Gratitude

Sirius—

My butt pressed firmly against the brick wall. My feet perched just below, holding me up against the side of the building as if I were some web-slinging hero from a particular comic book. It gave me the best posture to be comfortable as Delilah took to my lap as her personal seat.

“Oh my gosh, you’re right! It’s so pretty! Look at all those stars!”

“Those aren’t stars, silly,” I corrected. “That set right there is from a plane.”

“What? And that?”

“Another plane. And those over there are from a very tall building. One of the tallest in the city. You can’t see many stars out at night because of the lights. But I am sure you will be able to see all sorts of pretty ones when you move into your new home.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Now, let’s head back inside. It’s getting too cold for you.”

“Are you not cold?”

“I don’t get cold as easily.”

“That’s not fair. You are like a superhero.”

“I’m not a hero; I’m just a detective trying to figure things out. Come on now. Your mother wanted to leave earlier, but you wanted to stay and play.”

Delilah pouted. Her face squished with an unbelievably adorable expression.

“You were the one late.”

“I was busy,” I said, deflecting Delilah’s critique. The truth about my complicated relationship with daylight wasn’t something I could easily explain—nor did I want to. Children have a way of asking more questions than they should, especially when they’ve taken a liking to someone. And Delilah had undoubtedly developed a fondness for me.

It was better for her not to know too much. Grace understood this instinctively—her daughter had already been through enough, and Grace carried her own scars. No need to let Delilah’s innocent curiosity reopen old wounds.

Tonight, they were heading out together—Grace, Delilah, and the other woman who now carried Hummings’s unborn child. They had found each other after Smitten Kittens was shut down indefinitely, victims drawn together by shared testimonies. These two women in particular were outsiders, even among outsiders—a connection born from whom they bore children for.

Grace had been very clear about how she never wanted me to reach out to the father. It would only complicate things, she would say. I understood the delicate balance—the longer such truths remain buried, the harder they become to unearth. Yet deep down, I still feel she should reconsider.

“Miss Vampire lady…”

As my train of thought lingered about, Delilah called for me, only for her mother to correct her.

“Delilah, we talked about this. Please use her name.”

“Mmm, Miss Grimes, I made you something. Here,” Delilah said, passing me a drawing done in a black pen. Even after her description, I couldn’t quite make out what I was looking at.

It was me, with a cape.

“That’s your coat!” she clarified.

But my coat is not that long. Oh well, children’s imaginations, am I right?

“Thank you. I also got you something. Here, have at it.”

“Whoaa!” Her eyes widened as she tore into the colorful wrapping I had spent time on. Her excitement brought an involuntary smile to my face.

“Oh my, I c-can’t remember the last t-time I was able to wrap a gift for her,” Grace said with a half smile.

“Don’t look so glum. I got you one, too.”

“H-huh, no, no. You shouldn’t have.”

“It’s fine. Please, take it,” I insisted.

“But you’ve already done so much for us…”

Grace hesitated until she saw her daughter’s joy, swinging around with her new stuffed rabbit.

“It’s soooooo cute! Look, Mommy, look!”

Seeing her child’s enjoyment, Grace finally accepted her gift. The way she unwrapped it so delicately, scoring the paper as if to save it for reuse.

“Oh dear. This is f-far too expensive. This brand…”

“It’s something you deserve,” I said. “And there’s also this.” I handed over an envelope containing cash to help them and Hazel start their new journey.

“We, we can’t...”

“You can,” I said. “I don’t know what will happen, but I do hope for the best for the three of you in your new life.” Hazel sat quietly at the other end of the room, handling the last boxes. She glanced over with understanding as she took the envelope.

“We shall do our best to stretch it far. M-Make something new for ourselves. Truly a blessing, Miss Grimes.” Despite being younger, Hazel seemed more in charge. I figured that was her previous profession showing through. “Miss Grace, m-may I have the keys? I’ll load up the last things and warm up the car. Our journey w-will be long.”

“You don’t have to. I can carry it my, my, my…” Grace choked up, tears rolling down her cheek.

“Mommy, are you alright?”

“Y-yes, Delilah dear. Mommy is just o-overwhelmed right now.”

Grace’s case was one of the strangest. She’d only ever been allowed to travel between home and a single client. She’d seen the outside world many times but never dared dream she could be part of it.

“Is it really o-okay for us to just leave?”

“I…” Hazel began, her voice trailing off into uncertainty.

“Yes,” I said, my voice softening. “This city has a way of consuming people whole. But you’re both parents now—take this chance for a fresh start. Wherever you go, you’ll be alright if you look out for each other.”

Their sudden embrace surprised me. These were survivors—people with resilience etched into their bones, with skills that could carve out a legitimate life. They would make it. They had to.

“Thank you. Thank you so much for everything...”

“Truly. You have saved us.”

Their words left me standing there with nothing more to say.

***

The tears had dried by the time Grace headed downstairs with the last of their belongings. As for Delilah, she lingered by, clutching her new toy as if it were made of solid gold. Thank goodness she liked it - I’d spent an hour deliberating between it and a damn panda.

Hazel hadn’t opened her gift yet, though she’d taken the cash envelope earlier.

“You’re not going to open it?”

“It’s not that. I am g-grateful. It’s just that the last time I received a gift, it was from Sam. A bracelet. We weren’t allowed t-to keep things.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m still t-trying to accept this. Please don’t get me wrong. I-I am thankful. It’s just hard.”

“There is no rush. You have all the time—”

A knock at the open door cut me off. I anticipated the clearly absent landlord. Instead, uniformed officers stood there, badges gleaming.

“We’re looking for a kid named Delilah,” one stated, flat and final.

His words garnered me to step forward and into their path. “What business do you have with a child?”

“Are you her guardian?”

“Does it matter?” I countered.

“A child with a complete stranger makes things... complicated.”

I inched my hands up. “I’m retrieving identification. I’m a private detective. Mind explaining exactly what you need with Delilah?”

The deputies exchanged glances before spouting some nonsense about interfering with their investigation.

“We’ll have to arrest you if you continue.”

“Continue? I haven’t done anything.”

“Hey squirt,” another officer remarked, taking their gaze to look past my side. “Are you Delilah? Come with us. Your mommy is already waiting in the car for you.”

Something was off. Why would Grace be waiting in a car? They were supposed to be leaving together, bags packed, ready for a fresh start. Nothing about this scenario made sense.

“Hey,” I said, motioning to stand as a wall between them. “You mind explaining what’s going on here?”

“Huh? Didn’t we just say if you continue, it would be a problem? Impeding a police investigation is a felony, you know.”

“I know all the laws…” thanks to my old man. “…you mind telling me your names and badge numbers.”

Silence settled as each one stared at me. Their hands inching toward holstered firearms.

“Hazel,” I called over my shoulder, never breaking eye contact with the officers. “Cover Delilah’s eyes. Don’t leave this room.”

***

I was quick. Left the hall littered with unconscious bodies sporting broken noses, fingers, and arms. They’d hurt when they woke. A forthcoming soul mentioned that backup would be coming. I needed to find Grace and get them out of here. Call it a hunch, but something was wrong.

My suspicion grew graver when I rounded the corner to find their sedan sitting still, its headlights cutting through falling snow. A smell hit me first—sweet and tantalizing. It was blood. The scent drew me to where police cruisers were parked, and there he stood—one hand gripping a knife, the other wrapped around Grace’s throat.

“Let her go,” I declared. “Is it money you need?”

“It’s not money that satisfies me.”

“Whatever you want...” I kept my eyes low, my voice steady. To him, I could be any woman in this godforsaken city. If he needed to make an example of someone, better me than Grace. “You can take me. Just please let her go.”

“Oh my,” the individual snarled, taking a sniff of the air. “What a curious smell. Strange how familiar it is, though I can’t recall smelling it before.”

That voice. Every syllable made my skin crawl.

“Well, well. Mind turning that pretty face up and into the light for me?”

No, it couldn’t be.

“Don’t be shy. There’s quite a haze with this lovely snow tonight.”

The tone. Words rolled off his tongue with a sharpness that riddled you with unease.

“Ahhhh, there it is. Those beautiful crimson eyes. Hello, dollface. Long time no see. My, I must have been good for Santa to bring such a fascinating gift early.”

How the hell did this bloody bastard escape Ironstone?

“What are you doing here?”

“Me? I could ask you the same. But given your face, your tone…” he paused to inhale Grace’s hair—her body trembling. “Ahh, you two know each other?”

My words had failed me. The man was far more intelligent than he looked, far more dangerous, too. To him, this was all a game. The very reason another case led me to hunt him down and prove he was the culprit to a series of unsolved deaths.

“Please just let her go. She’s got nothing to do with us.”

“Us?! This isn’t about us, even if fate has a funny way of showing it. No, this is about my new job. Great benefits. Got a list to check twice, see who’s naughty or nice.”

“Don’t, you don’t have to—”

“But I do. Since the blokes I came with haven’t returned, and you’re here instead... That leaves me knowing one thing. Oh, the decisions, decisions.”

“Don’t…”

“Where’s the fun in that?” His maniacal smile flashed. It was too late. My hand trembling, my eye twitching.

No negotiating with his kind. The worst of the worst.

Time slowed. Grace’s eyes met mine as the blade traced its silver arc—confusion melting into terror. The wet sound came first, then the overwhelming scent. She crumpled onto snow-dusted asphalt. The sweet nectar scent filled my lungs like honeyed wine, my trembling now from fury so profound it threatened to tear me apart.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Just as I snapped, the sound of sirens pierced the night. Squad cars swarmed in, and officers spilled out with their weapons drawn. Lutheran didn’t even hesitate as tossed his blade at my feet with casual indifference.

“Help! It’s a vampire, officers. She killed this woman and plans to drink my blood next.”

“Hands where we can see them!” Safeties clicked off. “10-34, suspect armed and dangerous.”

Suspect? Lutheran had vanished. Rage boiled up inside me from somewhere deep. There was no use in containing it, for I had made a mistake in leaving the law to handle things last time. Not again. Not this time. I refuse to let him escape and breathe another day. Not with Grace’s blood staining the snow.