The Cabin Is Always Hungry

LAST RESORT

Part 10

Back at Remley’s bar, a few minutes after Henry arrived, the door banged open, and in came trouble, laughing, swearing, and already stinking of beer.

Kevin Yates led the charge, big and broad-shouldered, a man built like a bulldozer. He was still buzzing from the funeral, from the shouting, from the way people had turned away from him in disgust. He liked it when folks looked, reveling in the attention—good or bad.

Behind him, Sheila Lewis clung to his arm, cackling like she’d just heard the world’s dirtiest joke. Her tight jeans and too-small tank top fought to keep her contained, and her perfume—a cloying mix of vanilla and patchouli—hit the air like a punch to the nose. She had a phone in one hand, probably checking her latest Facebook post about “healing energies” or some crap, although she just recently posted the altercation at my funeral with the hashtag: BELIEVE THE TRUTH—and—POINT HOPE CONSPIRACY. She even added: What is Chief Dilworth hiding?

Ray Klein strolled in next, wiry and mean-looking, his guacamole-stained work shirt (that Charlie threw at him) stretched tight across his chest. Jared McArdle and Lope Sanchez weren’t far behind—Jared grinning, already looking for a waitress to hassle, and Lope, silent as always, just going where the beer flowed. The regulars barely looked up, but a shift rippled through the room. Conversations dropped in volume. Bodies leaned away just slightly, a collective sigh of: Here we go again. They knew Kevin and his short temper.

Kevin and the others stomped to their usual booth near the jukebox. Jared was the only one who went to the bar and asked Carol for a round of beer on tap for his friends. He also ordered some loaded fries and nachos. A few minutes later, the waitress, a woman around Shiela’s age who resembled her, walked out of the swinging kitchen doors with a tray of Jared’s orders and placed them on the table.

“Hi, Kate. I didn’t know you were working tonight,” Jared said, leering at her.

The waitress—Kate—rolled her eyes. “It’s Saturday. I’m always working this shift.” She turned to face Sheila. “Sis, can I speak to you in private?”

Oh, she was good, I thought.

Shiela knew exactly what her sister wanted to say to her, and it was about her crashing my funeral. Kate bit her bottom lip. Her first thought was: You know, fuck it. But she managed to reel her temper in and paused. She noticed Kevin was watching her, ready for the blow-up, and right now, Kate had no patience for trouble. So, she took a deep breath and forced a smile instead. “I…will talk to you at home.”

“Oh, but I’m sleeping at Kevin’s place tonight.”

Kate paused again. She didn’t like Kevin. Actually, she didn’t like any of them. They were all bullies. She was confused when Sheila started dating him when just a few months ago, she was talking some bad shit about him and his friends. She was surprised when Sheila announced they were dating, so Kate reckoned it was the money. Kevin was pampering her, and Kate didn’t like how dolled-up she looked. Sheila never used to dress this way. Sheila liked sweaters and leggings, not dressed like a Playboy Bunny. Kate didn’t know why her sister had stayed with him after what had happened in the past few weeks.

“Fine. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kate said, pivoting her heels back to the kitchen.

“See ya, sis!”

“Hey, Kate! When are we going on that date?” Jared said, laughing.

“I’m busy,” Kate said.

“You’re always busy. How about Tuesday? I’m free! You gotta go with me at some point.”

Kate continued walking but threw him the middle finger. “Maybe when you’re asleep.”

“She said in your dreams, dude,” Lope and Ray laughed, and Jared didn’t appreciate the gesture. He had been coming after Kate for a few weeks, and the woman wasn’t budging. It was clearly bothering him. He’s the type of guy that gets the woman in a week, sometimes, that night. Kate was different, and it was starting to piss him off.

Which was exactly when Henry chose to strike.

He raised a finger and got Kate’s attention. For a vampire in a crowded room, it was easy to snap someone’s gaze to them—and only them.

She immediately approached him. “Yes? How may I help you?”

“I feel a bit peckish. What kind of food do you serve…” He pretended to look at her name tag. “…Kate?”

“Oh, we actually have it over here.” Kate leaned over and grabbed the menu holder across the table. “Everything we offer is on there.”

Henry looked embarrassed—pretended to be. “Ah, I didn’t even know it was there. That’s embarrassing.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It happens,” Kate said reassuringly.

“Sorry, I’m new in town. It’ll take me a minute.”

“I can tell from the accent.”

“Oh. Really? I didn’t notice I had one,” Henry said sarcastically. “Say, Kate, to not keep you waiting, what would you recommend? What’s good here?”

“I know our cook very well. He’s good. You should get the loaded fries, mozzarella sticks, or the crispy potato skins. They’re my favorite.”

“Is it because they’re easier to make?”

Kate laughed genuinely. Her laugh caught Jared’s attention from across the room. “Ah, a lot easier, yeah. True. Look, if you’re really peckish, it’ll get your food on the table quickly. To tell you the truth, no one really eats the main courses. That’s for the afternoon rush for families. At night, it’s more of cheap drinks, finger foods, sports TV, and playing pool and darts kind of place. If you’re looking for a really good steak, you’ll have better luck in the restaurants downtown. The Rouge is the place to go. I know the chef, uh, she used to work at a Michelin-star restaurant down in San Francisco? She moved here recently, and she’s quite talented.”

“You’re not really selling this place very well.”

“Hey, man. You’re the one who chose to go here.”

“Well, I was looking for the American experience. Something different from the pubs at home.”

Kate glanced over her shoulder, and Jared glared at her from across the room. “Well, you might find that in here. Loaded fries?”

“Yes, on the loaded fries. With extra bacon bits? I’m a good tipper.”

She winked. “I can persuade the chef. It’ll be out in twelve minutes.”

“I’m a patient man.”

“And what a gentleman.”

Kate returned to the kitchen and gave Remley, the cook, Henry’s order. Wendy Morrison, the other waitress on the clock tonight, sidled next to her, flicking back her long red hair while sporting a mischievous grin.

“So, I just got back from my break. Mama Carol says we’ve got a British guy in the house. Is it true?” Wendy said.

“Yeah, I just took his order,” Kate said, stifling her blush.

Wendy’s jaw dropped, and she peeked out of the swinging door, which gave her a good view of Henry. “Handsome fella. He’s our age, too. I imagined a sweaty fifty-year-old when Carol told us there was some British dude. You remember last Summer, there were those campers with his trophy wife?”

“The one who tried to ask you out?”

“Yeah, yeah. That one. And—Oh my gosh, I think I recognize his watch. Timothee Chalamet wore it months ago during the Met Gala. He almost got canceled because of the pandemic, you know? Urgh, It cost more than my monthly salary.”

“Okay, how can you even see that far? And how do you know that?”

“I’ve got good eyesight, babe. And you know I’m chronically online.”

“What are you two doing in here? There are customers out there waiting and wanting to eat,” Remley said.

“Boss, our regulars don’t eat your food, just Carol’s drinks,” Wendy said. “Except for your fries. They’re better than McDonalds.”

Remley shook his head. “I’m not paying you two to insult me, you know.” Remley chuckled before getting back to the grill.

“And that’s why you love us, Rem,” Kate said.

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh! I bet he’s part of that British family that moved into that old asylum by the lake,” Wendy said excitedly. “I heard they turned it into a manor. I wonder if he’s the owner. Also, I heard a rumor from a contractor that was helping renovate the place. Apparently, they’re related to the king.”

“Wendy, you think every British guy is related to royalty.”

Wendy rolled her eyes. “It’s the accent, okay? It’s my one true weakness. Hear me out: What if we accidentally get lost in the woods and, you know, end up at his manor? Let’s pick a time when it’s raining; that way, we can Pride & Prejudice it, and he has no choice but to let us poor, poor stranded girlies stay for the night. Then, we will be like a couple of Duchesses or something by the end of the year.”

“At the Murder Forest? No, thank you.”

“Urgh, Kate. You are no fun.”

“And at an asylum?”

“Former asylum.”

“Still. It’s creepy.”

“I don’t know. I think it’s charming. I’m kind of curious what it looks like now. Do you remember when we were in high school?”

Kate paused. She remembered going to the lake and seeing the looming abandoned, grotesquely-gothic building at the top of the cliff, but…did she enter the building? She might have. “High school was like almost a decade ago,” Kate said. “Plus, it’s haunted.”

Wendy also tried to remember. “I think I dared Aaron Posey to go inside for five minutes in exchange for a handjob, which I did not give to him, by the way. Ew. And I’m not bothered by a haunted house. You know me. I like horror movies, and I love Brighton’s Haunted Corn Maze. Oh my gosh, what if he’s like Dracula?”

Kate scoffed and laughed. “To this day, you are still obsessed with vampires?”

“And werewolves.” Wendy struck a cheeky pose. “Bah, I don’t know. He could be my Edward Cullen. Robert Pattinson is also British.”

“Wendy, you can’t be helped,” Kate said.

“Loaded fries for Table Seven!” Remley shouted.

“I got it, boss,” Kate grabbed the plate and put it on her tray. “Can we have more bacon bits on this, boss? I feel like he’s a good spender.”

Remley nodded. “Ah, fine. Make sure he buys other things on the menu, too.”

“Will do!”

“Wait, is that his fries? Can I give it to him? It’s almost the end of your shift and you’ve been here since three,” Wendy said.

Kate shook her head and said playfully, “No, I’m doing it.”

“I bet he’s a good tipper. I need the cash for my vacation this week. LA is super expensive, especially Disneyland.”

But Kate shook her head. “Stay away, Wendy. He’s sitting on my table, okay? He’s mine.”

Wendy raised her eyebrow, looking proud. “You cheeky bitch. Go on, Kate. Grab that bag.”

“I’m not grabbing any—” Kate took a deep breath. “Bye, Wendy. You’re too much.”

Wendy slapped Kate’s butt, and she almost dropped the plate from her tray. Kate returned to Henry’s table.

“That was fast,” Henry said.

“You caught the chef on a good window. Lucky you.”

“Here.” Henry opened his wallet and pulled out three one-hundred-dollar bills. He placed it in front of her. “I’ll give you the tip in advance before you clock out of your shift.”

“How do you know it’s almost the end of my shift?”

Henry pretended to be surprised and then suppressed it with a nonchalant shrug. “Lucky guess.”

“I can’t take that,” Kate said, though she was charmed.

“I insist. You’ve been very helpful, and I’ll definitely take that suggestion you made about the steak from The Rouge? I might go there next week.”

“Sir, I don’t—”

“Please. Take it. I don’t really have a lot of friends around here. I’m new in town, remember?”

“You don’t have to bribe someone to be friends with you,” Kate said with a smile. “You can just ask and talk to them. Point Hope has a lot of friendly people.”

“Okay. Then, if you’re not taking this, may I take you to that steak dinner instead? It’s pretty sad if I’m eating out alone, like what I’m doing right now. It’s better to go with good company, especially when that company personally knows the chef.”

Kate froze and leaned back. “Bold move, cotton. Don’t you have a wife? Girlfriend?”

“Would you be disappointed if I said I was single?”

Kate blushed. No, she definitely wouldn’t. “Are you?”

Henry leaned forward, making sure that she could smell his cologne and that sweet scent of vampiric persuasion. “Look. I could either google what to do in Point Hope and be disappointed, or I can find out from a very lovely and kind local over dinner? I’d prefer the latter over the company of a computer. Say, are you free Tuesday?”

All of Kate’s thoughts were filled with: Smooth. Real smooth. And she admitted to herself that she found Henry quite attractive. Maybe Wendy’s weakness had rubbed off on her. “I don’t know. I might be free.”

Henry maintained the intense gaze on her, slowly breaking her walls down. “Well, if you change your mind, my schedule is clear for the rest of the week. May I borrow your pen?” Kate gave it to him. Henry grabbed a napkin and wrote on it. “Here’s my number. Call me when you are free.”

Henry didn’t have to glance past her to see Jared was quietly fuming. Jared could read the body language, and he was pissed. He was extra pissed off when Kate took the napkin and put it inside her pocket. The pocket she usually reserved for her phone meant she was keeping it and not throwing it in the trash out of Henry’s sight.

The three hundred dollar bills were still on the table. “I still can’t take this. We have a shared tipping pool.”

“Well, they don’t have to know. I’ll put something extra on the pool, too, for Carol, the cook, and your other waitress friend. Plus, I already took it out of my wallet, and it’s bad luck if I put it back in.”

“Oh? What happens?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out.”

It took Kate another second before she picked up the cash and put it inside her pocket. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Henry didn’t eat the fries. He never took one bite because he couldn’t stomach it. What he needed was blood, and there were twenty-four options in the room. Henry pulled out his phone and pretended to be on the call. He knew Oracle and I were listening.

“I need to feed, my lord,” Henry said. “I have not fed in six weeks, same as you. If it’s not a bother, I’d like to procure one to satiate myself. With your permission, of course.”

Although I was fueled by the massacre a few weeks ago, which kept me going surprisingly this far, Henry had nothing. Ever since he turned into a vampire and I summoned him, he had not fed for all that time, so I understand his hunger. He never complained about it to me, which I began to notice about my archetypes. Like Siren—I mean, Penelope—they kept their struggles to themselves, making sure never to bother me. That will have to change, I thought. I made a note at the back of my mind to do a monster mash assembly in the future to discuss their day-to-day living outside of delving nights. Henry was waiting for me, and keeping him waiting this long wasn’t fair. I had enough cash and essence to spare so Henry could feed outside my boundary.

Stolen novel; please report.

Henry put the phone down on the table. A few seconds later, his phone vibrated when I texted: You know the plan, but happy hunting tonight.

I sent another text: Make sure to give out the invitation before you feed.

Henry nodded. The plan was simple: Invite Kevin Yates to the manor and kill him. I could hold my hunger for another week or so, but I was just optimistic. I didn’t want to think about what I would feel tomorrow. But for now? I could manage.

He abandoned his uneaten fries and grabbed his glass of whiskey. He ordered another glass from Carol before sauntering to the pool table where two men had just finished a game. Henry challenged the winner, a man wearing a white and pink floral Hawaiian shirt, to another game, and if he won, he’d buy him a beer. The man was more than happy to take the bet.

By the corridor toward the bathrooms and to the staff’s break room, Kate just finished clocking out and was about to leave when Jared was waiting for her, leaning beside the men’s bathroom door. From the pool table, Henry listened while he played, even when Kate and Jared were eighty feet away. Jared tried to flirt with zero success and tried to ask her out again, but Kate wasn’t having any of it. He asked if she was free, and coincidentally, he landed on saying “Tuesday,” which Kate was more than amused to tell him that she got a date that night. She cherished the look on Jared’s slumped face, the way his jaw tightened, as she twisted the knife into his belly with her words.

“It’s that pompous tourist, right?” Jared leaned closer. Gone were his honeyed words, now laced with pure jealousy.

“And what if he was?” Kate toyed. “I’d rather go with a gentleman.”

“You fu—”

Just in time, Remley opened the staff door (the one that led to the kitchen) and stepped out just to see Jared almost raise his hand over a flinching Kate. “Everything alright here, Kate?” Remley asked, glaring sternly at Jared. He curled his fist around the garbage bag he dragged behind him, ready to swing it around if ever Jared McArdle laid a hand on one of his employees again.

“Yeah, Rem. I just clocked out. I’m going home now.”

Remley breathed through his nose. “Oh, okay. I’m taking the garbage out. Best if I walk you to the back, Kate.” He shot Jared a daring glare.

Kate smiled at him, the one that said yes, please. “Thanks, Rem.”

When Jared couldn’t say anything back, Kate and Remley left the hallway—left him—with that bombshell. Just as Henry planned, I thought.

Jared was now glaring at him from the corridor.

Jared wanted to punch him.

Jared wanted to kill him.

Henry lost twice. On purpose.

Although, no one in the bar realized he was purposefully fudging the game. As he promised, he bought the winner a round of drinks of their choice. The second man, the one wearing an Oregon Ducks baseball cap, dared him to buy him a bottle of scotch if the vampire lost. Henry took the offer, lost, and then purchased the expensive scotch that Carol had on the shelf.

Naturally, he got the attention of Kevin Yates. The bar’s mood had shifted; Kevin and his goons were forgotten, left to sulk at their booth. Here’s this new, shining diamond who was happy to open his wallet for strangers he barely met. Within the hour, Henry had gathered quite a crowd and used all the tricks in the book to charm them. Soon, the entire bar was hanging by his word, his presence, his…everything. Henry naturally slipped out that he was the one who purchased the abandoned asylum by the mountains and turned it into a sprawling manor.

“You were the one who bought The Last Resort Asylum?” Carol asked.

Henry’s smile never faded. “As of two years ago, yes. I just moved in three weeks ago. I know it used to be an asylum back in the fifties and then as a recovery retreat and rehab in the seventies and the eighties. Is the place well-known in town?”

“It’s haunted!” One man drunkenly shouted from the back.

“It has a reputation,” another said. “It’s been abandoned for almost forty years.”

“I’ve actually renamed t to The Last Resort Manor,” Henry said proudly. “To honor the place.”

Everyone stared blankly at him, but it was Carol who spoke, “Whatever floats your boat, kid.” Though, in her mind, it gave her the heebie-jeebies.

“Is that bad?”

Carol took a beat to reply. “No, it’s just the history, kid. Lots of strange things happen up there. There was a breakout in the sixties, I think? Several of the staff and some of the patients died. That’s why many in town think the entire place is haunted.”

Henry merely shrugged. “I don’t believe in ghosts, so I think I’ll be fine,” he said jokingly.

“Tough luck you have, and bad timing, too. I think the property value of that place just went down the toilet after the massacre—” a drunk Roy with the Oregon Ducks cap said.

“Shh! Quiet Roy!” The Hawaiian shirt man said.

“Massacre?” Henry asked innocently.

Carol frowned. “I guess your real estate agent didn’t disclose that there’s a bunch of murders that happened near there? At a cabin?”

“Yes, from a cult!” Roy said, raising his glass of beer. His gaze darted over to Kevin, and he quickly dropped his arm down, afraid that he had crossed Kevin’s ire.

“Oh, I’ve heard a little bit about that,” Henry said. “But wasn’t the case closed? I’m just here to continue the renovations, and I wanted to meet my neighbors.”

Carol chuckled. “No one lives near you except the Sawyers. Their family has been up there for close to a century! To be honest, I’m surprised they sold you a piece of their land. They’re very territorial.”

“I’ve met the Sawyers,” Henry said. Everyone paused, waiting for the shoe to drop. Their minds warped with not-so-kind encounters with the Sawyers. Henry added, “It went well.”

Collectively, everyone sighed in relief. One guy even said he was lucky Henry caught the Sawyers in a good mood.

It seemed to be working, I thought.

Kevin Yates finally got out of the booth and approached him. I was expecting a confrontation—two egos squaring each other—but none of that happened. Instead, Kevin wanted to play a game of pool with Henry, and the winner got to pay the bar’s entire tab. All the patrons salivated over the bet. Free booze is free booze. But this time, he made Kevin work for it. Close call after close call, their scores were a nail-biter that the crowd loved. They even started taking bets. There was a moment when Kevin really thought he was going to buy the entire bar’s tab, and he didn’t have that kind of money. Not when he had a business to keep. Shiela tried to sidle in and take Kevin away, pretending to be too drunk to continue the game, but Kevin was in too deep. He couldn’t chicken out now; he had to save face.

But Henry let Kevin win in the end. Kevin let out a loud whoop. Ray and Lope also cheered behind him, and Sheila was relieved. “A round of drinks for everyone?” Kevin asked, egging Henry on.

Henry smiled and nodded. “Carol, pour out your most expensive bottle of Tequila.”

Carol raised an eyebrow. “Hey, if you insist…”

As the drinks poured and the night grew rowdier, Kevin managed to pull Henry aside by the bar counter.

“You were pulling back,” Kevin said bluntly, though he didn’t sound angry.

Henry looked at him a second longer. “I wanted people to like me.”

Kevin nodded. “I get ya, man. You’re new in town, but thanks for the booze anyway. But you didn’t have to let me win.”

“You still got free booze.”

“True that.”

“What’s your name again?”

“Kevin.” He extended his hand out.

Henry shook it. “Henry.”

“Nice to meet you, Henry. So, you really owned that manor up by the mountains?”

“Yeah. I’m blowing my inheritance money for a slice of paradise.”

“And you chose Oregon, of all places? Not some tropical island or California?”

“I already have two. One by the Bahamas and my family’s winter home in French Polynesia,” Henry said casually, surprising Kevin. “I wanted somewhere secluded by the mountains that’s my own, and I’ve fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. The weather here is right at my alley.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, uh, how much was the place?”

“For a rundown estate, the asking price was barely five million. The renovations cost twice as much, but I think everything’s coming into place. I’m actually looking for workers to maintain the place while I’m gone. My assistant hired a company, but they got busy, and the deal fell through.”

Smooth, Henry. Real smooth, I thought.

And Kevin took the bait.

“Do you mean landscaping? Gardening?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah. Do you know a guy? I’d prefer if they were local.”

Kevin beamed a wide grin. “Do I know a guy? You’re talking to him right now, mister.”

“You’re a landscaper?”

“I’ve been at the business for fifteen years. I’ve got my business card here somewhere.” Kevin rifled through his pocket. “Oh. Here. KY Patriot Landscaping. We do lawn maintenance. Groundskeeping. Garden services. The entire deal. Four-and-a-half stars on Google. I can even give you a free consultation. Just name a date.”

Henry took the card. “What are the chances, huh? Alright, Kevin. Come by the property tomorrow and take a look around the grounds. I’ll let my assistant know you’ll be stopping by. How’s the afternoon sound? Say two o’clock?”

“Yeah, I can do two, but I have to recheck my schedule and maybe move things around,” Kevin said, pretending to be busy. Oracle took a peek at his schedule on his phone, and it was dry as a desert.

But Henry saw right through it. “It’s a large property. You might need a large crew.”

“Hey. As long as you pay well, bud. You’d find good people here willing to do the work.”

“That’s Good to hear.” Henry also took out his business card, which had his assistant’s number—Jessica’s number—on it. “Call my assistant as well if you want to reach me.”

“Last call, folks!” Carol shouted behind the bar. “Last call!” As she was wiping the counter, she quickly moved toward Henry. “Are you buying this round, too, handsome?”

Henry chuckled. “Why not, Miss Carol.” He opened his wallet again. “I’ll buy another round of drinks for everyone!” He shouted, earning him several more whoops from the crowd and a glinting smile from Kevin.

Henry Duncan showed everyone that he was a big spender. And he’s way fucking rich. Richer than the mayor’s wine and logging business, Kevin thought.Henry Duncan might have been the richest man in town, surpassing Mayor Warrick and Tim Crothers. Kevin Yates wanted the job. He needed the job desperately. He had a vague recollection of what the asylum looked like, and given the size of the land, he could charge Henry at least twenty thousand dollars a month to maintain the property! If there’s a lot of things to do, he might persuade him to charge close to twenty grand more, and make the deal exclusive only to Patriot Landscaping. Kevin couldn’t risk pushing Henry to his competition, and they’d been circling the waters for weeks now. Didn’t he say he was still renovating? Full estate renovations were costly, but it was a drop in the bucket for someone like Henry Duncan.

Kevin salivated more.

“Alright, friend. I have to call it a night as well,” Henry said. “Come by tomorrow. I’d really need to have someone take a look around the estate. I can’t have it delayed until the next spring, you know? And I didn’t want to wait until winter.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t wait. The weather around here gets crazy.”

“I’ll talk to you soon.” Henry patted Kevin’s back and walked out of the bar.

Ray, Kevin’s business partner, sidled next to his boss and took a swig of his beer. “Is there a problem, boss? I saw you give him your business card.”

“He’s clear,” Kevin said.

“What did you guys talk about?” Ray asked.

Kevin patted Ray’s shoulder. “Ray, my guy. We were just given a fucking lifeline!”

Henry Duncan knew that Jared was following him out to the parking lot. I watched them from the single security camera aimed at the parking lot.

Henry deliberately parked a few spots away from the main entrance, nestled just behind the stone nook where the garbage disposal bins were stored. It gave him enough distance from prying eyes from inside the bar. Fortunately, the bar barely had any windows facing out front, and all of the curtains were down to block out the light.

Alcohol didn’t affect vampires as much because of their high constitution and due to the fact that they’re technically dead. Most biological functions were redundant to a vampire, and they only did it out of habit. So, Henry pretended to be drunk, swaying as he walked toward his car.

Jared followed close behind. He took out his switchblade from his pocket, thinking, Let’s see who’s fucking popular now. In his eyes, Henry whored himself to everyone in that room, flaunting his riches, and the sheep were too blinded by the cash and free booze. Didn’t they pick up on what Jared saw? It was the fucking robber baron dangling the carrot on the plebs! He was toadying to the locals! Didn’t everyone been shouting eat the fucking rich? He’s not one of us!

Jared wanted to threaten Henry. To make this British bitch piss in his pants by giving him the good ol’ American welcome. To shove it in that pompous brain of his not to go after his girls. Let’s face it: Jared McArdle had plenty of girls—those willing and those who tolerated his presence.

Jared had been trying to get inside Kate Lewis for at least a year and pursued her incessantly since she broke up with some Portland hippie he barely remembered the name of. The best he could do was touch her by the waist when they danced at the bar late April evening. He knew he came close to having her there, but Sheila had to fucking be there to pry her away (this was before she even dated Kevin). Now, another man was coming after her…and he was getting away with it. Not on Jared’s watch.

I’m more of a man than he was, Jared thought. What the fuck did Kate see in this guy? If the universe had its way, Kate owed him a taste of herself. Over the years, he had helped her through tough times, given her cash, his full attention, and offered to help any way he could, and that was just him being a good friend. She could at least open her legs and let him show what his tongue could do. Hadn’t she heard from the other girls that he was good in bed? If she could stay with that hippie smart-ass dude from Portland for months, she could stomach a weekend with him.

But Jared knew why Kate seemed enamored by Henry off the bat, true or not. Money. He has a lot of money. Even the boss is in love with him, Jared seethed. Like her sister, Kate was a straight-A gold digger. Even if Kevin was too blind to see that Sheila just stayed with his sorry ass because he got cash, he wouldn’t let this British twerp get pussy like Kevin did. He wanted to tell Kevin not to take Henry’s dirty money (because all billionaires have dirty cash on them), but he knew Kevin and Ray would just tell him to shut up. They never listened to him. Just a strong idiot to move equipment and mow the lawn.

Henry struggled to get his car keys out of his jacket.

Jared held on to the knife tighter. He’d grab the man by the collar, turn him around, pin him against the car, and he’d rest the blade under his chin. He took a cautious step forward. It didn’t seem Henry heard him. “Don’t you ever come after Kate, you hear me? She’s MINE.” Yes, that sounded better. But what about: “Leave her alone, or else. I don’t care that you have money. You’ll bleed the same way.” Yes, that’s much better. He’ll start with the latter.

Jared was about to lunge forward when Henry straightened his back and chuckled, “You know when fighting someone, it’s poor form to wait this long to strike. You’ll lose the surprise. Frankly, it’s insulting.”

Henry turned around, eyes blazing crimson red, a leering smile parting to reveal his fangs.

Jared barely gasped, and Henry was in front of him in a split second. Henry grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him in the air, letting the man choke and struggle from his grip. Jared swung the knife down and stabbed Henry in the shoulder. The vampire barely moved or yelped. He looked at the blade stuck on his shoulder, annoyed, pulled it out, and stabbed Jared in the same spot. Jared couldn’t scream with Henry’s hand squeezing his neck.

Henry pulled the knife out again, and while he held Jared’s gaze, he licked the blood off the blade. “B-positive.” Henry licked his lips. “I think I’m going to enjoy you.”

Jared rolled his eyes over, arms fell limp to the side, and Henry dropped him onto the gravel. He gently kicked Jared’s knee to make sure he was knocked out cold. All clear.

Suddenly, the back door swung open, and Wendy Morrison walked out with two garbage bags in tow. “Bye, Carol! Bye, Rem! I’ll see you on Friday!”

“Yeah, enjoy your vacation, sweetheart!” Carol shouted from inside. “Send pictures!”

“Will do, Carol. Bye! I’ll just throw these on my way out.”

“Thank you, sweetheart—!” The door closed shut, drowning out the loud noise of the music and the crowd from inside.

Wendy didn’t notice Henry standing by his car with Jared slumped just behind the vehicle. She threw the garbage bags in the bin, whirled around, and finally saw the man standing there. “Oh, shit!” She exclaimed. “You…you startled me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was about to leave,” Henry said.

She clocked in on the accent. “Hey, you’re that really good-looking British guy that’s been buying the entire bar a lot of drinks? Mama Carol likes you.”

“I might come back. I like the place.”

“Oh, she’ll be very pleased to hear that.” Wendy strode forward. “I’m Wendy, by the way. And you are?”

“Henry,” he said. He made sure to get between her and Jared.

“Henry. That’s a nice and lovely name. It certainly fits you.”

“Are you going home as well?”

“Yeah, I just clocked out. Actually, my car’s right behind you.”

Henry glanced over his shoulder, and he was not pleased. In order for Wendy to get to the car, he’d have to walk past him. Past Jared’s slumped body on the ground. Henry might be quick, but he did not have superhuman speed like The Flash.

Wendy’s eyes fluttered. “Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you want to go somewhere else?”

“Oh. I’m flattered, Ms. Morrison, but it has been a long night. Perhaps some other time?”

Wendy’s smile faltered a little. “How do you know my last name?”

“Um, you told me.”

“No, I told you my name’s Wendy. I didn’t tell you my last name.”

From the ground, Jared stirred, letting out a gurgle of saliva dripping off his mouth. He was still unconscious.

But Wendy heard it loud and clear. “What’s that noise?” She walked around the jaguar's hood until she was a foot away from Henry. She peered into the darkness and saw Jared lying on the ground. “Wait, what’s Jared doing down there? Is he—” She looked at Henry and immediately saw the answer on his face.

“Oh, Wendy, Wendy. I wish you hadn’t seen that.”

In one swift motion, Henry seized the side of Wendy’s head and drove it down hard against the hood of the car. She went limp, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Henry took out his phone and dialed Oracle’s number. “I need the clean-up team,” he said. “Ms. Morrison’s car and Jared’s truck. We need to get rid of it.”

“I’ve notified the Sawyers. They and Demon are on their way,” Oracle said.

“I’ll take these two back to the manor.”

“The manor? Back here?” I asked.

“I think it would be better if I take them to the dungeon, my lord. I’ll feed, and you’ll feed with me. Win-win.”

“Thanks for thinking about me, but wouldn’t Kevin be suspicious if Jared goes missing? I thought you’d pick a random person,” I said.

“Yes.” He gestured to the unconscious Wendy. “A random person.”

“Ah, you know what I mean.”

“I do know, my lord. But I wish to feed you as well. I know you do not want to start another massacre, but two delvers wouldn’t hurt, right? It’ll buy you time until we lure Kevin Yates to the manor, and he won’t bother your family again.”

And the waitress did see you with Jared, I thought. I couldn’t risk Wendy blowing Henry’s reputation this early, not when he’s building his influence on the town. “Fine. We can’t risk her calling the cops on you. Bring them here.”

“Shall I procure a third? It will make the guild happy.”

“Having a minimum of three delvers is not a hard rule. That’s the Immaran Guild’s incentive to pay me my ten K for a bloodbath.”

“But it doesn’t hurt if we do have one,” Henry said. “Three essences are better than two.”

But ten thousand crystals sound soooo tempting…

“I’ve got it! We can say Jared McArdle has COVID,” Oracle said. “He’ll be in quarantine for at least two weeks, and Kevin won’t know a thing. Ms. Morrison is going on a week-long vacation. No one will know she is gone, too.”

“So, what? That will buy us a week?”

Oracle nodded.

And I think I can finish running a delve in a week. “A week sounds good. It gives us time to prep and—” I paused, not wanting to say the last part. To season the soul.

“Work on that, Oracle. The sooner you roll that out, the better. Can you populate both their socials? Make it look like they’re still active,” I said.

“One moment.” Oracle paused for four long seconds. “I have watched over two thousand hours of Photoshop tutorials on a thing called YouTube.”

“Uh, that’ll work, I guess,” I said.

“Working on it now, my lord.” Oracle gave me a playful salute. I still had to get used to him having a physical body now, even if it was made out of swarming nanites.

The bar’s front door swung open, and Roy, the man wearing the Oregon Ducks hat, drunkenly stumbled out. “I still feel peckish, and my stomach still has room for dessert.”

I turned to Oracle. “Is he going to—”

“Oh, I think he is, my lord.”

“Henry—”

“I know, lord dungeon, but this is not for you. This is for me.” He turned to look at the security camera and winked. “Bye-bye.” And Henry hung up.

Henry turned away from the camera and started to approach the drunk man. The vampire didn’t take long to knock Roy out and drag his body toward the car. From there, Henry shoved both men in the trunk, secured Wendy in the passenger seat, and left the parking lot.

“Clean his tracks, Oracle. Wipe the cameras clean,” I ordered, and Oracle wiped the data clean in seconds.

Jessica and the Sawyers arrived at Remley’s twenty minutes later and took Wendy’s, Roy’s, and Jared’s car. Henry left the keys on their cars, respectively, and Jessica and the brothers took the vehicles to the dungeon’s junkyard, where no one would find them for a long, long time.

“I told you we don’t need a third delver,” I said to Henry after he arrived at the manor.

“But I’m quite hungry. It just so happens that I wanted to share the meal.”

I wasn’t buying it. “I know what you’re doing. You don’t have to watch out for me.”

“That is precisely what we archetypes do, lord dungeon. You feed. We feed. And besides, I’ve already got him. It would be such a waste to cast him aside now, right?”

“For now, I’m trying to keep the body count to a minimum. We’ve got plenty of heat on our backs until the freaking FBI and the rest of the three-letter agencies have Point Hope in their rearview mirror. The FBI is already packing back to their field office in Portland, but not all are gone. Best if we don’t start a fire now, okay?”

“Duly noted, my lord. My apologies.” Although, it sounded like he wasn’t sincere. “Shall we feast?” Henry popped open the trunk. Jared and Roy were still unconscious inside, and the latter was snoring loudly.

“Bring them inside,” I said, but then curiosity struck me. “Wait, do you need to kill them to feed on blood?”

Henry shook his head while dragging Jared’s body up the porch steps. “A kill would satiate my bloodlust for at least a few weeks. But I can technically visit Point Hope and drink from the townsfolk when they’re asleep. Drink enough blood not to kill them and lick their wounds closed so that no one would suspect a thing. But I would have to do that at least four times a week.”

This means more chances to be discovered. “So, do blood bags have any effect on you?”

Henry shrugged. “It will fill me up the same way a bag of potato chips would. Not very nutritious.” He shoved Jared into the foyer, wiped his hands clean, and went back for the other man in the trunk.

“I guess I’d buy one for you. As a snack since you’ve been peckish all night.”

“How very kind of you, my lord.” He swiped the cut on Roy’s forehead where Henry had struck him and licked the blood off. “But nothing beats the real thing, especially when it’s still warm and brimming with fear.”