First-Realm Problems by Nova Nelson

Author:Nova Nelson [Nelson, Nova]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FFS Media
Published: 2019-09-17T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

“If I’m not mistaken,” Donovan said, offering a hand to help me up, “we’re saving your hide from vampires.”

I threw my arms around him as soon as I had my feet under me. And when I finally let go, I took his face in my hands to make sure that he was real. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”

He frowned and those icy blue eyes bore into mine. “I’m an idiot, Nora. I should have come with you right away. I just—”

“He needed the right kick in the pants,” Jane said. “Speaking of which, I’d like to put some on. This dress is not my style. Why don’t we go somewhere a little livelier to sort out who should’ve done what and what we should do next?”

I wasn’t a hard sell on that idea, not after how close I’d come to being lunch meat.

Two minutes later, we’d all scaled the chain-link fence, and Jane grabbed a knapsack and a small pile of discarded clothes. A meowing pulled my attention, and I saw the fat and fluffy Gustav, Donovan’s familiar, slinking up the sidewalk toward us.

Ah, this made a little more sense. “You brought him with you,” I said.

“Of course. I had to go get him before I could come back here.”

“There’s an all-night diner about three blocks from here,” said Jane. “We passed it earlier. Let’s get set up there. Where there’s light.” She shuddered. “I can still smell vampire on me. But a bath will come later. First, food. And beer.”

The diner had a nice patio that allowed pets, and the five of us settled in. Burgers all around, except for Gustav, who would settle for nothing except the fish fillet.

When we first sat there, I didn’t know what to say. The sudden appearance of Jane and, more specifically, Donovan changed everything. The list of things it didn’t change seemed much shorter.

Finally, Jane caught my eye. She was glaring at me. What the…?

“I told you I’d come with you, didn’t I?” she said.

I felt a small bud of shame blossom in me. “You did. And if I’d have known what I was going to go through, I would have told you. I thought we were going to close the stupid thing when we went to the count’s castle, not jump through it. But things just happened, and I had to.”

“Hmm,” she said. “Impulsive thinking that led you to leap through a portal. Sounds like someone else we know.” When I hurriedly opened my mouth to defend myself (I didn’t honestly know what I was going to say, though), she added, “It’s okay, Nora. I’m not mad.”

Donovan had been noticeably quiet since we left the cemetery, despite the fact that his heroics, in other circumstances, could have earned him some serious bragging rights. And he remained quiet even now.

The server appeared and cheerily handed out our meals. As soon as mine was on the table in front of me, a sloppy female spirit floated up and tried to take one of my fries.

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