12. Twelve

Twelve

Rainbow

When I re-entered my house, I was calmer than I had been. Setting firm boundaries with Sunny was hard, yet necessary. There was a part of me that wanted to just accept him, but fear was hard to shake.

Sunny was a vampire. There was no changing it. What I could change is my lack of knowledge about how vampires truly lived. He had thrown me for a loop with living on animal blood. Made sense though. Drinking from humans and keeping it hidden would be difficult. A coven of them, like the one I left behind, would soon struggle to keep themselves fed off the locals and the blood bank.

Learning more about him, actually giving him a chance, was sort of terrifying. So much could go wrong. What if he realized he wasn't my mate? What if all this was a mistake?

I felt something other than terror around Sunny. There was a tugging in my chest when he was close by. I'd felt it outside with him. He was so gorgeous and so… sincere! There were no barriers when I talked to him compared to when I spoke to Griffin.

Griffin… something about the shifter just… I couldn't explain it. Not quite a crush, but I felt drawn to him in a way I couldn't explain. Yet, Sunny said we were mates, so what I was feeling with Griffin couldn't be that. I couldn't stop my thoughts returning to the shifter, though, and felt guilty over it.

The spell Sunny had procured for me was the sweetest thing ever. He wanted to reassure me I was safe with the ghost, Daisy, so what better way than to allow me to speak to her?

As spells went, it was pretty rudimentary. I could charm an item to allow me to communicate with her when I was wearing it. Once it was on me, I would hear her. Pretty cool.

In my basic witch kit, as my sister called it, I had a couple of crystals and some leather. With them I could make a pendant like the one Griffin was wearing.

I couldn't believe he had left a ghost in a house and didn't care what it got up to! Okay, I could. The man just didn't care when it wasn't a pack thing. I sort of respected that about him even though I was suffering from his callous actions. Shifters were incredibly loyal to their packs. Far more than any other supernatural species.

Taking care of the spell only took minutes. I had all of the ingredients, and as magic went, it was fairly basic. I had Jinx with me on my shoulder, once again wearing a little hoodie, as I intoned the words to give the crystal the power to be a conduit for spirit energy.

"Daisy? Say something to me please. I want to hear you." I tried to see if it was working.

"Can you hear me?" came a little uncertain voice.

"I can! It worked!" Through our connection, Jinx seemed to hear her too. His head moved in her direction.

"Oh my god!" she said breathily. "I can't believe you can hear me, Rainbow! It's been so lonely here without someone to talk to."

"I'm so sorry about that, Daisy." I really was. What had she been through all alone? "You've got me now. Sunny gave me a spell."

"Sunny is the best! He really likes you." He'd certainly made an impression on her, I could tell just by how she said it.

"He's a vampire," I pointed out.

"So? He won't bite you." Subtext for me to pick up was, "duh." I was fond of the sassy little ghost already even though I hated that she had been left here alone to scare people away. Who did that to a child?

"How do you know that?"

"I asked him."

Okay, so it was weird to be talking to a ghost child. She was more mature than eight for sure, yet still young, likely because she spent so much time on her own.

"Am I safe here with you?" I thought I was, but it always paid to check. I quickly cast an intention spell which came up clear.

"Of course! I only want to be your friend, until it's my time to go."

"Do you want to pass on?"

"Yes. I want to see my mama again. I miss her. Daddy too."

Ugh, wasn't that a shot to the heart? Poor kid. "I'll do what I can to help you."

Knowing I was safe in the house and with some extra barrier spells just in case of late night visitors, I slept soundly in my beautifully decorated bedroom. Sunny had done such a good job, even if it was weird he'd broken into my house, again, to do it.

Daisy was helpful in the morning as I rushed to make a decent breakfast for my guest. Why had I invited him to eat with me? Something about him made me want to keep him close even while still terrified of vampires. Would he be offended if I asked Griffin over? Not that Griffin would actually come eat breakfast with me. Why did I even care about him?

I made some scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. The coffee was freshly brewed and there was orange juice if he preferred. I had a brief panic that he might want tea instead. Did I have any? I must have been muttering about tea because Daisy dropped a box of it on the counter.

"Thanks, Daisy."

"You're welcome."

Some time later, Sunny knocked on the door and even waited for it to be answered before coming inside. I was grateful he kept a polite distance from me, never overwhelming me with his larger size. He moved so fluidly, I just knew he would be an amazing fighter, yet he was restrained around me, taking slow, careful movements.

We sat at the table together, Sunny apologizing when his longer legs knocked into mine. The crackle of electricity between us was hard to ignore. He really wasn't lying, was he? We were mates. Why was I still thinking about my neighbor when I had my mate in front of me?

I asked him to help himself to the food. He made sure I took what I wanted first before he served some onto his plate. So considerate. He was sweet.

Sunny's manners were impeccable, something he explained was part of his training before his sire turned him over a hundred years ago when he had been in his twenties.

"Did you leave a family behind?" I asked, really curious about my new vampire friend.

"No," he said sadly. "I knew I was only attracted to men and did not want to put a woman through a farce of a marriage no matter how well I would have treated her."

I approved of that, even if he had been lonely, it was better than living a lie.

"My parents were gone so it was just me. I think that's why my sire chose me."

"Are you close to him?"

Pain flickered over his face. "He's no longer with us."

Without thinking, I reached for his hand. It was cooler than mine, but warmer than I'd expected. Again there was a burst of electricity between us. I couldn't deny there was something there. Sunny must have seen the confusion flickering over my face over the temperature of his hand. I don't know why I expected it to be creepy and cold like a corpse. He wasn't dead, he was undead.

"It's easier for us to fit in if we are more like you."

"What do you mean?"

"The magic which brought us back, that we take when we consume blood, keeps us suspended between alive and dead."

"Is there magic in blood?"

"There's magic in everything. Your own magic replenishes from your connection to the earth, to the air, in what you eat."

"I've never really thought about it. So you do take magic in when you breathe?"

"Not really, just the blood, it's part of our curse if you will. We breathe out of habit, also to speak and to mimic humans. It's easier to smell things if we take in air. Our bodies aren't cold because blood still flows through us to animate our limbs. If we eat, then we digest the food."

"Huh."

"Anything you want to ask, I will answer, okay?" Sunny gave me a bright smile. "Breakfast was delicious." He pushed his clean plate away from himself and rose. "Would you like help with the dishes?"

It was easy to be around him as we cleaned up the mess I'd made while cooking. He kept glancing at me, making me blush.

"Are you sure you're happy to finish the work here?" I asked him as I stood at the front door, plans for the day running through my mind.

"Completely. You've got Jinx and Daisy here to keep an eye on me, unless you'd prefer to take your familiar with you?"

I'd introduced the pair formally and they had, surprisingly, hit it off. Jinx could be picky, and I was sure he would take on some of my prejudice against vampires, but no, he'd let Sunny pet him and even dress him for the day. It was cute how quickly they'd bonded.

"No, I'd rather he kept a close eye on what you're up to in my house," I teased.

His grin lit me up inside. I shouldn't have liked being around him so fast with what he was. This was purely a mate bond at work and I wouldn't allow it to push all my reservations aside.

Movement from next door caught my attention. Griffin was watching us from the window where he had a direct line of sight to us chatting. Could he hear us? He was a shifter, so probably.

It wasn't fair to be so attracted to someone who looked at me like dirt. What was Griffin's problem?

With a strained smile, I left my house in Sunny's capable hands to go to my shop. I needed to get it ready, get income flowing again and not worry about the two men who had me torn.

"Rain," Griffin's voice made me pause at my Jeep. My heart gave a stutter at the way he shortened my name. One way for each of my mates. It made me feel special.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay?"

His sudden concern gave me whiplash. It was sweet but given how rude he'd been, completely out of left-field.

"What do you mean?"

"The vampire. Don't just let him set the pace with whatever you have going on. Vampires are obsessive. Are you sure you're even mates?"

Okay, he had no right to even question that.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I said, defensively. I wasn't sure why I was defending my bond with Sunny. Maybe it was because he was trying to help me overcome my prejudice and fear by being so damn gentle with me.

"Sunny's been nothing but nice to me, which is more than I can say about some people."

Face red with anger and embarrassment, I hopped into my car, slammed the door, and took off.

Griffin watched me drive away.

Over the next few days, Griffin was everywhere I went, or at least it seemed that way. We didn't talk, and while I was still angry at him over doubting my bond, I still couldn't deny there was a call to be close to the shifter. Sunny continued to show up in the morning, being diligent and lovely. How could I not be charmed by him when he sent me pictures of Jinx dressed up in the latest outfit he'd made? Sunny watched over Jinx for me, keeping him safe, while working until late to get my house ready, until I called him with a crisis.

"Sunny! I need your help!" I said frantically into my phone when he finally answered.

"What is it, Bow? Everything alright?" There was a noise on the other side of the call. "Sorry, I turned the music down. Daisy wanted to hear some songs she remembered from her life." He must have been helping her dress Jinx for our daily photo because he added, "no, the cowboy hat, it's cuter!"

He was just the sweetest!

"My contractor hasn't turned up! I've got so much to do and I've already printed leaflets about the launch." There was stock waiting for me in my garage. Sunny had helpfully stored the boxes away for me. Having him at the house to take delivery of things was so helpful!

"Do you have anything due for delivery today?"

"I don't know!" I felt like I was on the brink of tears.

"Never mind, one of the shifters will just have to take care of it. I'm on my way, my gift."

That was a new thing, too. Sunny calling me his gift. As pet names went, it was kind of adorable and left me feeling warm all over, like a hug, when he said it. I never thought I'd have soft feelings towards a vampire, yet here I was, calling him as soon as there was a problem and relying on him to fix it for me.

"Thank you!"

I ended the call and tried to get myself together just as Griffin walked by. He opened the door with a frown on his face.

"Everything alright?" Was that suspicion or concern for my well being?

"Um, my contractor hasn't shown up. Sunny is coming. I'm not sure if there's a delivery…"

"I'll ask one of the pack to keep an eye out." Perfect. That was useful. "That all?"

Goodness, he gave me whiplash!

"It is, thank you." It was as polite of a dismissal as I could muster.

"Are you sure you should be spending so much time with the vampire?"

Were we back to this already? Nothing Sunny had done during our breakfasts and even dinners together suggested he'd harm a hair on my head. He'd even told me his persuasion didn't work on me because we were mates. It felt good to know my reactions to him were my own, not manufactured by his magic.

If only my reactions to Griffin would go away. It felt disloyal to Sunny to be lusting after my grumpy neighbor.

"Sunny? He's been so nice!" I felt immediately defensive over Sunny, which was a shock. I hadn't realized how quickly he'd gotten under my barriers.

Griffin just frowned. Even brooding as he was, he was so damn hot. The urge to be closer to him, to touch him in some way was overpowering. He didn't even say goodbye. Just left.

"Rude," I muttered.

A minute later, Sunny arrived. He must have run or broken all the traffic laws on the way. Wow, he really was trying to prove something to me, wasn't he? Was this what it was like to be mated, loved, by a vampire? If so, it was working on me. This was the most cherished I'd ever felt in my life!

"Bow? Are you okay?" His hair was all mussed.

Unaware I was even doing it until I touched him, I smoothed a curl off his forehead, letting me see his eyes better.

"Yeah, thanks for coming so quickly."

"Anything for you!" His grin was almost blinding.

Behind him, Griffin stood outside the shop, watching us and pulling my heart in two different directions.