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  He smiled as he sliced his fangs across his wrist. Blood misted the air, and I gasped, shooting to my feet.

  “What the fuck?” I shrieked.

  Ryker didn’t even flinch as blood dripped down to his elbow. “Look,” he insisted.

  My stomach warmed in an unfamiliar way. I squinted at the blood as the flow suddenly stopped. I was frozen to the spot as I watched the wound seal before my eyes. “What the…”

  “See? I’m a vampire. I have fangs and heal quickly. Is that enough?”

  I sat back hard in my seat, feeling suddenly faint. Okay, maybe I had lost my marbles.

  Chapter 6

  As I sat in the gazebo staring at the once gushing wound on Ryker’s wrist, I had to wonder, how long had I been crazy? Was it my whole life? Did I just make up Gloria and Jamie, or did they actually exist? Just because I thought they were real, didn’t mean I hadn’t imagined them. Sure, I remembered meeting them in high school, but I could also remember waking up this morning and feeling normal, right before I walked into a bloodbath in someone’s living room. That wasn’t exactly an every day occurrence.

  Come to think of it, was Ryker real? Maybe he was just part of my imagination too. It’d make sense. He was way too hot to be real.

  “Clara?” Ryker raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you all right?”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, totally fine. Just trying to figure out when I went batshit.”

  Ryker chuckled. “You’re not crazy.”

  “So I thought, but how do I know you’re even real? How do I know I’m real? Maybe my name isn’t even Clara. Maybe I’m just imagining all of this and I’m actually stuck in a mental hospital somewhere.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Take out your wallet.”

  I blinked. What? He nodded at the purse clutched in my hands. I slowly took out my wallet and unbuttoned the cute orange fox mouth. I looked inside, shuffling through the same contents that were always there.

  “Look at your drivers license,” he said.

  I did. There I was, in typical DMV fashion, looking like shit in the photo. But beside my face were details of my existence: my height, weight, and hair color. My name was at the top: Clara O’Connor, and my birthday was the same as I remembered.

  “So I’m real, but that doesn’t mean you are,” I said.

  Ryker rolled his eyes. He heaved himself to his feet and walked around the side of the firepit to sit next to me.

  My skin prickled at his closeness, and I leaned away as far as I could without seeming rude. He held out his hand, palm up. I got his meaning. If he wasn’t real, then I shouldn’t be able to touch him. I let go of my purse and slowly, like the entire world depended on it, poked his hand.

  Solid, cold, and callused. Yep, real. Of course, I should have known that. He’d already pinned me up against a wall today.

  I sighed at myself. “Okay, so you might be real too.”

  “Might?”

  “Yes, might.”

  Ryker shook his head and leaned back in his chair. He still seemed uncomfortable, and I wondered if it was because he was an alleged vampire out in the middle of the day.

  “So you’re a vampire?” I asked. He nodded. “And you said the party wasn’t for humans? Then why was I allowed to stay overnight?” I skipped right past his mention of me having murdered six people. That still seemed like lunacy.

  For what had to be the millionth time today, he looked at me like I was missing something. “You’re not human.”

  “Mhm. So what am I then?” Not human? What the hell was this new garbage he was spewing?

  “You’re a Reaper,” he said. When I didn’t look impressed, or like I suddenly understood, he continued. “Reapers are a type of demon created by one of the princes of Hell.” He paused, looking up thoughtfully. “I don’t remember which, but I’m not quite sure how you don’t know what you are. I don’t think any of the prince’s children have ever fornicated with a human, so you should have been created in Hell like the rest of your kind.” He shrugged. “But I could be wrong.”

  Well this was hitting a whole new level of insane. “So then I couldn’t be one of these things.”

  Ryker sighed. “Not necessarily. You could have lost your memories, or had a warlock take them perhaps.”

  “And why do you think I’m one of these… reaper demons?”

  “Because of last night. You pulled your scythe from the void and killed the only living souls left in my bar,” Ryker explained.

  My bar? Realization hit me suddenly. He was Mr Blackwood!

  “You harvested their souls and consumed their flesh, just like the Prince created you to do,” Ryker continued.

  “Hold up a minute! Consumed their flesh?” I stared at him with wide eyes. “I ate a person?”

  “I don’t think it’s much stranger than a vampire drinking blood.” He said it so reasonably too, that I almost believed him. “Let’s step back a moment and figure this out. Do you have a mother or father?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes. My mother raised me by herself. She said my father was dead, and wasn’t worth our breath anyway.”

  “Interesting. So your mother must have been the mortal, and your father the Reaper,” he said while stroking his beard. I almost laughed. “But if you haven’t been consuming human blood or flesh before now, then that raises some interesting questions. It seems you might not need it to survive like other Reapers do.”

  New theory: when I was drunk last night I must have fallen and hit my head really fucking hard. I had a concussion. That explained the hallucinations and the crazy talk coming at me right now.

  “I think someone did roofie you, Clara, but with blood. Consuming human blood might have triggered your demon side. But if that’s the case, someone knows what you are, and they wanted this to happen.”

  Pushing the crazy talk aside, some of that sounded mildly reasonable. “So someone did this to me on purpose? But who would do that?” I didn’t have any enemies that I knew of—besides maybe an old pre-school play date gone wrong—but I doubted Jenny Kowalski was still holding any grudges.

  “How did you get an invitation to my party?” he asked. “Someone might have set you up.”

  “Eli?” I realized aloud. He raised an eyebrow. “My co-worker. She’s not a… supernatural, though.”

  “Well, that’s a start,” Ryker said. “If this Eli woman gave you the invitations, than we should see what she knows.”

  “We?” Oh no.

  “Yes, we. I can’t in good conscious leave a demon with amnesia roaming the streets.” He rolled his eyes like I was the crazy one. If he was real, he had to be the psycho.

  I leaned back in my chair. Well, if he wanted to continue this charade, be it real or concussion induced, then at least I’d have a ride home. “Fine,” I said. “But we go straight to the bar, find Eli, and then you take me home.”

  Ryker stood. “Deal.”

  Please don’t let me regret this.

  By the time we returned to the city, the sun was setting, casting orange light across the street and over the rooftops. I had a feeling Ryker was taking his sweet time to try and convince me of this whole vampire thing. Everywhere we went, the walkways were covered and the windows tinted. I had to admit, it did lend legitimacy to his story, but it didn’t disprove my concussion theory.

  We pulled into the parking lot outside the Diamond Pub, and I hopped out before he cut the engine. I walked to the front door before I remembered what I was wearing. My entire body flushed with embarrassment. I let my hand fall back to my side before beelining to the back door.

  “Where are you going?” Ryker asked, appearing at my shoulder out of nowhere.

  I jumped. “Using the backdoor so no one else sees me like this.” I motioned at my attire, and ignored Ryker’s smug smile as his eyes trailed up and down my legs.

  I pushed through the back door into the break room I’d spoken to Eli inside just yesterday. Only, I knew Eli was supposed to be on shift, but her go
ld clutch and carelessly tossed leather jacket were nowhere to be seen.

  My eyebrows furrowed as I walked through to the back room where we kept boxes upon boxes of extra booze. Again, no sign of Eli. I was just turning towards the swinging door to the bar when it swung inward.

  Enrique blinked in surprise over an empty box cradled in his arms. “Clara,” he said. His gaze slowly trailed down. “What the hell are you wearing?”

  I steeled myself to keep from needlessly pulling at the fabric of the oversized shirt. “Nothing!” I snapped. “Where is Eli? Have you seen her?” Enrique’s gaze slid from me to Ryker, looking him over appreciatively. “Enrique!”

  He blushed. “Sorry! No I haven’t seen Eli.” He checked his watch. “Come to think of it, she should be here by now.”

  I sighed. Of course. It was just like Eli to disappear on a Saturday night. “I’ll be back in awhile. If you see Eli, tell her to call me.”

  Enrique sighed. “You better be back here for your shift. I can’t handle the bar all by myself on a Saturday night.”

  I waved him off. “I’ll be here, don’t worry.”

  Before Enrique could ask any questions, I grabbed Ryker’s hand and pulled him out the back door. When we were back outside, I leaned against the brick wall, letting the cold calm my rattled nerves.

  “Now what?” Ryker asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said, worrying my lip between my teeth. “But there’s one more place we can look for Eli.”

  Chapter 7

  I’d only ever visited Eli’s apartment once. It was close to the bar, and after a few post-work drinks, I’d been too drunk to walk home. Eli had let me crash at her place, a cute little two-bedroom apartment with plenty of natural light.

  As I climbed the steps to the third floor, my heart began to race. What if Eli really had sent me to that party in order to drug me? It sounded crazy, but there was a lot of crazy going on today. I bit my lip as I stepped out of the stairwell and into the third floor hallway. Eli was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a bad friend. She wouldn’t try to hurt me. Maybe this was all a misunderstanding. If I really was concussed that would explain a lot.

  But the longer I had to think, the more I wasn’t quite convinced my theory held any legitimacy. If I was concussed I should have a headache, or blurry vision, or dizziness. I had none of those things. Even after a day of consistent horrors, I still felt great. That had to mean I was insane. Right?

  “Which apartment is it?” Ryker asked.

  I jumped. I’d stopped in the middle of the hall, my thoughts consuming me. “This way.” I turned to the left and made my way to the end of the hall. A bronze number thirteen shined on the powder-blue door. I knocked gently, I quick tap, tap, tap before I stepped back.

  I fiddled with the hem of my t-shirt and glared at my stilettos. If this night, or day rather, had taught me anything, it was never to wear heels again. My feet were sore with no alcohol keeping the pain at bay. How did people walk in these for more than a couple of hours at a time?

  “No one’s answering,” Ryker said. His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head as if listening to whatever might be going on inside Eli’s apartment.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Hush,” he said.

  I narrowed my eyes. He was really trying to make me believe this whole vampire shtick.

  “There’s no one in there.” He paused. “No one breathing at least.”

  “Well that’s creepy as fuck.”

  Ryker’s lips twitched in an amused smile.

  “What now then?” I asked.

  Ryker stepped up to the door and tried the handle.

  “Hey! We can’t just walk in,” I snapped.

  “I want answers,” was all he said before the doorknob snapped.

  My eyes went wide as Ryker pushed the door open. The bronze doorknob dangled sideways. “How the hell did you do that?”

  “I’m a vampire, remember?” he said matter-of-factly.

  My skin crawled as I tried to reason with myself. Maybe the doorknob had already been broken, and I just hadn’t noticed. There’s no way a normal man could break a metal doorknob with just the twist of his wrist.

  “Are you coming?” Ryker stood a few paces inside Eli’s dark apartment. He raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I-I guess,” I stuttered. This was all getting too weird again. My brain was having a hard time processing it.

  I stepped into Eli’s apartment and felt for the switch on the wall. As soon as the lights flashed on in the kitchen, I knew something was up. Instead of the cute Batman themed cookware I remembered being strewn across the countertops, the surfaces were empty.

  Ryker walked down the hall, flicking on lights as he went. Instead of following, I went out the other side of the galley kitchen and into the dinning room. Nothing. I walked into the living room, and again, there was not a thing inside.

  Where were Eli’s cozy blue couches, and pretty floral curtains? Where was her obnoxiously large TV, and white shag carpet?

  “There’s no one here,” Ryker called from one of the bedrooms.

  I didn’t stop my search until I found every room empty. It was like Eli had never lived here at all.

  My heart raced as I walked back into the kitchen. I braced my hands on the countertop, breathing heavily. “Maybe I am crazy,” I muttered. “Maybe Eli was just in my imagination this whole time.”

  Ryker scoffed. “You’re not.”

  “What makes more sense, that I imagined Eli, or that vampires are real?” I chuckled humorlessly. A bubble of crazy was forming in my chest, making me sweat and shake. I clamped my lips shut on another laugh and squeezed my eyes closed.

  “Vampires are real,” Ryker said in a deep monotone. “Your co-worker might have just moved.”

  I shook my head. Eli would have mentioned if she were moving, wouldn’t she? It made more sense than vampires being real, though.

  “Hey.” Ryker placed a gentle hand on my lower back. “Take a deep breath.”

  I nodded. Breathing deeply, I counted down from ten once, then twice. After a good few minutes of counting and breathing, my panic subsided and I was able to open my eyes again.

  Ryker stood close, his forehead wrinkled in concern.

  My whole body heated with embarrassment. I hadn’t been that close to having a panic attack in years. “Thanks,” I mumbled. I took a quick step back to get some space, and some air.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yep,” I said far too quickly. “Let’s get out of here before someone catches us.”

  Before Ryker could argue, I slipped around him and back into the hall, slamming right into the chest of a tall, older gentleman with a beer belly. I bounced back, my eyes wide.

  “Sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I said in a rush.

  The man narrowed his eyes at me, and then at Ryker who’d followed. “What the hell are you doing in there?” His fingers inched towards the cellphone holder attached to his belt. He thought we were here to rob the place?

  “Apologies, we’re looking for my co-worker, Eli,” I said. I held up my hands in a placating gesture. I really didn’t want him calling the cops on us.

  “Eli?” The man’s eyebrows furrowed. “She paid up and cleared out last night.”

  I blinked. So she was real! I wasn’t crazy! “Wait, she left? Just like that?”

  The man who I assumed was the superintendent, or building owner, nodded. “I was surprised too. She was a model tenant.”

  My shoulders slumped. “Did she say anything about where she was going?” Though it was suspicious timing, I couldn’t help the worry that swelled in me. Was Eli okay? What if something had happened to her?

  “She left a forwarding address.” The man slipped a hand in his pocket and produced a slip of paper. “She said if she received any mail or visitors, to send them here.” He handed the piece of paper to me.

  Okay, that was weird.

  “She speci
fically said if she received any visitors, to send them to her?” Ryker asked. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that found that odd.

  If Eli had disappeared all of a sudden, I assumed it was to get away from something. So why would she leave an address with the superintendent?

  “Yep. Strange, isn’t it?”

  I exchanged a confused look with Ryker. This made no sense at all.

  “Thank you,” Ryker said. He moved to slip around the man, his hand resting on my elbow. He was trying to coax me along, but before he could, the superintendent’s eyes widened.

  “Did you break the doorknob?” he gasped. “You’re going to have to pay for that!”

  Ryker winced. “Apologies.” He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the man a hundred dollar bill.

  Doorknobs aren’t that fucking expensive.

  The superintendent’s eyes widened. “W-Well, thank you. Don’t let this happen again.”

  “Of course not.” Ryker flashed a handsome smile and pushed me gently back towards the stairs.

  I got the hint. Before the superintendent changed his mind about calling the cops, I beelined for the stairs. Ryker was quick on my heels, and in moments, we were back in the stairwell.

  “What’s the address?” Ryker asked as we descended the steps back to the first floor.

  I unfolded the paper as we walked. I didn’t recognize the address. I handed it back to Ryker. Recognition flashed in his eyes. “You know it?”

  His lips pressed in a firm line. “I know it.”

  “Good. Then let’s go.” Whether Eli was pulling a disappearing act or not, I wanted to be sure she was safe. If she left a forwarding address, then I was going to follow that lead until I found her.

  Chapter 8

  “So where are we headed?” I asked the second we were back out on the street. Cold air pushed back my hair and I shivered in the breeze.

  “Across town,” Ryker said.

  I groaned. “Driving across the city during rush hour will be hell.”