Twisted Tales: Vampire Bites By Midnight (Malleus x Reader)

Fang 6: Fateful Encounter

Gwendolyn reached down and rubbed Grim's head as she placed her other hand on her knees.

"Nice to see you, Grimmy!" She said with a big toothy smile.

After you finished exchanging pleasantries, she unveiled the aluminum foil to reveal a large tray of brownies.

You were sure Grim was drooling waterfalls, though you couldn't hold it against him since the smell was appetizing enough for yours to do the same.

Gwendolyn flashed one of her big grins, the talisman around her neck falling out of her shirt as she tilted her body.

"Dig in! I've made more than enough!"

As Grim did just that by taking two brownies in each paw and devouring them in one bite, you heard a knock at the door.

When you opened it after munching into the warm, gooey brownie, Carter, Deuce, and Jack were all waiting inside with smiles on their faces.

Deuce dropped whatever he had in his hands that was wrapped in gift paper as you opened the door for them and explained how they all came together to check on you.

"We saw Carter down the street from the convenience store and decided to come together," Jack added.

"I woulda came to visit last week but I was super busy atm," Cater added in his usual chipper tone, "But now that I'm here I've got so much stuff I need to show you from Magicam!"

You looked around for Ace and once you asked, Jack and Deuce's smiles faded.

"Yeah, he opted out," Deuce spoke flatly, "I brought his apology gift on his behalf."

He gestured toward the gift-wrapped item he set down earlier.

"...Who's this?"

Everyone's eyes trailed to Gwendolyn, who smiled her usual smile and offered her brownies.

"Nice to finally meet all your friends!"

She clasped her hands together before introducing herself.

"My name is Gwendolyn Goldhare. I own a coffee shop a couple of miles down."

"Eh?" Carter pipped up. "Would it happen to be next to a bakery?"

"Yes."

"Ooh! You're next to Trey's parent's shop!" He beamed, clapping his hands.

"You know Trey?!" She said excitedly, standing up.

Deuce came forward and grabbed a brownie.

"Both of us do."

Gwen, Carter, and Deuce immediately hit it off, talking about Trey's baking and how they visit his place from time to time.

As you watched them converse, you caught Jack staring at her intently, sniffing the air.

He didn't seem to notice you, but you decided to ignore him for now.

After everyone enjoyed their brownies, you walked Carter and Deuce to the door and waved your goodbyes.

Jack was talking to Gwen, though you couldn't hear what they were saying.

Grim was passed out on the couch with his fattened stomach bobbing and weaving as he breathed, bits of chocolate still on the corners of his mouth.

You decided to look at the gift Deuce gave you and tore at the wrapping paper and your brows widened at the silver compass in your hands.

It had to have been expensive given how beautiful and new it looked.

The chain had a hook that fitted perfectly around the loop of your shorts and the chain wasn't too long so you could wear it around your person without worrying about it falling off.

You'd have to thank them later.

Gwen's back was towards you so you couldn't tell what her expression was or glean what their conversation detailed but from Jack's twinned brows you could get that it wasn't going as well as Carter and Deuce's.

When she turned she had a bothered expression and walked away without saying a word.

You asked Jack what happened but he wouldn't tell you anything before he left, just brushing it off as a misunderstanding.

You let the notion drop but you were determined to get some answers tomorrow.

☦☦☦☦☦☦☦

At the bus stop, you had a bag of groceries in your hand, planning today's dinner.

You waited for hours and even missed the first bus to wait for her, but Gwendolyn never showed up.

Grim started complaining about having to wait in the sweltering heat so you took the next bus and went home.

Later on, after a good meal, you heard a knock at the door and a familiar voice asking to come in.

(A few minutes later)

"Oh no, Jack wasn't rude to me or anything," she explained over a cup of coffee, "he was just a little weird."

She grimaced when she said, "weird".

You and Gwendolyn were in the living room while Grim was practicing his fire magic outside.

You chuckled, knowing how she must've felt.

"Did he pressure you into wearing your talisman?" you asked with a grin.

She nodded unsmilingly.

"Yes, he did. He was quite pushy about it and wanted to exchange numbers with me, but I declined."

A glint of guilt shined in her blue eyes.

"I didn't mean to come across as rude to him, but I don't like pushy people. It didn't help that he started talking about dreams."

You cocked your head; you must have looked uncomfortable because Gwendolyn gave you a concerned look.

You told her about the strange dreams you had but left out the details of the covers incident.

Her brows twinned.

"Actually," she paused as she sat her cup down. "I've had dreams as well. Though never about someone chasing me."

You blinked.

"If anything, I was the one doing the chasing."