Page 12 of Little Wing
“Sylvie Reverie is an out and celebrated vampire author.”
“I suppose she is, yes.”
As I watched him lean forward, I noticed how he towered over me. He wrinkled his nose before stepping back. “You are a puzzle…”
“What? Puzzle?”
My reflexes were helping me get ahead of whatever “puzzle” he was attempting to solve. He might have startled me by showing up at the store, but my wit was not yet stunted. I couldn’t help smirking when I pointed to the back of the store. “If you’re looking for puzzles, we do have some in the back. The beginner puzzles are the ones on display back there.”
With the way that his lips curled, I could tell he enjoyed the quick response, but rather than entertaining the moment further, he bowed his head and lowered his gaze to the pin clipped to my cardigan.
“So, your name is Lotus.”
I fought back the shiver that shot down my spine at the sound of my name on his lips. “Yes, Reina did confirm that. So, is there anything else that I can help you with?”
He shook his head slowly, his eyes remained steady on my face until he turned to reach for a copy of the new Reverie book and tucked it under his arm. “Perhaps another time, Lotus. I do have a few other errands to take care of tonight, but perhaps I could find you here again?”
“Well, I do work here.”
He nodded. “Or maybe I could buy you a drink at that bar where your friend works?”
I couldn’t let him see me stiffen—realizing he recognized me and that I, too, recognized him. “If I’m there,then perhaps.”
He smirked. “Good. Well, I’ll go make my purchase, but Lotus,” he said my name again. “It’s lovely seeing you again.”
Before he turned, I stepped forward, clearing my throat loud enough for him to stop. “So, you got to say my name a few times. May I know yours?”
He didn’t turn all the way around, but I could see one fang peek out when he smiled. “Silas.”
Our exchange made it feel like I was trapped in a bubble with him. Did time slow? Did everyone else leave? When he—Silas, made his purchase and walked out of the store without looking at me again, I pulled my phone out to note that I still had a few hours left of my shift as well as the event. Before Reina could pull me aside to get the full rundown of my interaction with her definition of the “ideal book boyfriend-type”, I occupied myself for the rest of the shift by helping other customers with their purchases.
The interrogation would simply have to wait.
The night I saw her at The Royal Nomad, I knew I wasn’t drunk. There was something different about that woman—about… Lotus. I wasn’t able to put my finger on it before, but now I knew. That strange tint to her face but not her hands—she was covered in makeup. Those rings around her iris’—she was wearing contacts.
As I clutched the book under my arm, I couldn’t hold back a cackle. What the fuck was going on? Was I not in on some elaborate prank?
“She’s a fucking vampire,” I said to myself.
I knew it in the moment my eyes finally met hers. There was an absence of a dancing, fluttering pulse. She had no fragrance of any human blood type. All I could sense was that quiet hum that could only be heard in immortals. We bled black and were void of warmth, yet Lotus attempted to obstruct that by painting her face. Sure, humans likely couldn’t tell just by looking at her perhaps from a distance, but up close? She was full vampire. No amount of makeup could conceal that.
The intrigue I felt that first night only intensified. The questions I thought would be answered by seeing her again and hearing her speak only multiplied. What I thought I could decipher about her completely changed. I needed to know more about her otherwise I’dwork myself up into madness. A madness brought upon by a woman who barely said a word to me. Yet in those few words that she did speak, I could feel there was so much more to her, so much more that I wanted to discover. What lay beneath all that camouflage?
But more importantly, who was Lotus?
The morning hours were quickly approaching, so the possibility of catching her at the bar would likely be slim, unless she was so deep in her delusion that she would risk exposure to the sun. She wouldn’t, right? Surely it couldn’t have been denial of what she was. As much as I wanted to continue to find out more about her, I wanted to do so without the threat of daylight interrupting us.
The next few weeks kept me and Mateo occupied, but thoughts of Lotus were never too far behind. Between work and finding a space for Little Wing, I made any excuse I could to drop by the bookstore, even if just to stand and flip through pages of books I had no intention of ever reading. I still purchased them though, because it forced an interaction with either Lotus or her coworker. I’d take any chance to get a closer look at her. But on an evening when I’d normally drop by the bookstore or the bar, Mateo and I finally had an appointment with Benjamin to visit a possible location we could buy. Renting at that point was proving to be a shitshow. After so many rejections on the offers we put in for a space for Little Wing, Benjamin finally found a location that made it feel like all those rejections were supposed to have happened. It was perfect, just minutes outside the heart of Fairhaven. It was spacious and had plenty of room for renovations to truly make the space our own.
As Mateo and I stood in the empty room only outfitted with a small kitchenette, I could feel the rush in the air. The exhilaration that threatened to explode from my brother unless he finally said something.
“This is perfect!” Mateo exclaimed as he threw his arms up. He grinned with his fangs bright and on display before turning to Benjamin who was leaning against the counter beside the small sink. “Benji, my guy, you’re making dreams come true here!”
Benjamin’s smug expression communicated just that. He knew how much this meant to us, but also how much it could mean to someone like his sister. Despite the treaty being in place, this open-armed acceptance still didn’t feel like second nature to many. Benjamin felt like an exception, one we certainly appreciated.
“Glad you two like it,” he finally said. As he folded the sheet of paper and placed it in his folder, he stepped away from the kitchenette and approached us. “The space is reasonably priced—only a few hundred over your budget, but I’d think making that adjustment with your bank on the loan shouldn’t be a big deal. I think I can help get the price down a little bit more, considering your renovations and such.”
He continued with more realtor jargon, but I couldn’t focus anymore. Visions of a future materialized as I wandered around the empty space. A space that would soon be painted and decorated to welcome anyone who needed a helping hand. Little Wing would be there for young vampires seeking direction and help, but it would also help humans better understand their vampire neighbors, friends, and family. Little Wing would be the community hub that would make seeking that assistance more accessible. Mateo believes in this vision. I believe in it. And if Benji, and others like him believe in it—then all the hoops we’ve had to jump through will have been worth it.
