Free 1 Dicey Grenor by Dicey Grenor Page A

wasn’t as vivid as Max’s psychic
visitation because only my subconscious was active, but it still seemed
unnervingly real.
    In the dream, Remi and I were having a good time laughing and talking
then things worsened to the point of him trying to kill me. He’d learned I was
a vampire and tried to drag me into the sunlight. I fought him, tried reasoning
with him, and finally had to kill him. I’d cried in my dream because I would
miss him.
    When I woke up, my
pillow was wet with actual tears. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t cried like
that since I’d become a vampire. What the fuck was going on?
    Max had been
right. Remi was trouble—the deep shit kind.
    When the phone
rang, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I didn’t get calls.
    “Hello?”
    “Willow, it’s me.”
    I recognized
Franco’s Spanish accent right away. “What’s up, Franco?” I said while smoothing
out the comforter as I made my bed. I’d given him a fake number for my
employment file so Punch must have told him which motel to call, and the front
desk had been accommodating enough to forward the call to my room.
    “How’ve you been
today?”
    “Okay. No
permanent damage to speak of.”
    “Good. I was
worried about you.”
    “Well, don’t
worry,” I said as I sat on the bed and braced myself for whatever was next. I
didn’t buy for one minute he’d just called to check on me. “So what else is up?”
    “You know I wouldn’t
ask if it wasn’t important, but I need a favor.”
    “Okay. I guess I
owe you one.” I hated owing anyone anything for this very reason. You never
knew when they’d want to collect and you couldn’t pick which favor to agree to.
    “I need you to
come in tonight.”
    “You’re kidding,
right? You know I don’t work on Sundays. It’s the Lord’s—”
    He snorted. “The
Sabbath is Saturday, Willow. It’s always been Saturday.”
    “I know. I just
grew up with Sunday being—”
    “Oh save it. Do
you really think your soul stands a chance? It doesn’t. For the last year I’ve
catered to this redemption dream of yours and keeping the Sabbath blah blah blah , but I need you
tonight. Valentina called in. Cin called in. Fire’s off just like you and I tried calling her first…couldn’t
reach her. I got celebrity guests coming in. I’m even starting a new girl
tonight so the rest of you can take more time off when you want. But tonight,
Willow, I need—”
    “Fine.”
    Silence.
    “I didn’t expect
you to give in so easily,” he said.
    “I owe you, right?”
    “Willow, I’m not
blackmailing you. I just need you to come in and put on a great show. If there
was some other reason than you holding on to some human ideal, I could
understand. But c’mon—there’s no hope for creatures like us. We are what we
are.”
    “Franco, I don’t
expect you to understand…but you have been there for me when I most needed you.
I will be there for you tonight,” I said then hung up.
    Getting dressed
was depressing not just because I was headed to work on Sunday night or because
Franco had scoffed my faith, but because it felt like the beginning of the end.
Breaking rules had a snowball effect. It would be work tonight and what
tomorrow? Would I be using God’s name in vain, having orgies, killing for
sport, worshipping Buddha? Had I been kidding myself all along?
    Franco was right.
I had given in easily, almost like I knew this day was coming. Like I knew my
soul was already gone and I had been trying to hold on to its memory. I knew I
couldn’t deny my vampire nature forever. I just hadn’t expected the time to
come so soon.
    I sensed Punch’s
presence and felt his eyes on me as soon as I walked in the club’s employee
side door. Better avoid him as much as possible.
    Catching a glimpse
of Onyx onstage in a diaper as I walked over to the music booth, was no better.
After handing my CD to the deejay, I hauled ass to the dressing room. Didn’t want to see foolish grins on the fat baldies sitting in