Page 42 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part Two

I didn’t invite him in. “Look. I have to work this morning. Real work. Not life coach work. Whatever you need, it’ll have to wait until another time.”

He glowered. “It can’t wait. It’s already waited.” He then narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t the flying cat tell you that he promised to let me know when you were awake?”

“He hasn’t mentioned you, but I just can’t picture him making that promise.”

“Well, he did.”

“Whatever you say.” My door was open, but I had no intention of inviting him in. I needed to find a way to get him to leave. A monumental challenge considering that he could be dense as a composite floor.

If this wasn’t enough to deal with, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Vuk Redfurd advancing toward my porch with long strides. When I looked his direction, Loki followed my gaze.

“Who’s that?” he said.

“No one. A misguided werewolf.

“I heard that,” Vuk said as he ascended the steps to my porch and looked Loki up and down. “Who’s this?”

“Vuk. Meet Loki.”

“Look,” Vuk said to Loki, clearly not knowing who Loki was, “whatever business you had with Rita is finished. Trot on off and let us have the porch.”

Loki gawked. “Trot on off?!?” Of course, he was offended. Not many people dared challenge his universe-sized ego. “You know,” he mused, “I think you’d look better turned inside out.”

“EW!” I yelled at Loki. “DON’T YOU DARE!”

Vuk looked my way. “Why are you yelling? You don’t really think he could do that.”

“Yes, Vuk.” The werewolf had a way of bringing out my max exasperation. “I reallydothink he could do that if provoked and you are being provocative.”

“Provocative,” Vuk repeated the word like it tasted good.

“Are you life coaching him?” Loki demanded, looking between the two of us.

“No, Loki. You are the only one I’m life coaching. Cross my heart.”

“Then why is he standing on your porch acting like you owe him something?” Loki said.

“Gosh. That’s a question I’d like to have answered myself. Good luck reasoning with him.” I had to stop and chuckle as I imagined Vuk and Loki attempting to reason with each other. Under my breath, I said , “I could sell tickets.”

“Rita! You’re awake!” Unbelievably, I heard a third voice. John David rode his horse to the spot where the little stone path commenced the way to my door. While we watched, he dismounted and walked up to the porch. “I hope Keir told you I came by. I want to apologize for what happened.”

Loki put his hands out to either side of his body like a half-addled surfer dude. “First, is that a vampire?” He seemed incredulous.

“Yes,” I said simply.”

He looked John David up and down before arching an eyebrow and adding, “Second, what did he do that requires an apology?”

“That’s a good question,” I said.

“You know, what happened at the manor,” John David said.

“I’m not liking this,” Vuk growled. “What happened at the manor?”

“You wouldn’t know,” John David said, raising his chin in an unmistakable gesture of superiority, “because the last we saw of you, you were running very fast from sephalians.”

Vuk drew himself up to his full height, which made him taller than both Loki and John David, and made a threatening move.

“Loki,” gods I hated asking him for help, “could you please make sure nobody gets hurt?”

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