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I blink in surprise about to argue about who the tomato is, before she stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. “We can’t both be tomatoes.” I mumble against her lips. Not needing any further direction though, I place my hands on her waist, pulling Cass closer as I kiss her back.

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I giggle and reach up to pat Caden’s cheek again. “Ja.” Saying it in the same tone as I would ‘duh’ I finish my drink and set it down. I hold my hands up and make a ‘OOoooOoo’ noise.

“Ich soll alle Monster sehen, die normalerweise für Menschen unsichtbar sind, aber natürlich kann ich nur tote Menschen sehen. Scheiß auf Luzifer.” I pout, grabbing the next glass.

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I notice the subtle signal, but the other wolf is going to push Avery over the edge. Fighting to stop myself from clenching my jaw and telling the asshole to get lost. I place a hand on the werewolf’s shoulder and lean close to his ear. “I’m thirsty, will you grab me a cosmo, pretty please?” I use just a little bit of Charm to help convince him. He scoffs at Avery before heading over to the bar.

”Werewolves, am I right?” I say with a trill of laughter, clearing the tension left in the air. I finish off my scotch and look to Avery. “What’s your name, handsome” I play at checking him out, looking him up and down, before I fan myself as if I’m hot, but it’s a signal to Avery. Calm down.

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I smile on Nic's lips. He protests my comment even though I'm trying to kiss him and I nearly laugh but then he's actually kissing me. My waist heats from his touch and I let myself indulge for a moment.

”Why can't we both be tomatoes?” I question him. I pull back just far enough to see his eyes.

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I smirk, rather enjoying drunk Nero. ”Das könnte nützlich sein,” I muse. I hear a commotion and swivel in my seat to see Avery and one of the Chicago wolves sizing each other up.

I watch for another minute but relax after Kimiko handles it. I settle back down and look at Nero. ”Möchtest du tanzen?”

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I smirk, watching the wolf stalk off to the bar. I look back at Kimiko and plaster a cocky grin on my face. ”Avery Zain, at your service,” I say and take Kimiko's hand. I give a feather light kiss to the back of her hand before releasing it. ”What is a bright ray of light doing in a dark place like this?” I question.

From my peripherals I see some people watching us and others going back to their other entertainments.

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“Well, because…” I squint my eyes like I’m glaring at Cass, but I’m trying to hold back a chuckle. “Because I want you to be my tomato. Get your own nickname.” I say, shoulders now shaking in silent laughter as I continue to hold her.

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It barely registers that something was going on as I hold another drink in both hands and kicking my feet. When Caden asks if I want to dance, I nearly stand up in my chair and almost forget to set my drink down so I can grab his face with both hands. “Scheiße ja.” I chirp with wide eyes, wiggling with excitement.

I jump down from my seat and grab Caden’s hand to drag him to the dance floor with me.

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I pretend to be flattered by the kiss, using the hand to twirl a loose strand of my hair around my finger. “Kimiko.” I say simply, not wanting my dad’s name to get dragged into this. “I’m in Chicago for business but wanted to get a little pleasure in as well. I’m sad to say I haven’t gotten any bites.” I play a pout and immediately have the other men in the group start fawning over me. I cast a sidelong glance at Avery, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the simpering fools, but hoping he understood my cryptic message. No one suspicious yet.

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I laugh with him and squeeze his arms before I attempt to pull away from his hold, so I can finish our tea.

”Fine, guess I'll have to come up with a better one,” I declare, accepting the challenge.

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I laugh, Nero's reaction being far more extreme than I anticipated. I go to finish my drink but they yank on my hand. ”Whoa! Okay okay,” I laugh and follow them out onto the dance floor. A Latin number starts to play and I pull Nero in close to take them through the proper moves.

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”Yes, this place is difficult to find anyone worth most peoples time.” I look up when the other wolf comes back. I step forward and place a hand on Kimiko's hip, lower than it should respectably be. ”Let me know when you're done playing with the other dog,” I say it just loud enough to be heard by the wolf. I let my eyes flash yellow before I walk away from Kimiko and head onto the dance floor to slip away from them.

As soon as I'm far away I let the mask fall and shutter. I hate acting.

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I begrudgingly release Cass from my hold. “I eagerly await my new name.” I say, reaching over Cass easily and grabbing two cups for her. “What kind of tea are we having today?” I ask, leaning against the wall.

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I hop up a little so I can wrap my arms around Caden’s neck. I’m terrible at dancing sober though, so it’s not any better while I drunk. I end up stomping on Caden’s feet more than once and I feel my ears and cheeks start to burn. “Sorry.” I say, looking down to watch my feet and trying my best to avoid Caden’s.

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I play demure, fluttering my eyelashes and looking down when Avery places his hand on my hip. Pretending, I watch him leave with interest before I finally turn back to my adoring fans. I take the drink from the stray dog and happily sip it, letting my eyes wander around the place, easily faking that I’m paying attention to the conversation. A newcomer arrives and I watch their nose twitch before they lock eyes with me. I send a flirty wink before turning my attention to the stay again, placing a hand on his chest and laughing. I can’t see Caden, Avery, or Nero as the crowd thickens on the dance floor.

“Who wants to dance?” I ask with a shiny smile.

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”The full moon is coming, so something to help us prepare for it,” I say and pour the hot water over the herbs and into the cups. I cover the cups so the tea can steep for a minute.

The door dings and I grab Nic's hand, bringing him back to the front. I greet my customer with a traditional goddess blessing and ask how we can help them today. They reveal that they are looking for some cleansing herbs, also preparing for the full moon but they've never done this before. I smile and walk them through some of the products. I make Nic my impromptu assistant and point to the wall of herbs and other products behind me. He makes it look a lot easier to get things off the top shelves. I get him to add a few things while I do others. I add in a few things that are more helpful for men than women during the moon cycle and added notes for them to read up on in private. I look at Nic after they leave and smile.

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I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. I tilt their chin up to look up at me. [color=#006400][I]”Konzentrier dich auf mich,”[/color] I say. I put my hand on their hip and apply pressure where I want them to move. Putting pressure on the hip will need them to move their foot in the right direction to keep their balance. I keep doing this over and over, making sure their eyes stay on mine. Soon enough we are dancing. It's not very fast, but it's intimate and that's all I wanted with them.

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I make two more rounds of the place. It's starting to get busier which makes me anxious. I go back to the bar and get myself a drink. I lean on the edge of it, and get a few more interested looks. I try to play off of them but my attention is divided.

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I catch Cass watching me and I return her smile. “I know what you’re thinking - as much as I would love for you to be my boss, I can’t abandon the hospital.” I tease as I walk over to join her where she is. I honestly would love nothing more than to run a small business like this with someone special like Cass, but I know I would feel guilty about ditching my patients.

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I beam up at Caden once we have a rhythm going, happy that he’s able to help my two left feet. “Wir tun es!” I say excitedly. “Du bist zu perfekt.” I mumble with a stupid smile on my face as I look up at him..

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After a couple of dances, I spot Avery at the bar. I would try to speak with Caden, but he seems busy with the little one. Excusing myself from the group, I join Avery at the bar, making sure to spot the twitchy nose again. “Nice to run into you again - I think I found some pleasure after all.” I say in a flirtatious tone.

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I take Nic's hand and lead him into the back to retrieve our tea. ”There's honey in the jar, sugar beside, and a little milk in the fridge there if you want it.” I pick my cup up and take a small sip.

”I know your work is important to you. You just made all that up front look easy, like it's second nature for you. I guess it's just nice to see someone like that.”

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I smile and lean closer. I rest my forehead on Nero's. ”Du bringst mich dazu, perfekt zu sein,” I whisper to them.

After I say it, I find it completely true. I want to show everything I am to them. I want to show them everything I have. I want to experience life with them.

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Kimiko finds me and I plaster on a happy smile. I turn around and lean on the bar, signalling the bartender to get us two more drinks. My eyebrows raise when she says she found what she was looking for.

”Really? Let me guess, it was your perfume that did it for them?”

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I add some honey to my tea, letting it dissolve in the hot water before I stir it in and sip my tea. I decide not to point out the she offered milk to the lactose intolerant. “You act like you aren’t good with people too.” I tell her with a confused smile. “Maybe we can open a psychic shop that doubles as a clinic.”

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My mouth pops open in a small ‘O’ as I look up at Caden with a head tilt. “Aber Sie sind bereits.” I tell him. “Deinetwegen will ich kein Dämon mehr sein.” The words tumble out of me accidentally and I slap a gloved hand over my mouth as I start sobering fast. “Can we put a lid on that and pretend I didn’t just say that?” I ask, grimacing.

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“Why, do you like it too?” I raise an eyebrow at him with a smirk as I try to remember the right hand signals. I let out a short, soft sigh of frustration before I put my hand on Avery’s shoulder and whisper into his ear as I describe the person I had seen sniffing me out. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away.

I plaster on a fake smile for him. “Let me know if you’d like that idea.” I wink, silently wishing to be done with this bit sooner than later so I could get back to my book I left at Caden’s. If I had to deal with any more idiots, my mask might slip and fall.

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I laugh and shake my head. ”No, it's not that. It's… well, your medical and I'm,” I wave my hand around the shop and gesture to me. ”Not. At least, not to the same degree. We both help people but by different means. My people were burned, hung, and drowned for what we tried to do because medicine of the day and the church decreed we were the spawn of Satan. Which for the record, I am not. My magic comes naturally — from the earth. I do know other magiks, and I do dabble in the ether but inherently, my ability is natural. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, we're opposites.” I sip my tea again to keep from rambling more.

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I find myself slowing our dancing. Others keep moving around us but everything is silent. I look at Nero, shocked, confused, and a little in awe.

I nod in agreement with them, coming back to reality. ”Yes, yes of course. How about a couple rounds of shots?” I ask and lead Nero back to our table.

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I naturally wrap my arm around Kimiko. She lounges into me, making it look like she's all over me. A few people became disgruntled but another just stares us down. A woman surprisingly. They sound like how Kimiko described.

I don't let my eyes linger long on the woman, pretending to be enthralled with what Kimiko is telling me. She pulls away and a lean back against the bar. I give her the once over and grin shamelessly. ”Oh, I'll come find you,” I promise.

Caden walks over just as Kimiko leaves. ”Let me buy you a drink, boss. I think I'm going to head out early.” Caden raises his eyebrows and grins.

”Ah, brother! I knew you would. Yes, let's get some shots and a couple more drinks.” We place the order and walk back to the table with our haul.

My eyes drift and I squeeze Caden's arm before disappearing.

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I watch her with bemusement, remembering that she had told me her magic was a natural gift she was born with and that if I wanted to be a witch, the only way would be me making a deal with a demon. I let her ramble on until she’s done. “They do say opposites attract.” I remind her with a small smile before continuing. “Does that worry you? That I’m a ‘man of science’ and you’re one with nature? That we’re different?”

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“Yes, shots.” I say, grateful when he leads me back to our table. For once, I’m rather still in my seat, only moving when I notice Caden making his way back with more alcohol. I grin widely at him, feeling like my mind is screaming at me for just letting that slip out.

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Promising my admirers that I’d be back soon, I run off to the bathroom and hide in a stall so I can recharge my social battery a little before I head back out. I pull out my phone and just zone out on an app for a little bit.

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”Yes, no… Yes. But only because I'm worried you'll get bored of me, or annoyed, or afraid. I'm worried about what others might say when they find out you're dating a psychic. I'm worried my world is going to hurt you more than it already has. You're the first human I've dated,” I inform him.

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I smile and set the drinks down. I hand out shots to Avery and Nero before clinking and taking it. I lean down and whisper into Nero's ear. ”We've found something. I'll be back.” I kiss Nero's neck before I leave with Avery.

I follow his lead while we make our way through the crowd, but then the crowd stops moving. The three wolves from earlier stand in our way. Of course. Now we're doing this.

I smile and nod to the boys, taking a slight step ahead from Avery. ”Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?”

“You and the pup you brought. I thought it was clear for you that wolves had to be vetted before being brought in.”

”Aye. And I have an agreement with your alpha. Has the freedom to hunt on my lands not been sufficient enough for you?”

The wolves glance at each other and I take another step forward. ”I'd watch yourself. I have more power here than you think. Besides, the entire Chicago police force already has a hate on for your pack. Or have you not been called into the precinct? Ah, you have,” I say when recognition crosses their faces. ”Now then, let me get back to helping Avery land this girl he has his eyes on. That way, we'll keep helping you to live.” They look ready to hesitate and I shift my weight. A shadow seems to wrap itself around me to make me look taller. The pack cowers before dispersing.

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”I lost her,” I say in annoyance. I ball my hands into fists and Caden looks at me. His alpha is still strong and I back down, staring at our feet. I feel the magic dispel and Caden squeezes my arm. I look up and he's Caden again.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Kimiko is no longer alone. The girl she noticed from before is there. The bathroom door locks and the woman speaks.

“Get out here, murderer. I know it's you killing all those men.”

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”Hey,” I set my tea down and cup her cheek. “I don’t really care what people will think - two of the most important people in my life love you almost unconditionally already.” I show her a smile. “And don’t forget, I’m going to start training with Avery and Caden. Plus, I do know how to defend myself pretty well.”

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I watch Caden and Avery as they leave the table again only to be stopped by more puppies. Tilting my head with mild interest, I watch Caden’s next move and raise my eyebrows. This must be his ‘alpha presence’ or whatever Avery had explained in the car.

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I sigh loudly and let out a little groan of frustration that my recharge was interrupted. “I’m not the murderer, but I’m looking for them.” Since I wasn’t even using the toilet, I unlock the stall door and open it to step out, recognizing the woman who’d ‘sniffed’ me out earlier. Before I put my phone in my pocket, I dial Caden.

I put my hands up to show I’m not trying to start a fight or anything. “It’s the perfume I’m wearing - you’ve smelt it before so you followed me into the restroom. That’s why you think I’m the murderer, but I’m not.” I keep my tone even, not really knowing what this woman might be planning to do.

“Will you tell me what happened? I might be able to help.” I don’t want to use anything until I know who I’m dealing with.

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Nic's gentle touch and voice almost undo me. I shut my eyes to keep from crying and I take a shaky breath in. ”I know… I'm just worried,” I say again.

It's not so difficult for me or Caden to run head first into trouble. We do it all the time and we've gotten hurt but we recover. However, some of the things that hurt us, a human would not always recover from.

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My phone starts to vibrate in my pocket and I pull it out. I put the phone to my ear and hear Kiki talking then another woman's voice. Thankfully I hear Kiki announce they are in the washroom. I point to Avery and then to the back. The two of us make our way to the bathrooms. I keep listening on the phone as we go.

The woman frowns at Kimiko when they walk out of the stall. They hold a silver knife in their hand and have it aimed at Kimiko. “You're hunting them? Then what's with the perfume?”

”It was used to draw someone out who may know who or what we are looking for,” I say. I walk into the bathroom, holding my hands out.

The woman jumps and looks frightened as she points the knife between us all. Her fangs drop and she hisses at us. So vampires are getting involved, great.

”We want to get to the bottom of this, just like you. Can you tell us anything?”

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I pluck her teacup and set it down near mine before I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close but making sure not to squeeze the life out of her. I rest my chin on her head while I talk. “We’ll take it one day at a time, okay?” I rub my hands up and down her back in a soothing manner.

“Besides, I’ve managed to stay alive this long, haven’t I?” I kiss her head.

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“I’m glad to see you got my call.” I say to Caden, pulling my phone back out to disconnect the call before I turn to the vampire currently hissing at us. It’s a good thing I didn’t try using Charm or Mind Manipulation with her - those typically won’t work on vamps since they’re able to compel.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be caught dead in this perfume otherwise. So please, let us help you.”

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I don’t even register that Nic takes my tea cup. I just know it's gone one minute, and then I’m surrounded by him the next. I wrap my arms around him, my hands splaying to hold onto him more. I'll never understand how he makes me feel so small and safe, but I appreciate it now. It reminds me that my worries are just my anxieties.

I nod, my face in his chest, as I selfishly inhale his scent to calm me. I turn my head for a moment to breathe normally and respond. ”I know.” I hold onto him for a bit longer before I wiggle and look up at him. ”If you get killed on my watch. I’m going to bring you back and kill you again,” I partially joke.

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The woman looks between us, fear plain on their face, but recognition also forms when they see me. “You work with the police. The ones that know about us.”

”I do. Kimiko, can you go check on Nero? Keep the act up a bit and pretend you want to go home with them,” I suggest. My eyes never leave the vampire’s eyes. ”My name is Caden, and this is Avery. Can you tell us who or what you think is doing this? You have a pure silver knife. Do you think it’s a shifter or a werewolf?”

The vampire shakes and lowers the knife. “Mage. And no, not a shifter and not a werewolf. Of course, I can see how everyone thinks it’s a wolf.” She glances at Avery, and he huffs, crossing his arms. “I work in the supernatural district. A new girl moved in and was taking over some of my turf. She was taking some of my more regular clients, and then soon, they stopped coming altogether. I even had a few out-of-towners. Anyway, I didn’t think much of it other than losing business, but the other day, one of them was found dead, and then the others were reported missing. I think it’s her, but I don’t know what she is.” She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture. It’s blurred and not the greatest, but I text it to myself.

”Did you see anything? Fangs, claws, flashing eyes? Something that would change?”

“They can shift but not like other shifters. They only have one form, and it’s animalistic. They have claws but nothing that I’ve seen before.”

I open the photo album on my phone and search for the claw picture. ”Did it look like this?”

The vamp nods. ”Exactly like that.”

”Have they been on your street since the news dropped?”

“No, that’s why I came here. To see if she was lying low. When I smelt your friend, I thought I had her or someone like her.”

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I laugh fully, letting my hold on her loosen. “Can’t you just let me stay alive if you’re going to bring me back?” I ask teasingly with a raised brow. The idea of death should scare me more, but as a medical professional, I know death - at least natural deaths - is something that happens. Part of me also likes the idea of being able to spend more time with Cass too. I brush her hair a little with my hand.

“Are you actually able to bring someone back though?” I ask, curious now.

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Someone sits down next to me and I glance over to see Kiki. She looks me up and down before handing me a new drink with a sly smile. I take it happily.

“Didn’t I see you dancing with someone earlier?” She asks coyly.

I don’t know where Caden ended up, but I try to play along. “Are you offering me a dance” I ask but I also silently plead to not go back on the dance floor.

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I curl back into Nic when he asks about necromancy. I lay my head across his beating heart. It’s not beating at its typical rhythm, but It’s alive and well. I let my eyes close. ”I could if I wanted to, but it takes something from me if I do. I’d lose my tie to the land if I dove into dark magic that fully,” I inform him. Instead of creating life, I would kill it wherever I went. Ironic since I would be bringing a human back to life.

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”Hmm, looks like we have some research to do. If you see them again, call me. I sent the picture to my phone so you have my number now. Avery, we should get going.”

Avery eyed the vampire before he nodded. I thanked Mage before we left the bathroom, and I went in search of Nero and Kiki.

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I watched her face carefully, automatically wrapping my arms more around her as she curls into me. I rest my cheek on her head as I contemplate my next words, inhaling her scent for a moment. “So you’re definitely not going to ever do that.” I say. The amount of guilt I would feel if she brought me back just to succumb to darkness herself would be immense. I want to tell her not to do anything like that if I died, but I don’t really want to broach that conversation right now, not when we just started.

“Right now, we’re both alive and we should enjoy that.” I move my head to kiss hers, massaging her back lightly again with my hands.

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I slip on a cocky grin. “Maybe I am?” I say, licking my lips lightly, but I’m blindsided when Nero prances off at full speed. I turn to follow her with my eyes and see her pounce onto Caden with a goofy grin. I try to pretend to be upset that I lost my target, but it’s hard not to smile at how adorable that was. I finish my scotch and get up to get a new drink from the bar.

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I don't respond. I just hold onto him until the door dings, announcing another customer. I pull back from Nic.

”I'm sure I've monopolized enough of your time. Your dad is probably worried,” I say. In the front, I can hear the customer greeting the cats. Another reason I have cats. To keep my customers busy while I'm preoccupied.

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I barely have time to respond to being blindsided by Nero. They jump into my arms, crushing me by wrapping their arms and legs around me and I laugh.

”Hast du mich vermisst, kleiner Kobold?”

Avery slips away and makes his way back to the bar, mission complete for tonight.

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I reach the bar at the same time Kimiko does. I internally sigh, but order two more drinks. ”How much longer are you staying?” My tone is normal but I try to make my body language look like I'm still interested for anyone watching us. I figured it would be good to maintain Kimiko's cover even though we are done here.