Chapter 5

"Oh! Oh, Kyan. Hello," I stammer as blood rushes to my cheeks in embarrassment. How long can I stall until a plausible excuse for why I'm snooping around the parking garage pops into my head? "I, uh, I…" Think, damn it. Think!

Although, the very fact that he's on the other side of this door tells me there's something extremely important he's hiding, and if I want to keep my life quiet and boring and free of Xavier, I need to figure out what that is.

"It's a funny story, actually," I continue, still without a clue of what to say in order to save my ass. "My, um, my car wouldn't start, so I called my um, my roommates…" I almost said cell mates. Yikes. "But then I remembered they're out of town for the night, so I thought maybe there were some tools in this utility closet to help me get the car running. I don't have much experience with car repair, but I figured there would be jumper cables lying around in here." I suppose that's a good enough cover, and maybe if I really lean into the utility closet thing, I can take a peek. "Do you see any around here?" I ask, craning my neck around him to look into the drab, beige space with a few desks and minimal other furniture. Kyan immediately blocks my view by stepping forward and closing the door behind him.

Then he crosses his arms over the wide expanse of his chest and stares at me expectantly. "Should I still be waiting for the funny part of the story? Or has it passed me by?"

"Touché," I say with a grin. "It wasn't as funny as I thought it was."

"This is not a utility closet, I'm afraid," he says, hurriedly pulling a set of brass keys from his pocket and locking the handle. "Even if it were, I don't think jumper cables are a staple found in most utility closets."

"If it's not a utility closet, what is it?"

Kyan clears his throat and starts walking toward his car. "What's that?" he replies over his shoulder. He's deliberately avoiding my question.

I jog to catch up with him. "If it's not a closet, what is it?"

"Just some empty offices I'm looking to rent out," he mutters in a nonchalant tone. "Is this your car over here?" He points to the hideous station wagon in the corner spot that looks like it's begging to be driven off a cliff.

"Yep," I say with a sigh as we move further away from the secret I'm desperate to uncover, "that's the one." An idea wiggles its way to the front of my brain, and I have to hide my smile. "You know, if you need help renting out those offices, I have experience." What am I, a realtor now? I don't have experience in commercial rentals, but I also don't have experience in being an assistant, so whatever. I'm sitting on a heaping pile of lies at this point.

Kyan sticks out his hand, and I place my car keys in his palm. Rather than respond to my offer, he remains silent as he opens the door and gets in behind the wheel. It emits a pitiful wheezing sound from the engine as Kyan starts it up and quickly spits out a plume of smoke before it craps out. Hesitantly, my boss climbs out of the car and waves the smoke away before popping the hood. His brow furrows as he looks around, then throws up his hands. "I have no idea what I'm looking at. Apologies, Naomi. This isn't my area of expertise."

I can't help but chuckle at his refreshing honesty. He approached the situation like a typical guy but, knowing he's clueless about cars, didn't even bother poking around before admitting defeat.

"I will take you home," he says, gesturing for me to follow. "My car is this way."

"That's kind of you, but totally unnecessary. I can call an Uber."

He grunts in a dismissive way. "Nonsense. Come with me."

Kyan drives a sleek dark gray Mercedes SUV, and an appreciative moan escapes me when I settle into the heated leather seat. "This is gorgeous."

He smirks. "Yes, it is."

After a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence, he pulls up Spotify on the large digital screen between us and turns on a playlist called ‘lo-fi chill.' "Where do you live?" he asks, opening the Maps app.

"On the northeastern border of Sudbury. A stone's throw away from Loudon."

His mouth drops open. "Sudbury? That's where I live. How is it possible that we haven't run into each other around town?"

"I don't get out much," I reply with a shy chuckle. If only he knew it's because I'm not allowed to mingle with the living. "You know that part of town with the power plant and the abandoned textile mill?"

He nods without taking his eyes off the road.

"That's where I live. It's not the prettiest."

"Pretty isn't a word I'd use to describe any part of Sudbury."

"No?" I ask, surprised. "Do you prefer the hustle and bustle of city life?"

His mouth forms a grim line. "No. Manchester is also a dump, in my opinion."

Huh. "Then what's your ideal place? Where would you settle down if you could? If nothing were keeping you here."

I watch his gaze go unfocused as he ponders this, and his jaw tightens. "I don't think such a place exists for me."

That can't be true. If I weren't a danger to society, I'd return to Seattle in a heartbeat. I miss the cold weather, the incredible food, the proximity to Puget Sound, and most of all, my family. I'd give anything to go back to that life.

"There's gotta be some place. Maybe you've only seen it in photos, but a place that has all the beauty and tranquility that you could never find here. Where would that be?"

He lets out a weary sigh. "My mind requires more than a tranquil setting to soften its harsh edges."

Sheesh. Forget small talk. What am I supposed to say to that?

Instead of prodding him with additional fun get-to-know-you questions that he'll no doubt put a dark, dreary spin on, I lean my head against the window and watch the sleet fall from the sky.

I have to figure out what I'm going to tell Elaine. Kyan has given me nothing that she'll find useful or interesting. He's hiding something behind that door, but the door itself isn't enough to give her. I've tried so hard all damn day to get him to crack, and the most I got was an eyeful of his swirling chest tattoos and his twelve-pack abs. I'm so fucked. Luckily, she and the guys went down to UNH to hunt frat boys for the night, so I won't have to face her until tomorrow, but when that moment comes, it's going to be brutal. I don't even want to think about how much hair she's going to rip out of my scalp.

Kyan pulls off the highway, and I notice the tension in his neck and jaw as he navigates the slick back roads to Sudbury. Is this just who he is, or is he going through a tough time? I can't tell.

I guide him toward my section of town, and as we're pulling into the driveway, I decide to give it one last shot. "Thanks for the ride. If you're not busy, want to come in for a bit?" I say, more nervous than I thought I'd be. "I baked some mango weed cupcakes that need to get eaten, and you look like you could use a break from reality."

I expect him to decline my invitation, even mock me, perhaps, for the recreational drug use. Instead, he offers me a brilliant smile, and says, "You know what, Naomi? That sounds delightful."

"Oh, o-okay. Great," I stammer, racing around the car with my bag and blood bottle in hand. "Give me a sec? I wasn't expecting guests, so I just need to tidy a bit."

I hear Kyan say, "Uh, sure," as I hustle inside.

It's not like I'm a messy person, per se, but I'm also not what most would consider clean. Most nights, I clean up Felix's pile of crumbs off the couch, toss the empty blood bags into the trash, and put my dirty laundry in the hamper. Last night, however, I got so high after Elaine attacked me that I left shit on every surface.

Once my underwear is in the hamper and safely out of sight and I refill my bottle with THC-laced blood, I open the front door and invite Kyan in.

As soon as he steps inside, he looks completely out of place. He has to duck his head to avoid smacking it on the ceiling, and his broad shoulders take up half the width of my trailer. "This is where you live?" he asks, scanning the scene. I can tell he's trying not to sound judgmental, but he's failing. "I thought we'd be going into the house. Is that not yours?"

"No, that's where my roommates live. This little piece of paradise is all mine."

One of his eyebrows lifts. "How can you have roommates who don't live under the same roof?"

I take a long pull from my bottle and feel the weed settling into my bloodstream. Shrugging, I reply, "I don't make the rules, boss." Eager to shift the conversation away from Elaine and her cronies, I pull the tray of cupcakes from the pantry and take the tin foil off. "Care for a treat?"

It doesn't matter that I can't eat human food, I still love to bake. Before I was turned, I got pretty good at it, and now, when I'm stressed, baking eases my mind. Usually, I'll drop off my goodies at Dunkin' Donuts for Quincy's human employees to take home. It'll be nice to see someone enjoy my treats for once.

Kyan's eyes light up like a little boy's, and he takes two. When he sees me re-cover the cupcakes, he asks with a full mouth, "Aren't you going to have one?"

I shake my head. "Not just yet," I lie. "Enjoy them. I'm going to change real quick."

There's no way I can truly relax until this business casual outfit is off my body and my hair is tied into a low pony. I pull shut the curtains that separate my bedroom from the rest of the trailer and make quick work of getting into my teal sweatpants and black hoodie. Once my hair is off my face, I rejoin Kyan in the kitchen/dining/living room area and find him pulling a third and fourth cupcake from the tin.

"Aren't they yummy?" I ask with a proud grin, wishing I could partake. "My mom taught me how to make mango sago from an old family recipe, so I spent years figuring out how to get the texture just right, like rice pudding. Once I nailed that, boom. Mango cupcakes with a buttercream frosting and gooey mango center."

"This is exquisite. I've never tasted anything like it." His eyes are pinched shut, and he lets out a groan as he chews. It's a low and gravelly sound that makes me clench my thighs together.

My emotions are warring within me as my head grows fuzzy from the weed. I'm jealous he has the ability to eat human food, and I'm moderately turned on by the sight of him eating. Having no idea what to do with any of those feelings, I drink more weed blood.

Time starts to slow way down, and at some point, I turn on old episodes of Veep. Kyan laughs the loudest when Selina exhibits disgust or animosity toward others, which is most of the show, so he seems to be having a good time.

I discreetly refill my bottle behind the open fridge door and grab Kyan his fifth cupcake on my way back to the couch. He doesn't seem to notice my lack of interest in them, which is a relief. In fact, I think he's glad he gets them all to himself. Once I'm seated next to him, a loud tapping sound against the kitchen window makes Kyan jump, and he glares at Felix with wide eyes as I let him in.

"Don't be scared," I say, stroking the back of the crow's head. "This is Felix. He's one of the best friends I've got here."

"What about your roommates?" Kyan asks, watching Felix intently, as if readying himself to be pecked to death by the little guy.

"Ugh, they hate me," I tell him, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the jar and putting them on the couch cushion between us. As Felix eats, I continue rambling. "Well, Elaine hates me. Mike tolerates me, at best. It depends on Elaine's mood. He tends to follow her lead." I tuck my feet beneath me on the couch and take another sip. "Then there's Wyatt, the third member of our cell. He's the nicest, but that's because we used to hook up occasionally."

A flicker of rage darkens Kyan's eyes at the mention of Wyatt but passes quickly as a look of confusion takes its place. "Your cell?"

"Yeah, that's what it's called when a small group of vampires live together."

I don't realize the words have left my mouth until I watch the way Kyan's face changes. It happens in slow motion. At least, that's how it looks to me, but that has to be the drugs. His head jerks back in disbelief, then there's a furrow of his brow, and finally, his brows shoot up as the words settle in. "Did you say…vampires?"

My mouth falls open as I sit there, trying to figure out how to respond. At some point, I decide that my brain feels like it's bending itself into a pretzel, and I prefer the aftermath of the truth to spending another minute in a state of panic. "Uh-huh," is all I can muster. Then I start laughing. It begins as a soft giggle and quickly spirals into a maniacal cackle that shakes my entire body.

"Is this funny to you?" Kyan shouts as he gets to his feet. "Some kind of sick joke?"

I have no idea why he's so offended by my admission, or why he doesn't think this is as funny as I do, because, from where I'm sitting, this shit is hilarious. I'm getting high with my gorgeous, wealthy boss inside a trailer that's one storm away from collapsing in on itself while a crow eats peanuts on the couch, and he just realized that I'm technically dead. How is he not laughing?

"You know what? I'm done with this," he says, pulling his jacket on in a huff. "Goodnight, Naomi."

"No, wait!" I call out, my mouth still forming a smile as his palpable anger registers in my brain. "It's okay, Kyan. Really. I wasn't planning on telling you that tonight, but I don't know. It just came out, and now you know."

His hand stills on the doorknob. "You're telling me the truth?" He turns, the muscles in his jaw flexing in a way that has me mesmerized. "You're a vampire?"

Shit. What if he fires me because of this? I didn't disclose it in my new-hire forms. If I get fired before I learn what he's keeping in that basement, Elaine is going to skewer me. "Yeah, but, it's not like it's a big deal," I say, playing it off as if I was just asked if I had a religious upbringing. "It doesn't impact me as much as you'd think."

He grunts in disappointment, and my breath lodges in my throat.

Maybe if I make him see we aren't so different, he won't fire me. "You're not human either. Both of us have to hide. We have that in common."

His shoulders tense, but I barely register the movement before his hot breath fans my cheek, and his hand is wrapped around my throat. "What the fuck did you say?"