Page 21 of It All Started with a Bite

Bo fidgeted. “This is a bad idea. We can’t let Ellie in there. She’ll probably ask the vampire to bite her.”

I pursed my lips. My dog had a point.

The bell above the café door jangled, distracting us.

I sighed. “Too late.”

“Oh wow! You should see their muffins!” my best friend said excitedly from where she’d already stepped inside the door.

I looked at Bo. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“That’s what you thought when you brought the werewolf into our apartment last night,” he said solemnly.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about my dog giving me sass.

“By the way, aren’t vampires supposed to be permanently allergic to daylight?” I asked as we headed for the door.

“They’re allergic to sun beds, not daylight. Gives them a nasty rash.”

I made a face. “So my entire childhood was a lie?”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you watch on human TV.”

The interior of Bean Me Up was all exposed brick, mismatched furniture, and more macramé. Crystals hung in the windows, casting rainbow patterns across recycled wood tables. The air smelled of coffee, incense, and something distinctly otherworldly.

“That’s our vampire,” Bo whispered as we joined the queue. He twitched his ears at one of the baristas. “He’s not breathing. I mean, he’s pretending to, but he’s not. The girl next to him is a witch.”

I studied the pale young man behind the counter. He had multiple piercings and a T-shirt that readPeace, Love, and Hemoglobin.The witch was wearing a top emblazoned with the wordsSticks Rule.

I could feel a cool but subtle divide between the two supernatural camps.

“Do witches and vampires not get along?” I asked Bo in a low voice.

I realized my dog was staring at a couple by the window.

“What is it?” I said warily.

“I think they’re ghouls,” Bo said hesitantly. “The brain muffins are a dead giveaway.”

I stared at the loved-up pair flirting and sharing heated glances. The baked goods they were consuming looked suspiciously pink and gooey.

“They can’t be real brains, right?” I asked leadenly.

“Let’s just say I wouldn’t order the house special if I were you,” Bo advised.

“This is so cool,” Ellie enthused in a voice that could probably be heard in the next county. “Do you think they have supernatural drinks?”

I was about to tell her not to be silly when someone ahead in the queue ordered a Blood Orange Mocha, type O negative. My gaze found the menu board. It contained a list of beverages and food items with worrying names.

We reached the counter. The vampire barista’s name tag readVirgil.

“Welcome to Bean Me Up,” he said with a cheerful smile. “Today’s special is our Moonshine Latte with extra hair of wolf.”

I stared at his sparkling canines. “Just a regular coffee and a doughnut. Black, two sugars.”

Ellie beamed. “I’ll have a Witch’s Brew Chai and a chocolate éclair.”

Virgil flushed a little. I could tell Ellie was going to be popular in the supernatural world too. The barista’s nostrils suddenly flared. He looked at me more carefully, his smile fading.

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