I rolled over for the millionth time, and huffed. Dammit. I couldn't sleep. I looked at my phone. It was four am. Ugh, I gave up attempting to sleep. I don’t know what bothered me more. That the few bits of sleep I had managed, had been haunted by images of zombies. Or that they had included flashes of my blonde and red-headed saviors.

​

I got up and padded towards the washroom. As soon as I got close, I started gagging. I had forgotten I had thrown my rancid clothing into the sink.  My whole condo reeked of rotting meat and decay, the bathroom being the most pungent.

​

I couldn't help but wonder if I was losing my mind. Zombies weren't real. Except, the sludge that had clung to my jacket and the rest of my clothes said otherwise. I held my breath as I started loading the foul-smelling fabric into a garbage bag. I didn't dare attempt to wash them.  I was pretty sure the slimy chunks would destroy my washing machine. I had no other choice but to throw them out.

 

I opened every window I possibly could to air out the nasty smelling air in the condo. Once I disposed of the garbage bag, I started cleaning and washing everything down in the bathroom. It was freezing with all the windows open, and I had to turn up the heat, but I'd take the chill over that awful smell any day.

 

My thoughts kept circling around the same question. Why had they been attacking me? I mean I guess they could have been after Cade or Eamon. But my gut feeling had been that they were after me. And I had no fucking clue why. 

​

That crazy lady from the bar last night had said I'd broken my protection. What if she wasn't crazy? What could she have meant by

protection? What had changed? I wracked my brain. I'd gotten my tattoo. God with everything going on, I'd forgotten all about it. There had been that strange electrical surge when the tattoo artist had finished. Was that when it happened?  But the artist hadn't even noticed it. How had a tattoo done that? It didn't make any sense.

​

Then there were those morpho butterflies I kept seeing all over the place. I'd done a quick internet search to determine what kind of butterfly they were. They weren't even indigenous to this area. I'd contacted Butterflies and Moths of North America to be sure. The woman on the other end of that phone conversation had thought I was nuts. A morpho butterfly was a tropical butterfly. It wouldn't survive in our climate - it would die. Yet somehow, I kept seeing the damned things everywhere. 

​

The butterflies felt like a puzzle I needed to solve. They had to mean something right? I thought back. I had seen the first one right after I got my tattoo. The second one was right before I found Duchess. The third one had been in the hall right before Eamon had given me the 'it's me, not you' speech. And the last one was right before the zombie attack... Were they some kind of warning system? Where the hell did they come from? Why was I seeing them? There was nothing special about me! 

​

Then there was Cade. How had I never run into him before? I mean Lloydminster was such a small town. I should have seen him before. With his shock of red hair, and intent green eyes, he wasn't someone who was easy to forget. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I'd have remembered him if I had seen him before.

​

I grabbed my jacket, and took Duchess outside to go to the bathroom. It was still early, and the sun was just starting to rise. I barely paid attention to the sunrise; I was still lost in thought.

​

Was this all somehow connected? Why did weird things keep happening to me? I had no idea why. Or what it all meant. God, maybe I really was going crazy and this was all in my head.

​

What if I got attacked again? What if next time Cade or Eamon weren't there to save me? I couldn't expect them to follow me around just in case. And to be honest, I didn't want them to. Fuck this! I refused to be a victim. I needed to make sure I could save myself. I needed to freshen up on my self-defense skills. I'd taken Tae Kwon Do throughout my teens, and early adult life, but had stopped when I'd moved to Lloydminster. Maybe it was time to get back into it - at least so I could defend myself better... against whatever.

I brought Duchess back in, and sat at my dining room table. I opened my laptop and looked up the nearest dojo. It was only about a ten-minute walk from the condo. I liked that it was nice and close. Mind you everything here was close. 

​

I grabbed my jacket, and headed outside. It didn’t take long before I found myself standing outside of a two-level brown bricked building. 

​

Low and behold, there was another morpho butterfly. Great, did that mean something was about to happen? Well, there wasn't much I could do about it if there was. I sighed and turned my attention back to the building. It was rectangular in shape. On the left was an overhang protecting people entering and exiting from the elements. Its front door was within a wall of glass that let in the natural outside light. A row of tinted windows ran along the entire main and top floor. The kind of allowed people to look out, but not look in.

​

I took a step into the building and stepped out of the way to allow my eyes time to adjust. I wrinkled my nose against the pungent odor of sweat and body odor. I felt like I was walking into a gym. How had I never noticed how rank that smell was before? I'd been to different dojos many times over the years, but I'd never noticed it smell quite so strong before. Was I getting more sensitive to smells?

​

The guy who was standing at the counter had a familiar profile, but it wasn't until I got closer that I realized it was my ex-husband Chris... with his new girlfriend. Fucking wonderful. Nope. Fuck this - I'm out. I turned to leave when strong arms encircled me. I looked up and met Cade's vibrant green eyes. He had freckles. How had I never noticed them before? "Hey babe," he smiled, his whole face lighting up. Was he actually happy to see me? "I missed you!" he continued. His lips brushed my ear, tickling me and sending shivers down my spine, as he whispered, "play along." 

​

"I missed you too," I smiled up at him. I had no idea what game he was playing, but who was I to complain. Especially if it meant I got to save face in front of my ex-husband.

​

"Always," he kissed my cheek. "Glad you're feeling better," he winked. Fuck, I must look like absolute shit. Great. 

​

"Your chicken noodle soup is to die for," a feminine voice piped up. "It always made me feel better." For a moment I had forgotten they were even there. 

​

"Well, it is legendary," Cade answered, but he'd lost the sparkle in his eye. Guess he'd forgotten they were there too. "Genesis, this is my ex, Daphne... and that's..." 

​

"My ex-husband, Chris," I finished. I didn't miss the look of surprise that passed across Cade's face. If it hadn't become so awkward - it would have been somewhat comical. 

​

Our exes were dating each other. What were the odds?

​

We all exchanged mumbled pleasure to meet yous. I could see the questions burning in Chris's eyes. I looked up at Cade. "Babe, we have that lunch reservation." 

​

"Yes, you're right," he leaned over and kissed my temple. "Let me just remind Theron I'm leaving." Cade let me go, and my rebellious body instantly missed the contact. He opened a door, to what I assume was an office, and stepped in.

​

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Chris asked, taking a step towards me. 

​

I really didn't want to have the awkward conversation I was sure he wanted to have. "Now really isn't a great time," I answered, shuffling my feet. God, I wanted to get the hell out of here.

​

"It's important," Chris stood his ground. He didn't wait for an answer, but stepped off to the side, out of earshot. Anger flared up. He just expected me to follow, like an obedient puppy. I didn't want to make a scene so I followed.

​

"What?" I asked, hand on my hip, before he had even turned back to face me.

​

"How well do you know Cade?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. My stomach dropped. What was he up to? Was he trying to sabotage this relationship too? I mean I knew we weren't really in a relationship; but we'd pretended we were.

​

"Well enough," my hands balled into fists at my side. I forced my hands to relax before he noticed. "Why?"

​

"It's just Daphne's told me some things," he started. He had the audacity to look concerned. 

​

I arched an eyebrow.  "Like what?" 

​

"Well," he shrugged. "She's had a hard time talking about it - it upsets her." He took a deep breath, like he was trying to summon the courage to get it out. "But she said he was into some weird stuff."

​

"You gotta give me more than that," I scoffed. Was he kidding me? Cade could do magic. But I had a funny feeling he wasn't flaunting that particular skill set to just anybody.

​

He let out a breath. "She thinks he's part of some sort of cult. Like animal sacrifice and stuff." His eyes were searching mine. Waiting for a reaction.

​

I burst out laughing, "are you kidding me?" I saw Cade emerge from the office, followed by a man who looked like he was in his early fifties, who had to be Theron. I didn't wait for Chris to continue, "thanks for the, uh... heads up." I could feel Cade's gaze on me. "But I gotta go." I didn't look back as I headed towards Cade. "Ready?"

​

"Absolutely," Cade flashed a brilliant smile. "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand. 

 

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

We stepped out of the dojo, the bright sunlight causing me to squint. Cade still hadn't let go of my hand as he led me towards a black truck with the dojo's logo painted on its side. He'd already hit the auto starter. I could see white vapor coming out of the exhaust. "Thanks for the save," I started. "Again." 

​

"It was my pleasure," he grinned looking over at me. "Although this time it was more like we saved each other." He winked at me as he opened the passenger side door and waited for me to get in. 

​

"You really don't have to take me for lunch," I hesitated, dropping his hand as we stopped by the passenger door. 

"Nonsense," he interrupted. He put his palm up towards the seat in invitation. "You played along, it's the least I could do." He said as he ushered me into the front seat. He closed the door behind me before walking around the front of the truck to the driver's side. "Do you like smoked meat sandwiches?" He asked as he climbed into the driver's seat. 

​

"Yeah, I do," I answered. I realized that this was the first time that Cade and I had ever been alone together. In a confined space. A space where every time I inhaled all I could smell was him. He smelt like the outdoors. I could catch hints of the gentle, creamy scent of sandalwood. The earthy aroma of Patchouli. The sweet, spicy fragrance of cinnamon. Damn he smelt good. 

​

"Perfect!" He said, jolting me back to reality. He started dialing a number on his phone as he pulled his seat belt across his chest. The phone rang through the Bluetooth speakers. 

​

"Cade!" An exuberant male voice answered on the second ring. 

​

"Hey Joe! I'll take two orders of my usual," he said as he backed out of the parking space.  

​

I couldn't help but snicker as the man on the other end of the line said, "Two? Is one possibly for a special lady?" 

​

"Yes Joe," Cade winked at me. "I'll be there in ten." He disconnected the call before Joe could answer. "I'll get an earful when I go in," he said conspiratorially. We were silent as he maneuvered through the parking lot.  

​

"So," he started as he pulled out onto the street. "Ex-husband?" he asked, the question hung thickly in the air. 

​

I sighed. I hated talking about it. Who wanted to talk about one of their greatest failures? I took a deep breath and looked down at my clasped hands. "We were high school sweethearts. We got married at nineteen. A year into our marriage, we left everything and everyone behind to move here for his job." I paused, remembering all the nights by myself, without anyone to turn to. "God, it was so hard. And so fucking lonely." I took a deep breath and pushed on. "On our ten-year anniversary, he decided to go home with another woman." The hurt was still there, but it no longer felt like an infernal blaze going through me every time I thought about it. "This Saturday marks five years since I divorced his sorry ass." I finally glanced over at him, expecting pity in his eyes. Instead, they were brimming with some emotion I couldn't quite figure out. Was it pride? Interesting. 

​

"Ex-girlfriend?" I asked into the silence. I hadn't even noticed he had pulled into a parking space in front of a little diner. 

​

"We met in college, but we stayed friends for a few years. The timing never seemed to work. One of us was also always dating someone else."     He didn't look at me, but stared at the building in front of us. "We were always together though," he continued. "We were as thick as thieves," he gave a sad smile. "Finally on her twenty-fifth birthday the stars aligned and we started dating." He took a deep breath, "you'd think by that point, after having waited for so damn long, it'd have been worth the wait. That it'd have been a match made in heaven." He sighed, shaking his head. "I was completely head over heels for this girl. We dated off and on for about eight years. The whole relationship was so volatile. She had me and this other guy she kept bouncing between. Even though I knew she was cheating and playing us both, I couldn't say no. I was like an addict, and she was my heroin. I couldn't stop taking her back." He raked his hand through his hair. "Anyways, I kicked that toxic relationship five years ago,' he arched his eyebrow and looked me in the eye. "This Saturday." 

​

"The same day..." I trailed off, as I felt a chill go down my spine. What were the odds, we'd both left our exes... Five years ago... On the exact same day? "Coincidence?" 

​

"I have a funny feeling it wasn't a coincidence," Cade stated thoughtfully. "I wonder if we were supposed to have met before now?" 

What the hell was he talking about? "What do you mean?" 

​

"I'll explain later," he said. He looked over at me and smiled. "Right now, I'm going to go get some food!" Cade opened the driver side door. "Wait here, I'll be back." I couldn't help but watch his fluid movements as he climbed out of the truck and in three long strides disappeared into the restaurant. 

​

I sighed as I looked out the window. What the hell was I doing? Was this a good idea? Probably not. 

​

I looked around the mostly empty parking lot. What was with that shoe? It was just on the other side of the dumpster. Something about it caused my gaze to be drawn back to it. There was something off. But I couldn't quite put my finger on what about it didn't look right. I leaned over, and squinted as I tried to get a better look. It was lying on its hell with the toe pointing up. But it was at a strange angle. 

​

Curiosity got the best of me, and I opened the door and stepped out of the truck. I walked slowly up to the dumpster. There was something exceptionally wrong, it felt like my body was on autopilot as time seemed to slow down. My steps faltered as a sickly-sweet odor, similar to the zombie corpses, flooded my nose. Please don’t be a dead boy. Please don’t be a dead body. 

​

I took another step, so I could see around the edge of the bin. Behind it, I could clearly see that the shoe was attached to an ankle. The ankle was attached to a leg. The leg was attached to a mangled torso There was a dead body behind the dumpster. “Fuck!”  

​

“Genesis?” Cade’s voice rang out.  

​

The smell of ozone burned my nose. “Over here,” I called out as I leaned in. It looked like a bomb had blown through the person’s chest, leaving a huge gaping crater. All of the, uh, edges were charred black. I wasn’t sure if it was female or male as its whole head was a mangled, charred mess. “Fucking wonderful,” I muttered as I leaned back. 

​

“I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” Cade shook his head as he came up alongside me. “You, okay?” 

​

“Better than this... person is doing,” as I stood up and took a step back. God, I needed fresh air. “And for the records it’s not like I’m actively looking for trouble.” I shrugged, “as of late, it seems to keep finding me.” I looked over at him, “in fact it seems to have started when I met you!” 

​

“No sweetheart,” Cade answered softly, wrapping his hand around my elbow and pulling me back round the corner, so the body was out of sight. “It’s because you broke your protection,” 

​

“You’re the second person to say that to me,” I said, meeting his gaze. He arched an eyebrow in question. “The weird woman at the bar,” I shrugged. “She told me I wasn’t safe, and that I’d broken my protection.” 

​

“Have you talked to Eamon?” Cade asked, pulling out his phone. I shook my head no.

​

“I’m going to kill him,” he muttered. “Can you go sit in the truck? I’m going to call someone who can help take care of … This,” he indicated the dumpster. 

​

I just nodded and headed back to the truck. I opened the door and climbed in on autopilot. Cade didn’t seem surprised to have found a burnt out body. But I mean... It looked kind of similar to when he electrocuted the zombies. Oh my god, did HE kill that poor person behind the dumpster? Oh shit, I needed to get the hell out of here. Maybe get the fuck out of town altogether. 

​

I was reaching for the door handle, when Cade opened the door. “Okay, I called the Calvary,” he dropped into the driver's seat. “I’m guessing you're not all that hungry anymore,” he noted towards the two untouched clam-shells on the dash. I shook my head no in response.

​

“Who are you?” I blurted out. 

​

“I’m Cade,” he tried to smile, but it fell flat. “Dammit,” he muttered looking at my unimpressed face. “Eamon really should have explained all of this to you.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. 

​

“Well, he didn't," I retorted. “Besides, I’m not asking Eamon, I’m asking you.” 

​

“Alright, fair enough, '' Cade answered. “Okay, well... Fuck... I’m not even sure where to start,” he ran his hand down his face. I waited impatiently into the lengthening silence. “I’m what’s known as a Vanyr,” Cade started. 

​

“A what?” 

​

“A Vanyr,” he looked over at me. “Most of the Supernatural Creatures, or Beings, you’ve heard stories about, in one form or another, actually exist. The Fates, they’re the highest Supernatural Beings, felt that some of the Lower Supernatural Beings were running amok. So, they created the Vanyr to essentially be the police of the Supernatural world.” 

​

“Supernatural Beings?” I wanted to laugh at the absolute ridiculousness of the whole thing... But after what I’d experienced last night... with the Zombies... It didn’t quite seem as ridiculous anymore. 

​

“Vampires, Werewolves, Witches – all real.” He was looking at me so intently, trying to gauge my reaction. 

​

“And the zombies?” I asked. Those at least I’d seen in person. Not that I ever wanted to meet them again. “How did you get rid of them?” 

​

“The Zombies were raised by a type of Witch known as a Necromancer,” he grimaced. “I used magic to get rid of them.” 

​

“Magic...” I trailed off. The same magic that killed that person?” I nodded towards the dumpster. “And they attacked me because I’m a Vaneer?” 

​

"Vanyr," Cade corrected. But honestly, it sounded exactly the same as how I had pronounced it. "And yes." 

​

"But why haven't I been attacked before? And why are they attacking Vanyr? Have you been attacked?" I asked in rapid succession. My mind was going a mile a minute. 

​

"They're attacking now, that you're no longer protected, because they want to get rid of us before we become too much of a threat.

 

Once you," he paused. "Come into your powers, we'll become a pretty powerful team. It's a good strategy to attack us when we're weaker."

​

"Wait," I put my hand up. "Why am I no longer protected?" Everyone kept telling me I was no longer protected, but I didn't understand what had actually happened to break whatever this protection was. 

​

He nodded towards my shoulder. "Remember that scar on your shoulder?"  

​

I grimaced. I had never been fond of that puckered mark on my skin. "Yes, I got it when I was a kid. I fell off my bike, and my shoulder landed on a rock. 

​

"That's what the Fates wanted you to remember. But they were the ones that put it there as a protection. As long as that scar was there - no one in the supernatural world could see or detect you. When you got your tattoo," he snickered. "Cute by the way - It broke the protection." 

​

"Oh..." I trailed off. Of course, that was my luck. I wondered if that power surge I'd felt, when I was getting my tattoo, had actually been the protection being broken. 

​

"Essentially we are the 'Police of the Supernatural World'," he said using air quotes. "That would be the simplest definition of what we do. We keep the Supernatural community in line. But we're also mediators, peacekeepers, etc. We try to keep the Supernatural community running smoothly and keep the non-supernatural community blissfully unaware that the monsters underneath their beds exist!" He shrugged, "you and I are the first of our kind - we're the pilot project." He smiled. "Although the extra abilities are a nice perk." 

​

"Wait, we're a pilot project? How are we supposed to keep the whole world in line?" This was too fucking much; I was in way over my head. I could feel myself hyperventilating, and my heart racing. I was done! I wanted off this ride! 

​

"Breathe sweetheart," Cade put his hand on my chin and tilted my head so I met his eyes. "You're not alone." 

​

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath. Just focusing on his eyes, I could feel myself start to calm down, I could see the flecks of gold in them. It took a few more minutes for my breath to even out. My heart was still racing, but it was no longer due to a panic attack, and more to do with the hunk staring deeply into my eyes. 

​

"I know it's a lot to take in," he smiled encouragingly, as he let go of my face. "And Eamon shouldn't have left you in the dark." I couldn't help but notice his hand clench on his lap.

​

"Eamon?" How the hell was he involved in all of this? "You keep saying I should talk to him. Or he should have talked to me. Why?" 

​

"Eamon is your guardian - he's supposed to look after you, keep you safe, tell you all about this stuff, and train you." Cade answered,

staring out into the windshield in front of him.

​

"I see," I answered, but really, I was feeling even more lost and confused. 

​

Cade took my hand in his. "It'll take some time to process everything." 

​

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "Hey wait, you mentioned abilities?" I felt like I was trying to breathe underwater. 

​

"Ah, the fun stuff!" He winked and I felt some of the tension lift off of my shoulders. "You've probably been using some of them without even realizing it." He smiled. "Let's see; there's night vision, invisibility, illusion, being fireproof, breathing underwater, quick healing and heightened senses," he said, ticking off his fingers. 

​

I just stared at him with, no doubt, a dumb look on my face because he started laughing as soon as he looked over at him. He'd rattled them off so damn fast, I had missed most of them. 

​

"So, night vision is exactly how it sounds. You can see exceptionally well in the dark. That's how you were able to find the Hellhound so easily in the buses. 

​

"Hellhound?" What the fuck was a Hellhound? I wracked my brain trying to remember some of the mythology courses I had taken in high school. Weren't they some sort of guardians at the gates of hell? When had I found one of those? 

​

"Sorry, I meant the dog you found," Cade said. "Eamon mentioned it." 

​

"Oh yeah, Duchess," I smiled. "Wait..." 

​

"You named your Hellhound Duchess?" He scoffed as he raised an eyebrow. 

​

"She liked it," I shrugged. "What's a Hellhound?" 

​

He laughed, "I bet she did." I got the impression I was missing something, but didn't really understand. "A Hellhound is a supernatural guard dog who is loyal, watchful and protective of their master. They'll warn you and protect you from any danger. They tend to have a bad rap because mythologically they have been associated with being bad omens or that seeing one leads to a person's death. It's total bullshit."

​

"And Duchess - the chihuahua... Is a big mean Hellhound?" I scoffed in disbelief.  

​

"Ask her to show you when you get home," Cade shrugged. "In this case I think you'll need to see it to believe it." 

​

"Okay," I answered. 

​

"Give me your phone." Cade said, putting out his hand. 

​

"Why?" 

​

"So, I can program my number in. You're going to have questions later."  

​

I didn't answer, but handed him my phone. He was probably right. I watched as he programmed his number into my contacts. 

​

"I hate to do this," he nodded to the person in the car that was pulling into the parking space beside us. "But I'm going to have to help deal with this mess," he said, handing me back my phone. "I'll bring you back to the dojo so you can grab your vehicle." 

​

"I uh... walked.," I answered as he turned on the ignition.

​

"Why are you walking everywhere?" He sounded exasperated.

​

"Because my truck died, and, not that it's any of your business, but it's going to cost a small fortune to repair." I could feel the frustration and embarrassment building up. "I finally got my raise at work, so I can afford to get the repairs done, but it's still going to take a couple of weeks for all the work to be done." Stupid truck. 

​

"Okay, just take this truck." He said as he started gathering his stuff. "I'll get Whitney to drive me back after." 

​

"I can't just take your truck!" Was he insane?

​

"It's one of the dojo's trucks," Before I could react, he kissed my cheek, as he opened the door and stepped out. "Besides, it's free advertising," he winked. "It's safer if you have a vehicle," Cade said in a quieter voice.

​

"I really don't know about this..." I started.

​

"Look at it this way, if I don't give you one of the trucks, both Theron - he's my guardian, and Eamon will attempt to kick my ass."

​

"Attempt?"

​

"Well, they may be Astrals, but I'm still a Vanyr - So I'd win," Cade grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

​

"What's an Astral?" I was confused all over again.

​

"Shit, sorry. I keep forgetting you have no idea about any of this shit." He ran his hand through his hair. "I should seriously kick Eamon's ass just for leaving you in the dark."

​

I chuckled. "Please do!" I bet it would be interesting to see the two of them duke it out.

​

"And for that kiss," he said it so quietly that I thought I was hearing things. “Eamon told me,” he sighed. “Guardians aren’t supposed to date their charges.” He stated.

​

“Why not?”

​

“It’s against the rules, conflict of interest or something,” he shrugged.

​

“I see,” I answered as he opened the driver’s side door. He jumped out of the truck and came around to the front to the passenger side and opened the door for me. “All yours,” he said, handing me the keys. 

​

He leaned in towards me, tilting his head to the side, and before my brain even processed what he was doing, his lips pressed against mine. I closed my eyes as a tingling sensation flooded my body. I felt his warm palm cup my cheek as he deepened the kiss. His tongue stroked and encircled mine. The world seemed to fall away and all that seemed to exist was us in this moment. There were no more thoughts of Vanyrs, dead bodies, or magic. There was simply us. Nothing else mattered, but two souls connecting through a kiss that was full of tenderness and fervor.

​

“Thank you for lunch,” he said as he broke the kiss and grinned. “I enjoyed our date.”  

 

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

​

I stepped into the shop and inhaled deeply. Mmm...Coffee. Liquid gold. I walked up to the order and placed my order with the young barista behind the counter.

​

I looked around the restaurant as I waited for my order. At this time of day, it was mostly empty. One elderly couple sat at a table near the front of the restaurant. The barista handed me my coffee and I headed towards the back of the cafe.

​

I walked up to the fireplace. Their light gray masonry really popped next to the dark taupe walls. A flat-screen tv hung above the wooden floating shelf-like mantle.

​

I sat down in one of the plush dark chocolate brown faux leather chairs. I watched the flames leap and dance on the screen of the electric fireplace as I waited for Delilah to arrive.

​

We had started this little ritual of meeting for coffee on Sunday afternoons after the divorce. I knew that Delilah had insisted on it, as a reason to make sure I got out of the house. I had been a wreck after the divorce. But now, I looked forward to our girl time.   

​

I sipped my coffee as I watched her walk in, ordered her coffee, and waited at the counter.

​

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she put her coffee down on the taupe color table between us.

​

"Hey!" I said as I stood up and gave her a hug. "How are you doing?" I asked as she let me go. I sat down as she took off her jacket. "How was your date?" I waggled my brows.

​

"It was good!" she smiled as she sat down. "What he lacked up here," she tapped her head. "He more than made up for down there," she smirked as she pointed to her lap.

​

I grinned. "Are you going to see him again?" I had to ask, even though I already knew the answer. Delilah had coined her own phrase, ‘fuck it and chuck it’, in reference to own her dating life. She avoided relationships like the plague. I had asked her once why she avoided relationships. She had just said she didn’t want to discuss it, and changed the subject. I hadn’t bothered inquiring further.

​

“Naw,” Delilah shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her coffee. “But you already knew that!” she laughed. “So how did your walk home with those two handsome hunks go?”

​

“Well,” I started, butterflies swarmed in my stomach. “It was an... interesting experience to say the least...”

​

“Oh?” Delilah arched an eyebrow in question. “Give me all the dirty details!”

​

“So, it started off mostly okay considering how awkward it felt.”

​

“Yeah, yeah,” Delilah waved her hand dismissively. “Get to the good part! Who’d you hook up with?” Her eyes twinkled, “or did you bang both of them?”

​

“Neither,” I laughed. I’m not you!” 

​

“Hmmm, if you aren’t interested, maybe I’ll take ‘em both for a spin.”

​

“No!” I blurted out. I didn’t realize how loud I had been until I looked around and saw the elderly couple at the front, and the barista's staring at me from behind the counter.

​

“I’ll be damned,” Delilah laughed. “You like them both!”

​

“Anyways.” Maybe if I didn’t acknowledge it, I could avoid answering the questions. If I was being honest with myself, I was so confused, I didn’t even know how I felt about either one. “We were walking home, and I started hearing these weird noises,” I continued. 

​

“What kind of noises?” Delilah asked furrowing her brows in confusion.

​

“Like slime plopping on the ground, then a suction noise – like when you pull a boot out of the wet mud.”

​

“Oh,” Delilah looked even more puzzled. “What was it?”

“Zombies.”

​

“Zombies?” Delilah asked. I nodded in confirmation. She just stared at me with a blank expression on her face. The moments ticked by. I was about to speak, when she broke out into loud raucous laughter.

​

“Oh my god, you almost had me!” Delilah burst out, holding onto her sides. “Zombies!” she scoffed. “Jesus, I’m laughing so hard it hurts!”

​

“Delilah, I’m not joking,” I said as I felt my stomach drop.

​

“Zombies?” Delilah scoffed. “Hon, I think you need to see someone, maybe get some help.  You’re seeing things that are really there... First butterflies, now zombies?” She put her hand on my arm, “I’m starting to get really worried about you.”

​

I pulled my arm back out of her grasp. I was hurt that she didn’t believe me. “I’m not crazy.”

​

“I know you’re not,” Delilah said. “I just think you're under a lot of stress. Maybe you just need to take a break or go on a vacation. Get out of Lloydminster for a bit.”

​

“Delilah, I do not need a vacation. I’m not seeing things that aren’t really there,” I wracked my brain trying to think how I could prove it. Cade had said we had all of these magical superpowers, but I didn’t really know what most of them were or how to use them.

​

“Okay, let’s say I give you the benefit of the doubt and I believe you,” Delilah interrupted my thoughts. “So, you were walking home with both Cade and Eamon, and then you were attacked by a couple of zombies?”

​

“We were surrounded by them!” I answered. I went on to explain what went down with the zombies, and how Cade used his magic to decimate them. I explained going to the dojo this morning and running into Chris and Daphne. I explained the impromptu ‘date’ with Cade. That Eamon was my guardian, and Duchess was a Hellhound. I finished by telling her about finding the dead body behind the dumpster. 

​

“Wow...” Delilah said once I finished explaining. “That’s a lot to... just wow!”

​

“Do you believe me?” I asked. I anxiously started twisting a lock of hair between my fingers. 

​

“Of course, I do!” Delilah said a little too quickly. “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?” But she wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. Dammit, she did think I was crazy.  “By the way, I knew you had it in you!" Delilah exclaimed. "You little minx! Kissing one man, and going on a date with the other."

​

  I felt the tension leave my body as I burst out laughing. "I'm in way over my head."

​

  "You totally are!" Delilah laughed. "But isn't it a great place to be?"

​

“It kind of is,” I agreed. “But it’s also confusing as hell.”

​

“That it is,” Delilah grinned. “You mentioned that Duchess is a Hellhound?”

​

“So, I’ve been told,” I answered as I took the last sip of my coffee. 

​

“Can I see?” Delilah asked.

​

Why didn’t I think of that? “Sure!” 

​

Outside darkness had crept in. We put on our jackets and deposited our empty coffee cups in the garbage. We walked out into the cool crisp air. Small snowflakes fell and the wind howled.

​

“Meet me at my place?” I asked.

​

“You bet!” Delilah answered. 

​

We walked towards our vehicles. Delilah had parked her truck beside my loaned dojo truck. I used the truck remote to unlock the door. I opened the door on the driver's side door, and tossed my purse on the passenger side.

​

I was about to climb into the truck when someone grabbed me from behind. A scratchy piece of material smothered my face. The faint smell of acetone filled my nose. 

​

Then the world went dark.