Page 35 of Wonder
He gave an almost inaudible sigh. “I searched the two laptops we found in the house, and they didn't contain anything useful. Mostly games and movies."
“Got it. Thanks for going through them.”
I tabbed through more photos and made notes for my report based on the time stamps. After a few minutes, I couldn’t stand the silence between us anymore. I checked the living room to make sure Nicky was occupied with the TV. Jackson had taken their panther form and had their head in Nicky’s lap. I cleared my throat. “Can I ask how you tracked down the vampires, um, before? I know you found them here because of the tracking device, but how did you do it when you didn’t even have the internet?”
He glanced over at the living room as well before answering. “I found Wonders and magic carriers wherever I could and asked if anyone had gone missing recently. It took years to find them, and then if I killed one of them, the rest would run, and I’d have to start the process all over again.”
I sat there with my mouth open, staring at him. “Since World War II? You’ve been traveling solo, chasing those vampires, this whole time?” And I’d been whining all day about how my two years as acting DM had been so awful. I was a fucking tool.
He nodded, looking down at his knitting. Then he made an odd little shrug. “I did stop for a few months in 1992. A friend helped me learn to use computers and do some hacking.” He lifted the blanket. “He’s also the one who taught me to knit.”
A few months? He’d only stayed in one place for a fewmonths? Once? My throat tightened. “Um, he sounds like a good friend.” Was that jealousy in my voice? Fuck me. I glared down at my laptop screen.
“He was.” He put one of his knitting needles down in his lap and touched the silver pendant he wore around his neck. I’d noticed it earlier, but I hadn’t been able to make out what it was.
“He, uh, passed away?”
“Yes.” Simon picked up his knitting again.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I went back to my report, feeling like the worst asshole who’d ever lived.
After a few more minutes, Simon put his knitting aside and stood up. He went into the garage and came out with a blood bag. Right, Cal had brought a cooler for him this morning. Heheld up the bag. “Will it bother you if I drink this in front of you?”
I scowled. “Of course not. You need to eat.” I sat up straight. “Wait a minute. Why did you put the blood in the garage fridge? I told you to use the one in the kitchen. There’s plenty of room.”
He paused in the middle of unplugging the toaster. “Most non-vampires don’t want to see bags of blood next to their orange juice.”
I stood up, feeling irrationally angry. “You’re a guest in this house. Inmyhouse. Your needs are just as important as anyone else’s, and fuck them if it makes them uncomfortable.” I threw down my reading glasses and stomped past the kitchen and into the garage. Inside the new refrigerator were neat rows of bags filled with blood, each dated and signed with a name. A couple of them had little messages, like “Enjoy!” or “Hi, Simon!” My chest felt warm, and my eyes prickled.
Blinking rapidly, I filled my arms with the bags and took them into the kitchen.
Simon did a double-take. “What are you doing?”
“Putting these where they belong. Open the fridge, will you?”
He raised his eyebrows but obediently opened the refrigerator door. I put his blood bags on the second shelf, right next to the cans of soda. “There.” I nodded in satisfaction and went back to the table.
“Um, thanks?” Simon gently shut the fridge, then he went back to the counter where he’d plugged in an odd-looking white appliance.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s a bottle warmer.”
I could not have heard him correctly. But yes, Simon poured the blood from the bag into a fucking baby bottle. It had a cap instead of a nipple, but the shape was the same. He put the bottle in the warmer and pressed a button to start the machine.
“Uh, you can’t just microwave it?”
“No. Microwaving doesn’t heat the blood evenly enough, so you can get clotting or the blood cells can burst.”
I made a face. “Got it. The bottle warmer is a great solution.”
“Thanks. It was easy to use when I had to live in my van.” He turned the warmer off and poured the blood from the bottle into a coffee mug.
I worked on my report, pretending not to be hyperaware of him as he rinsed out the bottle and then sat down at the table with his mug. Soon the clicking of his knitting needles started up again.
I cleared my throat. “Um, what hobbies did you have back in the Elven dimension?”
He blinked then smiled wryly. “Mostly training with the other Guards. Fighting, running, climbing, that sort of thing. None of us had much time for leisure activities like this.”
