Chapter 43 First Steps

• After my unpleasant encounter with that fanged dick, I returned to the bistro. Stepping inside, I sighed. Business was doing well, things had settled, but the atmosphere wasn’t the same without my baby.
• I’d owned this place for ten years, and though I cherished every moment, the five months Laura spent here… it was as if the building had come alive. She breathed new meaning into everything. I’ll miss watching her from the shadows, especially when she thought she was alone, humming in that silver voice of hers while she straightened the tables and placed the cutlery with gentle precision. She also had this sweet habit of studying the menu before resting it on its stand, as if it were some sacred ritual. She was like my sanctuary. But that’s over now… I spent so much of my time here that I began neglecting my other restaurants. Well, not anymore. I’ll need to return to my old habits, because she’s gone now.
• I glanced at my arm. I still wasn’t used to the markless skin I saw. I needed a distraction. With that, I made my way to the coffee bar. I had to see what Keres’s so-called spell had done.