Page 23 of Night of the Vampire
He had an eclectic library, ranging from what appeared to be first edition classics to more modern bestsellers both in the horror and suspense genres. There were even a few well-known romance novels thrown in.
The hall opened up into the kitchen, and as promised, I found a key and a piece of paper with the code to the gate on the redwood table. He'd also left me a note, written in neat, old-fashioned handwriting:
* * *
Lizzy,
* * *
I meant what I said. Please stay as long as you wish.
You and Wiggles are safe here.
* * *
Killian
* * *
I set the note back on the table with the key and checked out the kitchen. Once again, the room wasn't overly large, but it was built of the finest materials: hardwood floors, wooden cabinets with fancy little designs carved into the doors, stainless steel appliances, and a large island in the middle. The counters were the color of wet concrete with red-brown veins that matched the cabinets.
The refrigerator was completely empty, as was the pantry. In the third cabinet I found a bottle of mango flavored vodka. "This will work." I opened doors until I found a glass, filled it with ice, and took that and the bottle of vodka back into the bedroom. Tomorrow, I'd explore the rest of the house and figure out how to get my life back together. Right now, I was exhausted, suffering from smoke exposure, probably a little bit in shock, and I needed a shower. And so did Wiggles. But his would have to wait until I could get some doggy shampoo.
I thought I would feel weird sleeping in his bed, but that wasn't the case. Finally clean, with wet hair and dressed in a long T-shirt I'd found in his dresser—because I couldn't get past my own weirdness about wearing that woman's clothes—I put Wiggles on a towel on the bed, climbed in, and drifted off as soon as my head hit the pillow, my glass of vodka on the nightstand beside me.
For tonight, I would sleep. Tomorrow I would face the rest of the world.
The rest of the world being my aunt.
Chapter 10
Lizzy
I was late getting to my store the next day. Wiggles and I had both been dead to the world until well past noon. Since there was no coffee or food in the house—something I needed to remedy later today—I stopped at Cafe Du Monde.
Geared with a stomach full of beignets and a fresh cup of coffee in my hand, I unlocked the door to my shop to find my aunt was already inside. "Hey, Aunt Jude. I didn't realize you still had a key."
She shrugged a round shoulder. "Just in case," she told me with a partial smile.
With her was a good-looking guy with olive-colored skin and short dark hair and eyes, plus three other women not much younger than me. Including the woman with the red hair who'd been hanging out with Mike the other night.
The other two were equally as pretty. One was tall with long, straight, black hair and pale green eyes. Her left eyebrow was pierced with a silver bar capped with red gems, and both of her ears were pierced with diamond studs all the way to the top. She wore ripped jeans and a long-sleeved, black shirt with a glittery green skull on the front.
The other was a little bit of a thing who probably looked much younger than she was. She had dark, honey-blonde hair that fell in soft waves down past her shoulders and deep brown eyes with hints of gold. Her loose, burgundy dress and brown ankle boots were the perfect complement to her guileless face and excited smile. Her style appeared to be a mix of Oliver Twist and The Handmaid's Tale.
Closing and locking the door behind me, I decided to try with the redhead again. "Angel, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." The word was heavy with attitude I didn't understand, but at least she had the decency to respond. She even managed to look slightly chagrined when my aunt gave her a disapproving look.
Aunt Judy met me in the middle of the store and I bent down so she could give me a kiss on the cheek. "How are you, hon?"
"I'm good. Just wondering what's going on," I told her honestly.
"Where's Wiggles?
"He's...home. Napping. As usual." Actually, I'd left him sleeping contentedly in the sun on a chair in Killian's room. I was kind of surprised when he didn't snuffle around for his food bowl that morning, but also grateful as I'd had nothing to feed him. Maybe the exposure to the smoke was messing with his appetite. I'd have to give him extra treats tonight after I stopped at the store. "Who are all these people?" I asked just loud enough for them to hear me, and then tilted my head discreetly toward the people gathered around the checkout counter. I would tell Aunt Jude about the fire later when we were alone. I was sure she'd invite us to come and stay with her until I found something else, and I'd already decided to take her up on her offer. I wasn't even going to tell her where we stayed last night. I'd just say we were at a hotel. There was no need to worry her. Nothing had happened with Killian and...
Well, nothing that needed to be mentioned, anyway.
