Free Unafraid by Cat Miller

for
taunting a customer and then assaulting him when he took you up on
the offer,” Sal whispered in a tone too low for anyone but Tessa to
hear.
     
    * * *
    Oh shit!
    Griffin was fishing through his wallet when
Sal issued his insult. She didn’t think he could possibly have
heard the whispered slur, but it was obvious that he had when his
head whipped around and eyes black as coal burned a hole through
the back of Sal’s head. Griffin’s fangs were biting into his lip
and he seemed to grow. Pure rage pumped into the air like a wave.
Even Sal seemed to feel it and shrunk in on himself like a
terrified child.
    Tessa had to get Sal out of the apartment
before Griffin did something he would regret. They were having
enough trouble dealing with their differences. Griffin had strict
ideas about the proper behavior with humans that Tessa understood
were ingrained in his people in order to protect them from
discovery. He had already crossed a major line in his relationship
with her. If he injured a human because of her, Tessa feared it
would only compound the issue when he calmed down.
    Sal hadn’t seen Griffin’s eyes or fangs, but
a very real sense of menace made the air thick. He began to slink
toward the door and freedom. Tessa would help him go. She shoved
Sal, getting him moving faster and blocked Griffin’s path to the
man when they passed. Thankfully, Griffin seemed frozen with
rage.
    “Take the money for the food out of my check.
You haven’t paid me for the last week I worked.” She nudged Sal
harder.
    “Shall I inform Sebastian that you will not
be returning? He hasn’t allowed me to fill the position because he
insists you will be returning any day.” Sal just couldn’t keep his
mouth shut. Griffin was growling again and moving toward them. Sal
tried to peer around her to look for the source of the noise.
    “Tell him I will call him very soon. I have
to get back to work. I have rent to pay.” She reached around Sal to
open one of the large cherry wood double doors, but froze at the
all too calm sound of Griffin’s voice.
    “Stay where you are, Sal.” A chill ran down
her spine. This was bad. She tried to push Sal out of the door but
he didn’t budge.
    “Yes sir, Mr. Vaughn,” Sal replied
tonelessly. Tessa looked up to find Sal looking completely absent.
He stared straight ahead as if examining something off in the
distance. Griffin must have put the vampire whammy on Sal. He
approached slowly, clenching and unclenching his fists as he
crossed the room. He gently moved Tessa out of his way.
    “Sal, you will tell your employer he will
never see Tessa again. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, Mr. Vaughn,” he replied with no
expression.
    What the hell? Griffin had no right to make
that decision for her. “Sal, you will do no such thing!” She turned
her anger on Griffin. “Let’s get one thing straight right now. You
have no right to decide who I can speak to.” He growled and stepped
toward her, but she didn’t back down, even if he did look like the
human nightmare version of a vampire. This had to be where some of
the myths about vampires originated. It was as she said; there is
always some kernel of truth.
    “I need a job, Griffin! I have to pay rent
and feed myself.”
    “Sebastian paid your rent until the end of
your lease,” Sal piped up.
    “What?” Griffin nearly shouted the question
at a dazed Sal.
    “Yes. He worried she’d be displaced if she
had no income so he had me pay the rent up until the end of her
lease. Why he bothers with her I don’t know. She’s pretty enough,
but he can do so much better. The fool is infatuated with a
good-for-nothing waitress. The place is a shit hole. I hated going
in there,” Sal deadpanned. Griffin lunged at Sal and pinned him to
the door with a big hand wrapped around his throat.
    “Griffin, stop it now! You can’t hurt a
human! You know you don’t want to do that,” Tessa pleaded. She knew
he would regret anything he did in rage. Sal’s