Free Blood Lust (The Blood Sisters Book 1) by Jill Cooper Page A

day.
    Checking
the time, she tried her aunt again, but it dumped to voice mail. Jessica
grunted and slid the phone shut in anger. Where the hell was that woman ?
She was always around when Jessica didn’t need her and now that she did—
    Well,
that wasn’t true, was it? Aunt Gwen got them out of foster care just when
things got really bad. Not foster parent bad, but demon bad. They might not
even be alive if it wasn’t for Aunt Gwen, so Jessica would cut her some slack.
She just hoped her aunt had a really good reason for ditching her calls.
    A
really good reason.

 
    *****

 
    The
air was fresh, crisp. Everything about the day was perfect and Jessica tried to
relax as she walked to the corner store. It was a nice downtown with park
benches and kids playing on the sidewalk. Did that mean it was a weekend?
Jessica had lost track of time during the demon debacle.
    When
she stepped inside the corner store, Jessica inhaled deep to take in the smell of fresh pastries. That was something she
hadn’t gotten to treat herself with in a long while and there was nothing she
loved more than a warm pastry with fruit filling. Some might have loved pie,
but Jessica was all about the breakfast Danish.
    Checking
out the pastry selection, Jessica caught the old man from earlier staring at
her. He wore big bifocals and his face was sprinkled with age spots. Dressed in
light blue trousers and a white button-down shirt, he stared with his mouth
fallen open at the sight of her tight leather pants.
    Jessica
cleared her throat and adjusted the hem of her jacket. “Laundry day,” she said
with a shrug. When the old man’s wife slapped him with her purse against the
gut, Jessica suppressed laughter and strutted around to the back.
    It
probably was well enough she didn’t buy the Danish pastries. If she did, she’d just want them all the time and get
grouchy when forced to eat stale Frosted Flakes for breakfast.
    Picking
up a red basket, Jessica loaded it up with apples, frozen chicken burritos, and
for dessert a bag of marshmallows. A few bottles of water and energy drinks
rounded out her supplies. If she was lucky, the cash she had would cover it.
    Jessica
kept an eye on her surroundings as she hefted her basket onto the counter. With
a distracted half-smile at ‘Bob,’ she
listened to him scan her items while her eyes stayed trained on the mirror in
the corner.
    “Have
I seen you around here before? Because I think I’d remember you.”
    She
barely paid him attention, but from the rise of goosebumps on her arm could tell he was leering at her. Should never have worn leather pants in a small town, but it
was the only thing she had on her.
    “Doubt
it. Just passing through.”
    A
bell jingled as the front door pulled open, and through the mirror, Jessica saw
a cop entering. Great, just what she needed.
    Cops
and Jessica didn’t go together. Hadn’t since the beginning. Jessica tried to
keep calm and ward off her growing nerves. She fiddled with her hair, twisting
a lock around her finger as Bob nodded his head with a smile. “Morning, Larry!
How’s the old world treating you today?”
    Larry
had his thumbs in his pockets as he strolled through the place. Jessica kept
her eyes front to appear nonchalant, but she twitched her thumb against the
counter.
    Run.
Leave everything and get out of there.
    But
she ignored those feelings and handed her cash over with a smile. “Paper’s
good.”
    “About
as good as any other day. Nothing much going on as usual, minus a missing cat
or two.” Larry’s voice was bored, uninterested like he’d rather be somewhere
else.
    Jessica
couldn’t blame him. She grabbed her groceries and headed toward the door. When
his voice rang out, she froze in her tracks.
    “Miss,
you forgot your change.”
    She
turned and saw a few pennies and quarters on the counter. Jessica shrugged.
“You keep it.” She pushed open the door and blew out a deep breath. That was
close, or maybe it wasn’t and her