Page 40 of Double Shot

When I went to leave Club Cratos arm-in-arm with my new fae friend Clark, I was shocked to see Rocky still lingering by the betting booth. He grinned wide at the sight of me, looking relieved as he jogged over.

“Just wanted to make sure you got home okay, sweetheart,” he rumbled, one brow rising as he glanced behind me, no doubt looking for Clarence. “And weren’t having to deal with any… unpleasantness.”

“Thanks, Rocky.” I almost teared up a little, I was so touched. The gargoyle I’d met just an hour ago had already treated me a million times better than Clarence the Serial Schmoozer. Ugh.

“Invite him out,” Clark whispered to me through his teeth, smiling at Rocky.

The big gargoyle noticed and slowly grinned back at him, eyes flaring with heat as they dropped to take him in. Then his gaze shifted back to me and he cocked his head. “Weren’t you wearing a different shirt before, sweetheart?”

I went hot all over and mumbled something in response before asking him if he wanted to come for a drink with us. That was how I ended up back in Gargy’s, getting very drunk with my new friends Rocky and Clark, who started flirting with each other almost straight away.

The sky was beginning to lighten when we finally stumbled out onto the sidewalk to catch our cabs. Rocky made sure both Clark and I were safely in our separate taxis before he ambled off down the street.

After getting Clark’s number, of course.

When I woke up just after midday, my mouth dry and head throbbing, I was still wearing B. Were’s T-shirt. I sleepily buried my nose in the neckline and inhaled, another wave of sadness hitting me when I remembered how disinterested he’d been after we’d finished fucking.

Typical. I tried not to dwell on it as I loosed a resigned sigh, rubbed my gritty eyes and reached for my phone. I had a slew of texts waiting for me already. Several from Clark, making sure I had his number after giving him mine, one from Rocky asking me to let him know I got home safe—I already loved that big, thoughtful gargoyle—and a bunch from Nat, sent throughout the previous evening, as well as one more sent at around eight this morning.

Nat: Just saw this ad for a place to rent on the street my grandma lives on. It’s a nice part of town and mostly supes living there! You should have a look, babes.

There was a link attached. Yawning, I left him a long voice note telling him everything that had happened, my voice croaky from not enough sleep and too much alcohol, then tapped on the link to take a look. It sent me to the ArachNetwork browser app, which meant it was listed on a secret website for supernaturals.

It advertised a two-bed house for rent, and I almost closed the tab there and then. There was no way I’d be able to afford a two-bedroom place on my own for a few months until Nat was ready to move in. In fact, I was pretty sure the two of us wouldn’t be able to afford a two-bed house together anyway.

The photos made me pause though, my teeth sinking into my lower lip as I looked through them. It looked so nice. So clean. There were no mushrooms growing out of the kitchen ceiling. The bathtub had no cracks in it.

Lucifer, what I wouldn’t give to live somewhere like that.

The hallway floor right outside my bedroom creaked, making me flinch. I heard my roommate Simon yawn loudly, then fart even more loudly just as he passed my door. Sighing heavily, I looked at the house in the photos again. It had such a cute front porch. And it was decorated so nicely inside. The owner must have been really into Halloween, because it had only just turned fall but I spotted several Jack-o’-lanterns dotted around the rooms in the photos.

Actually, I was pretty sure it was the same Jack-o’-lantern and they’d just moved it for each photo. Huh.

Maybe I’d go and look around, just to spend a few minutes in an actual decent house. To give myself something to work toward one day in the future.

Bracing myself, I scrolled down a little to see what they were asking for rent-wise, then blinked in surprise. If Nat and I were splitting it, it actually wasn’t all that much more than I currently paid for my single shitty room in a shitty apartment in the middle of the city.

Was this why people lived in the suburbs? It was this much cheaper? I just wasn’t sure if my crappy old car would be able to handle that much driving, but now that troublesome little kernel of hope was growing inside me—the one that generally left me disappointed.

I hope this guy asks me on a second date.

I hope no one says anything weird to me at work tonight.

I hope my ass looks big and bouncy in these jeans.

I hope I can live in a nice big house with my future doting and loving husband.

I sent a message to the homeowner asking if I’d be able to come and view the house today. The listing hadn’t been up long, and by the time I’d gotten out of the shower fifteen minutes later, the owner had already replied saying I could head over in an hour.

Nat hadn’t listened to my voice note yet, which meant he was probably at work, so I didn’t bother texting him to ask if he wanted to go with me to look at the house. I dressed in jeans and a demure shirt—bright pink with a red love heart pattern—and managed to avoid both of my roommates as I slipped out of the apartment.

Chapter 14

Rafe’s Favourite Halloween Decoration

Klaus

Thirty minutes later, after picking up coffee and a bagel, I arrived at the correct address on a quiet, leafy suburban street. Chewing the last bite of my sandwich, I peered up at the house from the front seat of my car.