She swiped her screen and noticed a new notification. On instinct she tapped on the icon and was presented with a high-resolution video complete with audio. Now I know why it took her so long.

After watching for a couple of minutes with her jaw agape, Clara figured a reply was needed. I’ll have to get back to this video later…when I have more time to appreciate it…

“Perfectly imperfect,” Clara said and realised that it was far too hot for her to stay in the tub.

Clara: Wow! Well played.

Evelyn: All thanks to you. 🥵

It surprised Clara that she did not receive a picture in return, but Evelyn might have been busy. For all she knew the vampire had just finished sending a lover into one of her famous sex-induced stupors.

The imagery that came from that thought got under her skin. Her wet thumbs went white from pressing against the screen, which popped the phone from her hands and sent it plopping into the water. As her eyes glowed blue, Sparky laughed maniacally. 

“Horsefeathers,” Clara swore.

That emotional lapse was highlighting her vulnerability. Clara buried the voice, banishing Sparky to the deepest recesses of her mind. Once centred, she reached for her phone, and shook it vigorously.

She lifted one of her silky smooth gams out of the water, lined up the camera and took the shot. The glass of wine left in the background would give the shot a bit of class, but doubted such detail would matter to the recipient.

Clara was tempted to send something more provocative, but worried the message would get intercepted. She had no desire for her black wings to make rounds through the Internet again. This less risqué version would do, besides Evelyn could stand to be teased.

Evelyn: That’s hot!

Clara: You like? 😉

Evelyn: I love it! 🤤

“Life is never a straight path,” Clara said. 

Her life involved working through one tangled mess after another. The Tower aimed to push the acolytes to the brink of insanity. Hunting was a perpetual meat grinder of danger wrapped up as a thrill and adventure. 

It was ironic that her stint in Heaven had been a torturous bore. After being barred from returning, Clara thought it fitting to settle down with a great gal and live a normal life. To be honest, that choice tasted like a heaping bowl full of ash and dust.

Evelyn was wild, unpredictable, and perfectly imperfect. For one moment in her life Clara had experienced pure and utter bliss by putting her faith in someone else. Just a fragment of the memory from that moment was enough to warm her berry patch, and that said a lot about how vivid the imagery was. If only my guilt would subside…

“Fuck this,” Clara said.

The answer was obvious, and unexpectedly her heart raced in anticipation. Still, another part of her wanted it to be someone else. She noticed the notification, and after unlocking her phone confirmed the details. I’d take a message from Evelyn over that lawyer any day.

While her deepest desires remained fixed on Elizabeth, that empty conversation window taunted her still. It was a vicious cycle: write, hesitate, and delete in frustration. For someone who went to war against a pack of werewolves, this was a bizarre hill to die on.

Clara sighed in frustration. At least she had a distraction tonight to keep from running aground on the shores of guilt. She clicked on the conversation to see what Evelyn had to say.

Evelyn: You’ve been naughty! 😘

To unwind, Clara ran a hot bath and turned on the jets. While an unfamiliar experience, she fell in love with the combination of heat, pressure, and bubbles. If only it weren’t so loud.

With wings unfurled, she sank into the water and let the heat and bubbles work their magic. For the first time in weeks, all was quiet on the Western Front.  I wonder if being in my natural form put the sisters on mute?

Clara luxuriated in that silence until her phone sent pulses through the metal frame of the tub.

“I wonder who that could be,” Clara said grimly.

That party at the pub had been a lot of fun, a reminder of what she had been missing by not taking an active role.

Building alliances, finding her way back to the Tower and dealing with Ada could wait. Life was like an in-basket. No matter how much work she put in, the pile always got bigger. 

Occasionally it proved to be cathartic to toss it all into a fire and walk away. For Clara, hunting had such an effect on her. She was free to shine a bright light on the dark corners of the world and it make life safer for those who knew nothing of things that went bump in the night. 

“Seems reasonable,” Clara said.

Joseph grumbled, beating himself over losing an opportunity to extort more money from her. Clara smiled and reached out for Evelyn’s card.

“Cash only,” Joseph said.

“Oh,” Clara replied. “I don’t have that much on me.”

He gave her the once over and said, “Well, I suppose we could come to an arrangement…”

Great, I happened across the dirty old man’s version of a drugstore cowboy…

“Mon cher,” Clara said. “While tempting, I know your heart is not up to the task.”

“Oh,” Joseph said, in a muted tone.

“Is there a cash—” Clara said.

“You can transfer the funds…” Joseph said in defeat. “The price goes up twenty per cent.”