I shot her a look of pure murder, opening my mouth to say one name, but I let it float away unspoken as I gave her a faint smile of my own, although mine was frustrated, not at Claire, but at the situation. “Both, I guess,” I finally admitted.
She nodded, then patted my shoulder comfortingly. We talked idly for a few minutes, not wanting to discuss any dangerous topics in such a public place. It felt nice. To unwind. Remove the Freak stuff. Just be a young, single girl on the town. No vampires. No billionaires. No cryptic, conniving old warrior priests. Just girl talk. Soon, I was laughing, and drinking at a reasonable pace, enjoying the slight, comfortable buzz filling my head. Just enough to relax me without mental degradation.
“Before you showed up, Roland heard from the hospital. Father David is doing okay. He woke a few times, but is still delirious, and the heavy pain-killers in his system didn’t let him stay awake long. But he’s expected to be fine.” I let out a breath of relief.
“Thanks for telling me.”
She shrugged, looking around the bar for a few moments, people watching. She straightened, setting her empty drink down. “That stuff goes right through me. I’ll be right back,” she said with an odd grin on her face, slipping from the stool. Was she drunker than I thought?
“Buddy system?” I sighed, untucking my leg from the stool.
She gripped my shoulders, stopping me. “Oh, no. That’s okay. I’ll be back in a minute or two.” She was still grinning, but she slipped away before I could press her.
“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” a familiar voice chuckled from behind me. I whirled on my stool.
And came face to face with my lunch date, Johnathan.
“You’re stalking me,” I finally said, flashing him a surprised smile of delight.
He held up his hands. “Guilty.” Then he shook his head. “Actually, you’re on my turf, now. I always go here.”
“Oh? Then how did I meet you at that other bar last night?”
“My little sister dragged me there kicking and screaming. Remember?” I nodded. “That was her bar. This one is mine.” He leaned closer to whisper a secret in my ear. His minty breath and faint cologne were pleasant. “I don’t tell her about my spots, though. She’ll ruin all my fun.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fun like picking up drunk chicks at your bar? Or asking them to lunch the next day?”
He frowned at me, his mild disapproval plain. “No. Any idiot can tell you that never works. I can honestly tell you that I’ve never picked up a girl for the night at a bar.” He didn’t sound upset, exactly, but he did sound… adamant.
I nodded shyly. I hadn’t meant to offend him. Just to tease, but it felt nice to see him get defensive about it. It… put truth to his words. “Sorry,” I mumbled, wondering if Claire had fallen into the toilet. Then I scowled, rethinking it. She had seen Johnathan, recognizing him from last night, and snuck away as fast as possible. Sneaky little shit.
Chapter 32
As if reading my thoughts, Johnathan chuckled. “I like your friend. Good wingman.”
“Yes. I’ll have to talk to her about that,” I said with mock severity. It felt nice to be back in the normal world. No one trying to kill me. A nice boy flirting with me. Someone more like me. Not some out of town billionaire. “Too bad there’s no dancing here…” I said without thinking.
He sighed. “I’m white. No dance skills here. Unless it’s the classical stuff.” He took a drink to drown his sorrows at such an unfair world.
“Of course. You know the Waltz. What was I thinking?”
He shrugged. “Mom made me learn when I was young. In case we ever traveled back in time to the Renaissance, or something,” he rolled his eyes. “Never had to use it. Shocking.”
“That dashing without it, eh?” I teased.
He choked into his drink, wiping his mouth as he turned back to me. Then he held out a hand to his reaction, as if proving his point about not being dashing. “Not remotely. Never tried hitting on an old lady before, though, so maybe I’ve just been barking up the wrong tree.”
“Good luck with that.” I looked over Johnathan’s shoulder, and saw Claire lurking near the opposite end of the bar, talking to a handsome, blonde-haired guy and his two friends. She craned her neck my way, making sure I had fallen for her trap. She even flashed me the thumbs-up sign. The blonde guy shifted bright blue eyes my way, and he dipped his chin pleasantly upon seeing me looking back at him. Not in a creepy way, but a polite hello. Which felt nice. Of course, he was probably trying to get into Claire’s pants, so befriending her friend would be helpful to him. His gaze drifted to the back of Johnathan’s head for a moment before he turned back to Claire.
“So, what are you doing here? Didn’t you say the other place was your usual bar?”
I nodded. “Wanted a change of scenery. Last time I was there, some jerk tricked me into lunch. I didn’t want that happening again. Imagine my surprise…” I feigned a resigned look, but he just rolled his eyes.
“You’re in my bar, now. Perhaps you should take a lesson and ask me to lunch.”
“How about a booth?” I asked without thinking, then flushed.
His grin stretched from ear-to-ear. “Deal,” he said, and grasped my hand, tugging me towards the nearest booth, even darting ahead of a waitress before she could sit a couple down in the spot he had picked out. The waitress didn’t look pleased, but his smile was infectious, because she only shook her head with a light sigh. The couple following her — a young, likely broke college couple — didn’t even appear to notice. “Better tip well,” the waitress muttered to Johnathan.
“For sure,” Johnathan nodded. We sat down and soon the night began to fade away. Like two old friends meeting up after a long break. He didn’t hit on me, although he had moved to my side of the booth at some point. He didn’t press, or try any of those sneaky games most guys try. Accidentally brushing my hand, or pressing his thighs against mine. Instead, he just watched me, staring at my face as we spoke. Sure, I caught his eyes wandering when I wasn’t looking, but they never leered, just admired. And the second I opened my mouth to speak, his eyes were back on my face, paying attention better than even Claire did.
It was… nice. And I soon found myself wishing he had tried one of those lame moves. But he hadn’t, and didn’t look like he was going to do so without encouragement.
“So, what about you?” I asked, glancing over to Claire to see her now seated at the bar beside the blonde guy. They were both laughing, and I saw him lightly touch her arm a few times, disguising the motion as part of the story he was telling her. She also found excuses to touch his thigh, squeeze his shoulder. They were having fun. Good chemistry. I turned back to Johnathan, sighing.
He swirled his glass contemplatively. “I guess I’m just trying to be a better person.”
“Used to be a bad boy?” I didn’t buy it. He was a nerd. But charming, nonetheless.
He smiled, and I knew that smile wasn’t capable of being a bad boy. He hadn’t even touched me since we sat down. Even accidentally. Of course, maybe his past was a different story. “Not any more than anyone else. I just, I don’t know, grow bored with all this.” He waved his hands vaguely.
“Having a conversation in a private booth with a pretty woman?” I arched a brow at him.
“No! I’m just, looking for more than most guys, I guess.”
“A wife?” I asked, a pang of distant anxiety hitting me like a gunshot.
“What?” he burst out, rounding on me in surprise. “No way. Not at all.” Again, I arched my eyebrows at him, and he realized that he was losing either way. “Well, I wouldn’t turn it down or anything, but I’m definitely not searching for it. It’s just… that other thing I told you about. It bothers me. Keeps me up at night,” he was staring into his glass, swirling it again.
I nodded. “Understandable. It’s a big question, isn’t it?”
He met my eyes. “Not really a question, though. You said you agreed
, right?”
I sighed, looking down into my own glass. “I don’t know,” I answered cautiously. “Maybe we’ve both just seen some talented videos on YouTube.”
He was shaking his head. “Come on, Callie. I respect you enough to call that argument weak. Don’t belittle me. Or yourself.”
I smiled. Willing to call me out. That was… fresh.
“Fine. You don’t want to talk about it. I get it.” He didn’t sound angry or upset, just weary. “I guess you could say I just want more. Even without that other thing. Maybe I’m just looking for my own slice of heaven. Something worth my time. Not something from a magazine cover or reality TV show. Something real. Something worth my while—”
I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then I pulled away, drinking in his surprised reaction. “For your honesty.”
He turned to me, looking very hungry all of a sudden, entirely different than he had looked at me the rest of the night, and I began to feel my pulse race. Finally. I waited for him to make his move, and almost jumped out of my skin as Claire slid into the booth next to me. She leaned close to whisper into my ear. “There’s a certain someone causing a scene outside. Looking for you. I think you need to wrap this up.”
I leaned back, wanting to kick her across the room. But the look on her face was very serious.
I turned to Johnathan, frowning. “I need to leave. I’m so sorry.”
He frowned first at me, then at Claire, opening his mouth.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Callie will be calling you very soon, won’t she?” Claire asked, giving me a very threatening look.
“Sure. Yes. I will,” I said, turning to Johnathan.
Whatever he saw on my face made him frown. “Okay. Do you need me to walk you outside?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“No, we’ll be fine. Nothing is wrong. Claire just reminded me of another commitment that I forgot about. Because some jerk at the bar distracted me.” I smiled.
He nodded slowly. “Okay. Call me.”
“I will.”
“We still need to speak about honesty. You started a conversation you really should finish,” he smiled like a wolf to a sheep, no longer Mr. Nice Guy.
I laughed. “I’ll think about it,” I said, sliding out from the booth and pressing a twenty-dollar-bill down on the table. He began to protest, but I shot him a look and he sighed, withdrawing his hand with a very dramatic huff of breath.
I followed Claire through the bar, struggling not to turn and catch one last look at Johnathan. I succeeded, barely.
But all thoughts of Johnathan flew from my mind as I saw flashing lights through the door leading outside. People in the bar had stood to get closer to the window and watch. Claire squeezed the arm of the blonde guy on our way past, as he had also been staring out the window in curiosity. He looked much bigger up close, towering over Claire. He smiled at both of us before standing up on his toes, trying to see outside again. What the hell? Was there an accident or something? A fight?
Claire opened the door and I gasped. Cameras flashed, and a crowd of people stood shouting at a car parked in front of the door. A very nice, blacked out Denali XL, one of those the size of a small bus. Nate leaned against it, speaking to a young female reporter and ignoring the rest with a practiced, arrogant air. The lucky reporter looked oddly familiar as she slipped a card into his suit coat, but his eyes locked onto mine, and his mouth clicked shut.
I frowned, confused, but he suddenly swept forward, grabbed each of our hands, and led us into the back of the idling SUV. The shouting and flashing cameras increased, but he stood before the door, his back guarding us from the pressing reporters. I jumped into the car, more to get away from the reporters than to obey Nate. I was no stranger to crowds, but too many people had redirected their questions to Claire and I, and I felt my face flushing.
Nate climbed in behind us, closing the door to shut out the pleas from outside, and I realized it was a small limo. At least, the two bench seats faced each other. Claire and I sat side-by-side as Nate sat down opposite us. I wondered if I had the same stunned look on my face as she did. Nate smiled, and then rapped on the glass leading to the front of the car behind him.
Then he held out two bottles of water to us. “We need to talk,” he said as if it were the most normal statement in the world.
I burst out laughing. Partly with excitement. Partly with disbelief. And partly with thoughts for Johnathan. What the hell was he going to think about this? Not that I really cared. I had known him for one day, after all. Still, it wouldn’t look great, me leaving him at the booth for a rich man in a limo. Claire, too.
“I need a Goldilocks, but you’ll do,” he grinned.
I laughed even harder. He didn’t waste time. Already planning the next theft. From the bears, by the sound of it. I wasn’t upset any longer about that, focusing my frustration on Roland. He had been the one to not tell me we needed to retrieve all three pieces. Nate might have even assumed I knew all along.
Either way, Nate was good at two things. Making an entrance, and making an exit.
Chapter 33
We had spent an hour on the roof of The Ambassador Hotel. Claire had been wide-eyed the entire time, only snapping out of it to tell me how incredible the man from the bar was. Gabriel, the guy I had seen her flirting with. They had exchanged numbers, and she practically glowed. He was a fine catch, and I found myself happy for her. She didn’t open up often, but seeing me with Johnathan must have given her a bit of confidence.
It seemed Nate had found a taste of love lately, too, because he seemed sweet on the reporter I had seen outside the bar. The one who looked vaguely familiar for some reason. “Just tell us her name!” I begged with a grin. He had shrugged off our questions for the past ten minutes, simply smiling whenever we asked.
“Alyssa,” he said with a groan, as if we had tortured him to his limit. Then he shook his head, sipping his wine. “I ran into her at the auction. She was working the event. Remember? I shoved her aside when the Nephilim ate it.” I nodded, slapping a palm against my thigh. I had seen her before. Not her face, but she had been following him when he approached me after the bidding of the spear. Nate had gently shoved her out of the way before all hell had broken loose. I knew she had looked familiar. “She thinks I’m some kind of hero. But I just didn’t want her seeing me fight a monster. Or her becoming a snack to a monster. Enough girl talk. Do you agree about the bears? The Nephilim was killed, and I think we should hold off on the Demon. That leaves the bears.”
I nodded, shivering at the sudden thrill of the decision. We had robbed the vampires, and Roland was keeping the piece safe. Now it was time to see if the bears had a piece, or if their attendance at the auction was just coincidence. “Seems fine. I don’t know much about bears.”
Nate nodded absently. “Me neither. I would expect to see them up in Alaska or something, but Kansas City? All I’ve found is that they are apparently pretty solitary, so I don’t think we’ll be walking into a war zone like last time. Probably just a handful of them.”
I scowled at him. “How many were there, Nate?”
His face flickered with a smile, and then he leaned back, sighing. “Three.”
I slapped the table. “I knew it! You scouted the place without me! Again!”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I thought you could use a break, and you were meeting with Roland—” His face suddenly grew ashen as if a thought had just hit him. I tensed, scanning the roof, wondering what had changed. He slowly lifted his eyes. “Those vampires knew you were coming… Like they knew you on sight. Might even know your name…”
I stared at him, and then a sickening feeling rolled over me. I began shaking my head forcefully. “No. Roland wouldn’t betray me. That’s impossible. He works for the freaking church, for god’s sake.” Claire muttered something disapproving at my choice of words.
Nate just blinked. “What? No. Even I know that,” he muttered, climbing to his feet and brushing a hand throug
h his hair. Then he turned back to us. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. I was so focused on the bears that it slipped my mind. Listen. Someone knew we were coming, or at least that you were coming. They even tried to frame you. But no one knew our plans.”
“What about the wolves?”
Nate shook his head. “Gunnar didn’t know my plans, either. I haven’t even told him why I’m still in town. And the wolves were gone before he even met you. Even if he had wanted to, he had nothing to tell the wolves, even accidentally, that could have tipped off the vamps.”
I nodded, but didn’t understand his sudden concern. I was with Nate. I wasn’t in danger.
“Where have you gone lately?” he asked in a soft voice.
Claire watched Nate very intensely, reading into his tone, looking nervous. “I met with Roland. Swung by my father’s house, a bar, a date, here.” I threw my hands up. “Spill. What are you getting at?” I said, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. Nate didn’t appear to scare easily, but right now he looked very, very concerned.
“Someone knows you, Callie. It could be from the auction, or somewhere else you’ve been recently. But that’s not what really matters. Where did you go immediately after the auction? And immediately after we got the first piece of the spear tonight?”
I gasped. “To see Roland… Oh my god.”
Nate nodded. “We need to go check on him, make sure you weren’t followed. He has the piece of the spear, right? And he’s injured. All by himself. In an apartment that you’re known to frequent.”
I was already standing, holding out my hand for Nate and Claire to grab. “Shadow Walk us there. Now, Nate,” I managed, trying to keep my heart from bursting. If I had led them to Roland, if they had found him…
“Claire, stay down. Callie, be ready for anything.” We nodded, then they clasped my hands, and in a blink, we were gone.
We appeared in the dark apartment, ready for war. Nate’s fingers wriggled near his hips like those old western cowboys before a gun fight, as if ready to sharp-shoot his way out. Claire had snatched up the wine bottle from the roof without my knowledge, and held it over her head, ready to throw or bash as necessary, even though she was shaking with fear. I, like Nate, had my hands at my sides, breathing slowly, eyes scanning the murky apartment for any sign of movement.
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1 Page 17