal 9-to-5 job. But when you’re a demon hunter with a date with a vampire, it meant it was time to get off your butt.
Slipping into a fresh tank top that wasn’t covered in ice cream drippings, Kat pondered the virtues of an adult bib. There were certain foods that just seemed to be messy no matter what, especially when trying to eat them during a horror movie.
Cleaned up and ready, Kat jumped into the Demon and headed downtown. It was time to meet Lola Arvel.
When she thought of vampires, Kat thought of nightclubs filled with sexy people grinding up on the dance floor with shady, but hot guys pulling girls to the dark corners to taste their blood. It was probably a scene from a movie she’d watched at some point, but the image had never left her. That’s why her current situation seemed so strange.
There was no nightclub, no deep bass pounding in the background. There was music, soft classical music playing in the background, but everything else was far different than she’d imagined. Lola Arvel ran a coffee shop. Not to say that it wasn’t one of the coolest coffee shops Kat had ever been in. It was big, and the walls were all bookshelves, filled floor to ceiling with paperbacks. And each booth had smaller bookshelves built in, with even more books.
A server came up and smiled. “Hi, welcome to Lola’s. I’m Tammy, I’ll be your server tonight. What genres do you prefer? Romance, Thrillers, Fantasy, Historical, or Nonfiction?”
“I’m partial to Paranormal Romance,” Kat admitted.
Tammy winked. “Aren’t we all. I have just the table for you.”
“Um, I’m actually looking for Lola.”
“No problem. I’ll seat you and then go see if she’s available. May I ask your name?”
“Kat Dark.”
Tammy smiled. “What a great name. Very goth. I’ll let her know you are here.” Tammy then led Kat to a small corner booth. “Here you are.”
As Tammy left to find Lola, Kat sat in the booth. There was a bookshelf going around the top of the booth filled with novels. There were plenty of big-name authors like Ward, Briggs, and Roberts that she recognized, but there were many more names that she’d never heard off. She picked one of the books and started reading it.
She was two chapters in and enthralled with the book when she was interrupted.
“Stephanie Foxe. It isn’t paranormal romance, but we find there to be a strong crossover between paranormal and urban fantasy readers. It just depends if you are looking for more romance or action.”
Kat looked up to see a beautiful woman who seemed to have a look that was a cross between girl next door and sexy librarian. Blonde hair, gray-green eyes behind black, thick-rimmed glasses, and the cutest little dimples. “Lola?”
“At your service. May I sit down?”
Kat put the book down and waved at the booth. “Please do.”
Lola sat down and smiled. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Your reputation precedes you, Agent Dark.”
“I have to admit this isn’t what I was picturing when I came looking for you. I was expecting something different.”
“Let me guess, either a gothic mansion with elitist vampires snogging and looking at you with disdain or a nightclub with sexy peop
le and me dressed like a madam.”
Kat’s cheeks grew red. “The latter,” she admitted.
“Happens all the time. Myths and stereotypes are a result of modern culture. People watch Dracula and then they think that is what a vampire is. At least some of the more modern shows portray vampires and paranormals in a more interesting light. Personally, I’m a Vampire Academy fan. At least they went with two races of vampires.”
“What about Twilight?”
“Meh. Not bad, the actors are hot, I dug the whole love triangle thing, but wolves aren’t the do-gooder Native Americans that are portrayed as the natural enemies of vampires. Such a simplistic approach, and don’t get me started on that sparkling vamps shit.”
It was fascinating talking vampire culture with Lola, and she wanted to learn more about the coffee shop/book haven, but it wasn’t why she was here. “So... I had a little run-in with a vampire today. Fellow tried to make a meal out of my neck.”
Lola waved down the waitress. “Bring Kat a menu, and I’ll have my regular. Do you drink coffee this late at night? We have a wonderful Brazilian roast that is eco-friendly and Fair Trade certified.”
“Sure, I’ll try that.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Two creams and three sugars.” Kat turned back to Lola. “Caffeine doesn’t have the effect on me it once did. I can drink it all night.”
“I suspect that your magic is the cause of that. Same reason you can eat lots—your body takes all the extra calories and caffeine, and uses it to replenish your magical stores. Many mages are stimulant junkies, but I think just eating more and having more caffeine is a healthier way of replenishing your magic. Now, about your vampire attack. Was the vampire alone?”
“No, he was with three Blood Runners.”
Lola sighed. “The Blood Runners. It figures. They’ve been snooping around trying to recruit more vampires for their gang. The problem is they’re throwing around a lot of money, and they have less rules than I do, so there certainly are going to be rogue vampires who will take the money.”
“You’re saying the vampire was acting independently, then. Not under any orders from you?”
Lola smiled. “My dear, you are new to Boston, so I’ll fill you in. I’m in charge of the vampires in this city. My clan is the biggest and the strongest. The other clans and independent vampires all agree to my rules. Those that don’t are asked to leave. And if they don’t, they are dealt with in a permanent fashion. We have a good thing going here, the MBI agents don’t harass us, and we do our own thing. I have no intention of rocking that boat. Besides, rumor has it that Dexter recruited you.”
“Here’s your coffee, ladies,” Tammy said as she dropped off a menu and the drinks. “Anything else I can get you?”
“We’re good for now, thank you,” Lola said.
Kat took a drink of the coffee. It was hot, rich, and creamy, just how she liked her men. She smirked at the thought. It was something Vesper had said once, and it stuck in her brain. After a second sip of the coffee, she turned her attention back to Lola.
“Dexter did recruit me.” Kat was glad to hear that Lola wasn’t interested in her death. The vampire sounded genuine, and Kat would hate to have to kill her. This coffee shop had serious potential to be a favored hangout.
“The chances of me crossing Dexter by attacking one of his protégés is about zero. I don’t care how much the Blood Runners are paying. Don’t get me wrong, if you start going vigilante on my people without cause, I’ll do what needs to be done, but I have no intentions of starting anything with you.”
Interesting, Kat thought. There was a hint of fear in Lola’s voice, but it wasn’t her that she feared. She feared Dexter. “You and Dexter get along well?”
“Not as well as I’d like. He’s a handsome one,” Lola said with a grin. “But that’s not why I wouldn’t cross him. He’d turn my world upside down if I betrayed our agreement. Between him and his crew of badasses, you now included, there is no way I could survive.”
“His crew?”
“I know you’ve met Daemon and Thomas,” Lola said.
“Ah, that crew. Yes, I’d call them badass.”
“Well, they’re the nice ones. Has anyone told you about the Ruton Incident?”
Kat frowned. She had heard someone mention that recently, who was it? Then she remembered Judah. “All I know is that you keep a lower profile ever since the Ruton Incident. But I don’t have clue what the incident was.”
“A few years ago, one of the big vampire clans decided that they were going to make a power play. They orchestrated a war between dozens of countries that resulted in attacks on nuclear facilities, massive cyber warfare, and all sorts of chaos.”
“I remember that. It looked like World War Three was starting. That was vampires?”
“Yes. A ruthless and ambitious vampire named Vladimir Ruton, hence the name. He’d been planning his world takeover for hundreds of years. It probably would’ve worked if it weren’t for Dexter and his crew.”
“Dexter stopped World War Three?”
“I would give credit to Dexter’s people. Between the Butler brothers and the De Bellos, they did most of the damage. Once Jared Butler killed Ruton, and the rest of the vampires found out Ruton had pissed off a gargoyle, things simmered down really quick.”
“A gargoyle?”
“Yes. A big, powerful supernatural who takes exception to anyone attacking his loved ones. Ruton had the woman he was protecting attacked. Ruton wanted her dead, but she ended up turned. Which means she’ll probably live forever and her gargoyle won’t ever go back to sleep. Dexter was a genius setting that up, even though I know it wasn’t his intention for the woman to become a vampire, but it probably saved millions of lives. There were still vampires who wanted to see Ruton’s plans seen through even after he was killed. But when word got out that Dante, the gargoyle, could go wherever his woman went, things calmed down really quick. It’s one thing to fight a pair of pissed-off half-breed vampires like the Butlers, but it’s another to fight them and a gargoyle, not to mention Dexter, Daemon, Thomas, and the other powerful paranormals Dexter has recruited over the years.”
“Very interesting,” Kat said.
“You have no idea. Anyway, long story short, that one vampire clan got its ass kicked and gave the rest of us a bad name. Many vampires in the world still regret Ruton failing, but that’s because being a vampire doesn’t exclude you from being stupid. They don’t know the power of the MBI and the other paranormal agencies around the world. So that is why I had nothing to do with the attack on you. I fear for my life and the life of my clan. Dexter alone is trouble, but throw in a gargoyle? Forget about it. Or even worse, the Butlers. They take shit personal.”
Kat didn’t know what to say. It seemed that Dexter had a lot of badass friends. It certainly made her life easier knowing that his name seemed to pull a lot of weight in the paranormal circles. It certainly did in the vampire ones, at least in Boston, anyway. But that still left her with a problem. “Why the hell are the Blood Runners so bent on killing me, then?”
“Good question. But from what I’ve seen of the Blood Runners, the answer is actually pretty easy. Money. The question you need answered is who’s putting up the money to have you killed? That is who really has an issue with you. Personally, I like the idea of having a draia in our city. Demons are a pain in the ass. They give all paranormals a bad name. Having you going around killing them, sending their ugly asses back to hell, is a damn good thing.”
Lola had given Kat much to think about. Kat felt confident that what Lola was saying was true, or true from her perspective, and there wasn’t an issue between her and the vampires of Boston. Which brought things back to where they started... she had a Blood Runners problem.
Kat looked at the book on the table, “Urban fantasy you say.”
Lola nodded. “Yes. All the magic and fighting but without the hot sex scenes.”
“Interesting, I’ll have to ke
ep reading.”
“Take the book with you when you leave. All the books here are available for sale. Customers can browse and read everything for free while they’re here. If they want to take the books home, it just gets added to the bill.”
“This may be my favorite coffee shop ever.”
Lola smiled. “Even vampires love a good paranormal romance.” She nodded towards the book on the table. “If you like her books, you should also check out Lane Mason.”
“I’ll stick to this one for now, but maybe later.”
Lola stood up. “I’d love to stay and chat more, but I have a dwarven book dealer I need to negotiate with. Such a pain in the ass.”
Kat laughed. “I know what you mean. If you want to get on their good side, offer to take them dancing. I have a dwarven friend and he loves the music; something about the heavy bass soothes them.”
“Really? That is good to know. Thank you, I owe you one.”
Kat took another sip of her coffee. “Don’t mention it. And you’ll probably see me around. I really am digging your place.”
“Till the next time, Agent Dark.” Lola slipped a business card across the table. “In case you ever need to get a hold of me.”
As Lola left to go deal with her dwarven issues, Kat looked at the business card and entered the number into her phone. Having the ability to converse with Lola could prove to be handy one day. She then got back to reading her book. It was quite interesting.
6
Vesper
“Another round of shots, please,” Aldo said to the waitress.
Vesper laughed. Who knew dwarfs were so fun? It turned out the secret to making Aldo talk was Fireball. The cinnamon-flavored whiskey turned the stoic and somewhat dour dwarf into a charmer. It didn’t hurt that her two new friends were hotties.
“Aldo, are you trying to get us drunk?” Meg Anne asked.
“I is not da one who started this drinking game,” Aldo slurred.
