1. The Librarian

It was near closing time when he walked in. The sun had set, leaving behind a twinkling night sky and a sliver of a moon. I was about to step out from behind the counter when he opened the front door, the bell on it jingling brightly.

I knew exactly what he was the moment he walked in the door. The unmistakable coppery scent of pennies and a lingering dash of musty cedar tickled my nose even as he was still several feet away, approaching me cautiously as if I might bite.

Ironic, really, a vampire being afraid of fae.

“Greetings,” he said, his voice deep and surprisingly warm for a vampire.

“Hello, there,” I said in my cheeriest voice. “How may I help you out today?”

The vampire leaned in closer, his pale face obscuring my view of the door. He opened his mouth to speak, the scent of blood that emanated from it nearly overpowering me.

There was something so intoxicating about vampires – dizzying, almost. I wasn’t one to be drawn in by their particular allure, but I’d met many who felt quite differently.

“I am looking for…” he paused, glancing around the room. “For a certain place with books meant to help one find –“

“A date?” I finished for him. “Or a mate, if you prefer that term.”

“Yes, a date. That is indeed what I’m looking for. Do you know where I might find the room that holds the books? I’ve been told it’s well hidden, and one must ask permission before entering.”

“You’ve been told correctly,” I replied. “If you will just follow me, I can show you the way into the matchmaking room. May I ask your name?”

“Xander,” the vampire answered. “My name is Xander Valchazar. I come from a long, unbroken line of Valchazar vampires, and I myself am approaching 250 years of age.”

I nodded, taking a slip of paper from underneath my desk before we set off through the library. Some of the monsters I worked with lived a surprisingly long amount of time, but it never ceased to surprise me when I heard such large numbers being so casually thrown around. Many humans would kill for a chance to live that long, though none had found immortality yet.

“And what are your preferences?” I led Xander through long corridors of ancient texts, some covers glowing as we passed by, begging us to select them, with others reaching out to snap at us lest we attempt to pick them up.

“I would like a man who does not mind living his life nocturnally. As I’m quite sure you already know, the sun is quite damaging to my, shall we say, delicate skin.” He touched his long, bony fingers to his gaunt cheek. “I understand that many humans are uninterested in that lifestyle, but I must insist my date be accustomed to it.”

“Of course,” I said, jotting down little notes on my sheet of paper. “That is quite a reasonable request for a vampire, and I believe I have the perfect book for you in the matchmaking room.”

I stopped in front of a bookshelf that was built of darker wood than the others. Without hesitation, I pulled a red book out halfway, then a blue book in the middle of the shelf, and finally a thick black book tucked away at the bottom. The bookshelf turned slowly, revealing a short passageway into a dark, cobwebby room.

“Join me in here,” I told Xander, beckoning for him to follow me. “This is the matchmaking room.”