Dead Certain (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 3) (39 page)

“Eve. Come to see about getting a
job with us again? I could use some help on shipping night still. Node business
has been picking up, and so have book sales.”

She could see that. It was a
destination spot for several reasons. Even the little café in the back did
brisk, and very real, business all the time.

“Not really, though I might be
able to find some help for you? There are some people that want to be Vampires,
and might need jobs. I was wondering if I could abuse our close personal
relationship. You know, before I take Ben away for the night? We have a date.”

He didn’t seem shocked to find
that out. Not displeased either.

“Oh? Well, come to my office, and
we’ll see?”

She nodded, since it was about
what she wanted.

Eve took a deep breath, letting
it out slowly, as if steeling herself to ask for a big favor.

“Can we use the space here for
the meeting tomorrow?” She waved at the Node room, which was pretty big, and
was both open and classier seeming than the break room at the yogurt shop.

“Possibly. What’s in it for me?”

She hadn’t really thought of
that, but it made some sense, didn’t it? She wanted to kill a Greater Demon
there, after all. It could make a mess, even if she was careful. Plus there
might be scary screaming or yelling.

“Ten million? If we have any
extra bodies you have to cart them away though.” She waved at the node, or where
the stone circle on the floor indicated it was. She still couldn’t see the
thing.

Rather than tell her he wanted
something else, Zack suddenly seemed serious about the whole thing.

“I can work with that. Do you
think that will be needed? Carting the body away?”

“Really? No. Fram fucked up, but
I gave my word that he’d leave here alive, or said close enough that I won’t go
back on it. Maggie, too. We might end up having to kill her, but I’d rather do
Fram, if it’s all the same. He can make himself not feel pain, or fear, right?”

Zack nodded, “yes. I like that
plan, myself. He messed up, and should be the one to pay for it. Was that all,
or did you want to ask my secret Ben dating tips? If it’s that one, my
suggestion is being cuddly. I know
you
thought it would be anal, but he
gets
that
when he wants. Then again, you’re a real catch. Rich and good
looking, as well as having a sparkling personality. I wouldn’t worry, too much.
From what he’s said about you, I think he’s already a fan.”

He was being playful, and it
showed, but it really did leave her feeling better.

“Cool. Thanks, by the way. Um,
really though, do you have Lyn’s number? Finias suggested that I ask her to
come too. Actually he said I should ask her to be my mentor? Like for being a
Greater Demon, even though I’m not one. I guess I’m just that awesome?”

Without comment, Zack went to his
desk and got the number for her.

“True, you are. This is probably
about setting things up so she can keep an eye on me, you understand, make sure
I’m eating enough, and not giving up my Greater Demon ways for the life of a
bookseller, or whatever it is she cares about these days. I think she just
worries, what with my being both young and insane. So far so good, as far as
that goes.”

“Yep. That was mentioned. The
whole spying thing. Can I use your phone? Edom said I could get a cell, but I
haven’t yet. I know, lazy of me. I don’t know how I keep managing to get so
busy, and still do so many boring things all the time. Oh, come by tonight and
get a waffle cone? It’s new, and we need to work out how to make them really
special. I want to get hard frozen too, for scooping, but that would take an
actual cash outlay. Still they smell pretty good.” Not that she’d risk eating
one.

“To trade for the use of the
phone? All right. Go ahead.”

She held up the slip of yellow
paper Lyn’s number was on, and dialed it without planning what to say at all.

Worse the other phone picked up
on the first ring.

“Lyn Hartley, how are you doing
this evening?”

“Hi Lyn. Eve Benson. From last night?”

“Eve! Is everything all right? I
hadn’t expected to hear from you this soon.” It was slightly leading, and a bit
worried, which were both things she needed to learn to fake, she realized.

“I know, but Finias suggested
that I get with you about mentoring me? So that you can spy on Zack, since I
work in the same area. Also, I have a Greater Demon to kill tomorrow, if I can
pull off the negotiations for it. Do you want to come to that? Again, Finias
suggested it.”

There was silence for a bit, then
something that was nearly a subliminal chuckle, Eve thought.

“That’s a very interesting idea,
isn’t it? We could give it a try, if you’re willing to put the work in? I don’t
know what will happen in the long run. Certainly. How much does the position
pay? Normally we get fifty percent of what our charges earn, under our
direction.”

“Hmm,
that
sounds like a
scam, but we could go with ten percent? Like agents get?”

“Or twenty-five, like
good
agents get?”

“Fifteen, but I’ll set it up so
that Zack won’t have a big issue with you being around?”

“Oh? That would be a good trick.
That, plus twenty?”

Eve giggled.

“Is this really worth that much?”

“Having me as your mentor? Yes. A
lot more, actually. I’m rather good at such things, I hear tell. Especially in
teaching shape shifting. I’ve heard of Vampires that can do that, so I’m
willing to bet you can learn, under my direction. It’s a very useful skill.”

 “All right. Twenty, and I’ll
chat Zack up on this.”

“Agreed. What time should I
present myself tomorrow?”

“Seven? Or actually if you can
get here at six, our time? That way we can talk and go over what I’m messing
up? I have a date right now, so…”

“Perfect. It’s important to keep
things in balance. Six in the evening tomorrow then, at your work place. I’ll
be there.” The phone hung up, without warning, sounding like someone else had
walked into the room.

Zack winked.

“My grandfather knows she’s a
Greater Demon, but she kind of keeps that world hidden from him. So, I have to
be okay with all this, too?”

“Yep. It’s that or not being good
with it, and I think we both know how that one goes, with the kicking and the
crying…”

He got the idea, and nodded.

“Fine then. You know, why don’t
you and Ben take off now? Go do something fun. Get out of here and don’t come
back until one of you can’t stand. At least not very well, since he works
tomorrow, and I need someone to actually watch the store with Hiram.”

The clock on the desk said it was
eight-thirty, meaning it had taken her an hour to get it all set up. She shook
her head though, since she wasn’t really done yet.

“I have to call Fram and Maggie
first. Run the guest list past them and all that. I said I would.”

Zack held up two fingers.

“More cones then?”

“Sure, get them from Barb. Little
Barbie Two Cones? I need a nickname for her, since she’s the one that started
that horrible Snowflake thing. If you come up with a good one that will both
bug her and stick, let me know?”

He waved, and walked out,
presumably to get his treat. Calling back to her, he waved.

“Got it.”

Then she called Fram, since he
was the one that could make problems for her.

“Howdy-doody. This is Brian,
what’s up?”

“Fram, The Bold?”

There was a hesitation, and she
wondered for a moment if she’d misdialed, then the voice changed a bit,
becoming less happy and fun sounding.

“Snowflake?”

“Tomorrow, in the back of Zack’s
bookstore. It looks like The Mistress of Souls will be there, The Technician,
The Line Walker, The Mind Taker, and um… Lyn Hartley? I don’t know her special
name.”

“The Changeling. Why would Magda
be there? Part of a trick?”

Eve shrugged, wondering if that
showed in the voice like a smile could.

“Yes. Not one about you though.
Finias got her in as my mentor, sort of, so that she can spy on Zack, without
it being a creepy Greater Demon thing. He okayed it. Zack did. I told them they
couldn’t pull any tricks or anything. Are you good with all of them coming? I
know that Keeley might scare you, like a little school girl. Which is fair,
considering all the stupid ass plotting you had going on. Like I told The Vile
the other day, how you can’t see that dating her is your best option, I don’t
get. I say you come in with some roses and stop being a little baby about it
all. She didn’t force you to be her slave again, after she died and came back,
did she? You knew she could, so… Yeah. Flowers. Oh, um, I’ll invite Bey, to
stand for Maggie. He might kill you, if he can, but that’s a personal issue. He
probably won’t though, being so cool. Unlike certain nickname giving assholes I
know.” She growled the last bit, which was, apparently hilarious.

The laughing seemed like that
anyway.

“It was totally inside the rules
of our personal treaty, Snowflake. Besides, it isn’t that bad of a name, even
knowing where it came from. That girl Vampire wanted to take you down a peg,
sure enough, but her best shot at you was saying you’re too
special
? She
could have picked anything. Bitchy-Poo, or Anal Wart, but she went with
something fairly gentle, so you wouldn’t be too hurt by it. Snowflake. Probably
because you scare her. It’s kind of pretty even. I’ve heard worse. For
instance, The Bold? That isn’t a compliment, you know that right? The Vile?
That wasn’t what Marcus picked for himself. The Mind Taker? Do you really think
Finias
chose
that? It was just better than The Mind Raper, which is what
he had for a long time. I wouldn’t let Snowflake get you down too much.”

“Hey, a pep talk from the douche
spreading the horrible name. Great. Not that those others aren’t worse.
Granted. Fine, I’ll only kick you in the dick a little then, for it. That’s
fair right? Just the tip?”

“You can be a bit crude, you know
that? Fine. To the people at the meeting, as long as you guarantee their
behavior. Not the dick kicking. I
just
got it the way I like. Now, let
me get with Mags on this one? I’ll make sure to invite her hubby. It will look
better if I do it. Like this is all
my
idea, and not something that I’m
being compelled to do out of fear.”

“Good plan. I can see it, anyway.
See you then. Seven, in the back room. Don’t make a big production out of it?
If we do it right we get in, agree to terms and will be out by eight, if not
sooner.”

“Bye. See you then.” He didn’t
even zing her with a parting
Snowflake
, which was nice of him.

That put her at about ten till,
so she waved to Ben on the way out, “meet me down at my shop?”

“Sounds good. You look
incredible
,
by the way.” He seemed to mean it, looking at her until she got out the door
and down a way. He looked like a regulation book store clerk, complete with
button up shirt and black slacks.

It was good enough. Her stomach
flipped over a bit, due to nerves. That was both pleasant, and a thing she
didn’t think could happen anymore. She had a date. With a real guy, and
everything
.
When she got back to her store she hurried and switched shoes. Hopefully
nothing bad would happen, requiring her to run in them. They were three inches
high in the back, making her walk almost on her toes.

When she came out of the back,
Zack waved at her with a waffle cone.

“Perfect.”

Even Barb agreed, but she didn’t
speak, since Ben came in just after that, seeming a little nervous himself. It
was nice, since that meant it wasn’t just her.

“I was thinking we could go to
the megaplex? I don’t know what you want to see, but there’s a lot playing
right now.” He waved to the others, but didn’t talk to them, and didn’t take
his eyes off of her.

It was nice. Romantic, nearly.

His car was small, economical,
and clean, which was about all that it had going for it. She didn’t care, and
settled into the passenger’s seat for the first time in nearly a year. It was dark
out, but the street lamps gave them a lot of light for the trip. He drove
carefully enough that she didn’t feel like she was going to die at any point,
not that she would, from something minor like a car crash.

They didn’t talk for a while
though, which started to get a bit heavy in the air, after ten minutes or so.

Ben smiled, his lips being licked
a few times.

“It’s been a while, for me. Going
out. I shouldn’t say that, but I haven’t been dating a lot. Not since Kait and
I… We were kind of going out for a while. Does going to her place three times a
week for sex count as a real relationship?”

Eve had to grin at that, since
talking about your ex was a poor move on a date, but going over the ultra hot
booty call that would still do it with you without asking questions was even
worse.

“Nope? Not that my dating history
was much better than that. Just to be clear here, I’m looking for a real
boyfriend, not just sex. Not that you wouldn’t get that, too, or that I’d throw
a fit if you wanted to hit the Alede at work. That would be insane, asking
anyone to miss out on that, but I’m actually looking, not just, you know,
trying to hook up.” It was too blunt, and sounded like she had Aspergers. She
winced, but didn’t take any of it back.

Ben smiled then, “good? I’ve
never had a real girlfriend before, so I’m probably going to suck at it. At
first, I mean. What do I do? Also, did I just work that in smoothly enough? I
mean, it sounded like it to me. I did just turn a first date into going out,
didn’t I?” He tried to give her a look that was suave and debonair, but failed
when he realized he was driving and the car had started to go off the road.
Then he just looked a bit panicked.