Page 41 of Slayer Mom
“You’re really impressed by stupidity on the field of battle?”
“He didn’t abandon you when things got weird.He walked into the fray and got messy with you. That’s high quality. So, is the divorce still on? I vote no.”
“You don’t get a vote in whether or not I get a divorce.”
“But if you do divorce, you’ll probably fall in love with Tom, and how could I compete with your slayer bond?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going. If you need anything, call Tom.”
She wiggled her brows. “I’ll be sure to think of something I need.”
“Classy, Gloria. Real classy.”
“I save it all for you. You’re welcome, Lucky. Have fun playing with fire.”
I drove across town to the hotel, anxious and in pain the entire way. Maybe I should have taken a bottle of alcohol, but I needed to be sober to face the Grand Master.
Once I got into the elevator through the bedroom with the double entries, I hummed along with the tune playing. What was that song called? Was it a bossanova?
The doors opened while I was still trying to remember. The Grand Master was waiting for me this time, or he was sitting at the table overlooking the beautiful city view and talking on his phone.
It sounded like gibberish at first, but eventually I recognized what was probably a Slavic language. I sat down across from him and started eating while he talked, so hungry, so tired, so hurt.
He finally hung up when I was slightly less likely to die of hunger.
“Who was that? Zombie, vampire, or werewolf?”
“I’m trying to track the origin of the hound you destroyed last night. Those are very valuable creatures. They’re hunters, trackers, can find a trail fromthe other side of the world, and they don’t get distracted by crowds, not when they have a target. You were the target.”
“Everybody hates me. I’ve got it. Thanks for making sure I understand.”
“Your sarcasm is very unattractive.”
“My husband finds my sarcasm wildly attractive. You just have no taste in humor. I don’t suppose you can help it, since you’re undead.”
“I don’t suppose I can,” he said drily.
I kept eating, and eating, and eating, until I’d eaten the very last bite. The steak was rarer than I usually liked, but I didn’t say anything, and I really enjoyed it. “Why did I bite my husband?”
“Did you?”
“You seem to know everything. Don’t tell me that you don’t know that.”
He yawned, and it wasn’t because he was tired. “I can smell his blood on your breath. You aren’t a vampire, but perhaps you want to be.” He leaned forward and his eyes were suddenly intense and shining. “Perhaps you want me to take you with the kiss of eternal night.”
“Or maybe I’m having a bad reaction to drinking your serum. Just between you and me, I’d rather die after Duke tortured me than kiss you.”
“You are not very polite.”
“But you still haven’t killed me.”
“I changed the contract so that your husband is on the payroll of your little gang of peculiar humans, but from now on, you ask me where to go for your work.”
“I have to exterminate all the zombies in the country. Why does it matter where it starts? Is there some way to reduce the effects of your serum? I bit my husband. It was terrible.”
“For him or for you? You didn’t kill any zombies. You wandered off into areas better left undisturbed.”
“We were trying to have a low-key night.”
