13
I had a modest supply of excuses that were good for getting out of anything, most of them revolving around animals. Nellie was glad for the excuse that I was her ride.
We left the wake quickly and headed home. I texted Thomas, who arrived nearly instantly, and the three of us sat at my kitchen table, the parakeets perched on the back of my chair. There was no chance they’d miss out on this conversation.
“Shelley has magical blood,” said Thomas seriously. I was glad he was willing to cut right to the chase because his text had been so ominous. “I was able to get a blood sample from her, so I sent it back to the Sheriff for a test.”
“How did you get a sample?” asked Nellie, her eyes narrowed.
“I have my ways,” said Thomas. “In this case, I have a vampire bat friend who owed me a favo
