by Trina M. Lee
“What are you looking at?” Shaz asked, a lazy smile tugging at his full lips. “You always look incredible.”
“Aww,” I blushed, grateful for the darkened interior. “That’s very sweet of you to say. It’s also a lie.”
“Like hell it is. I don’t know another woman that could rock those pants the way you do.” His attentive gaze momentarily left the road to rove over my tight, black leather.
“Hot damn, you are fine.”
I laughed then, a bubbly sound that only he could bring out of me. The truth was that I had dressed just for him, knowing he would appreciate the pants paired with a low cut, white top made of flimsy, sheer fabric. It thrilled me to hear how much he really loved it.
“Be careful, babe,” I warned teasingly. “If you keep talking like that, my ego will go through the roof.”
I felt his sidelong glance and met his jade eyes. He was serious when he said, “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I love your modesty though, it’s sexy.”
My response was to stick my tongue out and make a very unlady-like noise. His compliments felt good, but I didn’t know how to take them. I just got all fluttery and weird inside.
Shaz reached to fiddle with the heater control before smoothly sliding his hand onto my thigh. “So, do you want to drop in at the Lounge or just head home?”
The clock on the dash read 12:37 am. It was still pretty early. Even though it was a weeknight, Lucy’s Lounge was guaranteed to be packed.
“Let’s hit up Lucy’s. We’ll just stop in for a beer and then head home. I’d kind of like to turn in early anyway.” I added just the right inflection to my tone so there was no mistaking my meaning.
“Are you sure you want to go to the Lounge?”
“Yes.” I grinned at his sudden change of mind.
Lucy’s Lounge was packed when we arrived. Crossing the threshold of the brightly lit building instantly thrust us into a sea of sensations and energies. Most of the metaphysical stuff I could shield out, like the rush of so many human bodies packed into one place. The dizzying assortment of smells and loud noise were not so easy to combat.
Something about amazing heels instantly makes one walk like a sex goddess. As we made our way through the crowded entryway, I felt the eyes of several men on me and even a few ladies, too. Though it’s footwear that I don’t wear regularly, I had made an exception for an evening out. I appreciated the four inches that it added to my petite five-foot-one.
One of the local bands from the city was rocking out on the stage to the far right. The sign behind them read, “Squeezeplay.” They fit right into the laid back, middle-class bar scene with their bad hair and groupie girls gathered around the stage.
Once we got through the traffic-jammed entryway, I was able to take stock of the entire place. To the left were the pool tables, all of them occupied. The clacking of pool balls was only one of many things contributing to the roar of the club.
The werewolf energy in the club was strong. Zak and Julian were at the pool table closest to us, shooting pool and sneaking glances in our direction. I had only seen them once since Raoul’s death. Julian had made it clear that he didn’t trust me as the remaining Alpha in this town. Not now that I was so heavily involved with a vampire.
No male wolf in this town had attempted to take Raoul’s Alpha status, which made me the top of the heap. Of course, none of them could best me; none matched me in power and ability, and we all knew it. And, Julian didn’t like that. He didn’t like vampires, and he didn’t like me. Too bad for him.
Arys wasn’t there, at least, not yet. I was almost hoping that he wouldn’t be in tonight. It was too soon to have him and Shaz in the same building.
Shaz clasped my hand warmly in his own, and we made our way to the closest waitress. One plus of having your boyfriend work at the local hot spot was the no-waiting clause. Since he knew everyone, we didn’t have to join in the long line at the bar. The ginger-haired waitress smiled and greeted Shaz with a friendly smile.
“What can I get you guys?” She grinned at me, and I instantly liked her. It doesn’t take me long to get a vibe for people. Most of Shaz’ co-workers were great people that he enjoyed working with.
As Shaz ordered our drinks, I took a moment to glance around again. I could have sworn that I felt Kylarai’s spicy energy. I was surprised when she exited the ladies’ room and made her way toward Julian and Zak. Sensing us, she looked over suddenly and gave a small wave. What was she doing here with them?
Before she noticed it, I squashed the frown that tried to form on my features. I waved back and smiled, hoping I didn’t look as suspicious as I felt.
“Let’s find a table,” Shaz said, leaning in to speak close to my ear. “I wonder why Ky is with those guys. Weird.”
It certainly was. I followed Shaz to a table across the bar from where Ky and the two male Weres shot pool. It gave us a good view of the stage. The lead singer was screaming now, but surprisingly, it didn’t bother me. I enjoyed the occasional screaming rock song, when the mood struck.
After the waitress brought our drinks, Shaz turned on me with a grin that shocked me to the soles of my feet. I couldn’t help but be awestruck by how sensational he looked.
His platinum hair was slightly messy, as if he’d run his hands through it too many times.
His green eyes were bright and shone with amusement. He was dressed head to toe in black jeans and a tight black t-shirt, and I was struggling to prevent myself from openly drooling. The creamy white skin of his well-toned arms was taunting me with the need to run my hands over all of his hard curves.
When he gave me a knowing look, I raised my eyebrows in question. He leaned in so that his lips brushed my ear, sending a hot tingle down my spine.
“You have to dance with me. I’m just waiting for the right song.”
“What?” A jolt of nervous energy slammed through my system. The thought of dancing didn’t sit well with me. I was usually only inclined to do so after many drinks.
“You heard me.” He winked and smiled slyly. “Any excuse to get you into my arms.”
I laughed nervously and took a sip of my drink. “Oh, come on now, we don’t need to dance for me to be in your arms.”
He just shook his head. “Nice try, lady. You’re not going to get out of it this time.
I’m usually stuck behind the bar. I want to take advantage of this.”
He had a point. He didn’t get to do this often. One dance couldn’t hurt, could it? Not if I could manage to avoid tripping over my own feet.
I couldn’t help but peek at Kylarai. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was here with Julian. His casual touches and intense stares weren’t missed by me.
“Are you going to go talk to her?” Shaz asked, nodding in Ky’s direction.
I considered that scenario. It was plausible, but I didn’t want to talk to Julian nor did I want to put Kylarai on the spot.
“Not right now. She’ll fess up at home.”
It was nice, relaxing in the bar with Shaz, a drink and a live band. I wished that we could do this more often. Of course, if I was willing to accept Raoul’s money, we could both live the rest of our lives and never have to work again. I had too much pride for that.
And, I’m sure it would get boring.
There was a break in the music, and the singer shouted out that they were about to play the last song of the night. The girls around the stage hooted and hollered. Local bands received a lot of attention if they were good. More than one rock band had gone on to make it after getting their start in a small town like this.
Something kept drawing my attention across the room to the pool tables where Kylarai was. She was at the same table with the guys, but something wasn’t right. A completely different guy had joined them, and he was up in Julian’s face, too close to be anything but confrontational.
I froze, watching the scene play out before me. The human male was obviously calling the angry Were on. I couldn�
�t tell what had started the altercation. Kylarai made an attempt to come between them, and the guy shot her a venomous look. His mouth moved quickly as he spat a nasty remark at her.
Julian said something in response, and the man shoved him hard. This wasn’t going to go over well. I nudged Shaz and was on my feet by the time the first punch was thrown.
A werewolf in a bar fight was always the winner. I didn’t want to see Julian break this guy’s face. I couldn’t let it happen.
Fighting my way through the people that stood between the pool tables and me was a frustrating setback. I managed to cross the distance in time to see Zak pull Ky away from the chaos as if she were a breakable doll. The punches were flying fast. Those in the nearby vicinity were becoming aware of the fight as the guys crashed into chairs and tables in their brawl.
A few bystanders were daring enough to try to split the fight up, but each of them backed off when they quickly failed. Shaz was right beside me; his long legs carried him much faster than my shorter ones carried me. The heels didn’t help my speed.
Shaz was a blur of black and white as he leaped into the middle. He quickly tackled Julian, whom he had no problem taking down. Two more bystanders grabbed a hold of the other guy who struggled violently against them. Julian struggled to break free of Shaz’ controlling hold. As soon as he was steady on his feet, I was in his face.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growled angrily. Amidst the music and commotion, nobody could hear me clearly but Julian.
He was breathing hard when Shaz released his arms. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. His eyes were wild, all wolf, daring me to keep talking.
“Have you lost your mind?” I wanted to throttle the life out of him for such blatant stupidity.
“Back off, Alexa.” Julian glared down at me from his six-foot-three stance. “This has nothing to do with you.”
Fury burned through me, and I felt my control slip. Right then, I just wanted to kill him. “You will respect me as Alpha wolf, Julian. If you want to expose yourself by being an idiot, you won’t be doing it in my town.”
He eyed me with a smugness that made me want to scream. It took all I had not to backhand the arrogance off his face. “What are you going to do about it? Sick your vampire on me?”
He actually had the balls to taunt me. Big mistake. I could feel Shaz a few feet away, simmering with anger. Kylarai and Zak hovered uncertainly nearby. Everyone else had gone back to their own business now that the brawl was over.
“It isn’t him that you should be afraid of.” I smirked with a conceit that wasn’t the norm for me.
All it took was a thought to throw enough power at Julian to slam him back a few feet. I didn’t even raise a hand. He reached out quickly to catch himself on the side of a pool table.
His dark gaze was filled with hate, which I took great satisfaction in. I had something he didn’t, and that made me the dominating force.
To say I was shocked when he got up in my face then would be a gross understatement. I was blown away. The dark haired werewolf was suddenly growling down into my face with a mouthful of bared fangs.
“If you want to fucking threaten me, bitch, then you better be ready to follow through on that.” He was close enough to kiss, the intrusion into my personal space a blatant show of disrespect.
Before I could take a breath to respond, Shaz was between us, shoving Julian away from me with a push that would have taken most people off their feet. He followed up with a second shove that had Zak moving to their side, as if he thought he could break them up if they decided to go at it.
The dark fury that blazed in Shaz’ eyes, like jade-green fire, almost caused my heart to stop. I had never seen such raw hate written in his gaze as long as I’d known him. It frightened me even as it excited.
“I don’t care who you fucking think you are; I will kill you before I allow you to talk that way to Alexa. You’re a fucking nobody, pal.” Shaz was poised to strike if Julian so much as blinked the wrong way.
“Guys, come on.” Kylarai’s gentle voice was chiding. She was afraid they would fight. “This is all a misunderstanding.”
Julian didn’t look at anyone but Shaz. He pulled himself to his full height before snarling through his teeth. “Just because you want to be her pathetic lapdog doesn’t mean that I do. I will take you any day, Shaz. Even out back, right now.”
My heart surged with adrenaline at Julian’s venomous words. A small cry escaped me when Shaz lashed out with a blow, catching the other wolf with a fierce right hook.
“Shaz, no!” I lunged to grab his arm before he could keep swinging. The motion almost knocked me off my feet, but I held him back.
“If that’s what you want then, buddy, let’s make it official. It has been months since Raoul died. Maybe it’s time to appoint a new Alpha male in this God forsaken town,”
Julian sneered as he rubbed his jaw. My eyes widened when I saw where he was going with this.
Shaz studied the other Were for just moments before replying in a low voice, filled with menace. “Where and when?”
“That isn’t necessary, you guys,” Ky pleaded, but neither of them so much as looked her way. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Zak looked extremely uncomfortable as he shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I think we’d better leave, Julian,” he said, trying to be the neutral party. “Let’s grab some beer and head back to my place. There’s a fight on pay-per-view.”
The approach of a couple of bouncers effectively ended any further incident. With a murderous glare, Julian looked from me to Shaz. “Me and you, on the full moon.”
“Count on it.” Shaz practically oozed confidence, and I had to do a double take.
Julian allowed Zak to pull him along by the upper arm, but his eyes were locked on me. A slow smile spread across his lips. He paused to pull Kylarai into his arms, and I stiffened when she let him. My stomach turned when he kissed her.
“I’ll call you later tonight,” Julian said to her, smirking with the knowledge that I hadn’t known about them.
She avoided my eyes, a frown creasing her delicate features. “I’ll walk you out.”
We both knew she was trying to escape me. Fine. She couldn’t avoid me at home.
Shaz turned to speak to the bouncers in an attempt to smooth over the situation. I could hear him reassuring them that everything was cool and we were all leaving now. As an employee, he was risking his job by brawling in the bar. After a moment, the two security guys nodded and returned to their posts.
When Shaz swept me into his arms, I clung to him. “Have you lost your mind? Why?
Please, just tell me why.”
“I can’t believe you have to ask. When he got in your face like that, something inside me snapped. He threatened my mate. And now, I want to kill him.” He said it so matter of factly. I searched his eyes for the monstrous rage I heard in his voice but found only tender love.
“I don’t want you to fight him.” I reached to touch his face, tracing a light bruise that remained from his round with Arys.
“I know that.” He brought his face to mine, kissing me with a sensuality that was all wolf. I savored it. Pulling back, he kissed the tip of my nose. “But, I’m going to. I have to. Everything in me demands it, and it’s a call that I want to answer, have to answer.
You have to understand.”
I did understand, but I didn’t like it. I pursed my lips and stared at the floor. “Did you hear him though? He thinks this is a battle for Alpha.”
“It is … now.” He gently pushed a few tendrils of hair from my face. “If he wants this to be about the top wolf in this town, then that’s fine with me. I don’t plan to lose.”
The DJ took over as the band finished off their set and began to pack up. When the Alicia Keys song, “No One,” began to play and the dance floor filled with couples, Shaz gave me a heart-stopping grin.
“No worries, ok? I promise, you have nothing to be a
nxious about.” He pressed another quick kiss to my lips before pulling me toward the dance floor. “Now … about that dance.”
I allowed him to pull me onto the dance floor among the other couples. My stomach was unsettled, and I just wanted him to hold me. All I knew was that I had to talk him out of fighting Julian before the full moon. That didn't give me much time.
Shaz’ arms went around me, holding me close. It was easy to get caught up in the music. The heady swoon of the emotional lyrics and the enrapt couples all around us had me seeking comfort and reassurance in his touch. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled the warmth of his neck. Pressing my lips to his pulse, I closed my eyes and moved as one with him to the rhythm of the music.
The thought of him fighting Julian scared me to death. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Shaz could take him; I knew he could. However, I didn’t trust Julian to play fair, and I knew he wouldn’t go down easy.
In that moment though, it was hard to think about anything other than how good it felt to be in the embrace of my white wolf. The song itself stirred an emotion in me that was gut wrenching in its strength. When the beautiful music ended, Shaz placed a series of kisses down the side of my neck, causing me to shiver.
“Let’s get out of here.” The heat from his whispered words tickled, and I laughed.
* * * *
A movie played quietly on the TV perched atop my dresser. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, but with a sexy, naked werewolf in bed next to me, how could I? Shaz and I lay together, a mess of entangled limbs. I always felt the warmth and comfort of the pack when he shared my bed. Our nights apart were less than enjoyable.
We cuddled in an affectionate embrace that sparked feelings of giddy love within me. It wasn’t something that I was used to by any means. I still had a hard time believing it was real and not some amazing dream I would wake up from, disappointed to find it wasn’t real at all.