Sucker Punch (First Fangs Club #3) - Kristen Painter Page 0,32
made her feel like she was going through puberty and menopause at the same freakin’ time. Delightful. And since she couldn’t feed, she wanted sugar.
A lot of it.
Thankfully, the pantry was well-stocked. Several packages of cookies took up one shelf. Charlie had obviously made up her assortment from these when she’d told Donna earlier she was a stress eater. Shortbread, wafers, chocolate-dipped rounds sprinkled with chopped nuts. They all looked British or Belgian. Maybe one was German.
In addition to those, there were some standard American selections, like Oreos and Fig Newtons.
The next shelf was dedicated to candy. M&M’s in both the plain and peanut varieties, then an assortment of gummy candies and a couple of boxes of fancy truffles. Beside them were stacks of assorted chocolate bars, baskets of peppermint patties and peanut butter cups, and a big package of cherry Twizzlers. There was even a tub of chocolate-covered espresso beans.
On yet another shelf were bags of caramel corn, marshmallows in two sizes and three flavors, and animal crackers. The placement of those next to tubs of frosting made it seem like they were there for dipping. There were also jars of peanut butter, Nutella, Marshmallow Fluff, and an assortment of jams.
Donna’s mouth watered as the aroma of the sweets filled her senses. Her stomach rumbled.
“Hungry?” Charlie asked.
Donna looked over her shoulder. “I can’t feed, so I need to indulge in something.” She went back to looking. “Sugar seems like the next best thing. Good thing we have a lot of it. Why do we have so much?”
“Claudette loved sugar. But I also adjusted the grocery order when Rixaline joined us. Being a teenager and all that.”
“Good call.”
“Did you see what’s on the left?”
Donna turned to look. A row of boxed cake and brownie mixes. Nearby sat a basket of add-ins, like chocolate chips, toffee chips, coconut flakes, and chopped nuts. The selections overflowed.
She shook her head. “I can’t wait for any of those to bake. I need something now.”
“Hopefully, you’ll be able to feed soon.”
Donna grabbed a small bag each of regular and peanut M&M’s, the Twizzlers, and a Three Musketeers bar. “That would be great. It would be even better if we had an antidote for whatever this is.”
Charlie nodded. “Yes.”
Jerabeth and Dr. Fox ran into the kitchen. He held up a test tube. “We’ve made a little progress.”
“And?”
“We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. We really need some new samples to test.”
Donna’s brows shot up. “You mean blood from different people?”
Jerabeth nodded. “Yes. Mine and Charlie’s came close to working, but not enough for us to think it was safe.”
Donna sighed. “I don’t know who else to ask.”
“That’s okay,” Charlie said. “I do. There’s a reason we live in a building filled with supernaturals. There’s an unwritten rule that says the tenants of Wellman Towers stick together.” She glanced at the doctor and Jerabeth. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
“Wait a second,” Donna said. “Are you seriously going to ask people in the building to donate blood?”
“Yes. Believe it or not, it won’t be the first time. It also won’t be the strangest request that’s been made in this building.”
“But I don’t want to be beholden to however many people live here.”
“Governor, come spring, when warm weather arrives, you can throw a blowout party on the roof and invite everyone. That will be repayment enough.”
“You’re sure?”
She smiled. “Have I steered you wrong yet?”
“No, you have not.”
“Back in a bit.”
Dr. Fox raised his hand. “If I may, this is going to take some time. Until then, we have no real way to combat the drugs. It might be best if you tried to sleep. For a vampire, it’s the next best thing to feeding. Not to mention, you have the raid coming up. Crashing then would not be good.”
“No, it wouldn’t be. And I’m happy to try. I just don’t think I can sleep with so much going on.”
Jerabeth stepped closer. “I can help with that. If you want help.”
“Sure. Worth a shot.”
“We should go to your bedroom.”
“Okay.” Donna headed in that direction, Jerabeth at her side.
“Thank you for including me in this,” Jerabeth said. “I know you’re unsure about me because of what happened on the roof, but I promise I will never betray you.”
“I know you won’t.” Donna glanced at the witch. “You’re welcome too. And thank you for agreeing to help.” She went into her bedroom.
Jerabeth followed, closing the door behind her. “Just lie down and get comfortable.”