His mouth opened, but a pensive look plastered itself on his face, as though he was trying desperately to find the right word.
"My roommate," he said at last.
"Glad to hear you're single then," she chirped, winking as he walked away.
"I—I didn't say—don't tell anyone I said I'm single—"
She allowed his voice to trail off behind her as she ambled to the counter, graciously paid for the homeless gentleman's food and a coffee, took him outside, and loaded him into her corvette.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, she grabbed her knife from her purse and slashed his throat without another word.
As he bled out, she opened her coffee thermos and held it against the flowing wound, filling it about halfway. "Very nice," she sighed.
"This ought to help me take the edge off that irritating exchange."
As she drove to her own motel across town, she tried to piece together everything she'd learned thus far.
Vladira and Alaric had arrived here in Wapa Lake after hundreds of years tumbling through time and space. Now that they'd arrived, they seemed to have formed some kind of horny truce.
There was no doubt in her mind from the amorous display she'd seen in the window to their room that Vladira was entirely in love with him—but the verdict was not in when it came to Alaric.
He had denied her. He had said they were only roommates, but at the same time he was quick and eager to brush Mary off as she made her forward advance. What did it mean?
She couldn't be sure about the details, but she knew it meant one thing:
Alaric was not as devoted to Vladira as she was to him, and that meant he was vulnerable. She would seduce him, ravage him, and watch as the Countess's pathetic face erupted into bloody tears.
And then she'd kill her, collect those tears, and bathe in the Countess's own immortal blood. Would it do anything for her, bathing in the blood of the damned? Maybe not.
But she would enjoy it nonetheless.
———
Vladira did not enjoy being left alone. This wasn't a codependency trait she'd only recently developed, either.
She kept her castle stocked full of monsters for a reason, and it wasn't personal security.
She hated feeling alone. And though that feeling felt the same as it always was, it seemed somehow so much worse knowing that it was Alaric who had left her behind.
Yes, he had errands to take care of during the day—and then he would sleep. Then, this afternoon he would depart from her company once more.
True, she'd be fast asleep by then, hanging upside down in this closet like she currently was. But it was the fact that she'd know he wasn't there…
Human women were out there. A world full of them, scantily clad, mortal hearts filled with lust, all ready to throw themselves at her man.
She had to trust him. But did she trust him?
Men were creatures of the flesh, after all—
and a man as sexy as Alaric Voss would be constantly tested. Even God seemed to answer indecent prayers every now and then.
If gods could be swayed, then could even Alaric be expected to remain forever faithful?
The surest way was to remove temptation altogether. Soon they would move out of this dingy motel room into their own apartment, and she would convert its interior to her own labyrinthine castle.
She would make sure that Alaric was locked inside with her, never to leave again without her. That would be the only way she could rest easily.
But until then, she still had to rest. She closed her eyes, begging sleep to come for her. But no! Fuck that!
She could not sleep! She threw open the closet door and snarled at the tiny sliver of light that shone through the blanket covering the window.
How could she rest knowing that her soulmate was out there in a world full of slutty pussies?
She'd have to be some sort of psychopath!
"How does any woman in this world function knowing that their man could be seconds away from seduction?" she wondered aloud.
There were so many women walking around half-naked when they went to W-Mart. What could she do about it, though? She couldn't alter the culture of America with a simple incantation.
But what she could do was keep a protective eye on him. She had fed recently enough to do a bit of magic. In a hurry, she sat on the floor and closed her eyes, muttering an incantation as she harnessed her innate
abilities as Vampire Lord.
In front of her, a glassy white sphere took shape,slowly revealing its true form to be an eye. It floated in the air in front of her, awaiting her command as soon as she finished the spell.
"Go find Alaric," she said. "If a woman speaks to him, transfer a memory of her appearance back to me. Hurry! Before his dick gets wet!"
The eyeball swayed in the air for a moment before finding its equilibrium and blasting off. It thumped against the door, splattering in a white, messy gunk, and Vladira let out her frustration with a sigh.
She summoned another eye and gave it the same instructions. This time, she opened the door for it first, sending it on its way.
"Remember," she said, "don't be seen!"
She watched the floating eyeball go, her own eyes following it until she noticed the smell of smoke in the air. The sunlight leaked through the doorway in small amounts, singeing her skin.
The Countess closed the door with a hiss, then leapt face first onto the bed, so full of strange and unfamiliar feelings. Feelings that struck her as very mortal.
Her magical bond with Alaric was surely to blame, at least in part. The things she felt now she would have laughed at scant days ago.
Yearnings and impulses that had been out of character before were now all she couldthink about.