Free Fox in the Quarter by Audrey Claire Page A

glancing at his apartment door with dread. I pursed my lips. “Fine, little baby, I’ll check.”
    In all honesty, Nathan’s sense of smell was far more developed than mine. I was still learning. I hadn’t been a vampire long, but I knew every feature and every one of my abilities would be enhanced as I grew older. New ones might appear, but no one could tell me what they would be.
    I stood and pushed the door. In the narrow opening, I tested the air with a sniff and found it safe to venture farther. Nathan waited in the hall for me to give the all clear. I traversed the short hall into his living room with a finger laid across my nostrils just in case. That’s when I saw it, in the corner by the floor lamp Nathan had said Dalton knocked over so many times to have rendered it useless. He kept the skeleton ball gown lamp because it was a “conversation starter and charms the ladies,” but it wasn’t the creepy piece that captured my attention at the moment.
    The creature I had seen walk right by Nathan stood at the base of the lamp staring at me. Snow white fur, slanted blue eyes, a narrow snout, and stubby little legs. He was insanely cute and completely wrong. I crouched closer to him and held up a finger as if I were back in my schoolteacher days.
    “It’s summer,” I said. “Wrong coat.”
    The fox’s eyes widened, and just like that, he disappeared.
    “What’s taking so long?” Nathan asked behind me, and I shuffled to my feet.
    “Did you see it?”
    He scanned the room. “See what?”
    “The artic fox.”
    “Artic…?” He frowned. “Why would there be a fox in my apartment?”
    I pointed to the corner where I had seen the creature. “There was an artic fox over there. In fact, I’m pretty sure he walked right by you when you opened the door earlier. You’re telling me you didn’t see it?”
    “Rue, baby, I think the fumes have addled your brains.”
    “Don’t call me baby, but I’m telling you it was there, Nathan. I’m not crazy.”
    Nathan sniffed the air. He searched every inch of the place, even the kitchen and the closets. I opened my senses, which were useful for me to know when enemies were near. I had a lot of growing to do in that area, but I did all right. Besides, my sense of smell made up for awkwardness in other areas. At that moment, I could neither sense the fox nor smell him. In fact, he hadn’t even left behind a residual aroma. Perhaps I was losing my marbles.
    “I’m pretty sure I’d know if someone or something came in here,” Nathan said. “So, we on for another round or what?”
    I flopped onto his couch and drew my legs up. “No more cards. Let’s go with a movie. What do you have for me?”
    Nathan’s eyes brightened. “I have three—psycho people, psycho robots, or psycho monsters.”
    “Ugh is every one of them a rampage of death and destruction?”
    “I like it.”
    “It feeds your temper. This is the fourth coffee table you’ve broken, Nathan, because you get worked up with the movies. I think you need bunnies and kittens. Maybe a family movie.”
    He grimaced. “It’s the third time. I fixed this table before Dalton found out, and bunnies and kittens would send me on a rampage.”
    I laughed. “Okay, one more round of cards, but that’s it, pal. Then you can take me out on the town.”
    “A date?”
    “No.”
    He grumbled and dealt the cards. I chewed a thumbnail, trying to recall the rules. No doubt the issue was my lack of interest and my wandering mind. Nathan slapped down a card, and I followed with one of my own. Perhaps I should visit my son Jake. No, he hated when I changed our scheduled visits without notice. We were adjusting to the new life apart. I didn’t stop missing him, but being able to assure myself he was safe was most important.
    “Rue!”
    I blinked. “What? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Did I play the wrong card?”
    “No, a miracle happened. You won.”
    I stared at the cards on the table, and it seemed he was