Josef had been right. Marriage was Hell.
Raised voices—Mick couldn't even recall a single one of those arguments in detail. It always came back to trust, and the deceit their relationship had been built on. Sometimes Coraline's voice would become deathly quiet, below the range of human hearing. There was the smell of anger, which reminded him of how lightning smelled when it scorched the ground.
Then the fangs would come out, followed by hissing and growling and couches flying against walls. Mick put up a good fight, but she always won because Coraline was older, stronger, his sire. Their damn neighbors complained about what sounded like two wild animals killing each other. They weren't entirely wrong.
After the dust had settled and all the furniture was righted, Coraline would apologize, speaking softly, telling Mick how much she loved him. He had vowed to love this woman forever back when it was just a figure of speech, but now he loathed her, too; forever was a curse, not a gift.
Eventually Mick would leave, saying he'd had enough this time, door slamming behind him or falling from its hinges altogether.
"Take my advice, buddy, and get out while you still can," Josef said as his car took them away. The ancient vampire never failed to offer Mick a ride, because everything was better the more distance there could be from Coraline. "Come on, let's have some fun."
They entered a dimly lit club with low ceilings. Music pounded through his blood, blood, blood. It was everywhere, waiting in the veins of girls who waited for a vampire, their hot hearts beating with excitement...so alive.
A freshie approached Mick. The familiar scent of her made him growl. It was French perfume, his wife's favorite. She backed away a few steps. Now the smell of fear filled the air, equally familiar.
"Don't scare your food," Josef counseled, already holding another freshie's delicate wrist. He traced his fingers over her smooth skin, and the girl shivered. "It releases a hormone that doesn't taste very good."
Mick usually stayed away for two or three days, a week at most, before he crawled back to Coraline. She got angry when her husband returned home smelling of Scotch, fresh blood and whores. Then the fangs came out again. They threw couches at each other all night. It was the same old routine for decades.
Josef sat by and watched, being there whenever Mick needed him. Forever was a long time to remain in such a co-dependent, destructive marriage. Coraline would take it too far one day, do something really stupid and desperate to finally push him over the edge.
The call happened.
"She's safe, the little girl."
"That's great, Mick, but I don't see why you need to interrupt my dinner for this."
"Coraline is dead," he whispered. "She was going to...turn the child, so we could be a family. I staked my ex-wife and I watched her burn, Josef! I'm sorry..." Why the hell was he apologizing?
"Where are you?"
"I'm seriously considering shooting myself in the head."
"It wouldn't work," Josef replied automatically.
"I have silver bullets."
"Do you know where you are, Mick?"
"Yeah, I do."
Ten minutes later, thanks to speeding and a disregard for several other traffic laws, Josef arrived at the charred retirements of Coraline's house. Everything in ashes now. Mick smelled of smoke, regret and...immense relief. It was over.
