Fangs for Nothing Read online

  “Ah. It comes attached with a favour.”

  “I thought I was the one doing you a favour,” I grumbled, glaring at the shopkeeper. His family was notorious for their numerous offspring. Surely, they wouldn’t miss one little Jeremy if I wrung his neck and let him keep Daisy company?

  Annoyed, I drummed my fingers on the glass counter. Whatever he needed to say, he better do it quick.

  “You’re friends with that Gregario boy, isn’t that right?”

  I frowned. “Derek?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “I’d hardly call him a boy, but yeah, I guess he’s my friend?”

  With a sly grin, Jeremy pushed a notebook forward. "Number, please."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Gosh, do you need me to spell out everything for you? I would like his number because I think he's cute."

  Wow. What were we? Fifteen?

  "Right... How about no? Ask him yourself," I scoffed, flipping my hair over my shoulder and turning on my heels. Not even a potentially interesting letter for William would convince me to give out my friend's personal details.

  Hah. Friend. I supposed that was what Derek to me? I hadn't thought of it that way. He was more like that flirty, quirky guy I knew. But even so... Friend sounded nice.

  The door shrieked even louder than when I came in and a little harder than necessary, I slammed it closed. That'd teach Jeremy for trying to bribe me. This was why I didn't like coming to the pawn shop, but I didn't have much choice this time.

  With a sigh, I reached inside my pocket and pulled out my small notepad. Another location to scratch off. So that was a no to Jonas' workplace, his maid, and the pawn shop. But where to go next...

  Chapter 6

  Was I really going to do this? Was I this desperate to find Jonas' watch? I didn't even like the guy! But a case was a case... And it wasn't like I had anything better to do. Well, apart from trying to find a fish that Jester liked to eat. Silly blind cat, didn't know what he liked or wanted.

  I picked up the phone, smacked it back down, growled at myself and grabbed it again. The rotary dial whirred softly as I selected a number I hardly ever called.

  Within the first three rings, someone picked up. "William Williamsbourgh," a deep voice said.

  "Good morning, William Senior. It's Lucy. Is William around?" I asked, pre-exhausted by the exchange I knew was going to follow.

  "William speaking."

  "No, I meant your son."

  "Which one?" Senior asked stubbornly, like he always did.

  "William," I said between clenched teeth.

  "William speaking."

  Suppressing the urge to slam the phone into the hook, I took a deep breath. "I'd like to talk to William Williamsbourgh III please."

  No matter how much Senior insisted, I refused to refer to William as "Junior" or worse, "Willy". If they had wanted to avoid the confusion of having three Williams, they should've coughed up some originality and chosen a different name.

  "Certainly. Who's calling again?"

  This man! He knew perfectly well who was calling. He'd known me for almost my entire life!

  "It's Lucy," I replied sweetly, imagining all the colourful ways I could murder him in his sleep.

  "Ah, Lucinda! I'll find Junior."

  "Thank you." I covered the phone with my hand. "Not a moment too soon, you old bat."

  The line crackled and a new voice spoke. "Hello?"

  I recognised the sound of my fiancé's voice immediately and despite myself, a warmth welled up in my chest. Traitorous feelings. I wasn't ready yet.

  "Hi, William."

  "Lucy?" he said, almost sounding surprised that it was actually me on the line. "My, my. You never call. Are you finally ready to accept my proposal?"

  "Not for another hundred years," I joked, mindlessly playing with the necklace. One day, I'd wear his ring. We both knew I would.

  He chuckled deeply, awakening butterflies in my stomach. Even through the phone, I could tell how much affection he held for me.

  "I need your help," I admitted, trying to cage any fluttery feelings that weren't wanted, welcome, or appropriate.

  "What can I do for you? Are you in trouble?" he asked, his voice going from amused to serious in two seconds flat. Despite his father's attempts of raising a cold and heartless son, William had grown up to be a caring and loving man. One of the many things that I admired about him.

  He really would make the perfect husband. One day, when I didn't carry so much sorrow and pain within me.

  "No, I'm okay. It's about your friend Jonas."

  "Oh, I see. Did you take his case?"

  "Do you seriously not already know the answer to that?" I asked with a sigh.

  "No, Lucy, I don't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked." From anyone else, those words would have sounded so exasperated. But not from William. His patience with me was astounding, as shown by the multiple-decade-long engagement.

  "Oh. Sorry, I thought he'd have told you..."

  "There hasn't really been a chance. I know I'm known as part of the pro-human faction, but that doesn't mean people like Jonas can just turn up here to tell me things like my errant almost fiancée has taken on his case. Can you imagine my father's reaction?"

  I sniggered slightly. William Senior was well known for his conservative opinions and would force them on anyone that would listen. Unfortunately, that had been me during several awkward dinner parties. From the fact that William was even saying things like this, I assumed his father must have left the room.

  "Alright, you have a point there."

  "So, what did he want you to find?"

  "You don't know?"

  The silence told me everything I needed to.

  "Right, sorry. You'd have said if you knew. He wants me to find a watch his wife gave him."

  "Is that all?" William asked, confusion filling his voice. That wasn't a good sign.

  "Yes. But it's common as muck and no matter how many places I've tried, nothing seems to be working." I sighed dramatically, but didn't say anything else. I wanted his help, that much I was sure of, and yet I didn't want to do anything like ask for it. That could give him the wrong impression completely.

  "Do you want me to come see if I can be any help?" he asked.

  "Yes." The word slipped out without me meaning to, but that was okay. I was looking forward to seeing him in a weird way. Alright, not that weird. William was handsome, charming, he made me laugh and he treated me with respect. Plus, he was the one thing in my life that actually had my mother's approval, which said something. Perhaps I should be dating someone she didn't like just to prove a point, but that would come at the cost of William.

  Maybe. He'd never actually seemed averse to the idea of me seeing other people, which I appreciated. Not many men would have been as open to it as he was, especially when I'd basically asked him to stay faithful to me for a century.

  "Okay, I have something I need to tie up here today, but I can be with you by the end of the week," he promised.

  My heart skipped a beat. William.

  No. This was not me. I wasn't about to let myself be influenced by how I feel about a man. Bad Lucy.

  "I'll make your normal room ready for you."

  The hesitance on the phone was palpable, but I couldn't let myself read too much into it. He wouldn't say a word about staying in the room next to mine instead of in my bed. He never did.

  "I'm looking forward to seeing you, Lucy," he said softly.

  "Me too."

  "It's been too long."

  I paused. "It has," I admitted after a moment.

  "I'll see you soon."

  The phone clicked before I could answer. Which was probably a good thing. I could feel the verbal diarrhoea on its way up. Knowing my luck, I'd probably end up setting a date for the wedding by accident and then regret it in the morning. That was the Lucy way, after all.

  An odd echoing sound drew my attention to the hallway. I really hoped that was Je
ster. I didn't know what I'd do if it wasn't. The last thing I needed was another unwelcome intrusion into my quiet country life. I could cause quite enough trouble without anyone else's help, and I intended to keep it that way.

  "Hello? Jester?" Well, that was stupid. The cat wasn't exactly about to respond to me.

  Nobody responded. But then, they wouldn't if they wanted to catch me unawares. Now my options were a blind cat or someone who wanted to hurt me.

  Great.

  This day just kept getting better and better.

  I crouched down. "Here, Jester, Jester." I made a weird pursing sound with my lips. I'd seen people do it on TV, but never knew if it worked or not. I was about to find out.

  Nothing happened.

  Right. Probably an intruder just waiting to burst in and try to stake me or something. My fangs dropped down, ready to defend me. Not that they did much. The pinprick of a gnat bite was nothing against an attacker with a gun. Maybe if I got all blood lusted up, but that was harder than the movies made it out to be. And nowhere near as fun. All those vampires with lusted up eyes and blood dripping down their skin...complete and utter garbage.

  "Jester?" I called out again, creeping forward. If there wasn't a chance I'd burst into flames, I'd have sent up a prayer of hope. I wasn't going to take my chances. It wasn't worth my potential death.

  I needed to get Jester some kind of bell, then I'd be able to tell when it was him and not someone trying to murder me.

  Creeping through the doorway and into the corridor, I looked around.

  "Oh, it's you." I rushed forward and scooped up the cat.

  Jester hissed and scrambled against my arms. His tiny claws gripped into my skin, making tiny tears that I'm sure would sting the moment I got into the shower and got soap in there.

  "Hold still, I'm just trying to show you some love," I demanded of the cat. He probably didn't understand me at all, but that was beside the point. "We're going to have company soon. William's coming. You'll like him, he won't touch you at all. Though maybe you don't like that. You seemed to like it when Derek petted you. Is it just me you have a problem with?" I rambled away, not caring that the cat couldn't answer even if he wanted to.

  The thought of seeing William coiled my stomach in twists and knots. Even though there were no signs that he was done waiting for me, I always worried he found someone else. It wasn’t likely, especially not because our non-engagement was common knowledge at this point.

  But still… I didn’t want to lose him. Maybe it was time to settle down...

  Chapter 7

  Nervously, I tugged on the hem of my dress to stop it from riding up. Why did I bother with this uncomfortable piece of crap again?

  Oh right, William. I wanted to look good for him. Not that he'd ever complained about seeing me in informal attire, and knowing him, he probably didn't care either. But I did. I didn't want to start rumours and embarrass him. His strict father wouldn't take kindly to such talk.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, my tongue flitting along my elongated teeth. I wasn't supposed to have them out in public, but I hated having them fully retracted. I stopped bothering when I realised nobody cared, not even humans.

  At most, I got a comment about how cool it looked and a thumbs-up. Hardly worth dealing with the discomfort of pretending I didn't have fangs.

  Where was William?

  In all the time I'd known him, he was never late for anything. The Williambourghs were known for their punctuality.

  A shadow fell across the cement pavement, dancing with the leaves caught in a gust of wind. Pointed shoes, neatly tied laces, and dark socks that matched the rest of the fabrics and materials.

  There was only one man I knew that always looked perfect. William.

  I batted my eyes up, meeting his piercing sky blue gaze. The wind played with his short curls as he stood in front of me, tall and handsome. His vest open, his hands deep in his pockets, and a rare smile on his lips. One he reserved for just me.

  "Good afternoon, Lucinda."

  His voice took my breath away, just like it always did when we met up. The warmth reminded me of honey and the pleasant tickle of mead. There was something to the way he spoke that just didn't translate over the phone, but when he looked at me like that... I melted.

  "Good afternoon, William."

  The corner of his mouth curled, his eyes lighting up when I said his name. I was the only one who used his full name and I knew he appreciated it. He deserved better than Junior or William III. To me, he was just William and there was nobody like him.

  "It's good to see you," he said sincerely.

  Despite myself, I smiled. "It is."

  "Would you like to accompany me for coffee?" he asked, fully-well knowing I would never say no to a cup of coffee. He held out his arm in a way that humans would say was out-dated, but it suited him. It suited us.

  I laced my arm through his, relaxing as I stood by his side. "Lead the way."

  From my position, I could see the little satisfied grin playing on William's lips. His special smile fanned the coals in my stomach, turning them into a roaring fire.

  When he was a voice in the phone, it was easy to keep my composure and pride. But when he stood near me, my hand on his arm, his heart beating under my touch, his smile lighting up his face... It was so tempting to just put on his ring and become Mrs Williamsbourgh.

  One day...

  "Are you dressed for a walk?" William asked, looking at my feet. His forehead wrinkled in confusion as he studied my boots.

  I chuckled as I pressed myself lightly into him. "I am."

  "Good. I've heard about a new place that serves great coffee. I think you'll like it."

  Without even thinking about it, I followed to wherever William lead me. That was how it'd always been and I how I hoped it would stay.

  After a short walk through rows of tall trees and a bed of orange leaves, we reached a little cosy café on the corner. With wooden shutters and a checkered marquise over the door, it could've passed for a quaint, normal coffee house. If it hadn't been for the decorative stakes displayed in the window and the sign above the door.

  "Coffee and Coffins?" I read, looking at William and bursting into laughter. "Is this a real place?"

  He nodded proudly. "It sure is."

  "Now that's something you don't see every day."

  He opened the door for me, the smell of freshly roasted coffee greeting me. The bitter aroma filled the air with sour and fruity notes, mingling with the faint scent of various types of wood.

  Despite the name, there weren't any actual coffins inside. Just round tables and small booths with red cushions.

  "Have you been here before?" I asked, waiting for him to choose a seat. He was rather particular about which table was acceptable to him and I just went along with the motion.

  "I found it when I searched for a place to take you. It had some good reviews."

  I bit my lip to hide my smile. "I appreciate it."

  After some deliberation, he pointed at a secluded booth in the back. "Can we sit there?"

  "Of course. I'll grab the seat."

  "I'll get the coffee."

  He walked towards the counter, his shoes squeaking on the polished floor. He didn't even have to ask how I took my coffee, he knew exactly how I liked it.

  I let him order and walked towards the booth he selected. Automatically, I fished some wet wipes from my small bag and cleaned the seat facing the door, knowing he preferred to have a view of who came and went. The lemon-scented napkin left wet streaks on the table, but it would put William at ease when he sat down. That was all that mattered.

  "One extra black coffee."

  The mug and saucer clinked together as they hit the table, the scent curling up from the dark liquid. Heaven in a cup.

  "Thank you. I cleaned the table for you," I said, gesturing at the wet wipe.

  He smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Thank you, Lucinda."

  "You're welcome."


  I took a careful sip from my coffee, pleasantly surprised by the scalding temperature. The burned taste of the beans coated my tongue, almost leaving an oily film on my tongue. Once the pain lessened, the other flavours came to live. A sour hint of citrus, a faint hint of chocolate, and it finished with a floral note on the nose.

  "How pleasant," I remarked, inhaling the intoxicating smell. "Perfect."

  William looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. "I couldn't agree more."

  I glanced away, unable to meet his eyes. I knew how William felt about me. Just like he knew how I felt about him, but it always made me feel a little odd to be the centre of his attention like this. Maybe we should have stayed at home, that way at least Jester would be there to destroy any intimacy we might otherwise risk sharing.

  "Lucy, is that you?"

  My eyes widened as I looked at the source of the voice. I didn't do anything to stop the groan from escaping. The last thing I wanted was to have to deal with William and Derek at the same time. I suspected both of them had feelings for me. Alright, I knew William did. But Derek probably did too. Or not even probably. He hadn't hidden the fact he was attracted to me, and he wasn't the kind of man who lusted without some other kind of feeling behind it.

  Life was about to get messier. Even more so than suddenly owning an unplanned blind cat would make it.

  "Derek, what a pleasant surprise to see you here,” William said, politeness filling every word. The worst thing was that it wasn't even fake politeness either. He genuinely was that way. If I'd been able to be half the vampire he was, then maybe I wouldn't have felt the need to have left home already.

  "Likewise. I didn't think you left the compound."

  "I don't much. Why don't you join us?" William gestured for the empty seat at our table.

  I suppressed a groan. Why did the universe hate me? I didn't need this awkward situation. Not when I was already reluctant to admit why it was awkward in the first place.

  "Let me just grab a tea first, then I will." He flashed both of us a disarming smile.

  I wasn't sure why I was so nervous about the two of them spending time together. Both were decent men, and both would behave themselves admirably, and yet that was doing nothing to alleviate any of my concerns.