Page 21 of Little Fangs

“You need clothes,” he said, staring at me as I stood on the porch. “Come on, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

I did. The fear that those brothers would have found new jewelry to let them walk in the light. I glanced at the links of bracelet wrapped repeatedly around my wrist. I’d been out in the daylight nearly every day, it was nice to feel it again on my skin, but I hadn’t been into town, or around people, and I didn’t know if it was truly safe.

“Come on,” he continued, holding out his hand, despite being by his truck and too far away to grab me. “Nobody will see you with the hat, trust me.”

“They’ll see me,” I said. “I just hope they don’t recognize me.”

Being a vampire with near immortality meant seeing people grow older and die, so the people in town now were the kids I’d probably seen roll up by the manor on the bicycles to stare—maybe even at me in my room at the front.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want.” He wiggled his fingers, gesturing for me to hold his hand or get in the truck.

Harlan wore a thick beanie and much warmer clothes; his denim jacket was furry on the inside. He looked so cozy to me, and I really wanted to go back inside, get dirty with him again in the bedroom, and feel his hands all over my body as we showered together.

“I know you’re nervous,” he said, stepping toward me. “But I’ll be there with you. And if anyone asks, I’ll tell them you’re an out-of-town apprentice.”

I giggled. “Yup. I sure love wood.”

He winked at me. “And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to touch more of it tonight.”

I ran and leapt into his arms, almost knocking him back, and he caught me as if I were the breeze being contained by his large body. “Now, I can either throw you into the trunk and pull a tarp over you, or you can ride in the passenger seat.”

“Right. Yeah.” I dropped my legs from around his waist. “I can’t remember the last time I was in a car. Maybe ten years ago.”

“Ten years?” he scoffed. “Jeez. I’m a safe driver. You don’t have to worry.” He placed one of his gloved hands to my face, and I leaned in, accepting a kiss. “So, why haven’t you been in a car for so long?”

I shrugged. “We can run pretty fast,” I said, climbing into the truck. “Ludmila had us in a truck to visit some high council of vampires. Someone died, so it was a big deal. I think he must’ve been like a thousand years old or something.”

“Shit,” Harlan let out. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. He was old, and his funeral was a whole thing. We had to travel to Los Angeles for it. He had one of those big houses they show on reality TV shows now. Some rich socialite family bought it. Apparently his next of kin hated him, so they sold it immediately.” It felt so good to have someone to talk to about this stuff now.

Harlan took my mind off going into town by just letting me talk, and I talked, practically giving him the full scope of where vampires were and the oldest ones I’d ever met. None of them ever cared for me, they preferred the others, and I knew that was because I didn’t go out and get people to feed from, and I couldn’t leave my mark on anyone in the same way they could. So, I always felt less than, except with Ludmila, she was amazing—until she left.

I stopped talking the moment the row of shops came into view. People walked along the sidewalk, smiling and waving at Harlan, and my stomach dropped.

Harlan placed a hand on my knee, gently squeezing. “You’re fine,” he whispered. “We’ll be in town for an hour, maximum. You need clothes, and I didn’t know your sizes the last time I was here.”

Gulping hard, I knew it was a struggle. He’d bought me a T-shirt and some underwear that were too big for me—and a little too small for him. I didn’t know what was going to happen now that we’d been intimate, but my family wanted me gone, and I didn’t know if I could leave now.

“And don’t freak out about this, but we’re going to pass the manor,” he said. “We won’t try anything today, but I’ll make sure you get everything that’s yours back again. I promise.” He gave my knee another squeeze before letting go and placing it on the gearstick.

Sinking into the seat a little, my anxieties were growing about being seen by people, and even more now that he’d told me we were going by the manor house. I’d known we were going to go there eventually, but not today. I wasn’t prepared to be near them, and I certainly wasn’t prepared for them to wake around me—it would pretty much mean they’d kill me, or Harlan, or both of us.

“Are you sure this will work?” I grumbled, tugging at the front of my baseball cap, bending both sides into a curve, hoping it would cast more shade on my face. “You don’t think they’ll tell them they saw me, do you?”

“Listen,” Harlan said, pulling up into a parking space. “I’m not going to let you spiral about this. People in town probably don’t like Caleb and his cronies. Vampires don’t have a good rep.”

I scoffed into a laugh. “You’re telling me this now?”

He snickered. “Well, you’re a nice one. So you’re all good.” He looked through the rearview mirror, but I didn’t know what it was he was looking at. “Ready for a shopping spree?”

I nodded then shook my head and sighed.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Of course.”

He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Then trust me. It’s going to be okay.”