"Close enough," I say with a shrug.

"Close? Or actually in the heart?"

"I dunno, Ediye. Close, but not right through it?"

Ediye smiles again but keeps her gaze fixed on her paper. "All right. Interesting choice of words you made there, that's all."

I definitely feel heat in my cheeks. I press my fingers to them and then fidget with my choice of drinks, settling on the hot tea and holding it close to my face to obstruct Ediye's gaze if she glances up. I see her smile through the steam and I'm certain she knows exactly what I'm up to.

"What's next, vampire?" she asks without looking up, the smile ringing in her voice. I roll my eyes.

"Suna sitaba kilal azzus."

Ediye's eyes narrow and her brows knit. Her head tilts. "His shining weapon is suspended at thy side. Wow, Lu. That's really good."

"I know, right?" I say, beaming a smile at her. It's the first time I see a spark of excitement in Ediye's eyes. I think maybe I didn't fuck it up after all. And I think Ediye is starting to believe it, too.

"Your pronouns are a little messed up between that line and the first phase of the spell, but it still works. He can't kill you by his own hand. How much more?"

"Uhh... Two more lines of the main incantation..."

"What do you mean the main incantation?"

I take the shot of tequila and snatch the bottle before Ediye can even blink. The fear kills the hope in her eyes and I put down the shot glass, drinking directly from the bottle until she pulls it from my hand to do the same.

"Tell me," she says.

"So, next I said Suna liiktisuma. Asallah libakkunu, assus maratuktuk."

Ediye gives a tentative laugh, but I can tell she's holding onto her joy because she knows the worst is yet to come. "What is it with you and this Reaper's heart?"

"There is nothing, for fucksakes."

"Well judging by your incantation, there is definitely something. Is he hot? I bet he's really hot."

"He's a demon, so yeah, he runs a little on the warm side."

Ediye rolls her eyes and gives me a knowing smile. "That's not what I meant." When I let out a low hiss she puts her hands up in surrender. "All right, scary vampire. Well, the good news is that you've bound him to you, and you have apparently cast to overcome his heart."

I groan, resting my forehead in my hands. "What in the hell. Is that a love spell I cast?"

Ediye laughs and pats my hand. "No, that cannot be done, Lu. Not for real. He might have a bit of a crush perhaps, for a day or two at most. This is more about breaking barriers, not about winning affections. So, it's probably a good thing. Unfortunately, however, there is a complexity in Suna liiktisuma. You have not just bound him to you, but you to him. Whatever the reason he's here, you have obligated yourself to help him fulfil his mission."

I take a heavy breath and look away to the window, thinking about the crime he is here to collect for and the Alpha he has not yet reaped. If I need to help him kill more werewolves, that might not be the worst thing, I guess.

But there's just one little flaw in that plan...

"So, herein lies the problem," I start as I fidget with my fingers. The ones on my right hand are still a little numb, and I take a sip from both mugs and then the bottle of tequila as Ebiye makes a face at me that deftly combines disgust with fear. "When I cast the spell, Ashen seemed to be unconscious. I thought he wasn't going to make it. And then he opened his eyes... And then he... said my name. My real name."

Ediye pushes herself back from the counter as though it's burst into flame. "What the fuck, Lu. What in the actual fuck."

"But that's when I said Amah haas muhhaki usaanna teenki and hit him super hard in the head with his sword. Like, so hard I might have re-killed him."

"You totally didn't re-kill him, did you."

"No, but I did hit him. Really super hard."

A long, silent moment passes. We just look at one another, barely even blinking. Despite all my arrogant quips and my stupid jokes, the truth is, I'm scared. For the first time in a long time, I'm really fucking scared. And Ediye knows it. It's in her eyes too.

Ediye reaches for my hand and I give it. There is not just fear there, but sadness.

"You said I strike your skull, I confuse your mind," she whispers, and I nod. "There's too much room for error in your words, Lu. You’ve left the future unfinished, unprotected. The next time he sees you, he might remember exactly who you are. And it will be a reaping worse than death."

There's only the sound of flickering candle flame and shallow breath and beating hearts between us. Ediye squeezes my hand.

"There is only one thing I can say to help you, Lu."

I think it before she even says it out loud.

I need to run.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 6

Yeah, I'll totally run. After I finish my shift. I'm not one to leave Bian hanging.

Working in housekeeping at the Swan Inn is really the perfect job for a vampire. I get access to literally everywhere in the hotel. I can even get into the surprisingly well-equipped security room, a relic from the days of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance. You might remember it from the news? The whole Village of the Year Award fiasco? Anyway, aside from granting me the ability to tamper with security footage, cleaning rooms also gives me access to guests' personal details, which is super handy when I want to hunt down douchebags like Jessie in their hometowns.

...Shit.

Shit fucking shit. 

Jessie. 

I totally forgot him in the alley.

On the plus side, I also left the Reaper in the alley. I kind of wish I'd stayed on the roof to watch that meet-and-greet play out instead of running to Birdlip to see Ediye.

So yeah, anyway, working at the Swan is kind of the perfect job for me right now. It doesn't pay much but I don't need much. I've got little caches of cash (get it?) all over the place, and if I need more, I can steal more. Bian lets me stay in the ironically named, closet-sized Castle Room, so for the past fifteen years this is what I've been up to. Hanging out in Sanford, cleaning rooms, not talking.

I know what you're thinking: Lu, that sounds fucking depressing. But really, it's not. I might be on the periphery of the goings-on in Sanford, but the village accepts me as the mute that works at the Swan. Some people probably still think of me as an oddball, but I'm not the only unusual character in Sanford. If you think that, you clearly haven't met Lurch. All he says is 'Yarp' for yes and 'Narp' for no.

Last night did make me realize, however, that I've been stuck in a bit of a self-imposed rut. Fighting those werewolves was exciting. Smashing the Reaper in the side of the head was fun. Deciphering my half-assed spells with Ediye was... refreshing. And I've been in Sanford for a while. Everyone around me is aging, but I'm not. I never do. I can change my hair or my makeup or my clothing style, but I'm still twenty-five on the outside. I'll always be twenty-five. I think.

So yeah, I guess it's time to go.

I know I should have run for it last night, but, honestly, it's not just about the shift. It's hard to say goodbye. It feels like that's all I ever do. Even when I know it's safer for everyone if I go, it still just hurts.