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Blair nods, then turns to Grace. “I’m going to do something that I don’t think you’ll want to be here for. If you don’t want to see that, you need to leave. You can take my car.”
“W-what are you talking about?” Grace shakes her head. “I’m not going anywhere until I know Mona isn’t having a psychotic break.”
“Okay. I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I was going to tell you if we ever decided to…” Blair trails off, her voice uncertain and vulnerable.
Mona looks down at me, then over to Blair and Grace. “I’ll tell her. Grace, this is going to sound completely nuts, but I’m a witch. I didn’t know until recently—until after I met Max. Because he’s also a witch. Well, part-witch, part-succubus. And Blair is a vampire. I’m not sure what Lydia over there is, but she’s probably some kind of paranormal creature, too.”
“I’m a faun,” Lydia volunteers, then shrinks back in her seat when all eyes in the room flick over to her.
“Haha, hilarious. Now I’m definitely not sure you haven’t lost your mind. That you all haven’t.” Grace glares at us until a sparkling, spectral pug runs into the room and leaps up onto the couch next to her.
“Oh yeah, also, Nugget is a ghost and Max’s dad enchanted a collar so that I could see him.”
Grace gapes at ghost Nugget, and Blair uses that as her cue to join Mona at my side. Unceremoniously, she bites into her wrist and holds it to my lips. I drink without question. Blair has to be a powerful vampire to use compulsions like she does, so her blood will heal me with ease. My body tingles with strange warmth and euphoria as her blood works within me. It only takes a few pulls from her wrist to heal the wound on my side, though it’s hard to stop drinking once I start. I feel tipsy, my head swimming with the high of her potent blood.
“Holy fuck, you really are a vampire,” Grace whispers.
Blair shrugs back at her and flashes a rueful, fanged smile. “Told you that you wouldn’t want to see.”
“Jesus.” Grace clings to Nugget, petting him absentmindedly before looking down and startling at the fact she’s holding the spirit of Mona’s dead dog. She’s taking it fairly well, all things considered. And honestly, even if she wasn’t, I wouldn’t care right now. My blood feels hot and Mona’s body next to mine is filling me with roiling desire.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m sorry about what I—”
I press my lips to Mona’s in a kiss, and she gasps. I seize the moment her lips part to press the kiss deeper, infusing each stroke of my tongue into her mouth with my love and gratitude. When I pull back, I keep my lips near hers. “No apologies. I understand why you were upset and I want to discuss it more later, to make sure you’re okay. But right now, all I care about is that I’m here with you. That I love you so damn much, Mona.”
“I love you, too, Max,” she murmurs against my lips. She moves closer and my body screams to press her against me and never let her go.
Blair clears her throat. “We have to take care of some things before you two have makeup sex.”
Shit, right. What happened with Mona’s neighbor is a mess. I pull out my phone and see that I’ve missed a text from the head paranormal councilwoman, Glinda. “I know what to do.” Blair raises a doubtful brow at my words. “Someone owes me a favor.”
* * *
Councilwoman Glinda arrives lessthan twenty minutes after I send her a text, along with a squad of burly men I can only assume are her minions. She touches a hot pink nail to Mona’s slack jawed neighbor, then looks over at Mona, who startles at her attention.
“Well, you certainly have good aim!” she says cheerily, and one of her henchmen snorts.
“I didn’t—it was an accident!” Mona protests, and I give her arm a squeeze.
“A happy one. By all accounts, you’re a hero, Ms. Amari.”
“W-what?” Mona sputters next to me.
“You saved Lydia and your…” she takes in how close I am to Mona and smiles, “lover, Max. The man living beneath you was a predator in disguise. I’m ashamed that it took an incident like this to detect such a creature plaguing our community.”
“Oh.” Mona’s eyes widen, but she says nothing else.
“And of course, your help in this matter was instrumental, Mr. Pearce. Once again, you’ve proved your value as a member of our special community here in Moonvale.”
“Thank you, but all I did was follow through on leads for the case with Lydia’s wife.” I glance over to look at the faun, who clings to her wife as they sob and murmur apologies to each other. “I appreciate you allowing me to call in my favor so soon,” I add, not wanting Glinda to think I’ve forgotten what her aid cost me.
“Nonsense. You and Ms. Amari are the ones doing Moonvale a favor. Consider my favor to you still to be redeemed at a later date. In fact, I believe I owe a favor to Mona and your vampire friend, Blair.”
“Wow, thank you!” Mona says, sounding relieved and unaware of the value of the favor she’s been granted.
“Thank you.” Blair dips her chin, but I see a flicker of shock behind her stoic gaze.
“Well, we’ll get this all cleaned up and taken care of. You all are probably exhausted, so I won’t keep you any longer.” Glinda gestures to the men with her and they set to work.
