Vicki was surprised when she got back to the store in one piece. The vampire was still trailing behind her, and he hadn't said a word to her after she had successfully cast her spell.

Selene came from behind the counter and shoved Vicki's hat back into her hands.

"The store was so busy after you left! I'm leaving. Bye Vicki, and bye to you too handsome," Selene said before she bolted out the door.

The vampire rushed past her and began looking around the tables and the counter. Vicki side-eyed him as she put on her hat and went around the counter. Tucked where none of the customers would see, was a bag filled with the stuffed animals the vampire wanted earlier.

She pulled the bag and placed it on the counter.

"You wanted to buy these, right?" she said.

The vampire came to the front of the register.

"Yes, thank you," he said.

"A bear, octopus, cat, and rabbit will run you two hundred," she said.

He gave her the slightest smirk.

"So, you're giving me the privilege of buying what's left of your collection? What about that kid, Timmy?"

"I can always make him another one," she said. It wasn't too big of a loss. It meant she would lose sleep, but she was halfway through another plushie anyway.

"So, you make them every day...," he mumbled.

She raised an eyebrow at him. The way he obsessed over them, she thought he'd be happy to know she was constantly making more.

Weird vampire.

"So, are you going to work on the one for Timmy right now?"

She shook her head. "It's opening hours so,"

He cut her off. "No one is here. And I'd like to see how you make them."

Gods, he is obsessed. Still, he had helped her in the park and there wasn't anyone in the store. So she sat in the plush chair next to the amigurumi table and began crocheting. The vampire sat across from her, watching intently as she weaved the yarn together.

"So, you have a thing for plushies, um, sorry I forgot your name," she said.

"It's Evan, and no, I don't," he said.

Then why the hell was he so intent on bullying her customers into letting him buy them? She didn't know what to say, he seemed like he was in a bad mood. Not that he ever seemed to be in a good mood either.

She had a dozen questions for him, but after that last answer, she didn't think she could safely ask. Why hadn't he killed her back in the garden? It definitely seemed that he intended to, so why hadn't he done it? Did he feel sorry for her?

Gods, she hoped that wasn't it.

She had accepted her circumstances a long time ago. Being an orphan wasn't so bad when she was a child, it only sucked now that she was an adult. Everyone she grew up alongside was long gone. If it weren't for Carter, she wouldn't have even met Selene.

"You work fast," Evan said.

She looked at her hands.

"Yeah well, the main body is always the easy part. I just have to attach the limbs now," she said as she pulled out the pre-made parts from her yarn basket. She began attaching them to the body.

"It's an elephant?"

Vicki nodded. Now for the part she hated. She pulled out her sewing kit and threaded a needle.

"Wait, what is the needle for?"

He seemed alarmed. Maybe that first night they met made an impression. "I just have to sew the eyes."

Evan reached forward and grabbed the elephant from her hands.

"I can do it," he said.

Vicki was confused. Why was he so weird when it came to these things? She decided not to argue, since she hated stabbing herself anyway. She handed the needle and thread to him.

"Okay, now tell me what to do."

Oh gods, he can't be serious.

"Why volunteer for something you can't do? Here, let me finish it then." She reached for the elephant but he pulled it far enough back that she'd have to straddle his lap to get anywhere near it.

"I can do it, you just need to tell me how."

Vicki sighed. At least this was making the night go by. She began to instruct him on where the eyes would go, and which way to stitch the thread. She had to give him credit, he was a fast learner. His hands were steadier than hers had ever been and his movements smooth and confident.

She was moving her finger to point out a spot he had missed when he accidentally poked her with the needle. She drew it back and waved it in the air. Even when she wasn't the one stitching them, she still managed to get pricked.

She looked down at the spot of blood on the tip of her finger, then put it in her mouth. Gods, that stung.

Evan was staring at her with those dark eyes again, his focus so intent she felt like she was under a microscope.

"You missed a spot," she mumbled with her finger still in her mouth.

He sucked in a breath. "Oh. Right. Sorry about that."

He went back to sewing, finishing the eye and moving to the next. When the elephant was complete, he set it on the table beside him. It looked surprisingly good, and Vicki felt she could actually sell it at full price without feeling guilty about it. She couldn't believe that the vampire, or Evan as she now knew him, had gone through so much trouble to help her. Maybe his fangs were worse than his bite.

There was still a little over an hour to go until sunrise, and Evan made no move to leave.

"Are you going to kill me now?" she asked, only half serious. She was starting to think she had misunderstood this vampire. She still feared him at the moment, and seeing his fangs draw his own blood earlier would be hard to forget. But maybe she could slowly get over that. So, he was a vampire, that didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

He posted his elbow on the table beside him and leaned his head against his fist. Why did he have to look so intense all the time? They seemed to be having a decent night. What could he possibly have on his mind to distract him from that?

"Depends," he said.

Depends? What the hell? Vicki sat up straighter in her chair.

"On what?" she said, her heart thumping with trepidation.

"Give me your hand," he said with a smirk.

He was joking, right? There was no way to tell. Why had she left the incense behind the counter? It was too far to do any good now. She had no choice but to hold out her hand to him and hope for a miracle.

"Other one," he said.

She nervously extended it out to him, and he took her by the wrist. She was completely at his mercy now.

He twisted her hand around and scanned over the length of her fingers. Vicki began to realize what he was looking for. She tried to pull away, but it only made him laugh. He swiped his thumb over the tip of her index finger, the same finger he had accidentally pricked earlier. The rough pad of his finger provided just enough irritation to make the hole well up with a tiny spot of blood. He ran his thumb over it again, then licked the drip off his finger.

Vicki's heart caught in her chest, his eyes had gone dark and the color of a forest trapped in shadows. He still hadn't let her go, and she wasn't sure if he ever would.