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“Thank you. The offer, as it stands, is enough that I wouldn’t need other clients…not that I need to work at all. On top of the money I already have, Octavius has been very generous, to us both. He has assured me that if I don’t wish to work, I don’t need to.” Theo gulped and tried to keep the wavering out of his voice as he spoke next. “I think I will sell the house…including the things inside.”
Cormac gasped. “Are you sure? Everything?”
“This isn’t me wanting to forget her, Cormac.”
“I know that… You loved her. Hell, I loved her too. She was like a sister to me already. Goddess, I think I loved her more than Father. Though now I’m not even sure if I ever loved him… I cared, but her loss hurt so much more. Which is fucked up. But she was around for so long, and a hell of a lot more than he ever had been. She was there for half of my life. And dammit, she cared. He didn’t, he never had.” Cormac took a deep breath and let it out, his eyes going glassy once more. “I mean, I’d like to think she cared for me.”
Theo was the one who reached out this time, sniffling as he held back tears. “She did care. She loved you as much as I do. Cléas was never there. And let’s be real, we mostly tried to keep him away from you. Mother tried to make up for his absence. But we both know, as much as Mother tried, she wanted her freedom back. Cynthia may have not been there at the start, but in her heart, you were everything to her. Her child. And I know you loved her too. I am fully aware that I am not the only one who lost someone. And though I realize my decisions may hurt you, I’m not trying to. But I can’t live in that place, surrounded by her memories. Memories of what I had, and what we planned to have together. I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough. And when the time comes, I’ll need you to gather the pictures. I don’t want to throw them away, but I’m not ready to see them all. I need you to keep everything for me until I’m ready.”
Cormac pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s not about being strong or weak. Even the strongest of people would struggle staying around reminders of what could have been. You do whatever you need to. And I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Just let me know when it’s time and I’ll be there.”
He wrapped his arms around the larger werewolf, holding on tight. “I’ll let you know… And when the time comes, feel free to take anything you want to hold on to. Again, I know doing this isn’t fair to you. You loved her, too. She was a huge part of your life. Which is why you have just as much right to her things as I do.”
“I’ll do that… I love you, Theo.”
“Love you too, pup.” He took in his brother’s scent, letting it calm him. “Okay,” he laughed. “Enough of being sad and sentimental, let go of me so I can shower and get to my costume fitting on time. I think Octavius will do me harm if I dare to miss it.”
Cormac pulled away on a chuckle, releasing him and stepping back. “No doubt.”
“Well, truthfully, it’s not justmycostume fitting.” He bent down and scooped Sprinkle up, who had been winding around their feet cutely. “It’s a fitting for me and Sprinkle.” She meowed in agreement.
His brother eyed her. “Who ever heard of a werewolf being so close to a cat? It’s like a crime against nature, isn’t it?”
Theo sniffed. “Sprinkle takes offense at being called a mere cat. She is a princess, don’t you know?” Sprinkle meowed again.
They stood there, both with straight faces for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Turney eyed the building as he locked his Toyota Supra. It was made of black bricks, and vines were creeping up the walls. There were two windows, and both were blocked by orange curtains that were hiding what was inside. The orange neon sign over the windows and door saidEmporium of Disguises.
Stepping onto the sidewalk, he opened the door and walked inside. There was the sound of an automatic scream as the door opened. Turney eyed the place… The whole store was painted black with orange accents, pumpkins and skulls all around, and a few fake cobwebs.
To the right were racks and racks of some rather impressive-looking costumes. None even close to the cheap shit you got at those Halloween stores that popped up during the season. But the section he was in had a waiting room and a receptionist desk. He had to say, the place was definitely full of things Octavius would love.
He smiled at the receptionist when she looked up. The woman had a total Morticia vibe going on; black hair, a long black dress with flowing sleeves, and very pale skin with red lips.
“Name?” she asked with a smile.
“Uh, Turney Pimms?”
“Ah, Octavius Evander’s…friend?” she said almost hesitantly.
“Boyfriend,” Turney corrected.
Her smile fell and her lips twisted into a grimace before she regained her composure and her smile returned. Turney could tell that she was a vampire based on the very slight scent of blood coming from her and her slow sluggish heartbeat.
Turney had also picked something up about her emotions. Well…he’d felt a shift. Turney found the less extreme and more subtle emotions a bit hard to make sense of. However, he didn’t need his zombie senses to recognize the flash of jealousy on someone’s face. Not his problem, as far as he was concerned. Besides, he was pretty sure Octavius was gay, so…she was definitely barking up the wrong tree.
The woman waved towards the rows of chairs against the wall. “Please, take a seat. Jack will be with you shortly.
“Right.” Shaking his head, Turney sat down in one of the plush orange waiting chairs.
He glanced towards the door as it screamed again, and smiled at the sight of Theo and Sprinkle. The werewolf’s eyes were a soft stormy amber, telling him that Theo currently couldn’t see anything. The cane he held in his other hand told him that as well. Turney was guessing someone had dropped him off. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure if the wolf had his license.
Theo sniffed the air, head tilting as his face broke out into a smile. “Costume fitting?”
Turney laughed. “Yep!” He stood up as the werewolf approached. “Ahh, Sprinkle, my baby! You are getting so big!”
Sprinkle had grown…maybe an inch? She honestly didn’t look too much bigger compared to when they had first gotten her. Her wide, glowing ocean blue eyes and navy-blue face was the same as always, though the tufts on her ears were looking a little bit wild. In fact, so was the thick purple mane around her neck. Her blue and purple fur was looking pretty fluffy everywhere, which told him it was probably time for them to get her groomed.
