The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection(33)

Jaime, the owner of the Java Bean, was working the counter. The only time I ever saw her was when I came in to get coffee. She was a really nice lady, in her early twenties, I guessed. I liked her because she was one of those perpetually perky people, and she looked like it, too. She always had her blond hair in some trendy style, and she had bright blue eyes that didn’t look cold at all. They were warm and inviting.

A few other people occupied the Java Bean, all sitting around drinking coffee and reading newspapers. I had realized recently that most hunters really liked reading the newspaper and watching the news.

“Hey, Chloe.” She glanced up from the iced coffee she was mixing.

“Hi, Jaime. How’s it going today?”

She grinned. “Busy as always, and you?”

“I’m heading out to the ranges for practice.” I shifted my bow a little bit.

“Well, that sounds fun, although it’s not exactly beautiful out there.” She nodded toward the windows. Snowflakes had begun to float down and stick on the sidewalk.

“I’ll live,” I told her.

“So what’ll ya have today?”

“Can I get a large double-shot latte with hazelnut. Hot.” I thought of Gavin. “Better make that two.”

“Coming right up.” Jaime grabbed a cup off the stack and started to make the lattes.

I turned away from the counter and my quiver knocked the large vase acting as a tip jar off the counter. Reflexively I tried to catch it but missed. It hit the ground with a loud crash and burst. Millions of shards bounced up, almost suspended in mid-air, and then rained back down. Something went wonky with my vision, because it looked so sharp and clear, similar to how the glitter had played tricks on my eyes earlier that morning. I blinked to clear my eyes, but I realized I could see every single individual shard glimmer under the lights.

What the heck…?

It took a moment to realize people were staring at me.

“Oh, my gosh… I’m so sorry, Jaime!”

She went for the broom and waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing we can’t clean up.”

I took my quiver off and sat it on a chair and bent to help pick up the larger shards.

“Chloe, don’t touch it. You might cut yourself.”

Go figure, the minute she said that, I managed to slice my left index finger open.

“Ouch!” I stuck my finger in my mouth and sucked on it. “Damn it,” I mumbled around my finger. Suddenly, as the blood touched my tongue, I didn’t want to remove my finger from my mouth. It tasted sweet, but metallic at the same time.

“Watch out,” Jaime ordered me as she swept the glass.

I jumped up as her voice brought me back to reality, reluctantly pulled my finger out of my mouth, and then went around the corner to grab the trash can.

“Maybe today isn’t the best day to go out shooting,” I joked, holding the can out for her to dump the glass into.

She chuckled a bit and finished with the rest of the glass.

“I’ll get you a bandage,” she told me as she brought out a little medical kit from underneath the counter.

“Oh, I’ll be okay.” I told her, not wanting her to go through any more trouble for me. Plus, I had mostly sucked it dry, still able to taste a faint metallic hint on my tongue and it wasn't bleeding any longer.

“I’m still giving you one. You are not leaving here with a bleeding finger, Chloe.”

After I finally accepted the bandage and had it applied snugly on my finger, she set the lattes on the counter in front of me. I paid, giving her a ten and telling her to keep the change. I wished I had more cash on me to help pay for the broken jar. I grabbed my bow and quiver, slinging them over my shoulder so I had both hands free for the coffee.

“See you later, and I’m really sorry about your jar.” I nodded to her because my hands were full with the lattes and headed out. The snow came down harder than before, and I had to duck my head to keep it off my face.

My vision really was acting weird. Normally, when my eyes messed with me, everything would get blurry or fuzzy, but my vision was sharper. The snowflakes dropped onto the shoveled sidewalks, some sticking and some melting. I could see each one like I was looking at it through a magnifying glass. Each was so pretty and clear when it hit the sidewalk and then dissolved into beautiful droplets, before finally melting away to join the puddles.

I blinked several times, trying to get everything back to normal and continued on to the ranges.

The ranges had indoor and outdoor areas for both guns and archery. I figured, because of the snow, Gavin would wait for me at the indoor ranges. Sure enough, he sat at one of the metal picnic-type benches, adjusting the sights on his bow.

“Hi!” I called out after I struggled to get through the metal double doors with my bow and quiver on and the lattes in both hands.

“Hey there.” He jumped up and jogged over to help me.

“I got you a coffee. It’s probably cold by now, though. I didn’t think of that when I bought them.”

He took one of the lattes from me and took a big swig. “Nah, it’s still a little bit warm. At least I won’t burn myself.”

I giggled.

“True. Sorry it took me so long. I knocked over the tip jar at the Java Bean and cut myself.”

I held up my finger and wiggled it around.