Page 23 of Chaos
“We were dating and—”
Ripley held up her hand.
“Say no more. Cursing your ex after you’ve graduated high school is just juvenile. Seriously. Grow up. I’ll help you if you help me.”
“Oh?”
“You got approved for all areas of the library, and that seldom happens until recently. I’m starting to think all these people getting approved that way is connected to a tarot card reading. I think you’re important to something. I’ll help remove your curse. Will you at least stick around and hear me out?”
I was about to say yes, but this smell hit my nostrils. It was a potent, rich scent that smelled like rich mahogany and teakwood. I’dneversmelled blood like that before. I knew I’d help Ripley, but I needed to find the source of the scent.
I used my vampire speed to run towards the source. That was sheer power. What was Ripley hiding in this library?
Chapter 21
Chaos
T
his would be so much easier if I could just squash a few insignificant supernatural heads, but my witch wanted to use magic. Apparently, people frowned on torture and murder in this century. I’m not sure why she was so against it now when I witnessed her stomp on that hedge witch I turned into a roach.
The cat was hunched over a cauldron stirring carefully and shooting me daggers. I’d never tell him this, but I found him amusing. I didn’t particularly appreciate how he talked to my witch sometimes, but it seemed to be the relationship they had, and it didn’t bother her.
We weren’t late coming downstairs, per se, but the reason we hadn’t seen the line forming around the building at dawn was that we had been up late. Ripley showed me her favorite movies, and we watched her Doctor Who show from the beginning.
Television was quite remarkable. Even with all my powers, if I enjoyed a theatre performance, I could replay it in my head exactly as it was, but I couldn’t experience the magic of seeing it again with other people and feeding off their reactions. There were many things I didn’t understand about this century, but there were many things I enjoyed.
Ripley suggested it since I enjoyed the iced coffee she made for me every day, I should try something called a Frappuccino.
She told me where to find it, and I brought three of them in for us. Ripley seemed happy but the cat just scowled and called it an abomination. He said tea was by far superior. So, I stole his and drank it since the fucking feline couldn’t appreciate coffee, sugar, ice, and whipped cream. And it was even better if you dipped the chocolate covered Oreos Ripley had gotten for me in it. My witch was full of marvelous ideas.
The cat peered up from the cauldron.
“Do you have to make those moaning noises when you eat? This is a delicate potion.”
I chewed my Oreos even louder and let out a moan worthy of having a wench in my bed.
“You made similar noises with the fish and chips, Cat.”
“My name is Felix. You made an enormous deal about picking your name. You could at least do the courtesy of using mine. Like it or not, I come with Ripley.”
I was aware; so was the warlock and probably a few others. The possibilities with her kept changing as decisions were made. Yeah I altered things when I gave the cat his body back, but I wasn’t mad about it. The cat was just so uppity, and it amused me to annoy him.
“In more ways than you know, Felix.”
“I’m not listening to you. If I don’t get this next step exactly right, this potion is going to explode, and we’ll have to get a motel room for the night.”
“Is that like an inn?”
“Yeah, but they have cable now. The beds aren’t nearly as comfortable as the beds here, and we won’t have any access to Ripley’s magic supplies. So, shut up.”
I walked to Felix and peered over his shoulder. I was curious about why he was making some complicated potion that could kick us out of our home when I could get the answers with a touch. Of course it would liquefy the brain of the person I was questioning, but I had no problem doing that to bad people. I had no issues doing that to extremely irritating people either.
Felix was carefully stirring his potion counterclockwise. He reached into a jar and pulled out something that reeked like a drunkard’s asshole. He dropped a pinch into the thick, black sludge in the cauldron, and it started hissing and smoking. There wasn’t an unpleasant smell, and it didn’t explode. I watched the potion change from sludge to a clear blue liquid.
“Nice!” I said, clapping him on the back. “I knew you could do it.”
The cat looked entirely put out with me, and Idid nothand out compliments unless I meant them. What was his problem? He’d been stuck as a cat too long. That had to be it.
