Luke laughed, head thrown back and all. Even Adriana giggled. I bit back a laugh while watching Adelina turn beet red.
My curiosity was seriously piqued about who Sara was and more importantly what she was. Somehow, I didn’t believe she was a human. Not just human at least.
Luke came into the kitchen and walked into Sara, leaning over her back to reach the Johnnie Walker. Before he peeled himself off her, he whispered in her ear. “I think I like you very much too.” His eye caught mine before he stepped back. Sara winked at me. Had we all just agreed to something? Demon or not, this girl was something.
Chapter Eight – Luke
Flynn’s announcement that he was hosting a party tonight was well timed and it averted a catastrophe. I couldn’t have been more grateful for the diversion. The thought of Adelina obsessing over a picture that looked like me, made me want to hurl. Hopefully, I could get lost in a sea of people tonight if more than the shifters would be coming. There were quite a bit of people who lived on and around the lake year round. So there should be a good turnout.
Sara turned out to be more than a diversion tactician. “Maybe we should go and get the drinks and possibly snacks?” she asked.
Adriana, who looked happy with any reason to leave after her sister called her out, said, “I’ll go with.”
Sara turned to the girl, “You aren’t twenty one.”
Adriana winked at her. “That isn’t the only way to get what you want.” Her voice and demeanor had all gone innocent school girl with a bit of eye action that said she knew exactly how to get what she wanted.
“Oh, I think that could work,” Sara said winking at her. If she was conning us somehow, she was doing a great job of making us comfortable with her.
Yet, I wasn’t reading any bad vibes from the girl but I couldn’t be certain. “You two aren’t leaving me,” Adelina pouted. And I was surprised. I thought for sure after what happened, she’d want to stay behind. But it was good. In the end, the two sisters would have each other if Sara turned out to be some kind of psycho. I didn’t think so. She was hiding something that much was true. But she didn’t have any weapons and didn’t have a malicious vibe to her. Wearing Flynn’s shorts and his tee, I knew she didn’t have anything with her there even. That thought made her look even more innocent yet totally hot in that get up.
Slipping on her abandoned Chuck Taylors by the stairs, she headed outside holding the door open for the twins while they exited. “See you two in a bit,” she said with a sly smile. Then the door closed.
Flynn moved to my side. “You sure do know how to pick ‘em.”
“It looks like she’s picked us,” I said back.
“Do you think the girls are safe with her?” he asked.
Shrugging, I said, “I didn’t sense she meant them harm but who the hell knows.”
He must have felt the Luca’s were safe, because he said, “Let’s get this party started then. It shouldn’t take them long to get back.”
After lugging sound equipment and coolers down to the docks, we sat on the porch and waited.
“Did you hear back from them?” I asked for the tenth time.
“I told you yes. They made a pit stop for ice and extra snacks. They’re having a field day with my credit card.”
That was news. I missed the exchange of Flynn giving up his card. Taking another pull on the bottle, I was still conflicted if I was worried about the twins or whether Sara would come back. When the black Prius pulled in, a gasp of relief escaped my mouth. Flynn heard and looked over at me. I took another pull on the bottle trying to play it cool, waiting for the burn to do something more. It took quite a bit of alcohol to make me loose.
Adriana got out carrying a couple of bags, Sara was equally if not more loaded including carrying bags of ice. Adelina however held one bag. Getting to my feet, Flynn and I hurried to help the two girls who were doing more than their fair share of the hauling.
“It’s a little humid tonight,” Adelina said.
Adriana countered saying, “Well, maybe a dip in the lake would cool us off.” The tension between the two girls didn’t seem to exist. Had Sara been responsible for that?
Sara said, “I don’t have a swimsuit, so I’ll pass.” She didn’t have on a bra and panties either, but I didn’t point that out.
“You can borrow something of mine,” Adriana said, ever the helpful girl. Flynn didn’t know what he had.
My eyes felt like ping pongs flipping between the girls' conversation. So much more was said without words and showed in peoples’ faces. I couldn’t help but watch, especially since I was trying to size up the new girl among us. There was a lot more to this girl and I didn’t want to find out too late.
“Don’t be ridiculous Ana,” Adelina said to her sister. “She’s lacking up top. Whatever you had would just fall off of her.”
The words could be taken a number of ways and even though it was said causally, I caught the look on Adelina’s face. She was letting me know she had more to offer body wise than the new girl. She obviously didn’t get that a great body wasn’t everything especially if the inside package spoiled the outside.
“I say we all go skinny dipping,” Flynn said. “That will solve everything.”
The girls all laughed except for my viper. Flynn was going to owe me big time.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long once the torches were lit and the music pouring out for people to make their way to Flynn’s little cove. When the shifters showed up, things started to get heated. Lot’s of bodies pressed together. I opted to man the ipod trying to stay neutral. I hadn’t been alone either.
A couple of cute girls had kept me company. They flirted and I found myself flirting back. That’s as far as I let it go. Maybe Flynn was right. Maybe I should just get laid. Casual relationships weren’t normally my thing, not that I hadn’t done it before. It just wasn’t something I did very often. There didn’t seem to be a point to that. Having both, I understood the difference. I thought about Alexandria, my last serious relationship. She’d been a keeper but her parents moved her up north and that had been that. One girl however was making me have second thoughts about not just staying in the now leaving thoughts about the future for later. My eyes had been tracking her all night.
Sara was making footprints in my brain. There hadn’t yet been time for me to press her with the What the heck are you. Later, I thought. It could wait for now.
Some short guy with boulders for arms was dancing with Adelina. She kept looking in my direction. Maybe she thought I would be jealous. Relieved was more like it. I didn’t get how she couldn’t see my indifference. I was grateful to the bastard and would offer him my room if he’d keep her away from me.
Sara kept my attention. She was so at ease with who she was. She danced with guy after guy giving them a smile and flirtatious words that stroked egos. I couldn’t hear her. Instead, I saw how they responded to her. Feeling a bit like a stalker after a while, I stopped staring and only occasionally looked for her wavy blond hair. Like me, she’d just let it air dry. And it did, beautifully.
Coming out of my thoughts, I found that I’d lost her. She wasn’t dancing with that one guy.
A gentle hand griped my shoulder from behind. “Hey you.”
The voice was already seared in my brain. Turning, I gave her a smile and looked again at her. Adriana gave her a top to wear. Sara being a bit slimmer and smaller on top allowed the gathering fabric to dip even lower than it probably would have on Adriana. I found myself drawn to the peek-a-boo slight swell of her breast and the valley between.
“You like,” she said, with what appeared to be an offer.
Clearing my throat, I sputtered to say looking into her eyes now, “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“Meet me at the house in ten,” she said, giving me a wink.
Nodding, I was at a total loss for words. Other parts were on board. Watching her walk away, she tossed her hair just as she looked back at me a final time giving me a shy smile
. There was nothing shy about that girl at all.
A hand on my back almost sent me stumbling forward. “Fuck Flynn.”
“You like her don’t you,” he said, before a tap on his arm had him turning back to a short brunette with big blue eyes that batted lashes at him. She handed him something and I watched her lips form the words, Call me, maybe?
Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t help the smile. The guy was cursed with rock star status. I didn’t envy him in the least. The girl walked away with a little wave. When she finally turned around, he turned back to me while stuffing what must be a phone number in his front pocket. Looking at me, he shrugged.
Getting back on topic like that little interruption didn’t happen, I said, “What’s not to like.” Then, I added, “And don’t pull punches. You like her too. I don’t know though. Something feels slightly off.” Like she the fact that she was too good to be true, screamed in my head. I don’t know why, but I haven’t told him yet about our planned meeting at the house.
Flynn handed me a bottle which was surprising with all his Luke, you drink too much mantra lately. It was just beer, so what the hell. “Thought you said she wasn’t evil?” he asked.
“It’s not that. There is just something more. Like why was she running in the woods? Who was she running from because I don’t believe that camping in the woods crap?” Yeah, I had questions, but they could wait. Okay, that wasn’t right. I wasn’t Flynn. I didn’t think with my dick, but I was right now. Wasn’t I?
“She’s cute though,” Flynn said and then tossed back a drink.
Who was I to argue that one? “That she is,” I agreed. I drank down the rest of the beer. It was still not enough to get me buzzing.
Eyes bluer than mine focused on me. “What do you say about her offer?” he asked me.
Holding out my hand, Flynn handed me his drink. He’d only finished half of it. Drinking it down like somehow it could swallow everything my father thought I should be, I said, “Why the hell not.” And that was all that needed to be said between friends. It wasn’t necessarily something I’d normally do. But like that earlier girl said to him, maybe.
At this point, I can’t keep this secret from my friend. “She told me to meet her at the house in ten.”
The surprised expression on his face couldn’t be hidden. “Shit, are you going?” he asked.
Shaking my head, I said, “Yes, you?”
He shook his head and said, “No, she’s all yours. She didn’t ask me.” His tone was sly while he gave me that look of his that was all him. It said with we’re bros. And he was relinquishing this hoe. And maybe she was a hoe, but for once it didn’t bother me much.
Nodding, I hid my relief. I didn’t argue with him because I really didn’t want to share.
A crack, then a scream had my attention turning. People were moving, scattering like bugs from a can of Raid.
“Fuck,” Flynn said but didn’t move. We were both scanning the area for the threat. A blur of movement caught my attention.
“Vampire,” I said out loud. In the may lay, I didn’t think any humans that were here would have heard me.
“The shifters,” Flynn announced. They were changing and the shit had hit the fan.
More screams and I saw Sara run into the woods. I pointed, Flynn’s eyes followed the line my finger made. Then we moved like one unit, running all out. I couldn’t tell yet what she was running from.
Chapter Nine - Flynn
The suddenness of the attack had me confused for a second. “Adriana,” I said to Luke as we ran. He nodded and I turned back to find her and her hateful sister. Thinking about it more, I knew someone had to be on clean up. There were humans at the party. Humans who weren’t privy to the supernatural world. Most likely I would need to use my mojo anyway to compel them to forget all that they saw. I hated to leave him, but Luke could take care of himself.
When I made it back, a few were just making it to their cars looking a little bewildered. I had no choice but to stop and say quick words to calm the situation down and send them home. I had no doubts the only runners from the fray were humans not supernatural beings.
Bold and full of unused power, I even did a few group compulsions speeding up the process. As it turned out, there weren’t as many humans as I thought or the rest were still down by the lake possibly hurt. Whimpers on the deck led me to where I found the twins huddled in a corner. I forgot that I’d locked the house. I wasn’t interested in people hooking up in my house. If they had to pee, they could find a bush or something to relieve themselves.
Scared, the twins, now together as one in the face of danger, appeared to back away from me. “Adriana,” I said calmly. Trusting me, she faced me.
My words may have appeared to be just that, but there was command in it. “There’s nothing to be frightened of. It’s was just a fight. Go inside and get some sleep. I’ll be there soon.” She nodded her head in total compliance. When Adelina nodded, I figured my luck was good with a two for one deal. Unlocking the door, I sent them inside and locked the door behind them.
Moving fast, I headed back down the stone path to the cove. Many shoe prints marred the ground where a party had been in full swing not long ago. Just by looking, you wouldn’t know that a fight had begun here with the exception of a few bodies lying on the ground. One by one, I check them. Thankfully, all were only knocked out and dazed by the events. So humans hadn’t been the target after all. So who was?
That was an easier answer than I wanted to admit. Yes, it could be the shifters. Yes, it could be Luke or I. But really, the only thing out of place here was Sara.
I compelled the wounded leaving suggestions for the craziness of the night leaving bits of truth of the fight just taking away any thoughts of supernatural beings. With some bruises and no Luke around to heal, they needed some truth. Sending them home, it was another relief that the fallen had only been a few human males. Everyone or everything else was gone.
Noises rang out to my higher hearing from the forest. Those sounds said that the fight had gone there. On my feet again, I ran to confront whatever had attacked us.
In the clearing I found myself in was a battlefield of humanlike or animal like creatures at each others throats. Luke was in his element fighting a demon with the lethal skill of a natural born predator. Even thought what he fought looked human, it wasn’t because it was holding its own.
Surveying the landscape, the shifters in their preferred wolf form battled with other demons or vampires. Currently, there was only one that looked like it was in trouble. Like the moon wanted me to know, her wolf eyes glowed green in panic. The demon had her by the throat. Tamera. She wasn’t a bad fighter either. Somehow, it had gotten the drop on her.
Without a second more to lose, I launched to where she was no doubt gasping for her last breath. Tackling the demon, doing my best impression of an NFL defensive lineman, I wrenched the thing from her.
It hissed over its shoulder revealing to me it was the vampire. I’d yet to see its face full on. All I had now was a view from behind showing dark hair and clothing. Making a mistake of my own, I took my eyes off the thing for a second to check on Tamera. It caught a hold of my arm. With the power of ten men, it whipped me over his head and into a tree. But not before, I’d seen she was alive.
“Damn, that hurt,” I muttered, hitting the ground hard. Shaking off the birdies that circled my head, I knew getting to my feet was a priority. I double timed it knowing in a battle that was crucial. The blur of movement gave me only a second to move before its deadly attacked landed the tree and not me.
With a well timed placement of an elbow to the face, I stunned the fucker before ducking another fatal blow. We traded punches and kicks, landing each other or the poor tree we circled. I feared the tree wouldn’t survive or at best have any bark left when we were done. Where was a stake when I needed one? The branches that were reachable were all too thin to be of any use. Fist and feet were the only weapons at my disposal.
; An uppercut to the jaw slid home against one of those deadly fangs and I felt the puncture into my knuckle. “Christ,” I said as if the big guy would ever save me.
Hopping back to avoid a knee to the groin, the vampire continued our dance around the tree. It was like round the fucking mulberry bush and all that jazz or maybe ring around the fucking rosy. My blood was pouring out the wound faster. I could feel it. No time to bandage my wound and stop the flow. If I didn’t keep up this attack and defend, I would be dead anyway.
“Flynn,” Luke cried out and I could have kissed the guy. I knew what he meant to do and caught an arm of my assailant and threw him into the middle of the fray. That wouldn’t have worked before because he would have come back at me. But my man was about to light up the joint. I wasn’t sure how that would affect a vampire, but I hunkered on the other side of the tree per Luke’s warning, not wanting to be sent to hell.
No Mercy (Cambions 2.5) Page 5