Dedication:

 For Mom, who read my first stab at fiction and texted  back, “Fuck, it’s actually pretty good.” Your confidence  propelled me from spreadsheets and PowerPoint to  chapters. Thanks for the nudge—look what you started. 

 “Is it over?” A deep voice echoed through the entrance. 

“Yeah, but not before he could rip out his latest victim’s throat.” With a heavy sigh, she tossed her hunting kit into the nearby bin and knelt to unzip her scuffed and worn-out black steel-toed boots. “A final ‘fuck you’ to the world, I suppose.” 

The voice’s owner, a stout fur-covered figure, waddled up to her on all fours, despite the blood still streaking her from the recent confrontation. “You did everything you could, boss. You know that,” he said gently.  

“Doesn’t really matter, though, does it?” She pulled off the torn jacket, spattered Nirvana T-shirt, and sword holsters with an unconscious growl. Flinging them with excessive force into the nearby laundry basket, causing tiny droplets of blood to dislodge and fly onto the off-white wall behind it, she cursed. “Damn it! Whatever. I’ll clean it later." 

The small dog leaned into nuzzle her legs. “Argo, the outcome was still the same for her. She didn’t stand a chance. I should have gotten there sooner.” 

At her words, the corgi tilted his head to the side, a furrow forming on his brow, and after a brief moment, it was as if he’d reached a decision. He crouched and lowered his snout to the ground, his eyes fixed up on Alex, and she found herself struggling to resist the overwhelming cuteness emanating from his wide, puppy eyes. There was an unmistakable plea for cuddles and pets in his gaze, a silent but irresistible request for affection that seemed to radiate from him in palpable waves of doggy love. 

Then, with a burst of flying fur, he sprang to his feet and began to twirl in a tight circle, knowing it was Alex’s kryptonite. His little corgi butt wiggled with joy as he repeated the dizzying motion again and again, as if demanding she look at his fluffy booty with each pass. Finally, he settled back on his haunches, looking at Alex, his message clear: “I’m ready for some love, boss.” 

“Oh my god, not fair," she said smiling, then took a deep, slow breath to clear the anger and guilt crowding her mind.

Not many people could stand up to something like a vampire and get out alive. Alex could. What kind of person would she be if she didn’t try to help those that the monsters saw only as prey, often those that society had already discarded? But she had failed tonight, and the shame wore on her even with Argo’s excellent efforts to distract her. 

“Okay, okay. I get it. You’re too cute to be too serious for too long. I bow to your superior disposition,” Alex acknowledged, then dropped down to her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around Argo’s furry little red and white shoulders. She kissed him on each side of his mouth and once on top of his soft, fleecy head, getting a sloppy blue tongue kiss from him in turn. She then buried her face into the thick, fuzzy fur around his neck, releasing the pent-up guilt in one long, breathy sigh. 

“All right, then. Time to get ready, I suppose,” She said. “It’s an important day at work.” Somebody had to pay the bills, after all, and having to buy new body armor every couple of weeks wasn’t cheap. She stood up, giving Argo one last pat on the head, and began walking to the shower connected to her small bedroom. “Do you mind getting breakfast and the morning papers ready?” 

“Sure thing, boss. Take your time. I assume bacon and eggs are on the menu after that battle?” 

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” she said from the bedroom doorway, beginning to peel off her tight black yoga pants, using the frame for balance. 

“And the latest on sugar abroad, plus any company emails that came in earlier this morning?” Argo inquired. 

She groaned, “Crap, I had forgotten about that during the hunt.” She shrugged out of her functional black panties and sports bra, tossing the rest of her non-bloodied clothes into a separate hamper in the room. “Thanks, dude. You take good care of me.” 

"Of course, boss. The trade is fair, and besides, you’ve grown on me. Either way, how would you afford the premium salmon treats and regular grooming visits if you lost your job?” 

"Too true, you stinker," she chuckled to herself, closing the door behind her.