Page 34 of Cat’s Guide To Romance

I look to the door, half expecting him to walk through, but he doesn't.

All evening I check that damn door, and Lucien never walks through it.

15

LUCIEN

I snap, and as always, the world folds around me. The delicious bakery scents fill my nose, and I breathe deeply. The chatter of Wick’s has become a soothing balm to the constant running of my mind. Lars and Ryan said they didn’t want to watch me humiliate myself this morning, so I left them behind. I’ll still get them both a treat. Ryan loves the flavor-infused blood drinks, and Lars will eat just about anything Wren puts in a box.

I stand away from the line and watch the door, waiting for my kitty cat to show. Only, it’s well past the time he and his friends usually come in, and there’s no kitty. Once the line goes down, Wren waves me over.

“Sorry, Sparkle’s sleeping in today. I’m not sure if or when he’ll be here.”

My shoulders drop. “I scared him away.”

“Nah, he’s got a lot on his mind right now.” Wren waves me closer and lowers his voice. “He’s gonna look for an apartment today, but no one opens for a couple more hours.”

“He’s moving out of his family home?” My mouth drops open, and I put every bit of my centuries of experience into acting like this is brand-new information.

“Yep. His dad retired, so they don’t need Sparkle to pick up all the slack anymore.” Wren grins and passes me an apple tart like I’ve ordered the last several mornings. “He’s going to be able to do whatever he wants now.”

My tail wags a little too much, making Talon snort as he walks from the back room with a tray of fresh banana muffins.

“Well, that’s exciting.” I take a bite of my tart and groan. “So good.” Poor Milton. I still love Faerie Good Coffee, but he mostly does cookies, not a full spread of treats. “Maybe all that newfound freedom will include dating a certain demon.”

Talon rolls his eyes and disappears into the back while Wren laughs.

“So you’re saying Sparkle might not come in today?” I glance toward the door again. “He’ll need fuel, eventually. I can wait.”

“Whatever you want, but he’s probably gonna be passed out for a while. He doesn’t get many opportunities to sleep late. His sisters are taking Ferris to school today, apparently.”

“Good. He deserves the rest.” I make my way to a secluded table and pull my phone from my pocket. I could text Sparkle, but that seems weird right now. He told me he didn’t have time for romance, and I told him I’d respect that. Texting him while he’s asleep would probably defeat the purpose.

So I wait. There’s plenty of work I can do from my phone, and I get all of it done while sitting in a cute café and waiting for Sparkle. Then I find more work. Eventually I run out of things to pretend need my attention, and hours have passed without him showing. There’s no more excuse to stall.

Sulking only a reasonable amount, I order Ryan a blood drink and grab a box of treats for Lars.

“Sorry.” Wren offers me a soft smile as he hands everything over. “He really never gets to sleep in. All of us vowed not to bother him today until he texts that he’s awake.”

He shows me the group chat. Nothing from Sparkle since last night.

“I’m a patient man.” I take the box from him and glance at the door one last time before tucking everything securely against my side. “I’ll see him when I see him.”

I teleport to The Rot to deal with everything I couldn’t handle from my phone, and the second the world settles around me, the sound of flesh against flesh reaches my ears. Someone is very clearly getting fucked somewhere across the club.

I set the treats on the bar top and holler, “Whenever you’re done, there’s blood and pastries.”

A snort comes from somewhere out of sight, followed by Ryan’s very distinct moan. I chuckle and leave them to their pleasure, soaking up just enough of the lust in the air to give me a pleasant buzz as I head toward my second-floor office.

I’m halfway up the stairs when dread slithers down my spine. Someone is here who shouldn’t be, and I know exactly who before I even open the door.

“Stefan.”

My brother sits behind my desk with a smirk playing across his lips. He steeples his hands and leans forward like this is his fucking office instead of mine.

“Hello, brother.”

“No.” I stalk across the room and swat him away from my chair with my tail. “Whatever you want, the answer is no.”