Page 43 of Vampire's Vixen

An hour later, back at my shop, I decided I’d had enough. I needed more caffeine. I took a break and headed next door for a mocha. Crystal was swamped, so I just waved at her, got my triple mocha, and left. As I stood outside my shop, it occurred to me that I wasn’t really trying as hard for Zandre as I did for my other clients. Pain in the ass or not, he deserved his money’s worth. With a sigh, I unlocked my door and returned to my desk.

I pulled my crystal ball to me and cleared my mind. “I will give this a good shot,” I said. “I accepted his money and I’ll either refund him, or give this my best effort.”

Lowering myself into trance, I let my mind drift, asking that I be shown the kind of woman Zandre should meet. As my mind opened, I suddenly found myself staring at Crystal, surrounded by a rolling mist.

Oh hell no…it couldn’t be.

For one thing, when I went into trance for doing this, I was never shown the actual person. And second, no way in hell was I suggesting to Crystal that she get involved with a vampire. I cleared my thoughts, shaking her image out, and tried again. Once more, I found myself staring at Crystal.

Shaken, I tried a third time, and this time came right out of trance.

“What the hell?”

I’d never doubted my visions before, but this… How could I trust what I saw? Crystal was my best friend. Alarm bells started to ring and I pushed my chair back, uncertain what I was going to do. I could talk to my aunt, but I decided I needed to talk to Crystal first. Maybe something was wrong and she was just popping into my mind.

Pulling out my phone, I texted her. i know you’re busy but i really need to talk to you about something. it’s important. i don’t want to talk about it in your shop, so can you duck out and come over for a few minutes? i wouldn’t ask if i didn’t have a good reason.

I sent the text, then looked around, thinking I really should just refund Zandre his money. I was in over my head, trying to meddle in the affairs of vampires.

Crystal answered. i’ll be over in five. bringing treats.

I stared at her text for a moment, then headed over to the table where I did my readings for people. I wanted the cards’ advice on this, but I’d wait till Crystal showed up.

A few minutes later, Crystal pushed through the door, carrying double lattes and a bag of cookies. “Are you all right? You look pale as a ghost.”

I motioned for her to sit down. “I know you’re busy this morning, but a situation has come up and I need to talk to you about it, because you might be involved.” I took a sip of the latte. “Thanks, I can use this. Even though I just finished my latte from home, the caffeine is already lagging today.”

Looking worried, she settled in aside from me. “What happened? What are you talking about?”

There was no good way to ease into the subject, so I decided just to dive in. “You know how I go into trance, to find out the kind of person my clients should be looking for?’

She nodded. “Right.”

“Okay, so you know I’m trying to find someone for Zandre?”

Crystal nodded. “The woman he was obsessed with is dead. Oh man, don’t tell me she’s risen as a vampire, too? That might solve the problem, right?”

“She’s still dead. And that might have solved the problem or it made it worse, but either way—she’s definitely dead, she’s not coming back. So, I’ve told you how I go into trance to get a glimpse of who I should be looking for. Not specific people, but say a star witch—like for Brenda—or some clue of where to find them.”

Crystal nodded, looking more puzzled than ever. “What’s going on, Maisy?”

“So, I went into trance today, searching for a clue as to who Zandre should be with. I figured I owe him an honest effort.” I paused, dreading saying the next thing. “Crystal, you showed up.”

She did a spit take, spewing coffee all over the table. “What are you saying?” Coughing, she grabbed for a napkin as I took the coffee out of her hand and set it down. “You’re telling me that I should marry a vampire?”

“No! Just…you showed up twice. The first time, I thought it was just a glitch. The second time, you showed up again. Then it occurred to me that something else might be going on with you and I just picked up on it. Is everything okay?” I handed her a paper towel, since she’d used up her napkin, wiping up the coffee off the table.

Crystal let out hard sigh. “I’m all right, Maisy. Nothing other than making it through initiation. Azzy’s fine. My shop is fine.”

I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think. That’s why I asked you to come over.”

Crystal settled down, leaning back in her chair. She looked like a deer, caught in the headlights. After a moment, she said, “I don’t know what to say. I haven’t even thought of being in a relationship. I haven’t had the best of luck with them, and I just… I think I’ve given up on looking for anybody.”

That hurt my heart. Love was one of the most important things in the world to me, and I wanted all my friends to be happy and in healthy relationships. I knew that some people weren’t cut out for marriage—like my aunt—but the ones who were, I continually held hope for.

“Oh, Crystal, don’t give up. There’s someone out there for you. Maybe whoever is meant for you isn’t ready now, or the circumstances just aren’t right, but don’t close off the possibility. Please?”

She gave me a shake of the head. “I can’t imagine anyone I might want to marry.”

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