Page 8 of Vampire so Virtuous
“Morning,” Eve replied. “Two lattes. Latte?” Cally nodded. “Two lattes, and do you still have those raspberry pastry things?”
“Sure.”
“One of them, then, please.”
“Coming right up.” The waitress slipped her unused pad and pen back into her apron.
“So tell me,” Eve pressed as soon as the waitress turned away.
“Nothing to tell,” Cally said. “I’m not sleeping, and when I do, it’s… not good sleep.”
Her friend’s brow furrowed. “The nightmares you mentioned?”
“Yeah.” Cally looked down at the table.
“Still getting them?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not like you, is it?”
“No, no it’s not. Everyone gets them, I suppose. Except this past week it’s been every time I fall asleep.”And they linger on my mind even when I’m awake.
“What kind of nightmares?”
Sinister shadows behind me in a dark place, unable to detect them, no matter which way I turn. Helplessness. Terror.
And underlying it all, inexplicably, the heat of my own arousal.
“The usual kind.”
“Um.” Eve sounded tentative, which wasn’t like her. “Have you tried sleeping with the light on, or something?”
Every damn night. “I’m twenty-six.”
“Sorry.” Her frown returned. “So has something happened?”
Cally regretted opening up, but Eve wouldn’t let it go now. “Well, I kinda almost fainted walking home the other night.”And I had a weird mark on my neck I couldn’t explain.Besides, it looked three or four days old by the time she’d noticed it, so how could it be related?
Eve’s eyes widened. “I forgot to ask. How did your date go?”
Cally laughed, a sardonic scoff. “I walked out on him before we’d finished the starters.”
“Shit, no way!”
“Yes way. Dude was a pick-up artist and full of himself.”
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.” She scrunched her face in distaste. “Did you tell Lily, or would you like me to?”
“We swapped some texts.” Cally said. “I want to warn her to stay away from him, but it’s not really my place.”
“I’ll talk to her.” Eve grimaced. “I feel guilty. I pushed you into it.”
Cally shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Old news.”
Eve reached across the table, laying her hand on Cally’s. “The right manis out there.”
“Thanks, but I’m off men for good.”
