It's Dark Over There

Seven

"Lemonade?" Callia called from the porch. She flashed a big toothy smile Seth's way when he looked up. The pitcher in her hand glistened in the sun.

Seth shut off the mower. A few bits of grass puffed out of the old machine as it whirred down and finally went quiet. "That would be amazing," he said with a sigh. He trudged the short distance to the porch steps and dropped his tall frame onto them.

"Be careful on those steps, I've gotten a couple splinters walking out barefoot." The glass she passed him was so cold it almost burned his fingers when he took it.

"I could sand it down, if you like."

"You're already doing so much," she said in protest.

"Another day?" There was a hopeful tone in the question. It had been an exhausting morning trying to get the lawn to look like a human lived there and not a pack of field mice. The mower hadn't helped. Something in it was loose and it had shut off three times before he got it to function.

The grass was tough, not dry enough to crumble away and not hydrated enough to cut cleanly. Instead it kept trying to tangle the blades and his feet. As long as he went slowly it wasn't too big of a problem. The loose rocks on the other hand...

His list of complaints spread for miles. Each time he nearly gave up, Callia would walk out with a new bag of trash and she'd shoot a smile his way. The tattered jeans and oversized shirt tied at her waist were so normal. Just another person blending into the town's background. Not that he wouldn't see her face in an over packed stadium now.

"I'd like that," she answered. They tapped the rims of their glasses together and looked out over the almost presentable lawn. "It looks amazing."

"Not half bad," Seth agreed.

"Hey, Seth?" She paused until he turned to face her. "That guy from the other night, he wasn't human, was he?"

Seth's breath hitched. Part of him had been expecting this. Regular attackers didn't talk about hunting grounds as if they were animals defending a territory. They didn't move with those speeds either. He'd been silently hoping she would dismiss it as adrenaline warping her memories. That way, he could keep her separate from the entire mess.

"Not exactly," he admitted.

"Were they going to kill me?" Callia's voice shook and when Seth took her hand, he found them shaking too.

"No, the two you ran into don't usually kill," Seth began, stopping to order his thoughts. "The man was an incubus, they feed on energy, usually, um, from intimate moments."

"And the woman?" she squeaked, trying to move the conversation along quickly.

"A vampire. She could have done some damage but I don't think she actually would have." He neglected to mention that he currently had her trapped in his apartment. That wouldn't be important, it was as if Callia was planning to visit any time soon, unfortunately. "You don't have to worry about either of them."

"Because you killed them?"

"What? No. I don't go after people who are unlikely to kill. I just mean they don't typically go out hunting like that so you won't have to worry about them going after you again."

Worry filled her eyes and she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," Seth promised. A second later his face was bright red when she leaned in to kiss his cheek. It felt like his throat had forgotten it's normal function. "I should...I have to...?"

"Do you have to go already?"

"I'm meeting Nonna for lunch, we try to do that anytime we close for the day," he explained. "Which means I have to get home and shower." An experimental sniff at his shirt made him wrinkle his nose.

"Will you come by again sometime?" Callia took his empty glass and stood on the porch. With Seth standing on the lower step, she was half a head taller than him. She passed him his jacket from the porch swing. Their hands brushed against each other and lingered for a moment longer.

"Yeah, definitely." Seth's head nodded like a ball on a spring."I'll call you."

"You better," she teased. They waved to each other until Seth turned the corner and she was out of sight standing on the sidewalk.

There was a skip in his step he stopped trying to hide and a grin he couldn't hide if he wanted to. Sure there was a wraith and something else running around in his town, a very big concern. Yeah, he had a vampire trapped in his apartment who looked scared of her own shadow. But he'd also had what he thought was a very pleasant not quite a date, casual hangout with a completely ordinary woman.

Extraordinary, more like it.

The closed cafe came into view across the street and a cheerful whistle died in his lips. Claire was going by with a bouquet resting in the crook of her elbow. While she didn't look scared, she did look anxious. Who wouldn't with an incubus blocking the path?

He had his hands clasped in front of his chest. It looked like he was talking a mile a minute and ducking his head occasionally to catch her eye when she looked away. Finally, he paused and Claire took a deep sigh. A breeze ruffled their hair and tugged a petal free.

Claire held out her hand and he shook it eagerly. Her lips moved and he laughed before tipping an imaginary hat.

Seth sprinted across the street, dodging a car to get to Claire as the incubus walked away. "Are you ok?"

She looked at him, wrinkling her nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Claire, did he do anything?" Seth asked, looking her over.

"Alex? No, he was just apologizing for going psycho on me," Claire finally answered. She took in his disheveled hair and rumpled clothing. "I should be asking you if you're alright."

"I'm fine, I was helping someone with their lawn." He tried to wave her off while fixing his shirt.

"Is that some sort of euphemism I'm not getting? Wait, Seth, were you with a girl?" She gasped and pointed at his pink cheeks. "You were!"

He hurried to cover her mouth and stifle her giggles. "It's not what you're thinking, trash brains."

"Sure, if you say so." Her voice came out muffled from under his palm. She shook her head free and pulled a chamomile flower from the bunch. "Good luck with introducing your girlfriend to your gran."

Reluctantly, he took the flower. "She's not my girlfriend."

Claire waved off his explanations and maneuvered her way around him. "Seth and some girl, sitting in a tree," she sang as she walked off. People smiled as they passed her, giving him a knowing look.

This was the problem with a good reputation. People from all over town knew him and his grandmother. He wouldn't be surprised if Nonna knew about Callia before lunch. He dragged his fingers through his hair and glanced down at the flower. He smiled again and shrugged. Maybe he could get to her before and tell her how amazing Callia was before the rumors got out of hand.