Days Gone Bad by Eric Asher Read Free Book Online

can honestly say I did no such thing.”
    I sighed and rubbed my hand on my cheek. “Uh-huh, so who did?”
    Foster’s eyes flicked to the side then back to me as Aideen landed next to him. Her movements were slow and flowing, nothing like the quick jerks and twitches of a human.
    I did a double take as I realized what Foster’s eye flick meant. “Aideen?” I stared at her as a small flame of suspicion kindled in my gut.
    She shrugged and her lips slowly pulled up into a smile. “They both seemed lonely.”
    “What did you do?” I said as I narrowed my eyes.
    Her smile widened without showing any teeth. “No magic, I only spoke with Sam about giving Frank a chance. You know she needs more in her life than you and your parents.”
    “But,” I sighed and my eyes trailed back to Frank and Sam, laughing, together. “Frank? Just because a rat and a hawk are lonely doesn’t mean they should be friends.”
    “You trust him, do you not?” Aideen said.
    I stared at the fairy and images of flyswatters flitted across my brain. I sighed and rubbed my chin stubble. “Damn I need to shave.”
    “Damian?”
    “Yeah, I trust him.”
    “And would you care if Sam accidentally ate Frank?” Foster said. Aideen glared at him.
    “Hmm, I see where you’re going here.”
    Aideen slapped Foster in the back of the head and fluttered toward the back room.
    I stared at Sam with her perfectly straight black hair, flared jeans, and thin black leather jacket. She put her hand on Frank’s forearm and laughed again. It was good to see her in high spirits. Frank was not her type in oh so many ways, but if it made her happy, even for a little while, who was I to stand in the way of that? I sighed and headed toward the counter, Zola chuckling behind me.
    “Hey, Sam.”
    She turned and glanced at me before her gaze tracked down to the small woman beside me. “Zola!” Sam blipped out of existence and was suddenly hugging Zola like a long lost teddy bear. I guess in some ways she was just that. Zola treated Sam like a daughter and in turn Zola was like a mother to Sam, having helped her retain much of her own aura and personality when she was first turned. Our parents didn’t take it too well when Sam became a vampire.
    When Sam eased off a bit, I said, “Frank, this is Zola Adannaya. Don’t piss her off.”
    Zola extended her hand and shook Frank’s. “A pleasure, son.”
    Frank was wearing black slacks and an awful blue polyester shirt. He nodded and managed a crooked smile. He’d heard some stories about Zola, so I can see why he was a bit intimidated.
    “Thanks for watching the store Frank. The place looks great.”
    His eyes moved back to me, crooked smile still plastered to his face. “No sweat, Damian. Foster helped me out. A lady came in looking for a few types of feathers and I had no idea what was what. Foster took care of it. Talked a few customers into some of your jade charms, too.”
    My eyes widened. Those weren’t cheap and rarely sold. “Really?”
    “Yep, the big one went for three hundred.” Frank’s smile straightened out a bit. His eyes shifted to Sam. “You mind if I take off, Damian?”
    “Not at all. I’m going to drag you into my next meeting with our gemstone dealer. Maybe you’ll be good at buying. We do alright, but I do manage to pick out some shelf warmers.”
    Frank smiled and nodded as he started pulling his windbreaker on.
    “I’ll walk you out,” Sam said.
    Frank and Sam. Sam and Frank. I thought, no, I hoped, she was just being polite, but once Frank had his coat on, Sam slipped her arm through his and leaned into him a bit. I rubbed my face and blew out a breath. My brain hurt.
    A flash of fairy shot through the door and into the shop as Sam and Frank walked out.
    I heard a whistle followed by a voice I didn’t recognize saying, “Woo hoo sexy girl!”
    Sam lit up like she was having an allergic reaction. The blush was an absolute spectacle against her pale skin.
    I heard Foster