After Darkness Falls: A Vampire Romance
After Darkness Falls: Chapter 21

‘All right, meet in two hours?’ Jack asked.

Chloe shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d try to escape; not many men were up for a girly shopping trip.

‘Three?’ Tris asked hopefully.

He shook his head. ‘The drive back to Oldcrest from Inverness is a good two hours, and we set up the meeting at twelve. Two hours is pushing it.’

‘Got it. Come on, Chloe. Shoes first.’

Tris seemed to know the city very well; as they walked along the River Ness, she told her about the castle that had been built back in the medieval days and then redesigned during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.

‘I don’t know the history of these parts as well as many,’ Tris admitted. ‘Jack and I are from New York.’

Chloe had guessed, given their accent. They’d both adopted an almost British twang, but she’d detected an American drawl underneath it all.

‘What made you leave?’ Chloe asked as they reached a shoe store.

‘A big-ass shadow,’ she replied, confusing Chloe.

Given all the magic and mystery surrounding the world she’d dived into, she asked, ‘What, an actual shadow?’

Tris shook her head. ‘My sister. Perfect. Turned at twenty-one, so she looks younger than me although she’s ten years older. Very strong. Extremely good at magic. Everything I do, she does, only better. Jack was pretty much fostered at the Institute because his parents were always working, but he left New York a good ten years ago, when I was sixteen. He was eighteen and had just been assigned to London. I busted my ass to get the grades and asked to get into the Institute. My sister studied at the Academy in New York, so that was the first time I did something different. I like it here. I’ll stay in London under Jack’s rule after I get my master’s.’

Chloe got it.

The mixture of normalcy, magic, and supernatural somehow made Tris more real. Who cared that she’d eventually turn into a vampire? She was just another woman trying to escape the umbrella cast by another family member. At least Tris’s shadow wasn’t a murderer.

‘I get why you’d want to—’

Stay. She was going to say stay. But her eyes fell on the price tag of the leather boots that she’d been eyeing and she wasn’t able to get another word out.

Holy shitcakes, she needed to get out of this store, pronto.

‘Not cheap, right?’ said Tris, wincing. ‘But these shoes feel as comfy as any trainers inside, and the leather is the best quality—only gets cooler with time. Check these out.’

Tris showed off her own leather boots, which seemed right out of the store. They were dark gray, almost black, but they’d been cleverly distressed, and the part where the leather had been scratched revealed a red underlayer.

‘They’re seven years old. Trust me when I say I’ve used them.’

‘But, four figures,’ Chloe whispered, eyes still bulging.

Now that she wasn’t working, she was only relying on her savings and credit card. Chloe had calculated that she had enough for four years if she was careful. Buying these shoes wasn’t careful.

Chloe had toyed with the idea of asking the Campbells if they needed a waitress at the Snuggy Snot. If she caved and bought those drool-worthy boots, she’d need to beg for the job.

‘I’ll get them if you want,’ said Tris indifferently. Chloe was already shaking her head, but the woman added, ‘You can work it off.’

Oh. Well, that changed things.

‘How?’

Tris thought it out. ‘You said you had a bachelor’s in accounting? We’re looking for someone to run our paychecks and stuff. Jack did it last week, but it’s taking up too much time. If you’re up for it, the huntsmen pay pretty well. You can pay me back in installments of whatever.’

Chloe blinked. ‘You mean I could get a job with you guys?’

A job that didn’t involve bussing tables, either.

‘Jack would kiss you if you’d take it. Seriously. Not many people go to the Institute for business, and you already have an accounting degree. He wouldn’t trust anyone outside of Oldcrest for this. We had someone in London—a witch-slash-business manager—but the coven was—never mind.’

Killed. She was talking about Rose’s Coven, which had been wiped out the previous week.

‘I’m definitely interested, if you think Jack would—’

Lifting one finger, Tris said, ‘Hold that thought,’ and called her cousin. ‘Hey, Jack. I was talking to Chloe about doing our payroll. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Totally.’ She hung up. ‘You got the job. Part time, twenty-five per hour, and you’ll need to sign an NDA. There are about a hundred paychecks to process per week, plus the overall profit and loss account.’

Chloe squealed. ‘Do you have a size eight?’

After she happily charged the boots on her credit card, they went to get her weather-appropriate clothing. Chloe had always been a jeans and T-shirt kind of woman, but the weather made tights, long underwear, and knitwear more appropriate. Finally, Tris ended the trip at a sportswear store, where Chloe grabbed a few exercise bras, yoga pants, and a running jacket. If she was going to race with the huntsmen on a regular basis, it sounded like a good idea.

They ran back to the car park to make it within the two-hour window. Jack arrived right after them with a bunch of white boxes they stacked on their knees and in the boot.

‘Is that what I think it is?’ Tris asked eagerly.

‘Hands off.’

Jack was stern.

‘Just the one.’

‘Hands off.’

‘What is it?’ Chloe asked.

‘Cakes, pies, and doughnuts from the best bakery in town. Jack does that from time to time. Being liked makes our job a lot easier. Say in twenty years he needs info from a random clan, but hey, one of the witches remembers he gave her free cake…’

‘There are exactly three hundred and seventy-one pieces, which means one for every person I intend to give it to. Hands off, cousin.’

‘But I could have mine now,’ Tris argued.

Chloe’s stomach gargled at the scent of doughy, buttery, and sugary goodness.

‘I know you. Take one now, you’ll be on your tenth by the time we get to Oldcrest. No.’

Tris only ate four. Chloe had five, though.