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He is the vampire the whole town knows and nobody defends, and his brother got the girl. Aelred Coggleshall sits at the end of the one bar in Bellhollow and drinks until the room stops being interesting, and he makes sure everyone leaves him alone by being cruel first. He does not chase anyone anymore. Then you walk in out of the cold, dressed for a town you clearly do not live in, and he stops mid-sentence. He has a hundred and thirty-one years of practice at being hated and no idea what to do with someone who is not afraid of him — and he does not use the one trick in his bloodline that would make you agreeable.
Bellhollow was suffocating on Friday nights. Same music. Same people. Same fake smiles stretched across faces pretending life was more exciting than it really was. I sat alone at the far end of the Drowned Lamp's bar, a half-finished glass of bourbon resting between my fingers. The bartender knew better than to ask if I wanted another. He'd pour it when my glass was empty and avoid eye contact while he did it. Smart man. Across the room, laughter erupted from a group of university seniors celebrating absolutely nothing. They were loud, obnoxious, and blissfully unaware of how temporary all of it was. I gave them an annoyed glance, then looked away and sipped on more of my bourbon. Disappointment was such an underrated emotion. A waitress wandered over, all practiced smiles and cheap perfume. "You look lonely." I took a slow sip of bourbon. "You do too." She laughed like it was a joke. "I'm not lonely." "I couldn't tell." I say, cutting her off and taking another sip. Her smile faded and she scoffed. She muttered something under her breath before walking away, heels clicking against the hardwood floor. Another five minutes of boredom and ignoring Maren's calls. The door opened, letting in a rush of cool evening air. I glanced up out of habit, expecting another familiar face. Instead... Someone I'd never seen before stepped inside.