Amber

I was glad when Sarah was finally ready to leave. Her friends decided to make their own ways home, and we jumped in an uber together. My mind was a dizzy mess from the alcohol buildup my liver was struggling to process.

Sarah talked to the cabbie and she chatted with me enthusiastically, but my answers were half-hearted. I still had questions that I could not figure out how to put into words. Even if I could, I already knew Sarah's take on her cousin.

By the time we made our way across town, I was feeling a bit more sober, but not more clear minded. My head was still swirling with my conversation with the woman in the washroom as we tromped into our apartment.

I had deliberately left him, but had that been the wrong thing to do? He probably hated me now. Or would he?

Sarah was wandering around the kitchen and ran herself a glass of water. "That guy is bad news."

I pulled my mind away from the alpha. She couldn't have been talking about him, right? "What?"

"The one who you gave your number to, Amber," Sarah said, sounding slightly exasperated.

I had nearly forgotten about him, my thoughts all centered on someone else. "Why's that?"

"He's a vampire. Didn't the hunters teach you anything?"

"Very little. Mostly how to do chores and act as invisible as possible. Oh, and the glorious destiny of the hunters. They were big on that one."

"Well, he smelled like nothing, and he was creepily quiet and steady. Definitely a vampire."

I shrugged. "He seemed nice enough."

She scoffed. "You talked to him for like three seconds."

"Yeah, because you came and scared him off."

"If I hadn't, he'd probably be sucking you dry right now."

I scowled. "I wasn't going to go with him anywhere."

She filled another glass of water and set it down in front of me. "I know that, but you're a human. You've got no resistance to his sort. He could have done anything he wanted to you. They can use compulsion on the weak."

"I don't think he was threatening me. I am allowed to talk to whoever I want, aren't I?" I watched her carefully to gauge her reaction.

She frowned. "Of course you are, but..." She trailed off with a sigh. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Your wellbeing doesn't only affect yourself, you know?"

"No, I don't." I said stubbornly. Was she implying what I thought she was implying? We never talked about him, and again I questioned whether she was my friend at all or just a sentry on watch duty.

She looked like she did not want to bring it up, and I stared her down. Finally, she relented. "I don't want to pressure you, but if something happens to you, my cousin won't take it well."

And there it was. "So, that's the only reason you're here, then?" I couldn't help but feel hurt. She acted so genuinely friendly, but was it all an act?

She looked like a deer caught in headlights, completely unprepared, as if the question hadn't been hanging between us during the months we'd been in the human world. "No, of course not. I came to support you, and also because I wanted some time to explore away from the pack." She hesitated and then added, "It's probably the reason he allowed it so easily, though."

And there it was, a reminder that the pack and the alpha and my bond to him were just another cage like the rule of the hunters. I didn't want that, even if the ridiculous connection was trying to pull me back towards him. It was the perfect reminder that the way he kept invading my dreams and the way that I missed him was all a part of the oppressive bond between us. A bond neither of us had asked for.

I chugged the glass of water. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Night, Sarah."

"Goodnight," she said, her voice uneasy. I left for my room.

—————

The next day was unremarkable, at least until I got a text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey, it's Dan. Remember meeting me last night?

Me: Yes, I do.

Unknown: Want to grab a coffee sometime?

I stared at the screen and considered his offer. If Sarah was right, he was a vampire, but he had seemed decent enough. The hunters had lied to me about any number of things, like how werewolves were all brutal animals when they weren't. They had just as likely been wrong about vampires, too. It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance, surely. I didn't think my good impression of him was wrong, but even if so, what could he do to me in a public place?

Me: Yes, sure.

Unknown: How does Midnight Cafe at 3:00pm sound?

I considered. Sarah would be horrified at the thought of me meeting him anywhere, especially in a place he chose that sounded every bit like a stereotypical sketchy vampire hangout. Still, the time sounded good because Sarah had plans so she wouldn't be able to fret or nag me. Why should she get to determine who I spent my time with? I would leave a note, though, just in case I ended up drained dry and tossed in a ditch somewhere. She could put 'I told you so' on my headstone.

I searched the address and it was about halfway between my place and the bar where we'd met. Close enough to walk.

Me: Yeah, alright. I'll meet you there.

Unknown: Great. See you then.

I had a couple of hours to get ready. I pushed aside some silly guilt since I wasn't doing anything wrong, and went about my day.

—————

I took an uber to the location and when I got out I inspected the building. From the outside, it looked like any coffee shop I might have seen in the movies, not at all like a trap to lure in unsuspecting prey for vampires.

Although would a vampire trap that looked like it was even be effective for finding them victims? If I were a vampire, I would totally lurk around cute bookstores and coffee shops.

Gathering my courage, I pushed into the door, and immediately spotted Dan sitting at a table. It wasn't hard to pick him out since there were only a couple other patrons in the open space to the side of the counter. I walked over and returned the smile he shot me. I took a seat across from him.

"I hope you weren't waiting long," I said.

"Not long at all," he said. "I actually live upstairs, so I just got down here."

I smiled and wondered if I should be worried, since I was so conveniently close to a vampire's inner lair. I considered dropping my location to Sarah just in case, but I decided the note was good enough. If I wasn't home in a couple of hours, Sarah would be, and she'd know where I was.

Besides, it was during the day, and from what I had picked up from my days with the hunters, vampires were barely stronger than humans when the sun was up. Unlike the vampire fiction I had watched while trapped at the pack and in my spare time with Sarah, the sun did not kill them, but it did render them as defenceless as humans. Meaning, right now, Dan wasn't really much stronger than a random human man.

"So, what do you want? My treat." He passed me a menu.

I considered arguing, but I decided to take him up on it. I skimmed the selections and pointed out what I wanted.

"Hey, Lydia," he called in a tone that had the soft edge of a request on it. "Can I get two number fours, a Danish, and a raspberry twist?"

A sharp faced black-haired woman poked her head out of the back. "Sure thing, Dan. Coming right up."

"You like lattes, too?" I asked.

"Who doesn't?"

We sort of chuckled, but then a long moment of slightly awkward silence stretched between us. I debated telling him straight out that I knew what he was, but with other humans in the cafe it was probably unwise. If he was the nice guy I thought he was, I did not want to out him to the humans around, or just as likely out myself as appearing crazy. In my time amongst them, the mundane humans of the world never seemed to expect the supernatural hiding in plain sight.

"So, what do you do now that you're in the city?" he finally asked.

"Nothing too exciting," I said. "I just work at a place kind of like this."

He grinned. "I help out around here sometimes, so I guess that gives us something in common."

"Really?" I hadn't imagined that a vampire ever might work a coffee bar. I wondered if Lydia was also a vampire.

"Yeah." As if he could read my mind, he added, "Lydia's my cousin, so I don't mind lending a hand when she's short staffed from time to time."

I was surprised they were cousins. They were both attractive in their own ways, but Dan was blond and fair, whereas Lydia had a swarthier complexion. "Oh, must be nice to live with family. What else do you do?"

"I teach seventh and eighth grade."

"I'll bet that's hard."

"Tell me about it. They're monsters at that age."

"You don't look old enough to be a teacher," I commented innocently.

He shrugged. "I get that a lot. I've apparently got a bit of a baby face, but I can assure you that I am more than old enough."

"I believe you."

Lydia brought out our order, and I blew on the top of my latte as I glanced across the table at Dan, trying to figure out exactly what it was that had tipped Sarah off as to his nature. He was certainly handsome and fit. He hadn't flashed his teeth wide enough for me to see his fangs, but I had no doubt they were there. Sarah was a lot of things, but I was still pretty sure she wasn't subtle enough to be a manipulative liar.

He took a sip of his own drink. "You've outdone yourself again, Lydia."

She chuckled. "Enjoy, you two."

One of the other patrons left, leaving only Dan and I and one other oblivious human. Something about having Lydia there helped me relax. She seemed as nice as Dan, even if she was probably also a vampire.

We talked about inane topics for a while, and I actually enjoyed myself. My anxiety increased slightly when the other human left, but Dan didn't act differently now that we were alone, like he didn't even notice they were gone.

My phone pinged several times, and I glanced at him apologetically. "Sorry, I've got to check this," I said, pulling out the device, only to discover that I had run out of time.

Sarah: You went out with the vampire!? What were you thinking!? You can't defend yourself against that sort of power.

Sarah: I'm coming there right now.

Me: No, don't bother. It's daytime right now, and nothing has happened. We're drinking lattes and he's telling me about the city.

Me: Vampires are weak at this time of day.

Sarah: A regular human could probably take you at any time of the day. I'm on my way.

Me: No. I'll text if I need you.

Sarah: Amber, please.

Me: I said no, unless you want to prove that I really am still just a captive.

Sarah: You're not.

Me: Then leave it alone.

Sarah: Fine, but at least text me you're alive periodically.

Me: Fine. I'm alive.

If it would get her off my back, I would do it. I glanced across at Dan again. "Sorry about that. My friend just found the note I left her and she's busy worrying about me.

"Ah, overprotective friends."

I glanced around. There was no one in the cafe, and Lydia was somewhere in the back, so I decided to simply ask him straight out. "Yeah. Well, she happens to think you're a vampire."

He paused, and glanced at me. "Oh? What makes her say that?"

I wasn't going to tell him that she was a werewolf, so I shrugged. "I think she just has a feel for those things."

He smiled a bit and looked at me in a very determined way that made me uneasy. "Are you saying you believe her?"

"Yeah, I kind of do." I watched him warily, and my old instinctive desire to make myself look small and submissive to avoid trouble surged within me. I tried to hold the feeling off, but I cringed as his eyes bore down into mine and I feared that I had made a terrible mistake.