by Amira Rain
When I arrived at the cafe, some of the raindrops that had fallen on its large white awning outside were already dripping off the awning, appearing to me like falling tears. Inside, the place was packed, and the large plate-glass front windows were steamed up with the breath of so many people inside added to the hot plates of food coming out of the kitchen. On an old jukebox adjacent to the cash register, some upbeat "oldies" song from the 1950s was playing.
The song was something bouncy and up-tempo with lyrics that went on about a "best day ever," but the mood in the cafe didn't exactly match. Dozens of women sat in booths and at tables with expressions that struck me as a little glum, or maybe tense somehow, or both. Even the two vampire women who were waitresses at the cafe looked a little down. This especially struck me as a little unusual, since normally these two women were just about the two perkiest women ever. Before arriving in Everglen, I would have never thought that “perky” vampires were even a “thing,” but some of the women in the city had definitely proved me wrong.
Since Dana was the only real, close friend I'd made in the city so far, I didn't know who else to sit with or where else to sit. Our usual table was taken by two young women eating large plates of macaroni and cheese without looking like they were really enjoying it much.
Feeling something like the new girl at a high school, I shuffled through the main floor of the cafe, deciding that I'd take a little empty table near the back rather than interrupt anyone I'd been introduced to by asking if I could sit with them.
However, before I could reach the little table, a short young woman with pale blonde hair waved to me from a booth. "Tiffany! Hi!"
Her name was Kendra, and like Dana, she had an outgoing, fairly indiscriminately friendly sort of personality. Not that I knew her that well, though. Dana had just introduced us briefly one day.
I made my way over to Kendra's booth, where she and a friend sat with large chef's salads and glasses of iced tea. Soon, I was sitting with them with a salad of my own, after Kendra had introduced me to her friend Megan and had invited me to join them.
At first, in the glow of a strand of tiny white lights running along the wall next to our booth, the three of us just made small talk, discussing things like their kids, the weather, and what I thought of Everglen so far.
But then, Kendra took a sip of her iced tea, seemed to study me over the rim of the glass, set the glass down, and then did a little throat-clear that struck me as forced-casual for some reason. "So, Tiffany...."
I set my fork down, intent on what she was going to ask me or say.
But instead of finishing the thought, Kendra just turned bright red, obscuring the light smattering of freckles on her cheeks. "Sorry. I was going to ask you something, but now I just feel like a big gossip or something, and I honestly hate gossip."
Now I was really interested in what she'd been going to ask me. Now I almost felt like I had to know.
Wanting to encourage her to spill, I shook my head. "No, don't worry at all about seeming like a gossip. Just go ahead and ask me whatever you were going to ask me. As long as it's nothing too personal, I'm pretty much an open book, so I really don't think I'll mind whatever it is."
Looking visibly relieved, Kendra took another sip of her iced tea and once again set her glass on the table. "Okay, well...I just wondered if you'd heard about the...the fight or whatever it was today, and I just wondered if you knew anything about it. Everyone's just kind of...." Kendra shrugged, tucking a strand of her short blonde bob behind one ear. "I don't know. Maybe just slightly worried. Or maybe just upset to hear about it or something. It’s just not often that Commander Alexander comes out of a fight without having killed the other person. I think people are just worried maybe.”
My interest had turned to complete confusion. I wasn't aware of Nick having been involved in any fight. He certainly hadn’t called to tell me about it, although maybe he had tried, I reasoned. When I’d left the apartment to come to the café, I’d forgotten to bring my big cellular telephone with me. It would have been a much handier electronic device if I’d been able to put it in my pocket. In certain pants, I could, but it then made the pants so tight just by its sheer bulk that they were uncomfortable. There was also the matter of it becoming hot in my pocket sometimes.
Feeling more than a bit stupid somehow that I hadn’t heard about whatever fight Nick had been involved in, I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about any fight that Nick was involved in. I'm feeling just...kind of clueless, I guess."
Megan looked at me a bit skeptically, as if she wasn't quite sure at all that I was telling the truth. "So, the fight wasn't over you or anything that you know of?"
I shook my head again. "No. I mean...I really don't know. I really haven't heard about any fight that Nick was involved in today."
Megan frowned. “So, you haven’t heard about him and the leader of the Dormios getting into some fight just outside the city?”
When I shook my head, she continued.
“Well, Nick’s fine, but like Kendra said, everyone’s just a little rattled. It’s really not like Commander Alexander to not kill an opponent, but that’s what happened today. I guess that John, the leader of the Dormios, eventually fled from him, and Nick just couldn’t catch up. Now, there’s all these rumors going around that the fight was because of you…because you used to be a part of the Dormios or something, and now they want you back.”
Kendra flamed red again. "I'm sorry, Tiffany. We're being rude to you. Whatever happened between Nick and John today is their business, and whatever you've heard or haven't heard about it is yours. We'll leave you in peace to eat now because we've gotta get going to pick up our kids from the toddler dance class down the street."
Kendra and Megan got out of the booth, and Kendra said she was going to pay for my salad at the register. I said thanks but that she didn't have to, but she insisted.
“It’s the least I can do for us being so rude to you.” She glanced at Megan before returning her gaze to my face. “We really are sorry.”
I said that it was fine, but that I wanted her and Megan to know that the rumors weren’t true. “I did have a relationship with one of the Dormio vampires several years ago, but that man is dead now. I certainly never had a relationship with John. He’s actually my mortal enemy now -- now that Nick told me the truth about the Dormios killing my coven members.
“Actually, there’s probably no one in this city who wants to kill John as badly as I do right now. I’ve even asked Nick if I can help fight him if the Dormios ever invade the city, but…you know. I’m just a ‘mere mortal woman.’ So, I suppose I should just sit back and look dainty while most everyone else fights, at least according to Nick.”
Katie smiled at me, dimpling one of her full cheeks. “Oh, so you’ve gotten the ‘mere mortal woman’ routine, too? Trust me, I know all about it. I’ve wanted to fight the Dormios in the past myself, but like Nick, my husband thinks I’m far too delicate of a flower to ever dream of that.”
I tried to smile in return, but it was difficult with a distinct ache in my chest. I was starting to think that my desire for revenge on the Dormios was going to tear Nick and me apart.
Once Kendra and Megan had left, I started in on my salad again, but I hadn't even taken a bite when a waitress brought me the café’s cordless telephone and said that I had a call. Thinking it might be Nick, calling to arrange a meetup with me to tell me about the fight or something, I answered the call quickly.
However, it was Dana, even though I'd pretty much just talked to her. She said she’d just been to my apartment and had gotten no answer at the door, so she wondered if I’d maybe went to the cafe. Thinking that maybe she was having some sort of an emergency, I started to ask if anything was wrong, but she cut me off, saying she'd be over to the cafe in five.
She actually made it over in only two or three minutes and sat down across from me, unwinding a thick, bright pink scarf from her neck. "So, one of the older
women who babysits for me dropped by a little bit ago and insisted that I go out to take a break from Stephanie's teething. Bless her, because I really did need to get out of the apartment.
“I can’t tell you how much I love being a mom, but sometimes with a fussy baby, you just start to feel like the walls are closing in on you.” Pausing for a deep breath, Dana set her coat beside her, grabbed a laminated menu, and began scanning it. “Noah thinks his job as Nick’s lieutenant is rough sometimes, and I’m sure it is, but he should try taking care of a baby twenty-four hours a day.”
I gently pulled the top of the menu down so I could see Dana’s face. "Hey. I know you're probably hungry and want to order, but I've got to talk to you about something important. There was some sort of a fight between Nick and John, who’s the leader of the Dormios today. Have you heard anything about it?"
Dana set her menu on the table with a sigh. "Well...I didn't want to just burst right out with it and alarm you or anything, but, yes. I've heard about it, and from a comment a friend said to me in the elevator down in our building, the whole city has heard about it by now.
“See...people are saying that there’s something strange going on with you and the Dormios, or there’s some strange history or something. I don’t think people outright think you’re a spy or anything, but…well, I guess some people are just questioning your loyalty. And some people are wondering if Nick intentionally let John get away today for your sake or something.”
The very idea was so ridiculous that I could have laughed out loud, and I might have, if the irony wasn’t killing me. Everyone in the city thought that I was in collusion with John or something, when the truth was that I was becoming more and more determined to kill him myself with each minute that went by.
CHAPTER 16
I told Dana to tell me every single thing she’d heard about the fight between Nick and John, and she took a deep breath, leaning back in the booth before speaking.
"Well, I'll tell you right off the bat that I don't know too awful much. I was honestly hoping you could fill me in on a few details."
"But you might know more than I do. The first I heard about the fight was just a few minutes ago from Kendra."
"Well, I only heard about it pretty recently, too. Noah called me real quick right before Stephanie’s babysitter showed up, and he just said that John and a few of his fighters had shown up just outside the city, asking for some kind of a meeting with Nick. Nick, Noah, and maybe a dozen more of Nick’s elite coven members went out to see what John wanted.
“Obviously, they suspected some kind of a trap, so they weren’t dumb about it; they had a few dozen other fighters flanking the whole scene, but hidden. So, basically, Nick asked John what he wanted, and basically, in response, John said you. Apparently, he learned from his government buddies that you have the were-gene, so his plan is probably to double-cross his government buddies by kidnapping you and having a hybrid child with you.
“He knows that this could give his coven the ultimate power in the coming decades. So, anyway, he told Nick that he’ll stop with all the spies and the attempted attacks if Nick will just hand you over. Nick obviously said no; this apparently led to some sort of a shoving match, and then the shoving match escalated into a fight.
“Then, somehow, John escaped, and that seems to be what started all the rumors. Nick is normally such a strong fighter that anyone who goes toe-to-toe with him doesn’t survive. Being that this wasn’t the case this time, people started thinking that maybe he let John go on purpose because you would have been upset if John were killed or something.”
I knew this conjecture couldn’t have been further from the truth. More than likely, I figured, John had gotten Nick so angry that he maybe wasn’t able to properly focus on the fight.
I thought for a few moments before asking Dana a question. "Well, did Noah say what Nick’s plan is now?"
She shook her head. "Not really, beyond a sweep of the area outside the city to look for more spies that might have slipped in during the fight or something like that. ‘We’ll wait for them to come to our doorstep again,’ Noah said Nick said. So... I guess nothing has really changed as far as the Dormio situation, except for people thinking there was more to the fight than two leaders simply trying to take each other out.”
"And people truly think the fight was over me or something like that?”
It had been pretty clear that at least Megan strongly suspected that.
Pulling her curly hair over one shoulder, Dana winced. "Well...yes. And even though I hate to say it, they’re not completely, totally wrong. They’re just wrong in thinking it was a fight over you on a romantic level or something. But they’re not totally wrong in thinking that it was a fight over you, at least as far as you having the were-gene is concerned.”
"And people don't think that maybe Nick and John fighting not long after I arrived on the scene could just be par for the course? Obviously, there was already some bad blood, no pun intended, between them before I even came here."
Dana stifled a giggle. "Oh, 'bad blood.' Vampires. I get it. And yes, of course, you’re right. Nick has been fighting with the Dormios for nearly a century. You’d think people would keep that in mind. I guess everyone is just concerned about what’s going to happen next, not that that’s some big mystery. I think it’s pretty clear that John isn’t going to give up in his quest to take Everglen and kill us all, so obviously, there’s going to be some kind of a big fight at some point. It’s more just a question of when and where, and which of our vampires are going to be doing the fighting.”
And which of us human women, I thought.
Sighing, I picked up my fork and began picking at my salad, knowing I shouldn't say any more. If I told Dana that I wanted to figure out a way to get my powers back and join in the fight against the Dormios, I knew she might tell Noah, either accidentally or on purpose. He then might tell Nick, and then Nick would know just how serious I was about the subject, which I was starting to think could be a bad thing. I didn’t know why, but I was starting to get the feeling that the more I dug in my heels, the more he would, too.
Avoiding Dana's eyes, I worked on spearing a wilting lettuce leaf. "All I know is that I need to talk to Nick. With all the Dormio troubles lately, we really haven’t had much time to talk, and we really need to. Especially if some kind of a fight with the Dormios is imminent.”
When Dana spoke next, she stunned me.
“You want to be a part of the fight, don’t you?”
I began stammering, and she cut me off.
“I don’t blame you. If I had some kind of special witchcraft powers, I’d want to fight, too. You don’t have them back yet, do you? Didn’t you tell me it was a car accident?”
I sighed. “Yes. I’ve just never gotten my powers back since then.”
“Well, so how do you figure you’re going to convince Nick to let you join in the fight?”
Exasperated, I set my fork down and returned my gaze to Dana's face. "I really don't know. I guess it depends on whether or not my powers miraculously return anytime soon. It’s a long shot, I know. But I still have a little hope. In the meantime, maybe don’t say anything to Noah or Nick about this. I’d really appreciate it.”
"Well, I won't. Your wanting-to-fight secret is safe with me. I know I can be a bit pushy about wanting to get the scoop sometimes, but I don't go around town blabbing everyone's secret little things. And in fact, just while we've been talking, the thought has occurred to me that maybe we should be a little quieter or switch tables or something. Don't whip your head around to look or anything, but there are two women three tables behind you that are just about falling out of their chairs trying to listen to us. They probably can't hear over the jukebox, but...maybe it’s a good idea for us to move."
"Well, let's just change the subject instead. I really don't have anything else to say, and you're right that I probably should be a little more careful with what and who I talk about in public anyway. So. Wh
y don't you tell me how Stephanie is doing?”
"Oh, about the same. Fussing, flailing around, accidentally bonking herself in the face with her little bunny toy, and then looking at it like it purposefully attacked her. This new tooth cannot come soon enough, for both of us."
Dana and I both soon ordered the soup of the day, which was a heavenly, ultra-creamy broccoli-and-cheese sprinkled with bacon bits. It was especially heavenly to eat something so warm and comforting as the rain falling from the darkening evening sky beyond the wide glass windows of the cafe intensified.
After finishing her bowl, Dana dropped her spoon into it with a satisfied smile. "I'm going to have to try to make that at home sometime. Too bad I can't make it for Noah, though. That's the only downside to having a vampire for a husband...you can't cook for him or share food with him. At least we can share a drink every now and again, though...lately we've been getting into a little bit of Scotch on date nights."
Brows lifting in surprise, Dana suddenly seemed to do a double take at something over my shoulder. "Speaking of the devil...and not that my husband's a devil, but...well, maybe he is sometimes. Mostly in the bedroom." Smiling, she waved. "Well, hi!"
I turned to look, and saw a tall, well-built, sandy-haired man striding toward our booth. Even if Dan hadn't said what she had to indicate it was Noah, I would have known it was him. He and Stephanie shared the exact same eyes and nose.
Dana introduced us, and then invited him to slide in next to her. "We were actually just talking about you. In fact, I was calling you a devil."
Squeezing in beside her and pulling her close with an arm around her slender shoulders, Noah smiled. "Well, how nice. As for me, around my friends, I always refer to you as an angel."
"You liar. You probably refer to me as 'that old ball and chain,' or 'that old sea hag.' Am I correct?"
"No. You're very silly." With his lips twitching with amusement, Noah leaned in and brushed a kiss against Dana's mouth. "I always tell everyone you're my angel because it's true."
