Page 16 of Sleepless Beauties
My pen itches to write down all those words that stand out in his explanation.
Issues.
Creature control.
Delay...
I try to process each of them slowly.
Issues is his pretty way of saying someone is slaying vampires. Important ones. I already knew their kind were deadly. I just didn’t know they killed their own kind. Until Kyra warned me when she last visited me during an unapproved meeting in my own bedroom.
That’s how I knew it was serious. She never bothered to come see me aside from our monthly catch-ups. If she risked coming here to see me, I knew she was scared. She spoke of her rape and how she was turned.
I try not to think of it now with Prey watching so closely but the memory of the fear in her eyes creeps in every day.
I can’t help it.
The notebook in my lap calls back to me.
What I don’t have any details on whatever Creature Control is.
“What’s the Creature Control?”
Prey’s head leans back and his eyes close as if he’s asking God himself why his perfect afterlife is being tormented with my questions. His feet hit the floor and his legs spread wide.
“Creature Control is Crimson City’s body of law and order. They’re equivalent to the FBI of your world,” Vuitton tells me thoroughly. “Louis and I are agents for Creature Control.”
Aww. He’s such a good boy, of course he’s a critter cop.
The way he kneels on his hunches, soaking up the sunlight against his smooth golden skin gives me the immense reminder of how puppy-like he really is.
My heart settles. It’s a strange elation when someone calms you without even trying to. Maybe Prey finds me annoying, and the other vampires don’t care if I live or die, but at least I’m not completely alone in all of this.
“She’s back!” Vuitton bangs his forehead off my newly smudged glass window and Louis perks right up as they both turn irate.
Over what, you might ask?
“Not again,” I whisper to myself.
“She ran past this building three times in the last hour!” Vuitton’s shoulders flex as he stands tall before the window.
“You’re fucking right, she has.” Louis slams his hand wide open against the wall and their eyes are so wide they’re bulging. “Running by here three times. She’s got some balls.” The two of them fog up the glass as they huff in unison. “Come down my street one more time you flat-footed floozie! See what happens!”
Their heads swivel as far as the laws of physics will allow them, until the menacing jogger passes out of sight.
Vuitton claps his friend on the back once more, both of them beaming with pleased smiles plastered on their obnoxious faces.
Theseare their police?
I sigh heavily and turn my attention back down to the vampire dozing on my couch.
“Croft Five, Aston Cardence.” He doesn’t even look at me, which is good. Because the moment he says that name, my heart thunders to life. I try to keep a straight face. “You won’t like him. And he’ll make a point to make sure you don’t.”
I swallow hard.
I wait for him to say the one thing I’m waiting for.
Say it. Say you suspect him!
