Six Months

by Dark, Dannika

  I never went back to Sweet Treats. I couldn’t face Lexi after her mother was attacked and sister grabbed, not to mention I didn’t want to run into any of the Cole brothers. I was certain they were relieved to have normalcy in their lives again.

  Fall was in full swing. The tips of the leaves on the trees appeared to be dipped in gold, as if the sun had frosted them with its light. On Thanksgiving, we had a simple meal of deep-fried turkey, cornbread dressing, green beans, salad, and a bottle of wine. Maddox wasn’t big on holidays, but he surprised me by cooking the turkey because he knew it was a big deal to humans. Little did he know my last Thanksgiving meal had been a frozen TV dinner.

  Maddox didn’t beat around the bush with his expectations. When he wanted me to keep him company, I joined him. Most of the time he worked jigsaw puzzles at the table and I’d conceal my frustration by separating the pieces by color while he assembled them into a picture. I never saw his animal and didn’t want to. No one shady ever came around, and he did most of his business over the phone or away from the house.

  Then he’d come back, kick off his dirty boots, hang up his hat, and sit on the back patio with a tin can and a bag of sunflower seeds.

  “How long are you going to stare at that book?” he asked, slumped down in the tattered chair in the living room next to the sliding glass door. “I never saw a woman read so much.”

  “You should try it sometime,” I suggested from the green sofa.

  He dismissively blew out a breath of air. “Books are a waste of time when you can live the real thing.”

  “Not everyone’s life is an epic fantasy,” I said, touching the choker around my neck.

  Maddox had given me the necklace on day one of my arrival. It was a black cloth choker with his name in silver. The material was thick, and he was right—it had a trendy appeal, something any young girl might be wearing to the mall or a club. Except in the world of Shifters, it was a declaration of status.

  I discovered this the first time he took me out in public. We went to a Shifter bar on the Breed side of town where humans weren’t allowed inside. Quite a few men approached me, but when I turned to look at them, they abandoned ship. Some laughed and shook their heads, while others gave me a look of disgust.

  I wondered if they kept pets because of their history. Maddox told me Shifters had only recently acquired their freedom. Before that, they were treated as slaves and sold to other Breeds for manual labor. Sometimes if their animal was trainable, they’d work as guards to protect property for the wealthy and powerful. The women weren’t so fortunate in how they were treated. Wolves eventually formed rogue packs and gained power in numbers. Shifters had fought for their independence and the right to own land. Slavery was still fresh on their minds since they lived a long time and many had once been slaves themselves. Maybe some collected human pets to erase the submissive chip on their shoulder—so they could feel superior to someone since they were still treated as lower-class citizens.

  It was a world I understood little about, even though I was smack-dab in the middle of it.

  “You know, I can pay for a salon,” Maddox offered, staring at my roots. My hair had grown out a couple of inches and the platinum dye was fading. Now my natural color of fresh blond was taking over—a color I hadn’t seen in years. Still light, just not white.

  “I’m growing it out,” I told him. “It’s time for a change.”

  “Speaking of change, why don’t you put on something dressy tonight? I have a business meeting at one of the Shifter bars and I want you to come. We need to look a little social, so wear something fun.”

  Jeez, like I had a choice.

  ***

  “Maddox Cane, in the flesh.” A man greeted us with an insincere smile, his voice as rusty as nails.

  “How’s life treating you, Randall?” Maddox scoured the man with his gaze. Randall looked like Mr. Clean without the bushy eyebrows. I wondered if he oiled down his head because the light glistened against his smooth scalp.

  He smiled invitingly as we approached the cluster of wooden tables in the Breed bar. I knocked a chair over and heard a few chuckles when I bent down to pick it up.

  Randall’s eyes narrowed on the choker around my neck. “Well, Maddox. I see you’ve been busy. She’s a pretty one. How old?”

  “April, go to the bar and order a whiskey neat for me and something fit for a pussy. What’s your drink of choice, Randall?” Maddox antagonized his friend in a way that led me to believe he was daring him to insult me.

  Randall smiled, but not in a pleasant way. “Martini,” he said, taking a seat in his chair.

  If these two were frenemies, then Maddox had brought me along to make him look good.

  “Get whatever you want,” Maddox said with an invisible smile buried beneath his scruffy beard.

  I cut through a crowd of Shifters and tried not to make eye contact. Breed bars made me uneasy—the men didn’t hang back and do all the flirty stuff from across the bar like humans. They’d come right up to me and say whatever lascivious thing was on their minds.

  Until they saw the choker.

  To avoid any awkward situations, I pinned my hair back with a few long strands hanging loose. Amid the crowd of women wearing painted-on dresses, do-me heels, and bustier tops, I must have looked like a joke in a pair of jeans, a white knit top that fell off one shoulder, and a pair of simple black heels. In my book, the right kind of heels could class up any casual style.

  Men were eagerly eyeing the pool table where a few women looked as if they were debating whether to play. Only in recent weeks had I realized my mistake of playing pool at Austin’s house. In retrospect, I must have looked as if I were inviting every man in that room to mount me.

  “Well, well. Color me dazzled,” Denver said from behind the bar. I looked up and expected to see a boyish grin on his face but was met with a persecuting gaze.

  Crap. He worked here.

  Denver leaned on his forearms, which made his biceps firm up. Black sleeveless shirts seemed to be the dress code in this bar for all employees. The logo on the breast was a wolf howling inside a moon with the bar name “Howlers” written below it.

  “I need a whiskey neat, a martini, and something strong.”

  “I just bet,” he said, eyes sliding to the table where my party sat.

  “Are you going to be a dick or give me a drink?”

  “How about both?”

  “What’s between Reno and me is between Reno and me.”

  “Doesn’t seem to be much between you two these days but distance. Now why is that?”

  My heart began to race with anger. “Fine,” I said softly. “I get it. I’m obviously not up to your standards, being that I’m just a human trespassing in your world. Reno’s better off without me.”

  “So you can be owned by that asshole?” He pointed to the table. “You seriously want to stand here and pretend like I’m not offended that you left a man like Reno for a douchebag who takes in pets? You’d rather be another man’s pet than date my brother,” he said through clenched teeth.

  I grabbed his finger and pushed his hand on the table. “Don’t point your finger at him. You have no idea how dangerous that man is.”

  Denver drew in a sharp breath as he stood up straight and went to fix my drinks.

  My thoughts drifted back to Trevor. We’d exchanged e-mails over the past few weeks, but he was upset with me, and the replies were always short. Since he didn’t want to admit he was a Shifter, I didn’t divulge the details of my living situation. But I had a feeling he might have figured it out.

  To my knowledge, Reno knew nothing about Maddox. We hadn’t spoken since the night I left, and I’d never forget the look on his face as I walked out the door. I tried to erase it from my memory, but it burned in my heart like a brand, marking me. I had no doubt Reno had moved on with his life—a man like him could have any girl he wanted. He’d never gotten over that woman who left him for another man, and that’s what hardened his
heart. It sure toughened mine when my ex made it clear that I wasn’t enough of a woman for him.

  “Here you are,” Denver said. “Whiskey, martini, and a Devil’s Eye.”

  I warily looked at the red liquid. “Devil’s Eye? What’s in it?”

  “Sin.”

  I quickly downed the shot and immediately shivered. A rush of heat moved through my body and suddenly, everything became sharp and vivid.

  “You’re a bag of nuts,” he said. “Better make that your only drink tonight. Most people barely survive one, and I’ve never given it to a human before.”

  “Super.” I smiled and gathered up the two drinks, then sauntered back to the table.

  Yeah. I sauntered. Suddenly it felt good to loosen up and enjoy myself. I was a young woman who had spent too many years trying to be the responsible one. I avoided having fun because I didn’t feel like I deserved it. Who thinks that way at twenty-three?

  “Here you are, boys.” I slid the drinks on the table and plopped down in my chair. My face felt like warm cinnamon and my tongue tasted cherries. Whatever was in that drink was like nothing I’d ever experienced.

  “Honey, you okay?” Maddox whispered, eyes brimming with concern.

  Randall grinned wolfishly and reached for his glass. “Looks like that one’s had her first taste of Devil’s Eye. You can always tell by the red rim around the irises. Better keep an eye on her; they don’t call it Devil’s Eye for nothing. I’ve seen a few bar fights break out because of it. Last Thursday, a Packmaster got a little too frisky in the back room with a woman who wasn’t his mate, not to mention his Breed,” he said with a hard laugh. “That shit is bad news.”

  Maddox swung his attention back to Randall and leaned in privately. “Have you heard of a man named Delgado? He’s been a thorn in my side for the last ten years.”

  “Breed?”

  “No. Human. He’s cutting in on my action and not running his deals smoothly. There was an incident a month ago where one of his men went rogue.”

  “What business did you have with him before?”

  “None,” Maddox said coolly, and I listened out of vague curiosity. “He’s expanded and now I hear he’s dealing drugs and bought a few strip clubs.”

  “So? Not my problem.”

  “Breed strip clubs.”

  Randall leaned in, his head shining beneath the lamp. “We don’t sell to humans.”

  “Someone got paid a shitload of money and skipped town. That now makes Delgado our problem.”

  “Is that why I’m here?” Randall sipped his martini and looked at his watch. “Or did you just miss my handsome face?”

  “No,” Maddox said, leaning back and putting his hat on the table. “That’s a sidebar. I got a Shifter who’s been asking questions about me and sticking his nose in my personal affairs. He’s a wolf, and you know I don’t like to get tangled up with packs. He laid out a not so subtle threat and wants information on one of my old clients. Since you’re my partner, this involves you too.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to mingle,” I said, kicking back my chair.

  Maddox caught my wrist. “Maybe you should sit.”

  “I want to put some music on, and they have a jukebox in the back. Let your pet take a walk.”

  “Whoa!” Randall exclaimed with a boisterous laugh. “Looks like you got this one nipping at your heels there, Maddox.”

  “Don’t wander far,” Maddox said, giving me a curt nod.

  I couldn’t hate him. As much as I tried, he was good to me. I’d never felt controlled or bossed around by him, and his assertive behavior was derived from concern. That much I could see in his grey eyes.

  I touched his shoulder and walked down the length of the bar toward the jukebox—a popular music player that most of the Breed bars had. There was something nostalgic about them, and this one was free.

  I leaned over the machine and began my search.

  “Hot damn.” Someone hissed from behind.

  I peered over my shoulder to get a look at him. “Take a picture; it’ll last longer.”

  His eyes widened and he stalked in my direction, his flannel shirt and bushy sideburns a dubious fashion statement.

  Great going, April! Your mom would be proud, my inner voice said with derision.

  “I’m Stu, and you were just about to give me your number,” he declared, leaning next to me on the jukebox.

  “Sure thing!” I exclaimed, twisting around to face him. “It’s right here.” I pointed at my choker. “Sorry, you got a busy signal. Try again later.”

  A sexy smirk slid up his cheek. “Human, huh? Interesting. Never been with one, but you seem just as feisty as any of these other Shifters.”

  I frowned a little, wiping a strand of hair away from my face. “I don’t think you get it. I can’t talk to you.”

  He slowly bit his bottom lip and held it that way for a minute, looking down the length of my body in a way that made me turn back and review the song selections again. Shifter men were persistent, but this guy was just an asshole.

  Stu leaned in close. “Feel like being a bad girl and breaking a few rules? He’ll never find out.”

  I pushed a button and loud murmurs were drowned out by the classic “Who Made Who?” I turned around and leaned on my elbows, scoping out the room. I almost slid off the jukebox at what happened next.

  On the first beat of the song, the main door swung open and Reno Cole walked in.

  A black leather jacket hugged his body, unzipped so I could see a charcoal-colored shirt beneath. His jeans fit him in a way that should have been rated S for sexy, and his polished motorcycle boots looked ready to kick some ass. His brown hair was neatly groomed and the lines in his jaw looked fierce, even from across the room.

  My heart seized in my chest and a cold sweat touched my brow. Pool balls cracked on my left and a blonde at the bar swiveled in her seat, targeting Reno as her prey. She had on cherry-red pumps and a white pencil skirt. She swung her hips as she made her way toward him and then suddenly turned around as if she were giving him a modeling show. Shifter women turned their backs to men they were interested in. It’s something I started noticing on our trips out, except with the waitresses who always kept that kind of behavior in check.

  But Reno paid no attention. His eyes scanned the bar and my throat became as dry as the Sahara Desert. My elbows were glued to the jukebox, and the idiot in the flannel shirt kept yammering on about taking a walk to the parking lot. But I couldn’t take my eyes off the striking man across the bar. Maybe it was the drink, or maybe it was the fact I thought Reno was the sexiest man I’d ever seen, but I got warm and tingly.

  Reno reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone. His eyes swung to Denver at the bar and suddenly shot straight ahead, landing on me. I glanced over at Denver and when he hung up his phone, it all became clear.

  “Holy smokes, this is bad,” I murmured.

  Stu stepped in front of me and blocked my view. I tried peering around him, but he dodged his head and smiled, trying to make some eye contact.

  “You’re hard to get.”

  “I’m taken,” I said, looking up to show off my collar again.

  “Yeah, which one is the big and bad Maddox?”

  “That would be me,” Maddox said in a voice that made my blood run cold. He was wearing his hat, which made him even more menacing because it obscured his eyes.

  The Shifter stood up straight and turned his head to look at Maddox, who showed off his mean face. I knew the man to be gentle, but anyone who pissed him off got the jagged edge of the knife.

  “See that collar?” Maddox reached for my wrist and gently wrapped his fingers around it. “That says she’s mine.”

  “A little young for an old dog like you,” the man taunted.

  Maddox looked at him like a predator, tugging me real tight against his left side. “I ain’t no dog, and you should watch your tongue or I might be tempted to cut it out and feed it to you between two slices
of bread.”

  I grimaced as the Shifter’s eyes darted between us. It didn’t look as though he wanted to take any chances on calling his bluff, so he shook his head and walked away.

  “Why do men always have to lay down vicious threats?” I said, still buzzing from my drink.

  He stroked his finger across the collar on my neck. “I don’t make threats. I simply state the facts. I want you to come back to the table and sit beside me. I have some business to take care of, so come grace us with your pretty smile.”

  It was hard to look pretty when Maddox insisted that I wear heavy makeup. I think he wanted me to look older than I was. He always made sure that when we went to a Breed bar, I had my lashes curled and cheeks blushed.

  Maddox had been including me in on meetings I had no business attending. It might have been strategic so I’d need his protection, or maybe he was beginning to trust me. I was more inclined to believe the former.

  He led me to the table with a gentle tug. When I froze mid-step, he peered over his shoulder and chuckled.

  Maddox had no clue that I knew the man sitting at our table.

  Intimately.

  “Sorry about that, gentleman. Men can’t seem to help themselves, but she’s as loyal as they come.”

  Reno was sitting in the chair in front of us but hadn’t turned around. I smelled his cologne and felt a pang of regret as memories flooded my mind of that wonderful night we’d curled up in my bed, listening to blues while it rained outside. When he casually glanced over his shoulder and looked up at me, it felt as if I’d been stung with quiet judgment. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t sleeping with Maddox, but what did it matter?