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“Dude!” Brianna exclaimed as she came into the hallway.
Okay, so I had recently painted the walls a bright shade of purple, but there was no need for her overreaction. Who didn’t love a hint of purple?
Shaking her head, my vampire best friend pointed at the large framed photo on the wall. “Why the hell do you have a massive picture of you with JK Rowling on the wall? That’s creepy as fuck.”
Ah, right, I had wondered if the picture was a bit much. Considering I had classic book and film posters dotted throughout the house, I figured a photo of me with one of my favourite authors wasn’t too weird.
“Well, I like it,” I stated, not caring what she thought as I led her into the galley kitchen.
My little house was long and thin. The hallway ran half way down the right hand side of the house, the stairs leading up to two bedrooms and a bathroom. I had a small living room at the front of the house with an archway into the dining area, which had French doors leading out into the small patio and garden at the back of the house. The kitchen was alongside the dining area, its long small area a hindrance for when I wanted to cook up a storm. Not that I often bothered. No one came to see me. Being a secret agent was hard to keep secret.
“You may like it, Senorita, but I have to say, it’s no wonder you’re single.”
Throwing her long deep brown curly hair over her shoulder, Brianna blew me a kiss when I snarled in her direction. She had a habit of bringing up my single status every time I saw her.
“How do you know I’m not dating someone?” I filled up the kettle and stirred the risotto.
Putting her long delicate fingers on her curvy hips, Brianna stared at me. Her big brown eyes were highlighted by mascara. Her full lips were painted red, as usual. Her Spanish origins couldn’t be more obvious, even her accent was sexy as hell. “As if you wouldn’t tell me. I mean, something is different about you. I can’t quite place it, but I would be able to tell if you were dating someone. Firstly, you’d be walking funny.”
“What?” I gasped, trying to hold back my laughter.
It was the first time I’d smiled since I’d left work that morning. I’d slept all day before having a shower and inviting my friend over. It had been a month since we’d last seen each other. I always made an excuse when she tried to see me.
“Well, you know... it’s been a while since you’ve had sex. I’m sure I’d notice a glow or something, Chica.” Her lips formed into a sexy smirk. “Anyway, my love, how is the library?”
Facing away from her to make the coffee, I quickly buried the feeling of guilt that always arose when I spoke to Brianna about my fake job. “Oh, it’s good, you know. I’m reviewing a book by a new author right now. She’s written an urban fantasy story about witches and vampires.”
“Isn’t it funny,” Brianna said as she leant against the kitchen side and stared off into the distance. “How the human government allow these books to be published, but they won’t let us be ourselves.”
The irony in her words caused me to cringe. It was often humans who wrote paranormal fiction, their imaginations either extremely good, or their own powers of divination coming to the forefront. Some of them were even involved in our world. They had either somehow stumbled upon it, or they were introduced by supernaturals who had used them for their own gains. Usually, a human blood donor for vampires. Sometimes witches had befriended humans to try and feel normal. It never worked, hence why I’d kept to myself.
“I was talking to mama the other day. She asked how you were, said that it had been a long time since she’d seen your mama.”
Yeah, I would’ve never made friends with fiery vampire Brianna if our parents hadn’t become friends when they’d randomly met on the bus one day. In a way, I guessed my mother also wanted some normality in her life. Both Brianna and her mama had been turned into vampires twenty years ago. They were still babies compared to most of the vampires in London.
“Oh, well, that’s not good. I’ll tell her to get in contact.”
Going over to the pan, I served up the risotto, making sure to pile more on Brianna’s plate. That girl had an appetite, and if I didn’t cater to it, I’d get it in the neck. Although, not literally, obviously. Vampires hated the taste of witch blood.
“I cannot believe you’re serving me risotto.” Brianna winked at me when I turned and handed her the plate. “Paella, Bella, Paella is my home country’s dish, no?”
“Not today, no.”
Following her into the living room, I almost tripped over when Smudge, my familiar cat, darted under my feet. As soon as Brianna was on the sofa, Smudge was on her lap.
“Ah, little kitty,” she cooed, stroking the cat under the chin.
Smudge was white with one smudge of black on her butt. Hence the name, Smudge. Original? Not really. Did I care? Not really.
“You gave this cat such a boring name.”
Folding my legs under me, I sat next to her, about to switch on the TV. Batting my arm, Smudge looked smug when the remote control skidded onto the lino floor.
The walls in here were a pale blue. Each wall had one poster on it. A Gone with the Wind one was directly opposite us, above the fireplace.
“I’m giving my next cat a better name. Sir Didymus.” My little glare went ignored as Smudge hissed in my direction.
My familiar loved me really. Well, sort of. She was an independent girl, like me, but it got lonely for the furry creature. I could feel the resentment rolling off her every time I came home. She often divined certain things for my cases, her familiar abilities stronger than most because of my link to the ley line.
“Why are you so mean to this kitty?” Brianna said as she held her plate above the cat’s head and tried to eat her dinner. “She smells lovely... oh, wait...”
Her mouth hung open, showing a perfectly white set of teeth. A pile of rice sat on her tongue, half mashed by her stupidly perfect teeth.
“What’s wrong? Did I put in too much spice?”
Grabbing my arm as I went to raise a forkful of food to my mouth, Brianna pulled it to her nose. Knocking the rice all over her, she ignored my exclamation as she sniffed hard. What the hell?
“Gemma...” Slowly releasing me, she stared, her gorgeous expressive eyes widening. “...I can’t smell your blood.”
My breath left my lungs so quickly, black spots came flooding into the corner of my eyes. My friend had often commented on how my blood smelt richer than all the witches she’d ever come across. Not because I ate richer foods, but because I was connected to the ley line. Vampires always knew that I was different from other witches, which was why they stayed away. I could easily beat them in a fight. Not that I bothered with them, they were too petty when it came to fighting. When I won, their egos were damaged. A vampire enemy could quickly become a hindrance. It had happened once or twice, but I’d quickly found a reason to arrest them.
“You can’t smell my blood?” I almost choked.
I couldn’t tell Brianna what had happened to me. I couldn’t tell anyone. If they knew, I’d be in danger. And, I was already flying high in that department.
Licking her lips, Brianna ran her tongue over her canine. It was slightly more elongated than a humans, but it would grow when she wanted to feed. Her healthy lifestyle meant that she only fed on one person, her lover. Yeah, my friend had a human lover. And, they were genuinely in love. She was lucky that I had to keep my Paranormal MI5 status a secret, or I’d be obligated to arrest her. It was illegal for species to inter-relate. Although, a vampire couldn’t get pregnant, so it wasn’t as harsh a crime.
“Bella, this is so odd.” Brianna stared at me, her gaze far too probing for my anti-social self. “Why can’t I smell you?”
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth.
Brianna frowned as she elicited a nervous laugh. “Are you playing a trick on me?”
She didn’t look amused as I swallowed my food and nodded quickly. Yes, I’d run with her assumption. That might just work.
“You’ve done a spell to hide the scent of your blood!” Brianna smacked me on the arm. “That’s crazy. Are you in danger?”
About to shake my head, I froze when she let out a little squeak. “No, no, I bet you’re hiding your DNA so no one knows you’re an Essex witch. You’re a genius, girl.”
Her loud laughter echoed in the room as the Game of Thrones theme tune started to play. Oh, yeah, I was ready for the next episode.
“Gemma!” Brianna exclaimed, bringing my attention back to her.
My eyes were wide as I looked at her, my insides quivering. She had probably picked up on my ploy to let her think what she wanted regarding my blood. When in reality...
My hands started to shake so I quickly put my plate on the side table and tucked them between my leather clad legs. “What?”
“You’ve watched this episode ten times already. Can’t we watch something else?”
My muscles couldn’t relax, even though I’d successfully distracted her from my death problem. Because ultimately, that was what it was... I was dead, and Brianna had just confirmed it.
What the fuck would I do now?
