AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The American Library Association. I missed it live because I mixed up the time zone, but there’s a recording. I’m hoping it’ll give me some ideas on how to make this place more lively.”
I nod and force myself to walk away. I need some time to think about what I’m getting into here. Her cat, Page, follows me down the stairs to her basement apartment, probably hoping for a second breakfast.
“It must be nice, being a cat,” I tell him.
He meows in response, almost like he understands me and is in full agreement.
“Until I met your mom, I’d been planning how I would meet my true death,” I tell the cat. “What if this thing I feel for her is just a phase? I can’t lead her on if I’m not even sure I’ll be around. I can’t risk hurting her.”
Page examines one of his paws—rather judgmentally, I might add.
I grudgingly refill his dry food dish and pull open the fridge. Eggs, milk, and bread… she’s got a fine start for breakfast. I dig through the cupboards to find a few spices and extras.
Page ignores the food and climbs up on the back of the couch to watch me work.
“What am I going to do?” I ask the cat as I whisk the eggs and milk. “She’s not just a flirtation. Janet’s someone I can see myself with forever, but I can’t promise her that.”
He nods sagely as if understanding every word.
“And she’s a human. She won’t live long.” I pour the mix into the pan and add some salt and pepper. “Unless I turn her…” I freeze and stare at Page. “It’s been ages since I turned anyone. Do you think she’d like being a vampire?”
“Oh, who am I kidding?” I growl to myself. “I don’t even like being a vampire. I’m tired and I’m old, and if I turned her and then walked into the sun to meet my true death, she’d hate me for the rest of her endless life.”
As the eggs cook, I pop the bread into the toaster. “Did I see some oranges in the fridge?”
“Meow,” Page says. He hops down and comes to look in the fridge with me. He nudges an open can of tuna, and I take it out for him. A little extra for his breakfast won’t hurt him.
“If I’m falling for her,” I say as I scoop the tuna into a clean bowl and set it on the floor. “Does that mean fated mates are real? Is that what we are?” But those only exist in books, and only shifter books at that. “Or soulmates, perhaps?” Though that sounds equally far-fetched.
Page dives into the tuna, face first. I doubt he’s even listening now, if he ever was.
“I could stay with her, while she’s human,” I say as I pull out the oranges. “But what happens when she dies and I’m left alone… again?” I flip through the cupboards, looking for a juicer, and find it in the back above the fridge.
“One day at a time, that’s what Freddie says,” I mutter. Freddie likes to come play chess with me now and then, though I’m not his king anymore.
I was going to meet the true death any day now… but maybe I could put it off for a while? See what happened with Janet first? I don’t have to decide right this instant.
I finish up the eggs and set out plates and glasses on a tray. Then I serve everything and turn off the stove. I lift the tray filled with food and head for the stairs. Page meows and pads after me.
“That smells amazing,” Janet says from behind the reception desk. She stands as I enter the library.
“Breakfast is served,” I say with a toothy grin. I love pleasing her. She lights up when she’s happy, and my entire world is brighter.
Her gaze drifts down to the tray. “That looks amazing!”
“I’m glad you like it.” I glance toward a table and chairs near the front windows, where the sun is streaming in. “Is there a less bright place to eat?”
“Yes,” she says, and leads me back into the stacks to a small table and chairs in the children’s section. They are too small for us, so we just move the chairs aside and sit on the floor. All around us are children’s books and stuffed animals. In one corner, there’s a model train set made of blocks. They look dusty.
“There’s really no children who use the library?” I ask, setting out our plates on the tiny table.
Janet glances around sadly. “No. Or adults. No one uses the library.” She bites her lip. “Well, not exactly true. There are a handful of regular patrons. Five, really.”
My brow furrows. “But then, why keep the library open? No offense.”
“Someone paid for the library as their legacy,” she says. “Not realizing that the town would dry up when the younger generation all moved to the city.” She digs into her eggs, takes a bite, and there’s that brightness again.
For a split second, I picture how much joy she’d feel tasting the food as a vampire. The moment I take a bite, flavor explodes on my tongue, and I want that for her. But I can’t turn her and then abandon her… and I can’t promise I’ll stick around. I mentally shove away that thought and focus on the conversation.
