by Jackie May
Cecile laughs, the sound light and tinkling, and sucks in a deep breath as she watches the Idiot Twins on the dance floor. I’d been joking, but Cecile does have a preference for multiple partners at once. “Oh, sweet Nora, I do love having you here. You get all these men so hot I hardly have to do any work at all. As for those two, they deserve it for not believing you.”
“Yeah,” a new voice says. “Terrance should be in here with you, helping to spread the news. Not a damn one of the assholes in this place will believe just you.”
I grin at the newcomer. Nick Gorgeous works for the FUA—Federal Underworld Agency—and gorgeous he is, even though his look is completely unconventional. If you mashed up a biker bad boy and a well-mannered cowboy, you’d have Nick Gorgeous. And if that’s not enough of a picture, he’s got smooth, ebony skin, warm chocolate eyes, a screw-me smile, and a cute baby face. He’s quite the picture, but somehow it all works.
“Aw, but T-man’s so much better at playing grumpy bouncer than friendly bartender,” I say.
Snorting, Nick plops down on an open stool. Well, a stool that some other guy vacates after Nick gives him a look. (Nick is one scary badass when he wants to be.) “We meet again, little spitfire.” He shoots me a wink. “I heard the rumors, but I had to come see it for myself, and, sure enough, here you are, serving drinks to rowdy underworlders. I swear you’re the only human crazy enough to try it.”
I laugh. “Have you come to warn me away, then?”
“Hell no. I came to watch the show. It’s been a slow week for the FUA, and you’re bound to stir up all kinds of trouble here. I could use a drink, too. How about some Demon’s Brew?”
“Sure thing.” That’s one of the non-human beers on tap. The damn stuff smells so strong it practically knocks me on my ass just serving it. “How about you, Cecile? Can I get you anything?”
“Have you made a Sidhe Hurricane yet?”
“That’s the one with the glowing blue, purple, and green, right?”
Cecile smiles. “That’s the one. Two shots of the purple, dear.”
“Coming right up.”
I bring them their drinks and leave them to chat with each other while I fill other orders as fast as I can. Wulf constantly looks my direction to make sure I’m okay, but he already trusts me enough to let me do my thing. I ask him when someone orders a drink I’m unfamiliar with, but other than that, he gives me the freedom to work the bar on my own. I really like that about him. I can play nice with others, but I’ve always been independent, and I don’t think I could handle a boss who hovers too much.
“Hey, sexy, how about you bring a shot of Angelfire and that pretty little ass over here.”
I pour a shot of the fey alcohol and bring it to the tactless man with a forced smile. As I take the cash he lays out on the counter, he grabs my arm and pulls me close. “You know, I’ve never had a human before—they’re not usually worth my time—but I’d make an exception for you.”
I yank my arm back. “Not interested, thanks.”
I start to walk away, so he quickly downs his shot and asks for another. “What’s the matter? Think you’re too good to bed an underworlder?”
I smirk as I fill his shot glass with another round of the light blue liquid. “Nope. Just too good for cocky assholes.”
I don’t have time to regret running my mouth off before the man has me by the throat and is pulling me across the counter to his seething face. “I’ll show you manners, human. You’re nothing but an insect in my world. A plaything. And now you’ll be mine. I’ll have you begging for death for all eternity.”
His thoughts are scarier than his words. He plans to follow through on his threat. He knows many fey in the winter court that keep human pets. He’s never seen the appeal, but now he wants nothing more than to humiliate me and make me suffer. And maybe he’ll eat me once he’s bored of the torture.
His grip is so strong I can’t breathe, but before I start to see spots in my vision, Wulf and Nick rip me apart from the psychotic winter faerie. Wulf has me behind him, using his body to physically shield me, while Nick has the faerie laid out on the bar by his throat. The man is wailing in pain, and it takes me a moment to figure out it’s because Nick’s buried a dagger in the man’s shoulder, hilt deep. Judging from the screams of pain, the dagger is made of iron, which is poisonous to faeries. “What was that about begging for death for all eternity?” Nick asks. “Is that how you like to play?”
“But she’s human,” the faerie cries, as if that justifies his actions.
Wulf growls at this, and his whole body begins to shake. I place a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. I’ve heard that werewolves like physical touch, and a gesture to tell him I’m all right should help with his protective instincts. I’ve never seen a werewolf shift, and I don’t really want to see one now while he’s pissed and I’m trapped behind a bar with him. I want to say something soothing, but honestly, I’m too scared to get any words out. That faerie has a dark, twisted mind.
“She is an employee of this club and Terrance’s only clan,” Nick says.
The fey’s eyes pop wide open. “She’s his clan?”
“His first.” Nick nods. “And he’s especially fond of her. So I would advise you to leave her alone. In fact, I bet you’re a dead man walking once Terrance figures out you’re the asshole who put the bruises around her neck.”
Nick’s eyes do that thing they do when he gets really pissed. The pupils turn into vertical slits. It’s freaky looking. He also emits some kind of power. I can’t really explain it. I don’t know what kind of underworlder Nick is. It’s rude to ask, and he’s never offered the information up. But it’s something totally badass that scares even the nastiest underworlders. Mr. Creepy Fey Man is squirming under his grip, looking like he’s about to piss himself. “I’m sorry,” he whines. “I didn’t know who she was. I’ll leave. Just let me up before Terrance comes.”
“Maybe we should leave him pinned to the bar for a while,” Wulf says, making the fey’s eyes go wide again. “That’ll send the message that Nora is off limits, which might appease Terrance.”
I can’t help the way my mouth falls open. “You’re not serious.”
Wulf gives me a grim look. “This man disrespected Terrance’s staff. That won’t go unpunished—house rules.”
“Terrance will kill him for touching you, unless we punish him first,” Nick adds, backing up Wulf’s claims.
They’re not kidding. They plan to keep this guy staked to the counter the way he is. The underworld runs on a different set of rules. It’s brutal and dangerous. If I want to survive it, I need to learn to stomach the darker side of it and trust those who have my well-being at heart.
“Okay,” I say, since both Wulf and Nick seem to be waiting for my approval. It’s not that hard to agree, considering how evil the man’s thoughts were. “Let’s leave him for a while.”
“Put a sign on him so everyone knows,” Nick says.
Wulf writes a note on a pad that says I touched the human girl. He puts it on the faerie’s chest. “Hold this, and don’t drop it.”
The man grips the message and holds it against his chest where everyone who gets close can read it. But he’s squirming, swearing, sweating, and hollering about the pain. I have no doubt it hurts. Nick has no sympathy for him. “Shut your mouth,” he says, touching the dagger’s hilt and twisting it ever so slightly, causing the faerie to scream in real agony. “This is a tender mercy. Stop whining, or I’ll put this dagger through your heart to shut you up.”
I’m not surprised when the faerie shuts his mouth and keeps his discomfort to mild whimpers from then on. If Nick had looked at me the same way he looked at that guy just now, I’d find a way to forget about the pain, too.
The next hour goes by torturously slow. Wulf keeps me glued to his side as we work, and we stay close to the guy pinned to the counter the entire time. Terrance nearly kills the faerie anyway when he finally comes inside and sees the br
uises on my neck. Wulf talks him out of murder, but Terrance decides the faerie has to stay put until closing time so that everyone who comes to the bar tonight knows I’m under his protection.
He also stands behind the bar, shadowing me like he’s my own personal bodyguard. And let me tell you, a pissed off troll makes one hell of an intimidating guard. Word is definitely spreading that I’m untouchable. Is it horrible that I think maybe tonight’s gruesome events are worth it? People will definitely think twice about messing with me now.
Last call is at two a.m., but it takes over an hour to get all of the club patrons out the doors. The faerie is the last to leave, just after three. He looks pale and slumps as he exits, but both Wulf and Terrance assure me he’ll feel right as rain by tomorrow.
I try not to think about it as I set to work cleaning the mess behind the bar, but I can’t help the way my body shakes. A hand comes down on my shoulder, and I whirl around with a startled yelp. My heart is in my throat, but it’s only Wulf, gazing at me with concern. “That guy really scared you tonight, didn’t he?”
I hate to show my weakness, but hell yeah, that guy scared me. I have his fingers imprinted around my neck, and that was the least scary part of the ordeal. My head is a mess right now, so I shrug and own it. “Its not easy having a front row seat to people’s worst fantasies. Sick men have even sicker minds. His thoughts were very clear, and I can’t get them out of my head. Plus, he moved so fast I didn’t even see him. His hand was just suddenly there, squeezing the life out of me. I’ve never been strangled before.”
I shiver again and nearly drop the tray of dirty glasses in my hands. I’m not in the mood to talk about this anymore, so I turn to head back to the kitchen to drop these last dirty dishes off. Wulf stops me, calling out softly to me. “Would it help if you knew some self-defense?”
I slowly turn back around to face him. “You offering to teach me?”
He shrugs. He’s trying to look nonchalant, but there’s tension beneath the casual appearance. Tonight shook him a little, too. “Werewolves love a good tussle. I know how to hold my own in a fight. Yeah, I’ll teach you, if you’re willing to learn. You’ll always be human and female, so size and strength won’t be your allies, but I could teach you how to work around that to give yourself at least a chance.”
He has no idea how badly I want this. I’ve spent my entire life wishing I knew how to fight. I’ve had too many attackers not to want to know how to protect myself. I know I’ll still be human, but any leg up is a blessing, no matter how small. Still, I can’t just accept it right away. “Why would you do that?” I ask, letting my wariness ring out in my voice. “What do you expect to get out of it?”
“Peace of mind.” He shakes his head at my frown. “You’re not the only one with images stuck in your head right now. I’m going to see that bastard’s hand around your throat in my sleep all night tonight.”
I’m touched by the admission.
“I’ve been an anxious mess all week. Terrance trusts me with your safety, and I’ll always do my best, but I’m just one man, and things can get rowdy here. I’d like to know that if a real bar fight ever breaks out, you’ll be able to at least hold out for a few minutes until Terrance or I can get to you. I’ll teach you, simply because you need to know it.”
He seems sincere. And he hasn’t hit on me at all this week. He’s been friendly, but he treats me like a little sister, if anything. I’m a kid he’s fond of, but that he’s babysitting all the same. That’s what makes me think he could train me without it becoming a problem.
I’ve never gotten self-defense lessons before, as badly as I’ve wanted them, because I’ve been too afraid of all the physical contact necessary. Teaching someone to fight and defend themselves requires a lot of touching, high energy, and intense situations. With my uncontrollable allure, I’ve never felt an instructor would be able to resist taking advantage of me before. For the first time, I’m not worried about that. Well, not too worried. “Would we be in public?” I ask.
Wulf knows exactly what I’m asking and why. He knows all about my problem with people. After that first night working with him, he said I was a hundred times worse than Cecile, so I had to break down and tell him about my problem. After a week working together, he knows it’s not in my head.
His face falls sympathetically, and he says, “We can go to the training gym out at my old pack’s compound, if you’d like. There’s always a steady flow of both men and women in there, so we’ll never be alone. It wouldn’t hurt me to put in an appearance there. My old alpha’s always trying to get me to come home for a visit.”
I feel bad making him go back to the pack grounds if he really doesn’t want to be there, but I don’t want to spend any time alone with him, either. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
He shakes his head and grins. “Only if the females start sniffing around too much. Then I’m out.”
I raise an eyebrow, and he laughs. “She-wolves are the worst. Always trying to tie you down with that whole mate bonding thing, and they can’t resist a dominant wolf. I’m not ready to settle down, move to the compound, and have some woman constantly nagging me and trying to change my lone-wolf ways.”
He’s not joking. He’s happy as a lone wolf and is a hopeless flirt with all women, except for with other werewolves and me. I’ve wondered what his deal was with his own kind. I can believe it’s as simple as him not wanting a pack or a mate. “Okay, that’s fair,” I decide. I wouldn’t want to be chased like that, either. “As soon as the females start hounding you, we’ll bring it back here—as long as it’s going okay. If my problem gives you any trouble, though, will you let me know?”
He nods. “Of course.”
“Great. In that case, when do we start?”
Wulf drives us about half an hour south of Detroit to a city called Flat Rock. Flat Rock has a much more spread out feel to it than Detroit, with lots of trees everywhere. Very suburban. We drive through town, cross over a river, and hit the edge of civilization. Buildings give way to trees and water. Then, about ten minutes later, we reach what looks like a random planned community on the edge of a large park. The place is gated and looks newer than anything I saw in the actual town of Flat Rock. It’s pretty fancy. I’ve stepped into upper middle class suburbia, and I feel a bit out of place.
I squirm as we stop at the gate, and Wulf speaks to the guy in the little guard shack. They murmur in low voices, so I only catch my name and the word human before the guard shakes his head in surprise, checks his list, and opens the gate. The man’s eyes stay glued to me until we’re out of his sight.
“Are humans not usually allowed?” I ask.
Wulf glances sideways at me. “It doesn’t happen too often, but it’s not frowned on or anything. Wolves like humans just fine. It’s the humans that are usually shy of us.”
I can fully understand that.
We drive through the stunning neighborhood full of beautiful homes, groomed yards, and kids running around, and come up to a large building that looks to be a clubhouse of sorts. It’s obviously the pack headquarters as well. When Wulf parks, he looks around warily at all of the people now staring at us.
“Been a while since you’ve been home?” I ask when I realize they’re not staring at us, they’re looking at him. “Or do you just not bring home many human girls?”
Wulf blows out a big breath and rakes a hand through his hair as he eyes one woman specifically. She’s stopped jogging along a path and is openly staring at Wulf. Even I can see the hungry gleam in her eyes. “It’s been a few years since I visited the compound.” He breaks the lady’s stare and smirks at me. “And I’ve never brought a girl with me, much less a human one.”
“Well, this should be interesting. You sure we shouldn’t turn back and forget this whole thing?”
He hesitates and then shakes his head. “No. You need to learn, and this is the best, safest place to teach you. Come on. Gym’s in there.” He points to the building.
&
nbsp; People don’t realize I’m human until they can smell my scent, because when I get out of the car and meet Wulf in front of the hood, there is a collective gasp from everyone around us. All eyes move from Wulf to me, and mouths drop. “Right,” I grumble. “This was definitely a smart idea.”
Next to me, Wulf chuckles quietly. “Just don’t be afraid, Nora. Our kind can smell fear, and we can’t resist preying on the weak.”
I shoot him a sideways glare. “If you’d just show me to the gym already, I won’t be weak anymore.”
I get another laugh. At least one of us is in a better mood now.
Like Wulf promised, there are plenty of other people using the gym’s training facilities. There are people training all the way from pre-teens to guys that could pass for grandparents. All of them seem in stellar shape. My friend Ren, a gay incubus from the FUA office, is going to kill me for not bringing him when I give him the details of all the bare muscle I’m seeing.
Thankfully, Wulf leaves his T-shirt on with his sweatpants. It’s still skintight and shows all his muscles, but that’s not what I’m worried about. Less skin means less risk of reading his thoughts while he’s teaching me to defend myself. Wulf’s one of the few people that knows about my abilities. I appreciate his attempt to respect my boundaries.
“Okay, first things first. We need to warm up. Start with a couple laps around the gym to get your blood pumping, and then we’ll stretch and get loose.”
Ugh. I hate running. But I’m not going to complain about the first order my new trainer gives me, so I head over to the small track around the edge of the gym and start into a slow jog. Wulf joins me but takes off at a much more aggressive speed. At least he’s not one of those trainers that stands around barking orders but doesn’t participate. Those kinds of coaches annoy me.
After one loop around the gym—in which Wulf has already lapped me once—Wulf falls into step beside me. When he speaks, he doesn’t sound winded at all. “Is this the fastest you go?”