Chapter 18

Ernie repaired the shutters’ mechanism in no time at all. The guy was a fixture in the town: he owned and ran the hardware store/ radio station/ coffee shop and apparently was good at everything, including changing locks and fixing broken shutters. He also refused to accept payment.

‘I owe you one,’ I said finally.

He gave me a horrified look. ‘Don’t you be throwing loose favours like that around! There be folks here that’d take advantage of such a thing.’

‘Not you,’ I said confidently.

Ernie wiped his dirty hands on his overalls. ‘Well no. Not me,’ he agreed gruffly. ‘I’ll be seeing you, Officer Barrington. You keep safe now.’

‘Thanks, Ernie. I will,’ I promised. I hoped I wasn’t lying.

With my doors secured and my shutters firmly back down, I went to get ready for my date with Connor. When I checked the time, I shrieked – Connor was due to pick me up in an hour! I wanted everything showered, shaved and smelling sweetly by then; I also wanted my hair, nails and make-up to be perfect but I’d left that a little late. Chatting to Ernie while he worked had distracted me. Never mind: Connor had seen me looking worse. Way worse. I rushed into the shower and scrubbed quickly.

Forty-five minutes later, I’d done my hair and makeup. I looked at my nails and sighed; I didn’t have time left for them. My wardrobe was woefully slim since my house fire, but I had a little black dress that I’d found online. I shimmied into it. It clung to my curves – the few that I had – and flared at mid-thigh. It had three-quarter sleeves that started tight and ended in a fluttery ruffle.

I pulled on some black knee-high boots with a chunky, retro heel and admired the effect. I leaned into the black vibes with some eyeliner but then softened it with a smoky eyeshadow. It wasn’t my usual style but I liked it.

I wore my blonde hair loose and teased some waves into it with my curling tongs. As always, I wore my necklace with my two charms: one that stopped me combusting in the sun, and one which my nana had given me. I held both of them in my hand for a moment and wondered what Nana would think of my new life. Had she even known that vampires were real?

In Portlock and the other magical towns around the world, supernaturals walked around openly but elsewhere the magical world remained hidden. For me, it would seem utterly bizarre to stroll around a non-magical town.

There was a knock at the door and, after one last check in the mirror, I went to open it. My stomach filled with butterflies and my lazy heart gave a solid beat.

Fluffy and Shadow had been let out and fed, so they were good to cosy up together. I’d warned them I might be home late. I turned on the TV for them. Shadow was busy playing with a stuffed mouse and flipping it around. Fluffy watched him indulgently from the sofa.

When I opened the door, Connor nearly took my breath away. His dark curls were unruly, which seemed to be their normal state, but he’d clearly tried to do something with them. His eyes were ice blue but they darkened as they raked my body. I could almost feel the caress of his gaze.

He was wearing new jeans and no flannel, for once. Instead he wore a blue shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and slim waist. ‘Hi,’ he murmured.

‘Hi,’ I breathed back. He held out a hand and, as I took it, there was that damned zing. We’d have to talk about it – but not now, not yet.

Connor helped me down the two steps and into his truck. That was a hard climb in a short dress and I was glad I’d matched my underwear in case I’d accidentally given him an early peep show.

I shivered with nervous anticipation. He’d said he would ‘bring the city to me’ but I had no idea what that entailed. Whatever he meant, I was game for it. This date had been a long time coming and I was more than ready for it.