“You’re welcome.” He nods sharply and starts to turn away.
“I’m Mina.” I add quickly, not wanting the conversation to be over just yet.
“I know who you are.” Eggward’s shoulders tense. My heart does a weird little somersault at the admission.
Alice clucks in his arms.
“I’m Eggward.” He adds, almost reluctantly.
“I know who you are too.” I smile.
“Good.” He huffs out a quick breath before he tucks Alice under his cloak and swoops across the road back to the chicken rescue.
“Because he’s a weirdo, Mina.” My oldest friend, turned roommate, Lucy complains from across her small kitchen.
“Everyone in Ghostlight is a weirdo.” I retort and add some diced onions into the hot oil in my frying pan. “Have you seen the garlic? I swear I just bought some.”
“I haven’t touched anything in the fridge.” Lucy sips her glass of red wine. I’m pretty sure she threw it out, she’s weird about food but she’s basically letting me crash on her couch rent free while I figure out what to do with my dad’s old property, so I’m not going to push the issue. “Eggward is particularly weird. He lives at the chicken rescue, keeps to himself, and no one even knows where he came from. He’s weird, even by Ghostlight Falls standards.”
“No he’s not! He’s mysteriously sexy!” I sigh, thinking of his strong arms wrapped around me. “You should have seen him today.”
Lucy leans on the kitchen island while she watches me prepare dinner. “You just think he’s sexy because you are new here?—”
“Excuse you. I’ve been in Ghostlight Falls since I was eight-years-old!” I cut her off.
“Spending summers on your grumpy dad’s farm doesn’t count.” Lucy swirls her wine.
“It counts.” I grumble. “What do you think he is?”
“Your dad? He was a grump.”
“No—Eggward, he’s clearly not a human.”
“See, it’s obvious you aren’t from here or you’d already know that it’s not polite to ask.” Lucy jabs her finger in the air toward me.
“I’m not going to askhim. But just betweenus. What do you think? He’s tall, dark, mysterious. I’ve never seen him eat anything. He wears that cape even in the …”
“I know where you are going with this.” Lucy says with an eye-roll. “He’s not a vampire.”
“How would you know?” I ask.
“I just know.”
“He could be though, couldn’t he?”
“You’ve seen him walking around in the daylight a dozen times.”
“Maybe he’s got one of those magic rings like in the Vampire Diaries.”
If Lucy rolled her eyes any harder they’d pop out of her head. “Was he wearing a magic ring?”
“I don’t know!” I protest.
“You were just waxing poetic about his big strong arms, but you didn’t look at his hands?”
“I was distracted. I almostdied!”
“Youalmostgot hit by a bike.” She smirks.
