After the initial shock....

Joey wasn’t exactly clueless when it came to supernatural fine print. Some of his favorite stories—The Monkey’s Paw, Wishmaster, Djinn—had drilled one very important lesson into his brain:

If something offers to grant your wishes… you ask a lot of questions first.

Preferably before you accidentally ruin your life.

“Okay,” Joey said, squaring his shoulders like he was about to negotiate a contract instead of standing on a dark roadside in grease-stained pants. “Let’s start with the basics. What should I call you?”

The woman smiled—slow, knowing, like she’d been waiting for that question.

“Cassandra.”

Joey nodded. “Alright. Cassandra.” He hesitated, then added, “Are you… human?”

“Short answer? No.” She tilted her head, studying him with open curiosity now. “Long answer… I used to be. A long time ago.” She gave a small shrug. “Now I’m what your stories would call a vampire.”

Joey blinked.

“A vampire,” he repeated, like saying it out loud might make it less real. Then his expression shifted. “Wait—does that mean you’re going to turn me into one?”

Cassandra’s lips curved, amused.

“Only if you ask me to,” she said lightly. Then she stepped a little closer, her voice softening just enough to feel intentional. “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why not?”

“Well…” She lifted a finger, counting off. “First, you’d technically be dead. Which means this little connection between us?” She gestured lazily between them. “Gone.”

“Oh.”

“Second,” she continued, her eyes flicking over him in a way that lingered just a second too long, “you’d be dealing with all the same rules I am. And trust me…” A faint smirk. “You’re not ready for that kind of lifestyle.”

Joey huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, okay. Fair.”

He paused, then narrowed his eyes slightly. “Wait. You said you can’t lie to me?”

“I can’t,” Cassandra said simply.

Joey stared at her.

She stared back.

One of her brows slowly arched.

“…You’re thinking too hard,” she said.

“I’m thinking just enough,” Joey shot back. “How do I know that’s true? I mean, if you could lie, that’s exactly what you’d say.”

Cassandra opened her mouth—

“I know!” Joey snapped his fingers, a little too proud of himself. “Tell me the sun is out.”

For a moment, she just looked at him.

Then her expression… broke.

Her brows pulled together. Her lips parted, but no words came out. A strained, strangled sound caught in her throat as her body tensed.

Joey’s confidence evaporated instantly.

“Uh…”

Then the blood started.

A thin line slipped from the corner of her eye. Then another from her nose. Then her mouth.

Joey’s stomach dropped out.

“Oh—oh, that’s bad—”

Realization hit him like a truck.

“You don’t have to say it!” he shouted, panic rising fast. “Forget it! You don’t have to say anything!”

The pressure snapped.

Cassandra staggered, catching herself as she sucked in a sharp breath. The tension drained from her face, and the bleeding slowed. She pulled a handkerchief from seemingly nowhere, dabbing at her face with surprising composure.

“Wow,” she muttered under her breath. “You went straight for ‘accidental ****.’ Bold move.”

“I didn’t mean to!” Joey said quickly. “I just—I was trying to check—are you okay?!”

She glanced at him, and something in her expression softened—just a little.

“I’ll survive,” she said. Then, after a beat, “But maybe don’t test my limits by trying to break me in half again.”

“Deal,” Joey said immediately. “Definitely deal.”

She folded the handkerchief neatly, then looked back at him—really looked this time. There was something new in her gaze now. Interest. Amusement.

“…You’re different,” she said.

Joey blinked. “Different how?”

“You panicked,” she said. “Most people wouldn’t. They’d be too busy seeing what else they could get away with.” Her lips curved faintly. “You stopped it.”

Joey shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “Yeah, well… didn’t seem like a great way to start things off.”

“No,” she said, softer now. “It didn’t.”

There was a brief pause.

Not awkward—just… charged.

Joey cleared his throat. “Okay, so… vampire,” he said, gesturing vaguely. “What does that actually mean for you? Because I’ve seen a lot of versions.”

His grin crept back in.

“Like, should I be worried about bats? Coffins? Or…” He gave her a sideways look. “Are you one of those that sparkles in the sun?”

Cassandra stared at him.

Then she laughed—low, genuine, and just a little dangerous.

“Oh, Joey,” she said, stepping closer again. “You have no idea what you just bound yourself to.”