by Cecy Robson
Screw her. She didn’t know becoming nurses at a young age helped Taran and me gain custody of our sisters following the death of our foster mother.
Emme moved slower than usual, appearing lost in her thoughts. “You okay, Emme?” I asked.
She nodded. “Mr. Luther died today.”
Emme cared for the terminally ill. She used her gift to grant her patients a peaceful good-bye. And with her honey blond hair, fair skin, and soft green eyes, perhaps her patients envisioned her as their own personal angel welcoming them into heaven.
“I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“It’s okay. He’s been telling me he was ready to go and see his wife.” She lay on the couch with me and leaned her head against my shoulder as I hugged her. “Shayna had a delivery today. It’s a reminder, you know. Life does go on.”
Shayna grinned my way. “The family said you delivered their first child and wanted me to tell you hi.”
Shayna’s positive and cheerful personality made her the ideal person to help women through the stress and pain of labor. My favorite part was the delivery. I loved babies. The best part of my job was handing a mother her child for the first time. But it also made me a little sad. Children in my future didn’t seem possible without a father.
Taran swore as she undid her hair. “If I ever consider working an extra shift, just shoot me. Some idiot overbooked the cardiac lab by three patients. And I was the only one who could start an IV. Seriously, what are they teaching these bitches in nursing school these days?” Out of all of us, Taran seemed an unlikely Florence Nightingale. But she knew her stuff. And after taking care of our foster mother, she had a soft spot for the elderly.
Taran took the last pin out of her hair and fluffed her dark waves against her shoulders. “What did you do today, Ceel?”
“I went out with Misha. Bloodlust has plagued his home. He’s had to kill twelve of his vampires, but not before one drained his poor human maid. He has until the next full moon to discover the cause or be sentenced to death. Oh, and get this: He wants me to help him kill the master vampire he thinks is responsible.”
Nothing like a little supernatural drama to shut up a bunch of chatty girls.
“Well, shit,” Taran finally said. “I think we could all use a drink.”
Between the tripped-out supernatural paparazzi, the severely deranged infected vampires, and my fixation on a steamy werewolf, the last thing I wanted to do was party. But seeing as I was actually considering helping one master vamp kill another, then yeah, a few beers might not be a bad idea.
I preferred to dress for comfort rather than fashion. Yet I’d allowed Taran to shove me into her Rodeo Drive–meets-Vegas clothing and adorn me with cosmetics—just to get her off my case about possibly helping Misha. It worked.
She and Shayna happily glided ahead of us through the sea of gyrating bodies at the Watering Hole. I wrapped my arm around Emme and led her through the rough crowd. Humans naturally avoided the path of a tigress, despite my five-foot-three-inch frame, but these selfish drunks would trample anyone as tiny and passive as Emme.
Dance music pounded harder than the feet hitting the floor to Gaga’s latest. We ambled to the rear bar, where Bren was talking to two women. He winked one of his blue eyes when his werewolf nose picked up our scent. “Hey, babes. Take a seat!” He motioned to a booth a buxom brunette and her male escort had just abandoned.
“My goodness. That girl is so popular. Every time I see her, she has a different date.”
I supposed Emme missed the dance party in the guy’s pants. “She’s a prostitute, Emme.”
Emme did a double take. “She can’t be. She dresses nicely and lives in Tahoe.”
Taran laughed. We’d caught up and were close enough to be heard. “That’s because the skank charges more than we make in a week, Emme. Her biggest problems are sore knees and her growing immunity to penicillin.”
“Why would her knees—”
Emme’s deep blush told me she figured it out. Thank God. I wasn’t a “you can ask me anything” type of gal.
We were about to sit when two girls jumped into the booth. I wouldn’t have cared as much if they hadn’t knocked Emme aside in the process. The closest one paled as she caught sight of me. She yanked her friend’s arm and quickly found someplace else to be. Bren joined us, drinks in hand. He handed me a Corona with a lime before taking one for himself and having a seat next to me. “Nice scowl, Ceel. I think you actually made the brunette mess her pants.”
I watched them until they disappeared. “I barely looked at them.”
Bren rubbed at his dark scruffy beard as he laughed. “Trust me, babe. Even your subtle glances are scary as hell.”
He took a long pull on his beer and draped his arm around me. I leaned against him. “Is Danny coming?”
“No. He’s in Santa Barbara at some stick-up-your-ass science convention, trying to get laid.”
I quirked a brow. “You can get laid at a science convention?”
Bren chuckled. “I could. I don’t think Dan can. He’s trying to bang some biochemist working in the research lab next to his. For his sake, I hope she’s as hot as he claims. His last lay could scare Christ off the cross.”
I almost choked on my beer. Bren and Danny were the ultimate odd couple. Danny was human, neat, book smart, and hardworking. Bren was a lone werewolf, a slob, liked porn, and never woke before noon. And yet they remained the best of friends. Bren would take a bullet for Danny.
Bren grinned as he watched me take another a sip of my Corona. “It’s good to see you out, babe. It’s been too long.”
I shrugged. “I needed to get my mind off things.” Too much laundry, stress at work, crazy vampires hiding in bushes waiting to eat us…
“No kidding,” Taran muttered.
Bren narrowed his eyes at me. “Celia, you’re not seriously thinking about getting involved with all that vampire shit, are you?”
“How did you…” Shayna suddenly felt the need to concentrate on her martini. “Shayna! You told him?”
Bren chuckled. “I called while you were in the shower. All I did was ask her what was new and she sang like a canary.” He shook his head. “The master vamp assholes are trying to off each other. Let them. But keep your skinny ass out of it. Nothing good ever comes from playing with leeches.”
I straightened. “I’m not playing. I’m totally serious.”
Bren’s typically jovial spirit vanished. “So is this bloodlust shit. If some vamp is fucked-up enough to release that poison, she’s not going to care who gets in the way.”
“But isn’t that more of a reason to stop her?” I argued.
“The hell it is. Leave that to pack weres. It’s their goddamn duty to guard the world from all the mystical evil shit.”
I didn’t agree with Bren, but I also didn’t want us to fight. And neither did Emme. She tugged on Bren’s “I heart Tahoe babes” T-shirt. “Guess what, Bren. Celia has a boyfriend.”
I sighed. “Misha is not my boyfriend.”
Emme’s jaw dropped. “I meant that wolf you met on the beach.”
“Oh…him. He’s not…I mean, I don’t even know him.” I squirmed a little, wondering why my body suddenly felt so hot.
Taran’s all-knowing smirk inched its way across her face. God, I hated that smirk. “No. But you want to. Really want to.” She danced her eyebrows. “Don’t you, Ceel?”
I stiffened. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Bren laughed out loud. I couldn’t blame him. I was a horrible liar. Discussing a male I’d only been able to fantasize about bordered on pathetic—considering my sisters frequently enjoyed the company of real-life suitors.
Shayna shifted her weight excitedly in her seat. Her face beamed, her butt bounced, and her finger pointed directly in my face. “You’ve been running every day, twice a day, since seeing that wolf. Don’t think we’ve been falling for that, ‘Ooh, I have to go shopping again. Does anyone need anything from the store?’” She nibbled o
n her lip. “So…have you seen him?”
“No.” Despite my marathon-length runs, I hadn’t caught one whiff of that wolf’s addicting aroma. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have known what to do. Mostly I just wanted to see him again. And hoped maybe he would approach me.
My faced burned hotter, especially when my sisters grinned my way. It seemed strange how the mere thought of the wolf brought an easy smile to my face.
Taran winked at me. “Ceel, we have to find that big, bad wolf.”
“Bren! What the hell are you doing?” Bren’s boss screamed at him from the bar.
“I’m on break, Paul!” Bren shouted back.
“Break’s over, dipshit. Get back to work!”
Bren rolled his eyes and returned to his station at the bar. Immediately a cluster of women with horrendous boob jobs swarmed him. If Bren weren’t so popular with the ladies, Paul would have fired him years ago.
I’d barely finished my third beer when a small pack of wolves in their human forms entered the club. Every vertebra in my spine stiffened, hoping he walked among them. My shoulders slumped with disappointment when my wolf failed to appear. Still, I couldn’t relax. The powerhouse pack tingled my senses like a shock wave.
The wolves stalked across the crush of dancers toward the bar, shoulder-to-shoulder, moving smoothly as one. The human patrons perceptibly sensed the wolves’ dominance at a primal level. Some gawked; others cuddled closer to their partners. Most scrambled out of their way. A few of the brave straightened, growing wary of the sudden danger.
Bloodlust, supernatural stalkers, and werewolves. What was next? Locusts and four horsemen? Taran’s irises briefly turned white. “Celia, three weres are coming toward us.”
“I know. I picked up their scent.” My tigress instinctively growled. The wolves’ collective power had been strong enough to change Taran’s eye color and send my tigress’s territorial instincts into overdrive.
“Good grief, they’re huge. Are they the same ones from the beach?” Emme asked, sounding hopeful.
I shook my head. “No, they don’t look familiar.”
The weres didn’t need to do more than glance at the guys sitting across from us, and the six guys crowding the booth vacated fast. The weres claimed the space and watched us closely once they picked up our scent, ignoring Bren’s watchful gaze from the bar.
Weres didn’t typically attack, but that didn’t mean I’d turn my back on them. They were tall, over six feet, with the large chests and lean muscles typical of wolves. One was Native American, with long, loose black hair that hung past his shoulder blades. He was good-looking in an “I’ll rip your throat out in one bite” kind of way. But his most prominent feature was his eyes. They reminded me of the start of a dangerous storm, a turbulent brown that bordered on black. The were sitting next to him was Asian, possibly Japanese. He had short black hair and a thin, well-trimmed goatee. And unlike his friends, who wore jeans and T-shirts, he’d dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was handsome in a stoic way. His presence held a sense of calm, but his dark almond eyes remained vigilant.
The third wolf reminded me of a rock star. If he were on a stage, girls would’ve thrown their panties at him. His messy blond, spiky hair must have required a lot of hair gel to perfect. He carried a definite edge, but his face possessed a boyish charm. I glanced around to see what had made him smile. I knew we were in trouble when I caught Emme blushing and smiling back.
Oh, crap.
Part of me wanted to grab her and run when he approached our table. Instead, I remained still, despite the rise in my hackles and the growl rumbling in my throat. To add to my unease, the other two weres exchanged glances and followed.
“Hi,” he said to Emme. “I’m Liam, Liam Smith.” He nodded toward the Asian. “This is Gem, and that ray of sunshine over there is Miakoda.”
“I go by Koda,” the Native American said. He shot Liam a snarl that caused my claws to protrude, but Liam ignored him.
Emme smiled so sweetly at Liam, I feared the poor sap might need insulin. “I’m Emme Wird. These are my sisters, Celia, Taran, and Shayna.”
No one said anything at first. Koda, Gem, and I were too busy sizing each other up. If it came down to it, I thought Bren and I could take them in a fight.
Liam remained oblivious to the tension. “Would you like to dance with me, Emme?” he asked, extending his hand.
“Sure.” She strolled off before I could stop her.
Shayna, who could sense the growing strain between Koda and me, intervened. “How about a dance, big guy?” she asked.
This broke Koda’s eye contact with me, and he seemed genuinely surprised. “Are you talking to me?”
Shayna’s grin lit up her face. “Well, duh. I’m looking right at you, dude.”
It wouldn’t have shocked me if no one had ever asked Koda to dance before. He was a scary mo-fo of epic proportions. Shayna wriggled to the edge of the seat to leave, but not before I shoved the toothpick from her martini into her hand. She giggled and kissed my cheek. “Don’t worry, Ceel,” she whispered, glancing at Koda from the corner of her eyes. “I’ve got this one.”
Koda moved aside to let her out of the booth. Shayna grabbed his hand and led him out to the floor like a well-trained poodle rather than a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound werewolf. I couldn’t believe it. Taming someone like that was impressive even for her.
I turned to Taran, who had been unusually quiet. Gem slid into the booth next to her. They stared into each other’s eyes, but not in a challenging way. Most guys gawked at Taran. I was used to that. Yet the way Gem stared at her wasn’t sexual; it was tender, and it put me on edge. I couldn’t understand what the hell was going on, but thought it best to run interference.
“So, what kind of name is Gem, anyway?” I asked, trying to rip his eyes off my sister.
“My nickname is Gemini. My real name is Tomo Hamamatsu.”
“Is that your astrological sign or something?”
He returned his gaze to Taran. “Something like that,” he muttered.
Taran said nothing. Hell, she barely breathed.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Another fun night out with the girls.
I enjoyed a good paranormal romance as much as the next gal, but there was only so much lovey-dovey crap I could take. After fifteen minutes of watching Taran and Gemini reenact the last few seconds of Ghost, I left to take a seat at the bar.
The brunette flirting with Bren scowled at me the moment I slumped onto the stool. I slammed my purse onto the bar, tired of dealing with petty bitches. “Do you have a problem?”
Bren groaned when the tramp ran like I’d set her sequined miniskirt on fire. He shoved a lime into another Corona and handed it to me. “Are you trying to ruin my chances of getting laid?”
I played with the bottle. “Sorry. It just sucks to always be the one without a date.”
My stomach clenched with the immediate sadness my words brought me. I hated admitting how lonely I was.
Or how badly I wanted to fall in love.
Bren leaned forward. “Ceel, you have a killer body and are smarter than hell.” He grinned. “You’re also beautiful. And you don’t even fucking know it.” He reclaimed the beer, took a swig, then handed it back. “But you know what your problem is?”
“I scare people?”
“Yes. Shitless. But that’s not what I meant.” He sighed. “You haven’t found anyone who can compete with the strength of your beast.” His smile faded. “You need to find your equal, babe.”
I glanced back at Taran and the wolf she’d so easily enthralled. “What if I can’t?”
Bren didn’t answer me. He may not have known how much I longed to be in the strong arms of a man who wanted to share his life and passion with me. But he did know better than to give me false hope. I downed my beer and went to the bathroom. When I came out, Bren’s floozies were once again throwing themselves at him. I didn’t want to continue to bug him, so I
left the bar area to check on my remaining sisters.
Shayna ripped it up on the dance floor. She laughed as she moved, totally showing off. Koda surprisingly kept up with her. He appeared to be having fun, but I still wouldn’t have jumped for joy at the sight of him in a dark alley. When a couple of guys stopped to watch Shayna, one glimpse from Koda sent them scurrying toward the exit.
Emme and Liam faced each other along the far wall. They weren’t dancing, but they stood pretty damn close. Liam stroked the side of her cheek and spoke softly while she smiled shyly at him.
Liam didn’t appear threatening, but I didn’t want Emme to forget he was a were. I slunk around a few guys dancing until I reached Emme. She jumped when I tapped her shoulder. I barely blinked before Liam took a protective stance in front of her. He laughed, and patted my head when he saw it was just little ol’ me.
I would have drop-kicked him had it not been for his next comment. “Sorry, kid. By the way Emme jumped, I thought someone was trying to hurt her.”
I couldn’t believe it. Liam had only just met Emme, and he was already prepared to stomp ass in her defense.
Emme peeked around Liam’s big body. “Hi, Celia.” She frowned when she caught my surprised expression. “Is everything all right, sweetie?”
She was obviously in safe hands with this wolf. “Um. Yeah. Listen, I’m hot. I’ll be out by the lake if you need me.”
Emme nodded, but appeared concerned. Liam patted my head. Again. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll watch out for her.”
“You’d better,” I said in a low growl that clearly meant business.
Liam laughed and turned back to Emme, whose eyes widened with alarm at my “I may have to pummel your date’s ass” scowl. I didn’t gut Liam only out of respect for Emme, but that didn’t mean I’d wait around for another pat on the head.
And what did he mean by “kid”? I stormed away. Patronizing asshole.