~

 

“So, like now?” Mel spoke into the mobile phone and rolled her eyes to the ceiling and back down on her twin sister. The half slice of toast was almost at Kat’s lips when her hand hesitated, and she narrowed her eyes on her sister knowing something was about to happen. “Okay, that can work.”

Kat eased her head back and twisted it slightly to the left as she eyed her twin. She felt that little skip to her heart like it was offering a wakeup call to something being off.

Mel had thought up a scheme, and Kat was about to race for the nearest exit. She dropped the toast to the plate in front of her, snatched up a paper serviette, pushed her chair back with the back of her knees as she got to her feet, and tried to make haste for the door.

“See you then,” Mel said into the phone before she ended the call. “Not so fast.”

“Dang, so close and yet so far,” Kat mumbled back over her shoulder, but she did start to make a slow turn back toward her sister. “The answer is no…”

“You haven’t heard the question yet…”

“And the answer is still no because I don’t need to hear the question,” Kat offered a small shrug, and a smug look lodged on her sweetheart lips.

“It’s just a small thing…”

“That’s what you said every other time,” Kat lifted her hand and pointed an accusing finger at her sister. “Your small things usually lead to big-big trouble.”

“Not this time,” Mel said, and if Kat didn’t know her better, then she could believe every word of it. The trouble was; Mel could sell ice to Eskimos, fur coats to werewolves, and a strawberry sauce blood alternative to vampires.

“No? So, it’s not going to be like that thing with Ralph?” Kat’s hands went to her hips, she tilted her head to one side, and her expression said; bite me.

“Nope.” Mel didn’t elaborate on purpose.

“Or that thing with Josh?”

“Nope.”

“Or that thing where you left me hanging by my proverbial fingernails from the ledge of doom?”

“Remind me of that one again?” Mel tossed back with a teasing smile on her lips that made her sister eye her with contempt. She so knew what she was talking about; the devious little … witch.

“What is this small thing?”

She hated to ask, but it was better to be forewarned – that way she could run in the opposite direction to where the whole thing was about to go – boom.

“There’s a little potion that needs delivering somewhere…” Mel started, but the fact that Kat had folded her arms across her chest, and looked as if she was sucking on a lemon, told her that she needed to come clean. “Okay — the thing is, it needs delivering to a…” She mumbled the last word.

“I think we both know I didn’t hear that,” Kat tossed back.

“I just said it needs delivering to a…” She mumbled again.

“Okay, I’m out of here. I have a life — I don’t have time for this.”

Kat turned back toward the doorway, knowing full well that her sister would have to spill the beans if she wanted her help. It was the only way to speed things up because heaven forbid she died of old age before finding out what devious scheme her sister had on the go this time.

“Vampire!” Mel tossed out, and it was like being hit by a wrecking ball.

“Did you say…?” Kat turned back with an accusing look on her face.

“Now, I know what you’re going to say…” Mel held up her index finger to silence her sister, but it didn’t work.

“If you know what I’m going to say then why are you even asking me — why are you even doing spells for vampires?” Kat bit out.

“Not vampires — vampire.”

“Oh, because that’s so much better. I didn’t blow up the whole universe, just the Earth’s moon, and the loss of gravity on Earth – nobody will even notice.”

“That’s a little melodramatic, even for you. He pays well,” Mel offered a helpless shrug of her shoulders.

“Okay, follow my chain of thought here — he’s a vampire,” Kat offered back as if her sister was five-years-old again, but even back then, trouble was her middle name.

“Oh, my chain of thought — he pays well,” Mel offered back.

“Well, I’m not doing it,” Kat said as she lifted her hand and dropped it back to her side with a slap on her thigh.

“Well, I can’t be in two places at once,” Mel tossed back.

“And where is the second-place you need to be – painting the toenails of werewolves?” Kat asked.

“Paige needs me,” Mel said with a small, helpless shrug.

“Fine…”

“You’ll do it?”

“No, fine, blow the vampire off,” Kat shot back.

“I can’t.” Mel looked guilty.

“Sure you can; you do it to me all the time.”

“Yes, but you don’t pay me in advance,” Mel sighed.

“Oh, for the love of all things goddess-y,” Kat bit out.

The last place that Kat wanted to be was in the company of a vampire, but if her sister had already taken payment in advance then what choice did she have? The last thing they needed was the vampire to come knocking at the door — admittedly, he couldn’t get in — but he could still hold siege to the house until they had no choice but to leave.

Kat knew that one day her sister was going to bite off more than either of them could chew with her crazy schemes and ideas. She just hoped this wasn’t that idea.

“Fine…”Kat tossed up her hands in frustration. She didn’t really have a choice, but she was going to make her sister pay for this one.

“You’ll do it?”

“If this comes back to bite me in the backside…” she warned.

“It won’t.”

“It had better not,” Kat warned again. “And this is the last time.”

“Sure,” Mel said, but she didn’t sound as if she was sure.

“I mean it.”

“I get it.”

“You better.”

“There’s just one more little thing…” Mel said, and Kat Groaned.

“You said there was only one little thing…”

“It’s very, very, very little — he doesn’t trust me…”

“Oh, me too…”

“So, you have to be me…”

“How hard can that be? We’re identical,” Kat grumbled.

“Apart from the fact that I have a nicer personality.”

Kat snorted in contempt for that statement. “Don’t push your luck.”

 

~

~

 

Kat felt more out of place than she’d ever been before in her life. The hotel where the vampire had set up the meeting with her sister looked more like a stately home with its huge mansion type building, well-maintained grounds, and plush interior. If she’d known she was walking into the land of the rich, then she might have made a bit more effort to dress up.

The long line skirt of her dress swirled back and forth around her ankles as she walked toward the reception desk, and the tall blonde that stood behind the marble countertop and eyed her as if she was in entirely the wrong place made her feel uneasy. Of course, she was in the wrong place — Kat would never normally have visited such an establishment because rich people made her itch.

“May I help you with something?” The tall blonde looked down her nose at her as she recited her line.

“I’m here to see Mr Rathbone.”

The woman’s head twitched on her neck in surprise, her eyes narrowed at for a second, and her mouth opened slightly without words. Kat wanted to snort a chuckle at that reaction, but she didn’t.

Snooty place and snooty staff, she was definitely going to make her sister pay, and she could feel an itch coming on already.

“Do you have an appointment?” The blonde asked as if it was a subtle way to ask her to leave.

“Apparently so, I mean, who turns up at a hotel unannounced?” Kat tossed back. The woman’s face was a blank of all emotion, and Kat wanted to roll her eyes. “Melanie Varr.”

“One moment,” the blonde offered in clipped tones that said she had no sense of humour. “Yes, Ms Varr,” she reached out and pressed a button on the counter. “That elevator over there will take you up.” She pointed to the right, and Kat tossed a look in that direction before turning her attention back to the blonde.

“Room number?” Kat asked. Just the right side of the receptionist’s mouth crept up into a small smile, that smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“It will take you directly to Mr Rathbone.”

Kat grunted in understanding, even if she didn’t. She was eager to get her part in this mess over and done with, and her sister was going to pay the price when she got home with take-out and copious amounts of wine.

First, she had to deal with the vampire. How hard could that be?