Page 23 of Hunter

“Nuts. Flowers too. She’s got one for avocados, roses, peanuts. It’s kind of a thing.” Hunter shrugged.

Willa picked up a coconut, admiring the hand painting. A brightly colored crown adorned its outer skin. “Zulu?”

“Yes. I’ve brought her a few back from New Orleans over the years. She loves them. Always saying she’s goin’ home someday.” Hunter scanned the room. “The vamps. They’re odd birds. Look at Cheryl. She collects things. Human things. She never touches human food, but she’s obsessed with…” Hunter gestured to a chandelier made of coconuts. “Stuff. Bric-a-brac. Then you’ve got a vamp like my friend, Quint. You’ll meet him someday. He’s a mad chef. Always cooking. Says it reminds him of when he was human. I can’t say I blame him. I guess when you think about it, they were all once human. Can’t imagine it really. One minute you’re eating a slice of pizza, and the next, you’re immortal and the only way to stay alive is drinking blood.”

“Even wolves are born with the magick in our blood, but I can’t imagine needing one specific substance to maintain my life,” Willa mused, aware of her origin.

“Vik only drinks blood. Says he’s a purist.”

“That I do,” Viktor exclaimed with a smile, ushering a young woman into the room. She nervously twirled a long blue lock with her finger. Her lips pursed tight, sucking a lollypop. “Ah, life can be so difficult. Perhaps the doctor needs to give me a checkup. And by checkup, I mean…”

“Ignore him,” Hunter interrupted.

“Shelley, darling. These are my friends. This is the Alpha, Hunter Livingston. And this is Willa. Doctor to you.”

“Hi,” she responded, the candy still firmly lodged in her mouth. “I don’t do kinky shit. One at a time. No orgies. Besides I can’t donate any more blood tonight. I’m just waiting for a few of my friends.”

“No orgy. No blood. I’m not a vampire and neither is she.” Hunter approached the girl and gestured for her to sit. “Take a seat.”

“I’ll stand. I’m fine.”

“Take. A. Seat,” Hunter ordered, his voice laced with irritation.

“I didn’t do anything,” she whined. Shelley plopped down onto the sofa and lowered her gaze, staring at a large purple coconut that sat perched on an end table.

“Where’s your brother?” Hunter slid a few wooden bar stools toward the sofa.

Willa sat down, carefully studying the girl. She found it curious that certain humans sought out vampires whereas others lived in complete isolation, outright ignoring paranormals. Humans would always serve a purpose to vampires, and she supposed that as long as the supply outweighed the demand, risk would be minimized to their existence. A symbiotic relationship, sustenance in exchange for sexual release. Fair enough but there was always a chance of death, each and every bite.

“It’s not the first time he’s been beat up,” Shelley told them.

“Where is he?” Hunter repeated.

“He’s at home now. They released him an hour ago. His friend, Bud, said he’s loaded up on painkillers.” Shelley removed the red lollypop from her lips and held it up in the air as she spoke. “He’s goin’ to want me to wait on him hand and foot.”

“Viktor here says you told him you saw wolves.”

“Yeah, so? They weren’t from around here.”

“And just how do you know that?” Hunter pressed.

“They wanted to stay in our house.”

“What do you mean?” Willa asked.

“I mean you shouldn’t answer the door for strangers. They rang. And like a dumbass, I answered. They tried to bust their way in, saying they needed a place to stay. Something about looking for someone. Can you believe that shit? Like what the fuck?” She rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. “Ronnie shoved a few of them back out onto the porch and I went for the gun. By the time I got back, they were beating the shit out of him. I shot two. One in the shoulder. I pinged the other one in the knee. It was enough to get them to leave but fucking wolves man, they don’t go down like a human would. It’s not like I carry silver.”

“They shifted in front of you?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah they fuckin’ did. I always tell my friends, vampires are safer. More civilized, I say. Hotter too.” She shot Viktor a sultry smile as she locked her eyes on his and slowly inserted the sucker back into her mouth.

“You heard it folks. From the mouths of babes.” A broad smile crossed Viktor’s face.

“Did they say anything about where they came from or where they’re goin’?” Hunter ignored the vampire and continued his interrogation.

“Yeah, yeah, we had a whole convo. Seriously? Yeah, no. I just told you that they shoved their way in my house and attacked us.”

“Any small detail might help,” Willa interjected. “Do you remember how they smelled? What they looked like? Tattoos? Anything at all they said? Maybe a name?”