Page 25 of Vampire's Vixen

Saturday morning, I slept in, waking at half past nine to find Miss P. and Dahlia on my bed, tussling on the bottom.

“How did you get up here?” I asked the dog. She was so small that she could fit through the cat door, but there was no way she could jump up on my bed. My aunt kept a carpeted ramp by the side of her bed so the Pom could make it up and down.

Then I noticed that I’d forgotten to move the ottoman, and it was just low enough for Dahlia to jump on, and just close enough to the bed for her to scramble across.

The pair of them flashed me a guilty look, then went back to playing. I yawned and stretched, wanting to stay under the covers where it was warm and cozy. But my phone sounded and I glanced at my text messages. Crystal had just texted me.

tonight’s the night i go on my quest. wish me luck. and good luck on your initiation. i’m supposed to spend the day in meditation, like you did, or i’d suggest getting together for lunch. i probably won’t make it over after my quest, because i know you’re going through your initiation tonight and i’ll probably be too tired afterward. see you tomorrow?

you’re right, i don’t know how late tonight will go, I texted back. i have a dinner meeting tomorrow, but maybe we can meet for coffee? and text me tomorrow morning to let me know how the quest went. although i don’t think we can talk about them until after we’re both initiated. I snapped a picture of Dahlia and Miss P. and sent it to her. it’s goofball city on my bed this morning.

mine too, Crystal texted back, sending a picture of her German shepherd rolling around on her back on the kitchen floor. azzy is being a doofus.

We texted a little longer—I told her about Denise and Zandre, and she warned me to be cautious—and then I finally decided it was time to get up. I would be dressing for ritual later, but until then, I decided to wear a knee-length brown corduroy skirt and a mustard-colored turtleneck, and I paired them with a gold belt and a pair of knee-high brown suede boots. I pulled my hair back into a braid, then did my makeup and added a pair of gold hoops and a citrine pendant.

Astra was sketching out something when I walked into the kitchen. I glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was diagramming the kitchen makeover.

“Ooo…getting the ball rolling, are we?”

She nodded. “I think I found our contractor. I’m going to draw these up and then talk to him this afternoon. He’ll create the final blueprints, then create it in a 3D model on his computer so I can see what it will look like.”

“It’s so cool how they can do that nowadays,” I said. “When I was younger, they couldn’t manage anything like this.” I headed for the espresso machine. “Latte?”

“I’ve already caffeinated for the morning. You go ahead. I didn’t feel like cooking, so breakfast is a cereal affair, unless you want to whip something up.”

I shook my head and opened the fridge. “I’ll make myself a turkey sandwich. That sounds good.” I quickly pulled a triple shot, then added milk, ice, and a shot of vanilla coffee syrup, then I slathered two slices of bread in butter and ketchup—I wasn’t a big fan of mustard or mayo—added some deli turkey, a couple slices of provolone, and then sliced tomato on top. I didn’t care for lettuce in my sandwiches, either.

I cut the sandwich in half, placed it on a small plate, and carried my breakfast to the table. “Did you feed?—”

“They’ve both been fed, yes. Honestly, Miss P. is getting heavier. I picked her up today to set her on the floor—she was trying to help herself to my cereal—and it felt like I was holding a couple bags of potatoes.”

“And she’s still young, by Maine Coon standards. I think she won’t reach full-grown adulthood till she’s several years old. Oh, I found the pair of them on my bed this morning, wrestling. Dahlia managed to launch herself there by clambering up on the ottoman and leaping across to the bed.”

“She’s picking up things from Miss P.,” Astra said. “How did class go last night? I was sound asleep by the time you got home, I think. I don’t remember hearing you come in.”

“I know,” I said. “I peeked in your room to say good night, but you were out like a light. Class was good. We’re going on a field trip out to Hollow Hill tomorrow.” I paused, then added, “It was quite the day yesterday.”

“Hollow Hill? Are you sure you want to do that? The Fae come and go through there.”

“Jason—our teacher—seems to think it’s safe,” I said.

“I’d think twice about going. Honestly, it’s not a safe thing to do,” Astra said. “Think about it before you go.”

As she finished sketching out her plans, I told her about Zandre and Denise and what had happened. “I think I finally got him to realize that she’s not his soulmate, and she never was.”

“I hope so. Though there’s not much he can do now, even if he did think she was meant for him. You can’t turn someone into a vampire if they’re already dead.” Auntie sat back, pushing the sketchpad away from her. “Are you ready for your initiation tonight?”

I nodded. “I think so. But I don’t know what’s coming, so I don’t know that I could ever be fully prepared.”

“It won’t be anything as extreme as your quest was—at least not in the same way. But today, think long and hard because once you pledge to the Society, the only way you can leave is to be expelled. And that’s only for good reason.”

“I will,” I said. “I think I’ll go down to the farmers market today. The early spring vegetables are coming in, along with some of the late winter crops.”

“If you see any honey, get some. We’re almost out,” Astra said. “I’m volunteering to sit with Lalinda Thomas. She’s in the hospital with a broken hip.”

My aunt volunteered with several organizations, including Meals on Heels, a group made up of older women. They took meals to the housebound, and they visited other older women in the community who didn’t have family or friends around. Every weekend, she spent a couple hours helping to make their clients lives brighter.

I didn’t recognize the name, but I said, “Well, tell her I said hi. In fact, here’s fifteen dollars. Why don’t you take her some flowers?”

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