Page 12 of Happily Undead in Dark River

“Shit, sorry. I mean, you scared me, that’s all.”

God, it was good to see her. I’d been worried about her, even though Cresta and Ella had said she was fine. I wasn’t sure I had the right to be worried about her anymore, but I couldn’t help it. She just looked at me, and I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. The silence was getting awkward. We both spoke at the same time.

“I should go-”

“Raine, I-”

I waved at her. “You first.”

She nodded and sighed. “I don’t blame you. Logically I know that none of this is your fault. But every time I look at you, I see her.” She swallowed hard. “Coming back here was hard enough. To come back here and see you every day would be torture.”

I was pretty sure my heart would have hurt less if she’d just punched her fist into my chest and pulled it out. It was like someone telling you, ‘it’s you, not me’ after a date, or your parents telling you that you are the reason they got a divorce. I wanted to rage about how that wasn’t fair, that we were friends and that it was in no way my fault. Instead, I just nodded once. “Okay.”

I turned and walked toward the front door. What else could I say that wouldn’t exasperate her pain?

“Wait, what did you come here for?”

I pointed to the coffee table and my teacup that was still sitting there. It was my favorite, picked up from the internet. Angeline had loved them so much she’d stocked a few in the cafe. “Oh.”

She picked it up and handed it to me. Then she went behind the counter and got me another one from the stock along with my favorite tea. I felt a little like the puppy that was abandoned on the side of the road, but with a box and a blanket to assuage their guilt. She passed me the whole lot. “Take this one too. I know you had your eye on it.”

I took them from her, careful not to touch her and I slid them into my handbag. I didn’t know whether I was supposed to say goodbye or see you later. Because it wasn’t goodbye. We had to live in the same tiny town together for eternity. And she didn’t want to see me later. She never wanted to see me again. So instead, I just left as fast as my legs could carry me, which was fortunately at the speed of light now.

My converses smelled like melting tires by the time I got back to my cottage. I couldn’t hear anyone inside, which was good because I flopped on the couch and tried not to think about the last fifteen minutes. Maybe the last hour.

“You really shouldn’t leave the door unlocked. All sorts of cretins can walk in,” X said from the darkness. I hadn’t even heard the beat of his heart or smelled the scent of his blood. I covered my startled response with a yawn. It was really smooth.

I shrugged. “What are they going to do? Murder me? Been there, done that.” I sat up, finding him sitting in the dark recess of my kitchen window seat.

He stood, looking massive in the darkness. “There are worse things that can happen to a person than death, Love. Just lock the doors.” He prowled toward the door.

I stood up. “Wait!” I grabbed my handbag and went into the kitchen. “I stopped and got you some tea. I wanted to say I’m sorry I guess. I shouldn’t have poked at something I knew you guys didn’t want to talk about. Stay. We’ll start again, without murderous makers and ex-lovers. Just Raine and X.”

He let out a small, mirthless laugh. “What about Mika and Harry?” But he turned and strolled back towards the kitchen. I turned on the lights.

“Harry and Mika are dead. All that’s left are pieces of them, stitched together to make a new life. When I dream, I still dream as Mika. I think it will be a while before she’s dust, but there’s no room left for her here.”

I got the teacups out of my handbag, rinsing them under the tap. “You smell sad,” X said conversationally. I wasn’t sure how I smelled sad. Shapeshifters could scent my moods, but not Vampires. At least to my admittedly limited knowledge. Did he want me to answer that? The silence drew out, and I turned.

“I ran into Angeline after you left.”

He frowned. “The bird who was your maker’s lover?”

I made a small affirmative noise. Hopefully, he’d drop it, but it would be karma if he didn’t.

“Want me to kill her for you?”

I nearly dropped the teacup in my hand. “What? No!”

“Offer stands.”

I smiled over my shoulder at him. Was that the X equivalent of flirting again?

I put water in the teacup and opened the microwave and set it to cook. X was on his feet and beside me in an instant.

“What the hell are you doing, Woman?!”

I reared back. “Boiling the water?”

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