Hannah Jayne - Under Wraps

Nina cocked her head and smiled at me, then batted her eyelashes sweetly. I narrowed my eyes. “Now what?”

“Since I helped you, you want to help me?”

“Helped me?” I raised my eyebrows, then blew out a resigned sigh. “What do you need?”

Nina held up her thumb and forefinger. “Eensy weensy favor.”

I set my shoulder bag back on my desk, certain that Nina’s “eensy” was never anywhere near “weensy.”

“Oh, no. Every time you need a favor I end up trapped in a demonic vortex or on a blind date with a Minotaur.”

“The Nordstrom half-yearly sale is not a demonic vortex, and besides, you said you liked Keith!”

“He ate my purse!”

Nina held up her hands. “Okay, okay, it’s not a shopping excursion or a date, I swear.”

I narrowed my eyes. “On your undead soul?”

Nina raised a single brow.

“Damn it. Okay.” I sighed. “What do I have to do?”

“My nephew is going to be coming into town—”

“Nina! You have a nephew?” In all the years that Nina and I had been roommates and best friends, she had never spoken of her family. “You never mentioned a nephew!” I furrowed my brow and frowned. “Wait. How do you have a nephew?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “The same way anyone else has a nephew.”

I blinked at her.

“I have—had—a younger sister, Agnes. Her son is Louis, my nephew.”

“But wouldn’t he be like …”

“One hundred and twelve. But perennially sixteen.”

“He’s a vampire then?”

Nina nodded, a flicker of sadness marring her perfect marble features. “Thanks to me.”

I waited for her to continue. She looked away, avoiding my gaze, and slumped against her desk.

“Agnes knew what had happened to me—what I had become. Right after I was changed, I left home, left my family. I had to. But almost twenty years later Agnes tracked me down. It was weird seeing her. She was my baby sister, but her hair was gray and her skin loose and here I was.” Nina shrugged her small shoulders, gestured to her eternally young facade. “She begged me to come home with her—her son, Louis, was sick. At that time, there was no cure for polio, no vaccines. It was a death sentence, or in the very best of situations, crippling. She begged me to change him.”

“She wanted you to kill her son?”

Nina’s eyes were fierce. “At that time, it was the only way to save him. I didn’t want to, but she was my sister. I had already caused her so much pain. I couldn’t watch her watch him die. It was excruciating to watch a mother—my sister—helplessly standing by while her son withered and just waited to die.”

“So you changed him?”

Nina nodded and smiled wistfully. “The polio was gone. Louis was strong again. He was going to live forever.”

I tried to smile. “Well, that’s nice that you were able to do that … for them.”

“Always nice to damn your family.”

“Nina—” I tried to be sympathetic, but she held up a silencing hand.

“So, the favor. He’s going to be here in San Francisco. Can he stay with us for a little while? He’s been having some trouble with the vamp family he’s been living with back East. They move around too much, are always dropping in with a new coven. I just think he needs some stability right now.”

“Yeah, of course he can stay with us.” What’s more stable than a vampire, her breather roommate, and a city with a psycho killer on the loose?

Nina grinned.

“Okay, it’s settled. Louis stays with us. Now I’ve got to meet Parker—” I tried to turn, but Nina put one cold hand on my forearm and batted those lashes again. I sighed. “Okay, Nina. What now?”

“Another eensy weensy—”

“Spit it out.”

“Can you pick him up from the Caltrain station? I would do it, but I’ve got so much work….”

I jutted out one hip. “You mean you have a date?”

Nina smiled sheepishly. “It just came up. I met him at Cala Foods….”

“Why do vampires need groceries? Oh, never mind. What time does his train come in?”

“Six thirty. Oh, Sophie, you’re the best!”

“I know. Wait, how am I going to recognize him?”

“He’s a vampire.”

I put my hands on my hips.

“And a teenager. He’ll be easy to spot, I promise. Besides, I told him what you looked like, so he’ll be keeping an eye out for you, too.” Nina hugged me to her. “Ooh, thanks again!” She turned on her heel and started for the door.

“Wait!” I said. “If this date just came up, why did you already tell Louis what I looked like?”

Nina’s smiling face remained unchanged. “How about I buy you a kitten?” she asked, dodging the issue.

“No,” I said, drawing out the word. “No kittens. Just be glad I like you. I’ll pick up Louis and he can stay with us as long as he likes.” I shrugged. “Besides, it might be fun having a kid around for a bit. Should we get some movies or something? Something for him to do? What do teenage boys like?”

Nina smiled. “Teenage girls. Anyway, Louis can entertain himself. He’s one hundred and twelve years old … and a little troubled.”

I felt my eyes bulge. How much more troubled can a vampire get?

“But he’s super, duper nice,” Nina said. “For a vampire. Thanks again!”

“Nina!”

She hurried for the door, holding up a yellow legal pad and pen. “Can’t talk, going to be late for my meeting. You’re such a doll, Soph, thanks! I totally owe you my afterlife!”

When I stepped out into the hall I was stopped when a fist full of drooping chocolate cosmos was rammed against my thigh. I paused, and Steve stepped out from behind the offending bouquet, a slick grin spread across his graying troll face, his yellowed, snaggle teeth exposed.

“These are for you.” Steve wagged the flowers in front of me, and I stooped down, plastered a smile on my face, and buried my nose in the chocolaty scent of the flowers. Anything to avoid the swamp-mud/aging-gym-sock smell of troll.

“Thanks, Steve,” I said. “But you know UDA clients are not supposed to be back here.” I pointed to the front office. “You’re supposed to stay behind the partition, remember?”

Steve shrugged. “Steve will always be where Sophie needs him to be.”

“That’s the thing, Steve. What I need is for you to be behind the partition.” I tucked the flowers in a clean mug I snatched from Nina’s desk while I held my breath. “I mean, I really appreciate the thought and that you like me and all….”

Steve wagged his head, his milky eyes big. “No, Steve doesn’t like Sophie.” His pointed tongue darted across thin, charcoal-colored lips. “Steve loves Sophie. Steve thinks that Sophie just may be Steve’s soul mate.”

I sighed. “Thank you. But you know you really can’t be popping up everywhere I am, Steve.” I looked both ways, sidestepping Lorraine, the witch/accounts receivable head, as she came barreling down the hall. “UDA has strict policies.”

Steve grinned again, tapping his chest. “That’s why Steve has an exclusive contract with UDA.” He made his hands into fists and rammed them onto his hips proudly.

I swallowed. “A contract? With UDA?”

“We’re furniture movers.”

I looked skeptically at Steve, his half-bald head barely clearing the top of my thigh. “Furniture movers, huh?”

Steve nodded, then inclined his head toward me. “So Steve can be close to Sophie all day long.”

I stepped back, working to avoid the moldy scent that wafted each time Steve moved. “Wow. Well, Steve. Good luck with that.” I patted my shoulder bag. “I’ve got some important business to take care of, somewhere that’s … not here. But I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”