by Nora Ash
He liked how I looked tonight.
And I liked that he liked it.
“I’m going to need a drink,” I mumbled, banking on Warin’s vampire hearing picking it up over the throb of music as I shimmied toward the bar. Since I was mostly here as sacrificial lamb anyway, there was no reason not to drown in alcohol my blooming realization that I was eventually going to fuck up our friendship with ridiculous feelings.
“Jack Daniel & Coke,” I told the bartender as I fished through my purse for cash. “Double.”
A cool touch against my fingers made me still and look up. Warin appeared by my side, sliding a black Amex across the bar. “Keep a tab open for the young lady,” he said to the man behind the bar.
“No, it’s all right—“ Another touch, this time to my bare shoulder, made me quiet down. Despite his chilly body temperature, heat bloomed from where he’d brushed his fingertips against me. Damn.
“You’re here because of me. Anything you need is on me. If the initial proceedings go well, I expect I will be tied up with details for some time. Carina has been instructed to watch over you, so once an initial understanding is reached, you can feel free to enjoy the facilities.”
I only hesitated for a moment, because manners, but modesty be damned—Isla was an expensive club. “Thank you.” And before I could stop myself, I continued, “S’long as you know it takes more than a couple drinks before I offer up a vein!”
It was meant as a joke, but Warin’s gaze flickered to my throat for just the briefest of seconds, and instead of feeling the appropriate horror at what he was clearly picturing… my abdomen kind of melted in response.
“Oh, goddess.” I groaned at the unmistakable sensation of my panties soaking through as a blush to rival the bright neon sign above the bar swept up to cover my chest, neck and face. Without looking back at Warin, I grabbed my Jack and Coke and downed a hearty gulp.
The knowledge that my otherwise tame vampire buddy, who swore he never ate from anything but donor bags, clearly wasn’t a complete stranger to imagining his fangs in my throat should have filled me with either indignation and/or terror. I mean, it was one thing having him lick me down after my skinwalker attack stirred all sorts of inappropriate thoughts in my depraved mind—after all, he was very handsome, and he had been licking me from head to toe. But needing a panty change at the thought of having him bite me? Puncturing my skin and sucking blood from my veins?
Clearly, it’d been too long since I last got laid, because no sane woman should say anything but “fuck no” with an extra helping of “nope!” to that.
I glanced at Warin out the corner of my eye, but thankfully, he was too busy staring across the crowd to pay attention to my quiet meltdown.
“We’ve been summoned,” he murmured next to me, his mouth close enough to my ear that I could hear him over the music.
I looked up and spotted Raven, wearing a black leather corset and matching mini-skirt. She stood next to a door half-ajar by the side of the bar, staring at us.
I sighed and downed the rest of my drink in two long gulps. The bartender slid another across the bar for me before I could even ask. I nodded at him and turned to Warin, fresh drink in hand. “Let’s go stop a war.”
16
Raven stayed silent as she led us through a narrow corridor with red walls lined with black and peeling doors. It wasn’t quite wide enough to allow us to walk side by side, so Warin walked ahead of me, and I got the distinct impression it was to shield me from any surprise attacks.
It was kinda cute, even if it was also kinda ridiculous—if these particular witches had wanted me dead, all it would have taken was for Raven to slip something in my tea at work.
Finally, toward the back of the building, Raven stopped and knocked on a door that looked like all the others. A confirming murmur from inside, and the door creaked open. Raven stepped back to allow us in, hands clasped behind her back. She looked at Warin with obvious distaste as we passed her.
Inside, Joana sat by an oval table, and next to her was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, despite a receding hairline. He had a round face, and the hostility on it looked severely out of place.
“Lord Warin,” Joana said. She nodded at Warin, an aura of serenity around her. Despite the respectful greeting, she didn’t get up.
“Priestess Joana,” he said, tone clipped but equally calm.
“This is my First Disciple, Kevin. He is here as my witness.” She indicated the man by her side with a gesture underlined by the soft rattle of her many beaded bracelets. “And I brought young Raven to keep your human company, should the proceedings go well and a need for longer discussion arise.”
“Three witches present? Not the best start to negotiations for peace.” Warin narrowed his eyes at the Priestess. “I must warn you, witch. If I so much as smell a spark of magic, you will not like the consequences.”
Joana glanced at me, and I shook my head the slightest bit, hoping she’d pick up on the fact that I hadn’t told him about her curse—and that mentioning it right now would be a terrible idea.
Thankfully, she seemed to catch on.
“As long as you and the dead ones you brought to our domain this evening behave, you have nothing to fear from our magic, vampire.” She gestured toward the opposite side of the table. “Please, sit. Both of you.”
So she knew about Carina and the Guard Warin had mentioned bringing. I wondered if learning to spot a vampire in a crowded room was part of witch training—Raven had also clocked on to Warin’s lack of a pulse the first time they met.
I followed Warin around to the other side of the table and sat at his side.
“Liv tells me she was attacked by skinwalkers not far from her home,” Joana began. “Before we begin, I must assure you that no one from my coven had anything to do with that.”
“If I thought you did, we would be having a different kind of conversation,” Warin said, voice cold and even.
I bumped his shin with my shoe underneath, trying to get him to lay off with the threats, but he ignored me.
“Be that as it may,” Joana continued, “Skinwalkers so close to our coven is not something we are happy about, either. They have a history of savaging witches to sire offspring. So, it seems we have a common enemy at hand. What I offer is help locating the skinwalker nest in Chicago, in return for your blood oath that no other witch in the city will be harmed.”
Warin arched an eyebrow. “You will not receive a drop of my blood. If you help in locating the skinwalkers proves valuable, you have my word any witch who stays out of my business will not be hunted within the city limits.”
“The word of a dead man,” Kevin spat. “What are we doing here, Joana? This thing is not our ally, and no amount of wishing will make it so.”
The redhead put a soothing hand on her First Disciple’s shoulder without taking her eyes off Warin. “Settle yourself, Kevin. Times change, and we must adapt with them. This particular vampire has not harmed any of our coven, and we must give him a fair chance to prove himself.”
Warin remained quiet as he stared at the two witches on the other side of the table.
“Look, you all have to compromise if you want this to work,” I interrupted, growing tired of the tension in the room. “Everyone here wants the skinwalkers dead. No one wants an all-out witch-vampire war. So make it work. You,” I pointed at the two older witches with a finger form the the hand currently holding my glass, “have to remember that as little as you trust the vampires, as little do they trust you. You don’t get to make grand demands about needing proof of trust without offering some up yourself. What will you do to ensure he can trust you?”
Kevin sputtered, indignation clear across his round face. “How he can trust us? Young lady, do you have the faintest idea what these… these creatures can do?”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Some. I do know they don’t go around cursing people. As long as I’ve known this man, he hasn’t once tried to harm me. In fact,
he’s saved my ass more than once. Your kind, however… your kind has threatened and assaulted me. So let’s try starting these negotiations again, shall we? And let’s all attempt to remember that the other party is going out of their way to make this work.”
Kevin opened his mouth, the red splotches of blooming anger on his cheeks indicating whatever he was planning to say wasn’t going to help matters any. But Joana lifted her hand, silencing him before he could speak. “The girl is right.” She drew in a deep breath. “We have a long history of mistrust between us, vampire, and I acknowledge that it will be difficult for you as well as us to put this aside. But, if Liv will put her word in alongside yours, we will forego the demand of a blood oath. As a sign of good faith.”
“Sure, of course I will,” I said, glancing at Warin to make sure he didn’t take offense. His blank expression gave nothing away. At least he didn’t realize it didn’t make a difference one way or the other, since I was pretty sure I didn’t want to find out what happened if the curse was unleashed. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust Warin implicitly.” Or, ya know, if crazy skinwalker-witches weren’t gunning for me.
Joana nodded, though the wariness in her eyes didn’t diminish. “Do we have an agreement, vampire?”
Warin nodded once. “We do.” He glanced at me. “Thank you for your aid, Liv. I believe, if the Priestess agrees, the rest of this meeting will be best conducted with minimal participation.”
“Time for me to shoo,” I agreed, feeling slightly guilty at the rush of relief. As much as I wanted to be kept in the loop, the tension in the room was killing my buzz. If Warin wanted to hammer out the details of their truce alone, it was a-okay with me. “See you in a bit.”
I got up, grabbed the remainder of my drink and motioned for Raven to come with me with a finger. “Let’s leave the important people to their talk.”
She snorted, but after a quick look at Joana followed me out the door. We’d only made it a few yards down the corridor before the door opened again and Kevin—looking sullen as all hell—stepped out too.
“No extra seat at the grown-up table, huh?” I asked him, and received an elbow to the ribs from Raven as a thank-you.
Kevin huffed and strode down the hallway toward the nightclub. We heard the sound of pulsing music and loud chatter followed by a slam of the door closing shortly after.
“He’s not a people-person, is he?” I asked my friend as I rubbed at my ribs.
“You don’t even know the half of it,” Raven sighed. “He didn’t even want us to help you, let alone meet with the vampire. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m keen, either, but I get that it’s the smartest move for us. Kevin… not so much.”
“Well, hopefully he’ll be more cheerful about it once Warin’s gotten rid of the skinwalkers for all of us.” I gulped down the final bit of my drink and wiped my mouth with the back of my arm, like a lady. “Come one—there’s nothing we can do one way or the other, so I say for us lowly minions, it’s dancy time!”
Raven laughed as she followed me into the club. “You’re awfully relaxed for someone who’s got skinwalkers on her ass, Liv.”
I shrugged as I shimmied through the throng of people to the bar for another drink. The barman spotted me instantly and had my Jack and Coke ready by the time I made it to the bar. “I know it’s probably weird to you, but I trust Warin with everything I am. Now that we have you guys on our side, I know I’ll be safe.”
“I hope you’re right—if there is a skinwalker pack in Chicago, it’s gonna be all ‘hide yo kids, hide yo wives’ up in here until they’re dealt with. Did you know they rape witches to force-reincarnate souls in their wombs?” She shuddered and grabbed the beer the barman slid her way with a, “Thanks, Fred.” Apparently, it wasn’t the first time Isla played host to this coven.
I grimaced. “I’m sorry—force-reincarnate? You can… force someone to reincarnate?”
“Well, I can’t. It takes some seriously pitch-black magic to do the kind of shit the skinwalkers do. To even be able to take on another form, they have to kill first. And in pretty fucking gruesome ways.” Raven shuddered again before she put the beer bottle to her lips and downed it in four long gulps. “I’ll spare you the details, but I can tell you I haven’t been able to look at dogs or birds the same since I found out. Now, come on—finish up your drink. You said you wanted to dance, didn’t you?”
* * *
It didn’t take us long to get caught up in the music and atmosphere of the club, and—in my case—forget all about the tense meeting in the backroom. I tended to spend most of my nights home on the couch, so when I finally went out to dance, I wasn’t about to let an impending supernatural war kill my buzz.
Which was probably why when Raven twirled me a bit too hard and I went stumbling into a tall man next to us, I only managed a giggled, “Oops!”
“Oops, indeed.” The auburn-haired stranger grasped me lightly by the elbows to break my fall. The coldness of his fingers against my skin made me look up—and up—until my eyes connected with his. They were bright blue and adorning a face so ruthlessly handsome I’d only ever seen one man more gorgeous in my life—Warin.
“Does your daddy know you’re giving every man in a one-mile radius a hard-on while he’s off attending to business?” His deep voice was practically a purr.
Maybe I should have been disturbed by the crudeness of his taunt, but a shock of recognition sparked through my drunk brain before I could. “You’re his brother!” I chirped, a wide smile pulling on my lips as I looked up at the vampire who’d ensured Warin’s other vampire friends didn’t turn me into dinner in his foyer. “Aleric, right?”
“Indeed,” he said, releasing my left shoulder so he could nudge my chin up with his finger. “I see he’s let you keep your memories, little mouse. And if his second-in-command is to be believed, you’re also responsible for this little witchy meeting tonight? I find that… ever so curious.”
“Oh?” was my intelligent response. I couldn’t quite grasp what he was fishing for, but the predatory spark at the back of his eyes made some faraway fight=or-flight instincts rise through my drunken haze.
“My brother’s not the type to let a pretty little mortal get herself all tangled up in his business.” Aleric snuck an arm around me as he dipped his head low, letting his cool lips brush over the shell of my ear. “I hear he spends most of his nights with you. And I can’t help but wonder… what’s so special about you, little mouse, to have enthralled an Ancient so?”
Goosebumps broke out across my body at the feel of his cold breath brushing against my skin. “Nothing,” I croaked.
“No?” he hummed. “No delicious magic in your blood to keep him coming back for more? Are you perhaps my dear brother’s dirty little secret? Is that why he’s been so reluctant to leash you with a claim? Are you a witch, little mouse?”
Despite my drunken state, his question made a nervous bolt of energy shoot through my veins. I gulped and pulled back, trying to break the hold of his arm against my back. I might as well have tried to shift a mountain. “No, I am not a witch. I didn’t even know they were real until a week ago. And if you don’t get your hands off me right now, I’m going to scream ‘vampire.’”
Aleric’s mouth hiked up at the corner, displaying a gleaming white fang. It wasn’t elongated, but it looked wickedly sharp. “Well, well, don’t you have a pair of brass balls, little human.” His gaze flashed above my head for a second before he released his grip on my waist. “How delightful.”
I stumbled one step backward and away from the tall vampire, only to feel another steel band close around my midriff and pull me back against a solid form.
“Aleric. You come early, brother.” Despite the noise and music in the club, I recognized Warin’s voice effortlessly. Without thinking, I relaxed in his grasp as the sensation of complete safety set in. My drunken brain stopped attempting to shoot danger signals through the fog, and I happily pushed back into my vampire’s ches
t, reveling in the softness of his cashmere sweater and the hardness of his body underneath it. Well, mm.
“You call, I don’t delay. You know this, my blood.” The look on the auburn-haired vampire’s face was so different now—filled with reverence, not a hint of a threat left behind. “I hoped we could talk about your, ah, situation before the others arrive.”
“I will be home before dawn. Bring Carina and the Guard with you and wait for me there. We will speak more then.”
I smiled at the obvious dismissal in Warin’s voice, but Aleric’s gaze remained impassive as he let it slide over me, hovering by my neck and cleavage for a moment before he returned his focus to his brother. “As you wish. Do enjoy your snack—you look like you need it.”
Warin didn’t respond, and Aleric nodded at him before he took off, leaving us on the crowded dance floor.
Warin kept his grip on me, his strong arm still holding me so deliciously tight against his body. It was such a protective gesture, and maybe I should have wondered what about his brother’s appearance had him acting like that given how we usually didn’t touch much. But instead, I let his strength and the sensation of his body behind me penetrate deep into my blood, let myself get lost in the familiarity of his touch despite being surrounded by strangers. It felt so… intimate. Perhaps because I knew, in the depths of my soul, that Warin never let anyone close. His solitude was an invisible wall, surrounding and protecting him from ever truly knowing someone. But he knew me. He touched me. Held me.
Slowly, for every night we sat in my living room and talked about everything and nothing, he had let me in just a little further.
Like I had him.
Right then, as we stood together surrounded by loud music and drunk people who would never understand how profoundly right his arm around me felt, I knew I wanted to be like this always.
That it was how I was meant to be—safe in Warin’s embrace. Shielded from the world and all its horrors.
Maybe if I hadn’t been drunk, I would have handled that moment’s clarity with grace, or dignity. Or both.