©2026, Vampires Love Garlic – Ashley Chapman

Cissa smells like Dior and bergamot.

Vampire Rule Number 5:

All vampires have an extraordinary sense of smell.

Okay. Not necessarily a rule, but as a general principle, we have supernatural senses in the scent department. We have to. Our survival rides on being able to smell blood and stay hydrated. We’d make better search-and-rescue dogs than the bloodhounds the police use. When Covid hit, that really took a toll on us, not in the realm of casualties, but most definitely in the ability to find blood. We had to rely heavily on blood bags and pills, and there was no enjoying the occasional blood wine because we couldn’t taste anything.

It’s Monday. I’m supposed to be bringing Narcissa to the Broughton Café, and out she comes smelling like a Johnny Depp commercial. She’s wearing a Harvard hoodie that smells as though it’s been drowned in his signature cologne. She’s paired that overpowering look with a pair of jeans and some ankle boots.

“This is a new look,” I comment as she grabs her wallet from the kitchen island and stuffs it into her back pocket. “And a new…smell. Didn’t realize you liked wearing men’s cologne.”

She looks over her shoulder and smirks at me.

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“Not that particular scent, no.” I look her over and shake my head. “I’ve never seen you in anything that didn’t scream designer brand. We’re going for casual today?”

“We’re going to see Heather at her work. Truth be told.” She sighs and braids her hair back. “I really enjoyed our tour of the historic district yesterday, McKenzie, but I’ve had enough of the paparazzi following us around. I feel like they’ve finally caught on to the fact that you’re engaged and they tried to sneak every picture they could. It made me almost want to tear someone apart. So I’m going for a look that blends in. Also, this outfit is really comfortable.” She waves to her getup.

“That doesn’t explain the cologne.”

“If you must know.” Her cheeks turn pink, and I swear this is the first time I’ve ever seen this woman blush. “I met someone in California. Don’t worry. He isn’t as handsome as you are, and I won’t be breaking off our engagement. I think our families would go to war if we ended things now.”

“Oh? Who is this mystery man?”

I reach into my foyer closet and look at my options.

It’s nearly freezing out and raining. I’m not willing to look as casual as Narcissa does. I never know when I’ll run into a client or business partner.

I reach for a dark green overcoat, not the usual black, and pull it on.

“His name’s Robbie.” Narcissa buttons up my coat for me, then loops a red-and-black plaid scarf around my neck. “He’s a celebrity lawyer. I met him at one of my dad’s medical conventions. He seemed really intrigued by the work Dad’s been doing with different blood ‘medicines.’”

She air-quotes “medicines.”

We both know Kline Industries is making different blood supplements for vampires under the guise of studying blood-borne illnesses and diseases. Finneas Kline has made some real breakthroughs. He’s been experimenting with a pill designed to hit the bloodstream faster than drinking from a human does. It’s supposed to replenish all the blood that’s evaporated by the sun in a matter of minutes. I’m proud to be one of his sponsors. It’s one of the many reasons why it’s important Narcissa and I marry. Business as well as bloodlines.

“What drew you to Robbie?” I ask as we leave my Victorian mansion on Forsyth and make our way to Broughton.

“His eyes.”

Her voice takes on a dreamy air that would usually make me laugh, but today I want to hear what she has to say.

“He has gorgeous gray eyes that sparkle when he laughs. He’s forty-five, and he’s never been married. He’s so wonderfully, ridiculously human.” She laughs, looping her arm through mine.

The rain is a miserable drizzle, but her enthusiasm for Robbie fills me with a flicker of warmth. I should be jealous, I suppose. That would be the appropriate natural response when hearing one’s fiancée gushing about some other man. Instead, I find it fascinating. We’re not supposed to be with humans, and yet Narcissa is willing to go against all restrictions for a forty-five-year-old lawyer.

“He drinks Budweiser and watches football on the weekends.” She wrinkles her nose. “He ditches his business suits for jerseys, and his arms…” She sighs wistfully. “His arms are covered with tattoos. He was in the Army before he became a lawyer. One night, when he was drunk, he let a buddy tattoo ‘I love Bama,’ on his butt, and he’s been an Alabama fan ever since.”

“Your man has an ass tattoo?”

She nudges her elbow into me.

“Isn’t it romantic?”

“An ass tattoo?”

“No! How human he is! We would never get a tattoo there! Come to think of it…” She pauses and taps her lips with her finger. “We’d never get drunk. Can we even get drunk? I’ve never tried it.”

“We can get tipsy.” I grimace, thinking about my over-consumption of blood wine a week and a half ago.

It really is miserable out.

Vampire Rule Number 6:

Vampires are cold most of the time.

This one’s actually a true theory about my kind. My body temperature is usually lower than the average human. Since vampirism is a blood condition, it makes me more susceptible to cold, and damn if I can’t feel it today. There’s something about the dreary fog, the icy sleet, and the chilly breeze that makes me want to turn around, go back home, and start a fire. My skin is covered in goosebumps, and I’m beginning to get thirsty.

Not a particularly pleasant combination of sensations.

“Is this it?” Narcissa asks, drawing me from my brooding. “‘The Broughton Café?’”

I nod and open the door for her.

It’s warm and cozy inside. The air smells of coffee and baked goods, and my stomach growls.

“I know you tried the latte for me,” Narcissa says, leading me over to the counter. “But what do you like to eat here? And I know, I know.” She teases, tapping me on the nose. “If I order you a bagel, no capers.”

“You’re not ordering anything. I’ll take care of it.”

“Mr. Bristol!” Jen, with her curly blonde hair and big blue eyes, bounces over to the counter. “It’s so nice to see you!”

I can nearly hear her heart jumping out of her throat.

“What can I get for you this morning?”

“Hello, Jen.”

The girl’s knees are all but knocking together. I can feel her excited energy wrapping around me, the thrill she got when I said her name.

“Is Heather in today?” I ask.

“No.”

Her face falls.

“She called out sick.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry she’s sick,” Narcissa says gently. “This weather could make anyone sick.”

“Well…” Jen pauses, considering. She thinks for a minute, wondering what she should say, and then shrugs her shoulders. “She had a big test this weekend, and she failed it. She worked really hard, and I think she’s just sad. So not sick.” She smiles faintly. “Just upset.”

She proceeds to put in my usual order of a latte and bagel, knowing to leave the capers off. I order a slice of quiche and a second latte for Narcissa, then guide her to my table in a small nook of the café. It’d be a great make-out spot, and I pull a chair out for Narcissa before sitting across from her.

She’s studying my face like I’m trying to hide something.

“What?” I ask.

“No concern for Heather? None at all?”

“Narcissa, if you’re trying to find justification to like Robbie because I find Heather intriguing, then you’re going to have to find your justification elsewhere.” I sit back and cross one leg over the other. “I know my place. I know hers. Do you know yours?”

“A bit snippy, aren’t we?” She leans forward and smiles. “Tell me, McKenzie. Have you smelled her blood yet?”

“Of course I have.”

We can’t help but smell blood pulsing beneath human skin. It’s a source of survival for us, should all other blood provisions fail.

“Cissa.” I relax my voice and sit back, draping my arms over the chair. “Why are you so set on me being interested in Heather? She’s a barista at this café. I’ve ‘known’ her for little more than a week. I’ve shared the barest of conversations with her. She is lovely.” I confess, watching Jen carry our tray of food to our table. “But I know very little about her.”

Narcissa thanks Jen and sighs as our food and coffee are set before us.

“I’m wishing we could both find love,” she says softly, once Jen is out of earshot. “That’s all, McKenzie. I think I’ve found it, but I can’t have it. I don’t blame you. Not at all. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could…at least have a little spark?”

Vampire Rule Number 7:

Vampires are spontaneous.

We have to be. We’ve survived this long by thinking on our feet and attacking prey for sustenance.

Narcissa uses her speed and quick thinking for another purpose entirely.

Before I get a chance to look at my latte, she leans across the table and presses her lips to mine.

Sauvage Elixir- Lavanda Viva

Love Johnny’s Sauvage commercials 🙂 I don’t own them.