Moonlit Depths Ch. 02

****Writer's Note--This story is a slow burn. I would love to hear feedback on the first piece I have written and published. Thank you!

Marigold awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. She turned it off and looked for Judas, who wasn't in his usual spot. She stretched as she got out of bed. Still, in her pajamas, she headed downstairs to make a cup of coffee and open the curtains. As she was pouring her coffee into a mug, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She finished pouring her cup and walked to her back door to find Judas perched outside on her balcony watching the ocean.

She closed the door a little louder than usual to let him know she was near.

'Good morning, I didn't expect you to be out here,' she communicated telepathically.

'I like to get some fresh air in the morning from time to time,' Judas rebutted.

'Do you want to come to the shop today? I'm closing again.' She took a seat on the white steps leading down to their private beach.

'Yes, I would. I'm hoping our new friend comes by again,' Judas snickered.

Marigold stopped mid-sip and looked at him with an annoyed glare. She wasn't going to be baited into further conversation about Callisto with Judas. Instead, she continued to look towards the ocean and closed her eyes.

It was cooler than yesterday, she noticed, as she wrapped her sweater closer to her body. After a few minutes, she stood up and began to walk down the remaining steps until her bare foot touched the cool, kneading sand. She felt her heartbeat increasing as she began walking closer to the shoreline. The waves were calm this morning, she inhaled deeply the crisp salty air, right before the water touched her feet. She took a sharp breath when the brisk water touched her skin. As she opened her eyes, she heard seagulls overhead and smiled at them. Her cell phone ringing took her out of the moment. It was Zora calling her which was out of the usual.

"Good morning Z, everything okay?" Marigold asked, as she drank the remainder of her coffee and headed back up the stairs to her back door. Judas was no longer on his perch, so she locked the door behind her.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to come in a bit early. It's been a crazy weird morning."

"Sure, I'll be there within the next twenty minutes. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"A large latte would be greatly appreciated!" Zora added, before she disconnected the call.

"Judas, we're leaving early. Come eat breakfast, while I finish getting dressed and packed up" she yelled through the house. Judas came trotting around the corner and was face-deep in his food.

Marigold jogged up the steps to pack up the rest of her items and get dressed for the day. She put on black jeans with a black-and-white-striped sweater and black boots. She walked to the bathroom and stared at the mirror thinking of ways to do her hair. She didn't have time to do much, so she sprayed water through it, fluffed it out, and decided to leave it as it was.

She turned off the light and walked downstairs to find Judas patiently waiting for her. She picked him up to put him in her bag and headed out the door. She put on her headphones and headed towards the shop.

---

Callisto was laying in his bed, reading an article from Business Insider and drinking a cup of tea. He had spent most of the remainder of the evening unpacking and getting things set up. The rest could wait--he mostly needed his office, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen set up. He placed the magazine on his nightstand and began to make his bed. Callisto was a very tidy person who liked to keep things presentable. Despite unpacking a few hours earlier, everything already had a place and was neatly organized.

After he made his bed, he got ready for his work day. He was a cyber security analyst in another vampire's start-up tech firm. He walked into his office to start up his computer and to check his schedule of meetings for the day. "A meeting in twenty minutes, perfect timing" he muttered to himself.

He walked out of the office and down the stairs to the kitchen. He raided the cabinets for sunflower seeds, dog food, and dried meat in a small bowl. He went outside to his back patio and placed the bowl on a small platform.

"Pepper, time for breakfast" he bellowed into the air. A raven swooped down from a nearby tree onto the platform and began to root through the bowl.

"Good morning, Pepper." I'll leave the door cracked if you wish to come in. I have a meeting coming up." Callisto turned around and into the kitchen to put away the remnants of Pepper's breakfast. Pepper was his companion who had been part of most of his adult life. Similar to a familiar, they were bonded and could communicate telepathically if needed.

Callisto walked back upstairs to change his clothes to get ready for his upcoming meeting. As he sat down, he wondered if Marigold was working as well, and considered visiting her later that evening.

--

"Wow, what is going on today?" Zora exasperatedly asked no one in particular.

Zora and Marigold had the busiest day they had had in weeks on top of the rest of the inventory showing up and needing to be cataloged. "Must be a full moon soon or something," Zora muttered, as she unpacked another box of dried herbs.

"No full moon yet, we still have another few days," Marigold informed her, as she walked a customer to the door. Marigold and Zora were exhausted; between inventory and the steady flow of customers, neither of them had a chance to have a moment of peace.

"I haven't even had a sip of my latte." Zora grabbed her coffee and headed to the back to put it in the microwave.

"I think we're going to close early tonight, so I can finish inventory.".

She placed a handwritten sign in the window stating that they would be closing early that evening.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help?"

"No, you handled the shop all this morning by yourself. You deserve a night off. Thanks for everything."

Marigold walked over to Zora and embraced her. Marigold encouraged Zora to leave for the day and locked the door behind her.

--

"Yes, I understand your concerns Alexandar, but I guarantee there will be no issues," Callisto reassured, as he was preparing to log out for the day.

"I will send you a follow-up email tomorrow about the details. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Callisto hung up the phone and shut down his computer. He looked over to Pepper, who was resting on a perch and appeared to be sleeping. Callisto walked out of his office and into his closet to change. He had been thinking about going back to see Marigold all day. Whether he was entering a season of heat, or was just lonely, didn't matter--he wasn't interested in looking into the reason. He put on a black sweater with black jeans and white sneakers. He walked to his hall closet for his jacket and hat before letting Pepper know he was leaving. He closed the back door, got into his car, and headed into town.

---

'Thank goodness all that is done,' Marigold thought, as she broke down the last of the cardboard boxes.

While it took longer to do it by herself, she finally finished a few hours later and was ready for dinner. Judas was fast asleep in the back; she would grab him on her way from eating dinner. Marigold threw on her jacket, locked the door, and headed to a late-night local diner. It was nothing fancy but the food was decent, and it usually was quiet this time of evening.

Callisto pulled up in front of Marigold's shop to see her closing the door and walking down the street. He sat in his car, observing her for a moment. Her coily hair was down and touching her shoulders, he felt the urge to run his hands through it. She went into a small diner and that was when he left the car to go follow her. Callisto walked inside the diner to see Marigold sitting in a booth by a window. She was holding the menu while looking out the window facing the ocean.

Callisto walked over to her and stood there, hoping that she would sense his presence, but she didn't. He cleared his throat which startled her, then she turned her attention toward him.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Marigold inquired as she squinted at him.

"I just happened to pass by and saw that you were here and wanted to chat. Is that okay?" Callisto replied, while staring at her intently.

"Right...well, since you made the drive down here to stalk me, you might as well have a seat. Isn't that how that works? I have to invite you?" Marigold smirked, as she kept eye contact while he slid into the booth across from her.

"That is not how it works. But you already knew that."

The server came over and took their orders. After their orders were taken, there was a tense silence between them.

"So it seems like we have some questions about each other. May I suggest we both let our guards down to get to know each other?"

Marigold sat there unmoved, scanning his appearance, trying to get a reading on him and his intentions. It was difficult for her to trust people, especially men. However, she knew that he had just as much to lose as she did if she betrayed him. The power was equally shared.

"I accept your proposal; however, we both reserve the right to pass on any question we desire, within reason."

"I can agree to that. Ladies first, then." Callisto gestured towards her as he drank his coffee.

"How old are you?"

"I'm 110 years old, pretty young...for my kind."

"How about you?"

"I'm sixty years old. Average lifespan is around 200-210 years, give or take."

"Why did you come here?"

"I had spent too much time in my previous town and needed new scenery. Other vampires recommended this place. Said it was quiet and low key."

"Yeah, it is. Those are a few of the reasons I picked it, too."

"Why have you been human for so long? You don't have a life back home that you want to go back to?"

Marigold knew that question was coming, perhaps she thought she had more time to compose a satisfactory answer. 'Should I answer it?' she thought. She suddenly became aware that he was watching her fidget with the silverware in front of her. As she began to open her mouth, the server came back to the table with their food, a much-needed distraction.

"I say we take a break and eat before getting into serious things, yeah?"

Callisto took the hint by observing how uncomfortable she was about the question.

He thought it would be a good idea to give her a change of topic before they came back to it.

As they enjoyed their dinner, Marigold and Callisto seemed to be enjoying each other's company. Callisto had a quick wit and dry humor that she appreciated. Marigold was honest to a fault, and had this air of unshakeable confidence that intrigued him. Her laugh was unapologetically loud and contagious; he wanted to hear her laugh more often.

"You know you never answered my question, is that a pass for you?"

Marigold stopped mid-laugh to look at him, slumped back against the booth. Her throat was suddenly dry and her hands were clammy.

"No, it's just not a reason I like to think or talk about," she sighed and continued. "I turned when I was around thirty. I was enjoying a 'land vacation' and met this man. We were spending a lot of time together and he figured out who I was. I suspected such and was preparing to return home, when I discovered that he had found my mirror and had taken it. If a human, especially a man, takes a mirror from a mermaid, then she is bound to him until he dies, the contract is broken, or she finds the mirror."

She paused and looked down at her empty plate, and felt anger rising from her core. "He held me captive, I thought my only option was to try and love him but my people killed him, and now I cant't return to the sea, " she rushed out, while closing her eyes.

Callisto could feel the anger radiating off of her body. He knew there was more to the story, but didn't want to push her. He cleared his throat to interrupt the pregnant silence between them.

"I believe it's your turn to ask a question."

"So do you drink blood, have fangs, and sleep upside down, or is that a bunch of human-created crap?"

His laughter startled her. It sounded amused and seemed to vibrate the booth.

Marigold drank in his appearance which was usually composed but was then relaxed and soft. She noticed the veins coming in and out of view in his neck as he laughed, and then saw the inklings of a tattoo on his neck under his sweater. As his face lit up, his smile was wide and pearly. Her attention then drew to his elongated canines.

"Marigold, these humans will say anything. Some of us drink human blood, some don't. I do when I am ill, need strength, or need to appear younger. I, however, buy my supply and don't need to hunt to feed. As you can see my teeth are a little more sharp than normal but not much because I don't feed that way. And sorry to disappoint, but I rest in bed like everyone else."

"Good, I was worried about you coming for my neck for a second." She chuckled softly, as she drank her remaining coffee.

"Just because I don't feed that way, doesn't mean you shouldn't be worried about me biting your neck," he said coolly.

She felt a chill run up her spine. 'What did this man just say?!' No doubt that he was attractive, but weren't all vampires? But if nothing else, she was curious where the conversation would go if she indulged him.

"Cal, are you flirting with me or is that vampire charm?" Her head cocked to the side with a sly grin, waiting for his reply.

Callisto normally hated nicknames, but when she called him Cal, it came across as playful and endearing. Dare he say, he liked it? He drank in her appearance as she sat there smugly waiting for his reply. Her glasses were perched against her petite nose, and her cheeks and nose were kissed with freckles that he found youthful.Her lips were soft, pouty, and a perfect shade of pink. Her eyes were a soft, deep brown that seemed to pull you into her, the more she spoke to you. His eyes rose to her coily black hair when he noticed that she had a streak of white in the front, framing her face. He wondered if he had overlooked that detail last time. There was no doubt that Marigold was attractive, but it was her quiet, cool confidence that made him want to find out more about her.

"No, I'm flirting with you. Do you like it?" he inquired with an amused soft smile.

Marigold felt heat in her cheeks and she felt her mouth form into a nervous smile.

"What I would like is to get back to Judas so we can head home," she said, as she hurried to put back on her coat and reached for her check.

His hand covered hers and she looked at him with a confused expression. "Let me, you were good company." He slid the check from under her hand and began gathering his coat to leave as well.

"Thank you, Cal, I hope to run into you again soon," She quickly said, attempting to leave before he could say anything else.

"I would like to walk you back to your shop or drive you home," she heard him ask, in a presumptuous way.

She froze with her hand on the door. While getting attention from an attractive man was nice, it hadn't ended so nicely when she played into it the last time. 'It's just a drive home, not a date," she assured herself.

"Umm, since it's late, I would appreciate a drive home," she said meekly, as she turned around to face him.

"I would love to." He paid the check and opened the door for her to walk out.

They walked back to the storefront in silence. He waited outside, while she gathered Judas and locked up. She made a mental note of what car he drove, but also the fact that he parked directly outside of her shop. "Happened to see you in the window, my ass," she muttered under her breath.

The drive to her house was short and quiet. Not the kind of quiet that was tense or awkward; the kind of silence that was full of unasked questions and unknown feelings. As she gave him directions to take the final turn into her secluded driveway, she began to feel anxious. 'He wouldn't ask to come in, would he?' The thought seemed to make the butterflies in her stomach turn into a frenzy.

She hadn't realized the car had stopped before he began to speak.

"Goodnight Marigold, I enjoyed this evening. Hope to see you around," he stated, as he placed his large cool hand on her thigh.

Before she could register that his hand was on her thigh, Judas popped out of the bag and nudged his hand. Callisto laughed and wished Judas sweet dreams before Marigold got out and walked to her front door.

She closed the door, placed her bag with Judas on the floor, and turned to look out the window to see if he was still outside. She saw his brake lights turning out of her driveway and realized she had been holding her breath since she left the car. 'Back to reality,' she whispered to herself as she looked down at Judas who was headed to the kitchen.

Callisto had wanted to kiss her, but could tell that she was on guard. He could feel the tension and anxiety radiating off of her. When he had placed his hand on her thigh, he felt her entire body tense up. He wondered if her reaction was connected to what she was afraid to go into at dinner. As he watched her walk to the door, he began to wonder what his connection was to her. Why was he so interested in spending time with her? He needed to understand what was going on.