Vicki was dusting the same shelf for the sixth time when Selene came barreling through the door with fresh cups of coffee.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii," her friend sang.

Vicki crossed her arms.

"What happened to you yesterday?"

"I shouldn't say."

Shouldn't, but it sounded like she wanted to. Vicki grabbed her coffee from the holder, leaned on a table, and motioned for Selene to come clean about what had caused her to ditch the store and where on earth her hat had disappeared to.

"So I went to see Evan—"

Vicki nearly choked. "Selene!"

"Calm down, he wasn't there, but one of his friends was and...oh Vicki, it was good, I'll leave it at that."

Vicki's eyebrows crinkled together and she sped past her friend. How the hell could Selene go and have sex in Evan's apartment before she did? Well, ever would. That wasn't fair. That had to be a violation of some friend code.

Not that she thought that 'Thou shall not have sex in a best friend's ex's apartment' needed to be written down.

"Oh come on Vicki, if you had seen him you'd understand. I couldn't help myself."

"Yeah? How big was the gun he pointed to your head?"

"It wasn't a gun, it was a knife."

"What?"

The doorbell rang at the front and they both looked back. A man slightly older than them walked inside, a redhead with a uniquely handsome face.

"That's him!" Selene whispered.

"Hey, ladies," he said. He did a doubletake at Selene and smiled at her. "Hey to you especially."

"Couldn't stay away?" Selene asked him.

Vicki resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did they have to flirt right in front of her?

"No, I guess I couldn't," he said back.

"Careful, if you start stalking me I'll have Vicki here give me one of her magic charms."

His eyes widened. "Magic?"

"It's not dangerous," Vicki said quickly. "I only sell deterrents." He didn't look like he was buying her explanation. Figures.

"They work wonders," Selene said. "Vicki scared off an alpha with just one stick of incense! She's amazing." She squeezed Vicki's shoulder, likely to get her to calm down. Vicki didn't want to meet any of Evan's friends and she wanted to make that obvious.

"So you're a witch then?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no, it's just—you're not what I expected."

It took a moment, but then it clicked. Was this guy a vampire like Evan? Did that matter?

She didn't think it did. Whoever or whatever the guy was, Evan never mentioned him, and he obviously never mentioned her to him. He was probably another guy who bought what was in those stupid books Evan had lining his shelves.

It was just another thing that made her blood boil.

The bell overhead rang and a woman with a blond bob walked in.

"Welcome!" Vicki said.

"Oh gods, not her again," Selene mumbled.

Vicki didn't know what Selene's problem was. The woman scowled in their direction and came to the counter.

"I need to speak to the manager of this establishment!"

Oh gods, she must've been canon fodder from Selene working the store the other night. Both women kept exchanging drive-by death stares, but luckily Selene didn't say anything to further aggravate the situation.

"That would be me," Vicki said. "What can I help you with?"

"I'd like whatever you have to keep vampires at bay. One of your employees gave me false information about their whereabouts, and I have proof that they're in town."

The woman reached for the bag on her shoulder as Vicki struggled to find her voice again.

Selene didn't have that problem.

"More conspiracy theories? There aren't any vampires here!"

The woman pulled out a set of grainy black and white photographs. One, a picture of a coffin being carried into the mansion past the friendship garden, and the other of...

"Evan?" Selene said with a gasp. "He's dead? Oh Vicki, that would explain everything!"

Vicki was clutching at her shirt. It did look like Evan, but it couldn't have been. How would anyone know he was a vampire? He'd never drawn suspicion before.

"More like UN-dead! I told you, vamps are in Elara and this is their king! I need protection, now!"

What the hell was going on?

Vicki cleared her throat and tried to tap down her questions. She had a customer to serve. There was still the vial of garlic magic she had brewed a month prior in her drawer. She went behind the counter and opened it. The vial of magic rolled to the front and clinked against another containing the last incense she had dipped the night she met Evan. Her hands shook as she placed both on the counter. Then, as if noticing her hesitation, the golden thimble tumbled to the front of the drawer.

She stared at it and thought about the full moon nights she spent with him, stabbing him twice and leaving him scarred. Yes, he had left her without any notice, but... besides that, all he had ever done was protect her. Protect her from an incubus, an alpha, and even a poke from a needle.

And now she had the choice of whether or not she would protect him.

"Is that it?" the woman asked with a point of her finger toward the vial.

"Yes," Vicki said slowly. She picked up the vial containing a singular stick of incense. She stared into it, seeing herself reflected in the magical glass. She watched her eyes flash purple.

"Three hundred," Vicki said.

"For that?"

Vicki nodded.

The woman snatched the vial, uncorked it, and inhaled.

"I don't smell anything!"

That was exactly what she intended.

"The glass is magic, so it hides the scent. It's subtle, but it'll pack a punch if it comes down to it. If you don't want it, I'm sure someone else will..."

"No, no, I'll take it," the woman said and placed cash on the counter. Vicki gave her a receipt and the woman gave one last glare to Selene before running out of the store.

"Vicki...why do you have magic to ward off vampires?" Selene asked. Vicki slipped the vial into the drawer.

"I made it by accident but it tastes good on spaghetti, so..."

Selene frowned at her and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Do you mind watching the store for a minute?" she asked Evan's friend.

"I'm not leaving my store to someone I don't know," she whisper-yelled at Selene.

"FOR A MINUTE," she said again and pulled Vicki up the stairs and into her studio.

The door clicked behind them, giving them both privacy for what would happen next.

"What the heck is going on? Why didn't you tell me Evan was a vampire?"

"It's not like you care what he is," Vicki said back.

"That's right, I don't care, but what I do care about is why you hid it. You have vampire repellant, care to explain that?"

"Look, I made it by accident, like I said. That same night I met Evan and thought he was attacking me, so I kinda, sorta, stabbed him."

Selene's jaw dropped.

"He threatened the shop if I told his secret."

"And you thought you couldn't tell me?"

They stared at each other for a moment. Letting silence occupy the foot of space between them. They were best friends, as close of a family and sisters as they had been with anyone else.

"Good call," Selene said. "'Cause I would've told EVERYBODY. My friend, in love with a vampire, and the King of Shadows at that!"

Selene hugged her and threatened to squeeze every ounce of breath from her body.

"What did I tell you? My nose is never wrong!"

"There's no way Evan's some kind of king."

Selene shrugged.

"You think he has a twin brother?" she gasped and squeezed Vicki's hand. "Imagine if we were to date both of them!"

Vicki removed her hand and put it back at her side.

"You're forgetting two things."

Selene arched an eyebrow at her.

"One, that Evan already ghosted me so obviously it's over and two—" She leaned forward. "The guy you left to watch the store downstairs!"

Selene waved her hand.

"Oh, Tim? Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, let's go get rid of him then so we can strategize on how to get our dream men."

Vicki stood by as her ruthless friend passed her to go out the door. Selene wasn't one to judge an underdweller by their blood, but she did have this fixation on one day being Vicki's sister by marriage. Something about being power-in-laws.

Vicki took a breath. This was going to be awkward.

At the bottom of the stairs, she found Selene still flirting with Evan's friend.

"Vicki! Great news!"

Oh gods.

"There's going to be a party at the mansion across town!"

She frowned. She wasn't in the mood to party or go along with any nefarious scheme Selene might have brewed up in two seconds.

"I'm not really interested."

"It's a big deal. The King invited you, personally," Tim said.

Vicki's eyes widened. So Evan was a king? And he wanted to see her. She could see Selene containing a squeal of excitement on her behalf. This wasn't how she wanted this to go. If she were going to speak to Evan again, she wanted it to be in private, something discrete, low-key, intimate like their conversation in the garden.

But could she say no to a vampire king?

Probably not.

"Okay," she told them both with a heavy sigh. "When is it?"

"Next nightfall," Tim said.

"Oh, we will be there!" Selene said.

"Great to hear. This will make things much easier for me, I better get back and let them know. Bye," he said with a wave.

The second the door closed behind him, Vicki shot a sideway look toward Selene. She shrugged.

"Look Vicki, sometimes you have to use people to get what you really want and one-night stands are fair game."