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The museum was already filling with guests as I walked by, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was here, which was stupid because I would feel him if he were. Nevertheless, I found myself looking over all the guests as I walked to the office.
I honestly had no idea what was happening today. What made those vampires show up? Why had he shown up? How did he know I was there? Could he feel me, too?
No. It must have been my scent. Vampires could track people like that, right?
“Druella!” Dr. Lovell exclaimed happily from behind a stack of papers and books almost half his height.
“Dr. Lovell? What is all of this?” I asked, reaching to take half the stack from his arms and instantly regretting it as the sheer weight of the stack nearly sent me to the ground. “Jesus.”
“Student papers, as well as research for my upcoming book!”
“Book? What book?” I asked as I used my foot to keep the door open, allowing him to go first.
“My book. I am working on ‘History of the Restoration and Conservation of the Dutch Golden Age.’”
“So, Philippe de Champaigne, Rembrandt, Fabritius, Vermeer, Steen, and Potter?” I asked, walking like a penguin to dump all the work on his desk. “What brought this on? I thought you were swamped with your classes.”
“I am! But Dr. Andreeva is going to publish her fifth work. I found out about it last night, and I’ve been up ever since, bringing out all my old notes and papers.” He moved behind his desk, sorting the stacks quickly. “I can’t let that old bat outdo me this time!”
He was older than her!
“Dr. Lovell.” I leaned over the stack. “Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you and your ex-wife should get back together?”
He stared at me with eyes wide in sheer horror. “Why in God’s name would I ever think such a terrifying and bleak thought like that? That woman is crazy!”
They were both crazy! Since I had met them in graduate school, they were always competing with each other, calling each other to gloat or insult one another whenever they had a chance. When they were around one another, they fought like a mad cat and dog. Actually, they both looked like mad cats to me, hissing and circling each other before yelling about correct pigmentations used in the fifteenth-century frescos or whatever the hell else.
“Do you think I should add Saenredam to the book as a little spice, you know, a twist? People always leave out Saenredam,” he asked as he flipped through the heavily highlighted textbook in front of him.
“I mean, it would be a great way to introduce the Dutch Classicism theories of proportion, balance, and symmetry, but in all honesty, his church interiors are boring. That’s why they leave Saenredam out. People want drama, to be impassioned by something. Plain symmetrical works might be great for some people, maybe those that enjoy architecture, but it definitely wouldn’t be spicy.”
“Hmm. Good point.” Dr. Lovell scratched the white stumble on his chin. He looked up as he thought it through, nodded his messy white hair at me, then paused, and when I saw the grin on his face, I stepped back.
“No!” I replied quickly.
“You do not know what I am going to ask!”
“I do! You’re going to ask me if I want to assist you. No. I do not. I have more than enough work.”
“But—”
“Is anyone assisting Dr. Andreeva?” I asked, trying not to laugh when I saw all the fire return to his eyes as he was reenergized to his cause.
“You’re right. I can do this!” He nodded to himself and sat down, only to be hidden behind the stack of paper and the work he had to do.
I snorted gently and turned, moving back to my desk to prepare my work. Not many people could work with Dr. Lovell. He was often like this, excited, disheveled, and just slightly obsessed with art and his ex-wife. But I liked it.
It reminded me that even at his age, he didn’t have all his shit together. He didn’t have to slay vampires, didn’t have to lead a circle of witches, or run at the command of his coven leader, but even still, he was a mess, too. And that was calming.
Sitting down in front of a piece of art away from everyone else, I could clear my mind, just be Druella, and find a little peace.
“Druella, your phone,” Dr. Lovell called out, and it was only then that I noticed it was vibrating.
For some reason, I had a bad feeling.
And the fact that I had a bad feeling made me not want to check it. However, it kept vibrating, buzzing like a bee in my ear.
The moment I saw the number, I knew something was wrong. So much for peace.
