Page 2 of Cat’s Guide To Romance

“Gah, you are the cutest.” I hug him again and we start laughing. “Poe would love that, you know. You could turn it into a date night writing a list of what you love about each other. Then he could feed you chocolate covered strawberries.” What would I give to have a partner willing to do that with me? I swat the bed. “Anyway, I need to head out if I want to make it to the club before all the party favors get snatched up.”

Beau sucks in a breath. “Party favors?”

“Silly things like glow sticks and stickers, probably.”

“Glow sticks are always fun.” His eyes light up and I make a mental note to get my sweet friend some glow sticks.

I push to my elbows and look around my room. It’s the only place in the entire house that’s not chaos. Everything has its place. Not that I have much space. It’s about the size of a closet, but the room’s mine and mine alone. One day I’ll have more. One day, I’ll be able to be my own person and not a live-in babysitter.

Really, only Ferris still needs me. The girls have started building lives of their own. Mine still feels like it’s waiting to begin.

There’s a crash from the living room. “I’m okay!” Ferris calls out.

Beau and I chuckle before pushing to our feet.

Ferris is hopping on one foot when we exit my room. He waves franticly. “Have lots and lots and lots of fun!”

“Plan on it. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone.”

Beau’s eyes light up. “I hope you do. You deserve your happy ending.” He wraps me in a hug and smashes a kiss on my cheek. He walks with me down the road to where mama parks the car.

Beau hugs me goodbye before I borrow Mama’s car. She has no idea I drive it beyond the veils. Some secrets are better left alone. I crank the music until it rattles the windows. The drive to Evansville always feels endless, but tonight I don’t mind.

Maybe tonight I’ll meet the love of my life. Maybe I can finally live my life.

2

LUCIEN

The scent of lust hangs heavy in the air tonight. It always does on Halloween. Lust, excitement, anticipation, and a dozen other delicious emotions swirl through The Rot. Humans and supes alike dance together in harmony. As a demon, you’d think I’d want the opposite. But no, lust is much more yummy when people are happy.

Lights of all colors bounce around on beat with the music DJ Vampers pumps out from the DJ booth. People are dressed in slutty costumes and I take in everyone. The party’s just getting started. There’s much more fun to come, I just know it.

My crisp charcoal suit looks immaculate against my deep purple skin. Most people who don’t know I’m a demon assume I paint my skin every day before coming into The Rot. But no, this is au naturale, baby. As are my horns. And my nails grow in black. There’s no mistaking I’m not human or of this world. But at The Rot, it doesn’t matter. No one cares if I look human or not. In fact, it’s better that I don’t look human. It sells the vibe better. My fellow supes feel more at home and the humans feel like this place is special.

The Rot is special. I could live in a sanctuary town, but where’s the fun in that? Humans are fascinating. They’re messy and emotional and endlessly surprising. They’ll look at a demon with horns and purple skin and ask how I got the costume so realistic instead of running away.

Hex is close by, and I’ve popped in a time or two, but it’s so boring compared to living with humans. And so many rules. Okay, living with humans has so many rules too because we don’t want to break their brains if they learn other creatures exist. I do love finding a monster fucker, though. Always so so fun, no matter if human or supe.

There’s something missing tonight and I can’t quite place it. I scan the crowd. The favor table still has plenty of glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark stickers. Those are always a hit. There are plenty of drink coupons. The music is perfect. DJ Vampers always knows how to read the room. He’s the most popular DJ here. Probably the costume. He dresses like a caricature of a vampire with a big cape and slicked back hair. He exaggerates a widow’s peak and after Twilight got popular decades ago, he started adding so much glitter to his hair and makeup that it practically rains from him the entire night. He’s a hoot and my best friend in this realm. Of course, Vampers isn’t his name, but when he’s here, he insists on it.

Everywhere I look, bodies dance with the music. The VIP area has a few people sipping fancy drinks and looking down their noses at people. In one of the special rooms there’s a birthday party for an incubus. The poor man radiates fear every time he comes in, but I don’t teach virgin incubi how to work their magic. I’m not an incubus and there are others more suited to the task.

The song changes to something faster and the crowd whoops and hollers. My tail seems to have a mind of its own and sways to the music. It’s peaceful here.

I shut my eyes and just breathe everything in. Sure, there’s a bit of BO, but it doesn’t bother me. I can still take in the essence of everyone. Not in the sucking down someone’s soul kind of way. But just basking in the joy of the space. Being here in the moment. The now.

But something’s still missing, damnit.

There’s the softest jingle, like from a cat collar, of all things. That’s it. My eyes snap open and I find the shifter at the door. Their eyes are wide as they take in the place. I haven’t seen them here before. They’re beautiful. And hopeful. The kind of hopeful that only exists before life teaches you to stop dreaming for things. But that’s not what catches my attention. It’s the way they look around the room. Like they’re seeing magic for the first time. But underneath the glitter and the excitement, there’s something else.

Loneliness. I know loneliness. I’ve tasted it before.

Everyone who walks into The Rot wants something. A drink. A thrill. A secret. I understand that better than most. Everyone wants something, but no one thinks about what happens when you get everything you wanted and still feel empty.

I know that feeling.

It takes everything in me not to cross the room immediately. But I have to play this cool. They can’t know how much I want them by sight alone. Will they trust me enough to let me touch them? Will they purr at my touch? What does their skin feel like? Is their tail sensitive like mine?