Free The Mourning Woods - 03 by Rick Gualtieri

early and had to listen to Sally go on and on about the fabulous job Alfonzo had done on her hair. Truth be told, the changes were subtle - some layering and a little extra body added (did I actually just think that?). That being said, some people pull off subtle far better than others do. Sally is one of them; however, letting her know that wouldn’t be any fun.
     
    “So what did he do?” I asked innocently. “Clean out any excess lice and rat droppings?”
     
    A few minutes later, Sally was distracted from trying to break into the bathroom - where I was hiding - to answer the door. Saved by the bell. And yes , it was totally worth it.
     
    As she disengaged the multiple heavy-duty locks (we had upped security a bit ever since the Khan’s buddies paid us a visit), I slipped out and assumed a casual position on the couch. I was fairly sure the elder vampires already had a relatively low opinion of me. I saw no reason to exacerbate it further by letting them see Sally and me acting like ten-year-olds.
     
    She slipped me a sour smile and then opened the door. While she did so, I indulged in a little fantasy involving a sword swinging through the open doorway and decapitating her before she had a chance to make even a single snarky remark.
     
    Alas, no such luck on that happening. Instead, a voice said, “Hello, my name is Alex. I believe you are expecting me.” (*sigh* what is it with the formality? Do vampires above a certain age become allergic to contractions?)
     
    Sally stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture. As our guest walked past, I could see her sizing him up and not entirely in a sisterly manner either if you get my drift. She looked up from his ass just in time to meet my questioning gaze. Realizing she had been caught, she quickly turned to close the door.
     
    As usual with the vampire world, the person who stood before me was nothing like I expected. This guy was supposed to be a specialist, hand-picked by the Draculas. As such, I was expecting some Nosferatu-looking dude in a severe black and white suit. Sure, I had never actually seen a vamp who looked like that, but still, this guy had flown in from Europe. I had figured that maybe over in the old country they still respected tradition...or at least the tradition established by multiple Christopher Lee movies.
     
    The newcomer was a few inches shorter than me, but his shortcomings ended there (figures). He was broad shouldered and obviously had a strong build beneath the unassuming leather jacket he wore. Jeans, a t-shirt, and a laptop bag rounded out his look. Hell, the dude looked like he could have just driven over from some construction site in Jersey. Apparently, the Draculas weren’t big on giving their minions a hefty expense account for wardrobe purposes.
     
    Moving on to the rest of him: he had wavy dark blonde hair, and a smooth complexion; however, what stood out most of all were his eyes. An intense gaze met my own, one that was augmented by the fact that two different colored eyes peered out of his head: one a bright green, the other brown. Hell, I thought Huskies were the only ones like that.
     
    Thus, instead of saying something non-idiotic like, “Hi,” I instead asked, “Contacts?”
     
    “Excuse me?” he answered in a slightly accented voice.
     
    “Your eyes,” I continued. Hey, in for a penny of stupidity... “Are you wearing colored contacts?”
     
    I heard Sally sigh. No doubt, I was breaking some established protocol for visiting dignitaries. However, being that our guest looked like he had just gotten off a motorcycle, I figured I was justified for not dropping to one knee and looking for a ring to kiss.
     
    If Alex was insulted by my question, he didn’t show it. “You have a unique way of introducing yourself,” he replied in a bemused voice. He held out a hand and repeated his initial greeting. “My name is Alex. I am here as a representative of the First Coven to assist you, and this is my natural