“Both of us,” I said, nodding.
Vincent smiled. “Especially me, because I’m the vampire. Maybe the bartender is someone I should get to know. If he knows I’m not a threat to him, perhaps he’ll somehow be able to influence his alpha. It’s worth a shot, though, I get the impression Floyd’s general state of being is best described as ‘asshole’.”
I chuckled, agreeing wholeheartedly. “I hope you’re right. If not, I’ll just have to shift into unicorn form, and you’ll have to wipe all the humans’ memories.”
He laughed as I smiled. We began crossing the street. It felt so good walking through town arm and arm with my beautiful vampire.
Greg
The moment the vampire stepped into the saloon, I smelled him. My gaze turned toward the door as I felt a growl beginning deep in my chest. The unicorn sheriff had used magic to set Floyd down on the road perfectly unharmed two weeks ago, but it had infuriated my alpha. He’d been ranting and raving ever since that night, taking four or five of our females to bed to work off his rage every night. Sam and I had steered clear of the situation, staying well out of his way.
In the small house I shared with my best friend, we heard our male pack members objecting to his use of their females this way. Our alpha didn’t seem to care if the females he used were mated or not. It had been hell listening to men howling for their women while Floyd took his time with them. It had been even worse listening to pups yipping and crying for their mothers.
Not a single goddamned pack member had done anything about it. I was ashamed to admit that I was one of them. Then again, it wasn’t my place to stand up to Floyd. Mated wolves were supposed to fight for their own females. Sam said there was a hierarchy to these things.
I did know this. If Sam or I got involved—tried to intercede—one of the alpha’s enforcers would kill us before we ever got close enough to do anything to help the females. We’d be putting our lives on the line, and if we managed to live after a fight with one of the stronger wolves, we’d simply be banished from our pack. Sam and I would have no place to go. We were both torn up about it, but we stood by, feeling completely helpless.
I felt overwhelmingly sad that none of the males had taken a stand for their mates. If Floyd had gone after Sam, that would have been a different story. I would surely have torn my alpha’s throat out if he’d laid a finger on my best friend. I knew Sam felt the same way about me. There was no doubt in my mind. Fortunately for both of us, Floyd didn’t lift a finger against any of the males in the pack. Day by day, I hoped things would change for the better, but the longer time dragged on, the worse things seemed to get.
I escaped to the saloon to get away from my cowardly pack every chance I got.
Now, with the scent of a vampire, and the unicorn sheriff thick in the bar as they stepped deeper into the place, my nerves were the most frayed they’d probably ever been. They stepped up to the bar as I stood at the other end, not twenty feet from them. They were watching me with wary eyes. I narrowed my eyes and sent them both a scowl.
When the sheriff smiled and lifted his hand in a friendly wave, I felt crushing hopelessness wash over me. I should have turned my back on them…hell, I should have attacked. Instead, I just stood there.
I cautiously raised my hand and flattened my features, giving them both a tiny acknowledgment. Sheriff Harmon smiled wider, and then the vampire beside him nodded his head. Finally, feeling out of sorts, I felt the growl in my chest recede and I let my guard down. Setting down the glass I’d been polishing to death with a towel, I glanced around, taking note of who was in the bar.
No other wolves.
I breathed a sigh of relief for the moment and slowly walked over to the two men. The sheriff immediately reached his hand across the bar, and I returned the handshake. I felt a thrum of magic as I touched the unicorn. If I hadn’t already known of his power—much stronger than even my alpha’s—I would have been shocked. He’d shaken my hand the night we first met but I hadn’t felt this electricity then. I hadn’t even sensed that he was a shifter, so the difference between what I felt now and what I’d felt then, was stark. Maybe his powers and magic were getting stronger. Maybe he would do something about Floyd if I told him what was going on…but no. I couldn’t ask him to help with pack business, even if he was the sheriff.
“Sheriff,” I said, nodding as I greeted him.
“Greg,” he replied. When he dropped my hand and turned to the vampire, then back to face me, he was smiling again. “Let me formally introduce you to Vincent Lasco.”
I glanced over at the vampire and nodded. When he smiled at me, I felt my stomach do a slow roll. When he held out his hand to shake mine, I was shocked. I stared dumbly down at it for a few seconds and then reached out, taking it in my larger paw.
“Nice to meet you, Greg,” the vampire said.
I felt a surge of energy shoot up my arm and immediately noticed the magic that swirled in his golden eyes. He was powerful, and I stopped to wonder how old this vampire was. I’d heard they lived forever.
“It-it’s nice to meet you,” I stammered, amazed that I was having a casual conversation with someone who was supposed to be my worst enemy.
My attention was drawn to the door of the saloon when it opened, and Sam stepped inside. Instantly, he was beside me behind the bar, pressed up against my side, growling furiously. I hadn’t ever seen my best friend move so fast. I dropped the vampire’s hand as Sam reached out and grabbed me by both biceps, turning me to face him, his claws digging painfully into my arms.
“Are you okay?”
Sam raked a hard gaze up and down my body, seeming to look for damage. I could smell the fear for my safety coming off him in hot waves. The overwhelming affection I felt for my best friend was incredible. I grabbed both of his forearms and moved close, leaning down.
“I’m fine, Sam. The sheriff and vampire mean us no harm,” I whispered, conscious of the other patrons in the bar.
Sam stared at me, looking deeply into both eyes before he finally nodded. “Okay.” He loosened his grip and dropped his hands as his claws retracted.
“We came in for some food,” the sheriff said suddenly. I looked over and saw him holding his hand out to Sam. “I’m Sheriff Harmon but you probably know that,” he said, “and this is Vincent Lasco.”
Sam reached out and took the sheriff’s hand. “Sam Jackson.” He turned to the vampire, also shaking his hand.
“Nice to meet you,” the vampire said. “We came in for dinner.”
I frowned, and so did Sam. “You...eat? Like…food?”
The vampire chuckled, and the sheriff smiled. “A little,” he said.
“Take a seat,” I said, looking around. At the moment, there were less than ten people in the saloon. I pointed to a booth at the very back. “Maybe over there in case…”
“In case more of your pack show up?” the vampire asked.
“Even if they do, most of them won’t try anything,” Sam said.
I nodded. “That’s true,” I said. “You have nothing to fear from them. Floyd is the one you have to worry about.”
“Greg!” Sam turned and frowned at me. “We don’t discuss pack business with outsiders…you get that?”
I nodded furiously. “Yeah. Yeah…I know.” I felt stupid but he was right. Still, I wanted to tell the sheriff about Floyd so bad. I knew he was a good man, and if he knew about how our alpha was hurting our females, he’d use his power to stop it.
Sam shook his head with a warning glare in his pretty eyes…eyes that I knew almost better than my own.
The sheriff cleared his throat, and when I turned to look at him and the vampire, he was frowning just a little.
“We’re gonna grab a seat,” he said, pointing to the booth before turning to Sam. “Join us. Won’t you, Sam?”
Sam exchanged a glance with me, and I nodded. “That would be nice, Sam.” We needed to stay on good terms with the sheriff. “I’ll be over in a minute with your beer.” I tu
rned to the sheriff. “Beer, Sheriff Harmon?” I already knew his brand.
“Yes, thank you,” he replied before turning to the vampire. “What would you like to drink?”
I thought that would have been obvious but when the vampire smiled at the sheriff before turning to me, all I could do was shrug. I lowered my voice. “We don’t serve blood.”
The vampire chuckled. “Do you have ketchup?”
I blinked in surprise. “On the table.”
“Greg, would you bring us an unopened bottle of ketchup, a cup of seltzer water, and that beer?” the sheriff asked.
I turned and stared at the lawman, nodding slowly. “Uh…sure, okay.”
“Can I join this party?”
I turned to look at the door of the saloon and spotted Sid walking inside, holding a thick wooden staff in his hand.
“Sid!” the sheriff said, holding out a hand as the older man walked up.
I suppose I’d always known Sid was a witch before the night our pack had gathered at the vampire’s house but seeing him standing side by side with the unicorn sheriff and the vampire that night had been eye-opening. I watched as Sid shook Sheriff Harmon’s hand and then turned to the vampire.
“Vincent. Nice to see you here.” Sid glanced over at Sam and me. “It’s nice to see everyone getting along, Greg.”
“Sure,” I said, acknowledging the witch’s greeting. “Can I get you something, Sid?”
“Gimme one of those double cheeseburgers, heavy on the spread and grilled onions with extra pickles. Also, a basket of those onion rings,” the old man said.
“I’ll have the same,” Sheriff Harmon said.
I nodded before looking at the vampire. “Would you like anything besides the ketchup?”
Sid snickered as the vampire spoke up. “I’ll just have some of Romeo’s onion rings. Thanks, Greg.”
I was slightly surprised by the use of my first name, but I shook it off as I turned to Sam. “You want the usual?”
Sam smiled. “Tuna melt with pepper jack, Greg.”
I nodded. His order never changed. I leaned down and whispered, “Go make friends.”
I knew the others would be able to hear me. All supes had fantastic hearing. At the moment, I really couldn’t care about that. All I wanted to do was keep the peace in here. As long as everyone kept their cool, we might all be able to get away unscathed, having made new friends before the night was over. Sam smiled at me and followed the others to the booth.
A unicorn, a vampire, a werewolf, and a witch walk into a bar…
It sounded like the setup to a bad joke, and I couldn’t help but smile at their backs as they all walked away. My life was really weird right now.
Vincent
“Thank you for joining us, this evening,” I said as my lover sat down beside me, across from our two guests. Sid was a round man, and he reminded me of one of the tenant farmers who’d raised a large family of strapping men. Ben and his buxom wife had been my father’s favorite tenants, always bringing in the best harvest of all our fields. I’d played with Roderick and William, the farmer’s oldest sons when I’d been a boy and I had fond memories of the family.
When black plague swept through the local village, Ben, his wife, and all his children save the youngest daughter had been swept away, Roderick and William along with them. I still remembered how my father grieved the loss of the family he’d felt such affection for. It had been my first real introduction to death, and it had hurt my much too tender heart.
I’d been a boy of fourteen when they died.
If losing my friends wasn’t bad enough, watching my father and uncle put a torch to their home along with half the village had been worse. Afterward, they’d burned piles of diseased corpses. I could still remember the horrible smell and the ashes swirling in the noxious air.
I came back to myself as I dragged my eyes away from Sid and glanced at Sam, sizing the werewolf up for the first time. He wasn’t as tall as Greg, but he was at least as wide. He had black hair with a wide streak of light gray right down the center like a skunk. I wondered how he’d look in his wolf form. It wasn’t that I’d spent a whole lot of time checking out werewolves, much less, sitting across from one in a bar, but I was willing to give it a chance. Sam seemed protective of Greg and that was a personality trait I admired since it was so similar to my own when it came to Romeo.
Sam regarded me with suspicion, and I was pretty sure the last place he wanted to be was sitting across from me. He cleared his throat and dragged his eyes away from me to Romeo who sat with his muscular thigh pressed to mine, seeming quite relaxed if I was reading his posture correctly. I wondered if all unicorns were this comfortable around werewolves, witches, and vampires. For that matter, I wondered if there were any other unicorns alive at all.
Peggy, the waitress, came over and set down our drinks. I was slightly amused when she put a glass of ice down in front of me along with a full unopened bottle of ketchup and a small cup of seltzer water. Everyone else had beers in front of them. I ignored the stares of the two men across from me and thanked Peggy who smiled shyly and walked away.
The men watched as I picked up the bottle of Heinz ketchup and cracked the seal, pouring it over the ice, topping it with the seltzer water to thin it out, and adding several squirts of Tabasco sauce to it. I stirred my drink with a spoon until it was smooth.
Sid chuckled as he picked up his beer and clinked his glass with mine and Romeo’s. When Sam sighed and lifted his beer, he did the same. He looked reluctant to be sitting here, and I totally understood why. We were sworn enemies after all. He was staring at me like I was crazy when I tipped my ketchup glass and swallowed the cool refreshing glass of thick red liquid in just a few gulps.
“What the fuck?” Sam muttered under his breath.
I glanced at Romeo to find him grinning at Sid. Sid simply shrugged his shoulders.
“Now I get why you ordered an entire case of ketchup,” Sid said, smirking as he turned to look at me.
I nodded and lifted the ketchup bottle to start preparing a second drink as the werewolf let out a low growl. Looking up, I saw him staring at the door to the saloon and my breath caught. Walking into the saloon were Floyd with his enforcers, Renaldo and Mike.
Chapter Eight
Prosper Woods Chronicle. Letters to the editor:
“I went to the fortune teller on main street yesterday. That place is a rip off. There was a real-life woman, not a crystal ball with a disembodied talking head. And not a single little car to ride around in with a hitchhiking ghost. Save your money.” Signed, “Ghostless and grumpy.”
Romeo
I didn’t notice Floyd until Vincent suddenly sat up straight and hissed beside me. Noting where his attention was, I glanced over at the door and spotted Floyd Reardon with two huge guys. One was Hispanic, covered with tattoos. I remembered him as the one who’d told Floyd there was no fighting me in unicorn form in Vincent’s yard the night the werewolves had come for my vampire. The other man had also been there that night. He was a big guy too, flanking the alpha werewolf and glowering at the four of us.
Floyd turned and glared at Greg before pointing at the table, and I watched the bartender’s eyes widen as he seemed to shrink against the back bar in fear. When they began walking over, I heard Sam’s growl grow louder. I could sense something under the surface of the man’s skin, and then I felt a pulse of fear come off him. I reached down and set my right hand on the gun at my hip, hoping I wasn’t going to have to pull it. I unsnapped the holster, freeing the weapon and sat up straight, narrowing my eyes at the three big men who stopped at our table looking down at us.
Floyd leaned down and grasped the table with two hands, and I made a quick sweep of the room with my eyes. I took note of where the customers sat, innocently enjoying their meals and drinks, seemingly unaware of the confrontation about to happen at our table. Floyd and his menacing enforcers certainly weren’t here to make small talk. I glanced down and was surprised t
o see that Floyd’s fingers had long claws which dug into the table as a low growl emanated from his throat.
“Well, lookie here,” he said in the same voice I’d heard the last time he’d threatened me and Vincent that night in my vampire’s yard. He was staring at Sam, hatred shining in his glowing yellow eyes. I could tell the young beta across from us was seconds away from shifting, and I really hoped he wouldn’t do that, not here, not in front of all these human witnesses.
“Floyd, I was just…” Sam began, before Floyd raised the palm of one hand. I watched it turn into a wolf’s paw complete with two-inch-long black claws. I knew the claws would make quick work of Sam’s throat, of all our throats if the werewolf alpha wanted to be so bold.
“Having a drink with the enemy, were…wolf?” Floyd enunciated each syllable of the word with a voice as deep and intimidating as he could possibly make it.
“Put your claws away, Floyd,” I said quietly. “Unless you want me to forcibly remove you in front of all these humans.”
Floyd turned to look at me, a half-sneer half-smile on his face. He wasn’t a good-looking man, far from it. Instead, I figured he used his size and position in the pack to intimidate people into following him. He wasn’t what I would call charismatic, and I’d heard that he was a bastard when it came to the weaker members of his pack and the women he hit on here in this bar. And all that wasn’t even taking into consideration how he’d behaved at Vincent’s place; frankly, I didn’t like the guy. Even if he’d not threatened to kill my vampire that night, I wouldn’t have liked him. Sally had said he was a menace, and I believed her. My hand tightened on my weapon.
“That’s no idle threat, Reardon. Put away your claws and settle down or I’ll remove you from the saloon.”
He growled. “This is my bar, unicorn.”
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