Chapter 6

I woke up with Mac smothering my face. I don’t know what it is about cats and the whole “the rest of the bed is not good enough for me, I want to be where your head is” action, but fortunately, he’s cute, so I let him live.

The sun was shining through my windows and I stretched to greet the day.

And then remembered the conversation from the night before.

What a way to ruin a perfectly good morning.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and it appeared to be time to pull out the big guns.

Time to visit my mom.

I walked downstairs and realized there was a man sleeping on my couch. Okay, so an elf man, but a figure of the male species. Killian, rather than showing himself out, had decided to spend the night. God, the elfin men are pretty creatures. I tried to ignore the way the sun and shadows lay upon his face, causing his sleepy bed head to glow like an angel’s halo. It was nothing but elfin magic and I knew better.

Great.

The day was improving with each passing moment.

I stomped into the kitchen and fired up the coffee pot - Other Side or Earth, there is only one civilized way to greet the day. While it perked, I fed Mac, since it appeared his highness was on the brink of starvation, and set about getting breakfast for us second class citizens. I was slicing the bagels and fruit when I felt Killian’s presence even before he spoke.

“That looks good,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “Good morning, partner.” He then walked over and helped himself to the coffee, leaving me standing there with a knife in my hand and the unfortunate decision whether or not to disembowel him. Since it was before my first cup, I decided to wait until the caffeine kicked in.

“You’re still here,” I remarked dryly.

Killian shrugged, “Think of me as your own personal body guard.”

“I’m a tracker. I don’t need a body guard.”

“Then why did you sleep with your neckguard on?”

My hand reached up and touched the Kevlar collar. In truth, I had been so tired, I had just forgotten. Or at least, I wanted to tell myself that was the only reason. I had learned to fall asleep in it long ago. The sun was up, though, and there wasn’t any need for it during the day.

“I just forgot.”

I twirled the dial of the locks, my fingers knowing the clicks to release the combination. It opened slowly like a heavy door. I took it off and placed it on the counter, rubbing where it had cut into my skin overnight.

I could see Killian’s eyes widen as he looked at my neck. I had gotten used to that look. Hellz, you’d think a guy had never seen a girl with scars before. I had plenty more to shock him with.

It was just that the scars were on my neck. A vamp gets your carotid artery and you’re done. He’ll either kill you or turn you and there’s no going back. One of those bastards almost got me. Once. I staked him good and enjoyed the sound of puncturing his heart. Still, he left me with a mess of scars that no amount of makeup could cover and nightmares that still left me drenched in sweat. That’s when I started wearing the neckguard. It helped.

Killian raised his hand as if to touch one. I involuntarily flinched away.

“Don’t.”

“What happened?”

“You’ll have to buy me a couple more drinks before you get that story out of me.”

He lowered his hand and nodded, before volunteering, “I could make them go…”

I cut him off. I knew what he was trying to say, “What, and owe you another favor? Not on your life.” I pulled two dishes out of the yellow cupboard and made up breakfast plates for both of us, “Besides, they’re from a vamp. There’s nothing anyone can do.”

Killian stepped back, “My apologies.”

I had accepted the horror of them long ago, “Yah, well, they cut short my burgeoning career as a supermodel...”

We both sat silently, lost in thought as we ate our breakfast.

“I think they make you look even lovelier,” Killian finally said quietly. “Please pass the bagels.”

I suddenly felt very awkward. So I lobbed the bagel at his head.