by K. Rea
“Trust your wolf. Even in a firestorm, death is not the end,” she whispered into my ear, clear as a bell, as if her voice was the only sound in the room. She released me, her eyes back to normal, and smiled.
“I’m sure you’ll do great!” she hollered and sashayed back to Royce. She either blessed or cursed me. Only time would tell which. Her premonitions about specific things were spotty.
The exit was in sight. Only a few more steps and I’d be in the fresh air. Someone stumbled into me from behind, causing me to fall forward mid-stride. With a startled gasp, I tried to catch myself and clutched the nearest object. A pair of muscular arms caught me around the waist, the smell of sandalwood and bergamot engulfed my senses. The sound of the club around me dulled.
“Easy there, little wolf, are you okay?” a deep husky voice asked. The lilting accent suggested the man wasn’t from Washington. I looked up into the man’s face once I gained my footing again and released my grip from his arms. His stormy blue-gray eyes crinkled in amusement while I stared a moment too long. I looked away and tried to settle the wolf flaring within me, ready to strike. My wolf wanted to rub all over him. Another time or place I’d consider getting to know him better. He reminded me of someone, if only he wasn’t a vampire.
“Yes, thank you,” I answered and stepped away from the stranger. His powerful arms loosened from around my waist, and I took advantage, walking away.
“Do I know you?” the handsome vampire asked as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked bewildered. It surprised me, but he quickly recovered. All his looks were probably an attractive look for him—damn vampire genes.
“No, I’m new in town,” I responded. He scowled for a moment. I didn’t give the handsome vampire another look, despite how much I wanted to. My wolf was restless; we both were. I needed to get the hell out of this bar before I broke my ‘no vampire lovers’ rule. The bouncer opened the exit door when I approached, and I hazarded a look behind me. Those blue eyes tracked my every move. The vampire smiled and winked at me before he melted into the surrounding crowd.
The exit door slammed behind me, and I took the first waiting taxi back to my apartment. City lights blurred by as the driver took me away from the club, and I coaxed my wolf’s nature to calm. Each passing day it was harder to stay calm. I needed to finish my goal and get the hell out of the city.
Those stormy eyes, though. Those eyes seemed familiar, which was impossible. I didn’t know any vampires. I chalked it up to too many drinks and not enough water and sleep.
TWO
The same sparse apartment greeted me when I unlocked the door and turned on the light. The blank walls and solitary house plant on the kitchen counter a calm relief to the busy bar and cramped car ride back. Royce frequently joked that I took minimalism to the extreme. My phone blinked on the counter, showing four missed calls. I considered ignoring them until morning. No one decent typically called this late at night. I pulled my jacket off and laid it across the back of my single bar chair, filled a tall glass with water, lit a candle, and pushed play on my voicemails.
“Hello Eves, it’s Mason Faolmen. The pack and I know this is a rough time for you, babe. There’s an open plane ticket for you with your name on it waiting for you at the airport if you want to come to visit for your birthday. Or I can come to you. Let me know, darling.” The warmth of Mason’s voice faded, and the voicemail clicked. He was as indecent as alpha wolves came, and yet there wasn’t much lacking in Mason’s character these days. Becoming alpha had changed him, some.
Mason spent the last three months trying to get me to visit him and his pack. I hadn’t seen him in years since that ill-fated trip to Montana to meet the other pack leaders in secret. It ended in bloodshed, tears, and with me nearly drowning. We had tried a long-distance relationship on and off through the years, but it seemed like fate had a way of pulling us apart. A ticket out of town didn’t sound like a bad idea to me tonight.
“Evie, this is Orion. Call me when you get this, anytime—as soon as possible. We need to talk. I know you’re not traveling abroad.” The voicemail echoed, repeating Orion’s clipped message. I didn’t bother listening to the rest of the messages and called my brother back. It rang once before his annoyed voice came through.
“Evie?” Orion asked.
“I got your message. You wanted to talk?” I replied, then tugged off my boots.
“When were you going to tell me you’re still in Washington sneaking around Seattle? Was I going to get a letter someday with an explanation of why my sister disappeared?” Orion asked. I sighed. He wasn’t wrong. I planned for him to inherit everything I owned in case the Court came for me. I had tucked a goodbye letter into that packet of paperwork.
“How’d you find out?” I asked as I leaned against the counter.
“I had business in the city today and swung by the fish market before coming home. I caught your scent. What the hell, Evie? We agreed you would join the Faolmen pack, be safe, and not go after the Court! Can’t you see that all Jane and I want is to keep what’s left of our family safe?” Orion asked angrily, concerned.
“We want the same things. You and Jane have a life here, and I want our family safe. I need to do this. I have to hold Alex Kensley accountable. I thought you would understand that,” I said, tossing my boots next to my closet. “You know we’ll never be safe. I will not spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder or waiting for the police to call me about more black roses. I refuse to do nothing about their deaths,” I explained.
“Living a normal life, living the way our parents wanted us to, is not nothing!” Orion argued. There was a long pause before Orion spoke again, sounding defeated. “I can’t make you change your mind?”
“We could go to New Zealand. We would be safe there with other moon shadows and be part of the pack. Or we could go anywhere; California, or Wyoming even. We could settle down; you may even find someone,” Orion hoped. My mind flashed back to those blue eyes and handsome face—damn vampire genes. I downed the rest of my water, wishing it was colder, or something stronger.
“No, this is our home. I’m not running. The Faolmen pack would see you as a threat. They already have an alpha. Do you want to challenge Mason? Could you handle being told what to do by him?” I asked; my brother’s soft growl was the only response. “This is your home, where you and Jane have planned a life together.”
“I promise I’ll be fine, Orion. You take care of Jane, make plans to elope, and try not to worry,” I suggested.
“I don’t like this one bit,” Orion stated.
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to trust me,” I said.
“If you need me—call. I’ll come for you. It’s what big brothers are for,” Orion said, affection slipping back into his voice.
“I know,” I smiled softly.
“Don’t be rash, home or not, we can move anywhere. They won’t be able to hunt us down. By the Goddess, if there is any sign of trouble—get the hell out of there,” Orion ordered, an edge of alpha command in his words. “What are your plans?”
“I’m still checking out Seattle. If it doesn’t pan out, I’ll move on to Vancouver, then New Zealand. I love you, big brother. I’ll check in from time to time,” I promised.
I ended the call as soon as his haunted, “I love you too,” echoed back. Looking forward to a quick run in the woods before passing out in bed, I pulled my navy leather jacket off. I had to be at the gym in the morning for training. I paused in the middle of taking my shirt off, dread settling in my stomach.
“Shit!” the expletive slipped out; the pistol I had stowed at my waist was gone. A pair of blue eyes and a smirking smile came to mind.
The damn vampire had my gun.
THREE
Hours passed while I debated what to do about the gun. After my third cup of chamomile tea, I decided the best option would be to lie low for a
while. I passed out on my cheap couch and only left the apartment to go to the gym and work. What was done was done. I couldn’t change it now. I stuck to my routine and postponed my job interview. A week passed by, slow as molasses. A week of those blue-gray eyes haunting me every night while I slept. If anyone from the club figured out who the pistol belonged to, they should have broken down my door by now.
Itching for a run, I got up early before the sun rose and ran in the woods, pushing my wolf to the limit. The run settled my nerves and my wolf as the early morning dew and smell of the forest wrapped around me. After choking down scalding coffee, I headed to the Kur’s Korner to spar with Royce.
After three months of sparring with people stronger, better, and faster than me, I was holding my own most of the time. Only trainers sparred with me now. Even then, only werewolves or vampires were strong enough to be a challenge. Royce didn’t hold back and pushed me harder than everyone else. I was thankful for it; he was the reason I no longer had my ass kicked by every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that walked through the door. Unfortunately, the other trainers were getting a bit too familiar. They regularly asked me if I wanted a job, or a date. I’d have to find a new gym soon.
My cover would not hold up under a real job application process or even an overly inquisitive mind. My real last name was too dangerous to use in Seattle, especially around nobles—damn vampires. I split my time between two different gyms popular with the Court of Shadows. Court gossip flowed around me, I always listened for anything that would help me find Alex.
After the gym, I worked freelance gigs around town as a delivery girl to the bars and clubs owned by nobles like the Kensley family. Some nights I worked as a freelance ghostwriter for local news outlets. The money left over from paying bills was stashed in an offshore account opened in Orion’s name with the rest of my money. If I didn’t make a regular deposit, after two months, the bank would send a letter notifying him of his inheritance and the suggestion they should disappear.
Friday came and went in a blur of eavesdropping and errands all over the city. Despite my better judgment, I rescheduled my interview with Amy at Elexon. The gym and delivery gossip were getting me nowhere. Maybe being a server or bartender would get me closer to Alex. Maybe I’d be able to recover the pistol if I was lucky enough.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
This time I was solo; Royce and Scarlett had made plans out of town this weekend. When I asked Scarlett about her trusting my wolf comment, she frowned and claimed she didn’t remember. She suggested maybe it only needed to be said, not understood, before handing me a blueberry muffin. I could still smell the sharp, sweet stink of the lie over the pastry. Before I could ask, she walked me out of the apartment and locked the door. Scarlett had been acting weird all week, taking phone calls at all hours of the day and fidgeting. I’d never seen her touch her face, hair, and tattoo so much. The witch was up to something.
After dressing up for the bar, not for the blue-eyed stranger, I told myself; I grabbed my leather jacket, and I properly stowed my remaining weapons. A steady, chilly rain fell softly around me as I waited for my rideshare out on the sidewalk, the first hint of fall hanging in the air. Soon it would be the end of fresh-cut grass and the beginning of morning frost and musty fall leaves. My ride pulled up and flashed his badge before I opened the door and climbed swiftly into the back seat.
“Where are we headed?” the old driver asked as I closed the door of the sedan behind me.
“Downtown, Ark Street,” I said, struggling to remember the street name where the nightclub was located compared to the others I had frequented.
“We’ll be there soon,” the driver stated. He pulled away from the apartment complex and onto the street smoothly. He drove up and down the steep city hills, taking us closer to the docks and the warehouse district.
“Where would you like me to drop you off?” the driver asked, slowing down at Ark Street.
“Right here is fine, thank you!” I answered. I climbed carefully out of the car and waited for the driver to pull away before turning toward the bar. I ducked into a side alley, out of sight of the security cameras. I adjusted the dirk in my boot and checked the small daggers that slipped up sleeves. Checking the handgun loaded with tungsten bullets at my waist, I clicked off the safety and adjusted it beneath my jacket. If it came down to it and I needed to use it, the tungsten in the bullets would be poisonous to vampires.
Once armed and ready, I headed down the street until I came to the front of the warehouse. The facade camouflaged the club within. Even if you were looking for it, you would never pick it as a nightclub from the rest of the surrounding buildings except for the small placard beside the door that read Elexon, Est. 1990. I suspect its roots went far deeper, at least to the Prohibition Era. As I neared the door, I heard the murmur of dance music from inside. It sounded like a merman or siren played again tonight.
The moon came out from behind the clouds. Even in the light rain, it glowed, nearly full and bright. The full moon was right around the corner. It would have been the perfect night for a run in the woods. I took solace and strength from the cool moonlight on my face. With a last deep breath, I knocked on the navy door of Elexon.
I knocked on the door again, breaking the cadence of the beat. The door swung open, and two fearsome men stepped out to greet me. They looked the part of a bouncer, or at least like they should play hockey or rugby. The smell of dog, human, and sweat engulfed both of the bulky brutes. They were werewolves, and werewolves were my specialty.
“What’s your business here? Where is your escort?” the taller, fair-haired brute asked.
“My name is Evie Wolsey. My date is inside,” I declared, looking the werewolf in the eyes. I pushed a little alpha moon shadow power into my words. I may not be an alpha moon shadow like my brother, but I still had some control over werewolves. Too bad this wasn’t a werewolf only nightclub. The club was full of naïve humans, serene witches, werewolves, suspicious shapeshifters, and ruthless vampires. The salty tang in the air also suggested a mermaid or two.
“Fine. Go inside. What happens to you after the fact is not our responsibility. Consider yourself warned,” the blond-haired, bearded werewolf said, stepping out of my way. As I walked past him and over the threshold, he grabbed my ass, and the other werewolf grabbed my arm. I looked up harshly. His awful smile revealed the beginning of canine teeth, a startling sight on a still mostly human face.
“You’re not carrying any weapons, are you?” the dark werewolf asked. “We have to check everyone now.” His blue eyes raked across my body as he looked, taking in every detail from the shoulders of my blue jacket to the hem of my jeans.
“No. You don’t need to check me,” I ordered, my voice edged in alpha command.
“We don’t have to check her,” he echoed. He was attractive, from his brawny build and dusky skin to his hazel eyes. Maybe he could help me forget a certain vampire after the full moon passes. I didn’t want to be accidentally claimed by a werewolf on the eve of a full moon. They get more than a little possessive this time of the month.
“My name is Mitch. Would you like to dance?” he asked. The smell of lust came off of him like cologne. He wanted more than a dance. Lust—an unexpected side effect of the alpha command. A quirk I recently discovered the hard way after trying to command my way into a bank favored by nobles for a story.
“No. Let me go. Go find someone else that’s willing to share your bed. If anyone asks you–remember, I’m not here. I was never here,” I ordered. I tugged my arm toward my body, and Mitch’s hand fell away. His gaze wandered to the dance floor, then he left to seek a more willing partner.
I slipped deep into the moving mass of dancers, humans and non-humans alike. The club was decorated all in navy with maroon accents. The strobe lights hurt my eyes at first, but they adjusted enough that I could make out the bar on the far side of the space. Mirrors around the ba
r reflected a rainbow of colored glasses, lights, and the mass of people. A quick glance at the dancers and I could see the vampires mixed in with the crowd. They were too graceful, their presence too sure, and their focus unnatural. There were more than I would have liked to see.
“Hello darling, what can I get you?” a smooth voice asked as I locked eyes with a handsome vampire.
FOUR
For a moment, I wished those eyes were blue. The handsome bartender had the same tilting accent as the blue-eyed vampire from before. I sat down on the high-backed navy barstool, more than aware of the pistol digging into the small of my back.
“My name’s Ben,” he said, flashing me a gorgeous smile, bright with fangs. All vampire offspring have an inherited sense of charm and beauty, even if they aren’t beautiful themselves. Although most become models, actors, or apparently, bartenders. “So, what will you have?”
“Dark and stormy,” I answered. I watched as he made the drink before setting it down on a fresh coaster in front of me.
“This is a long way off the beaten path for a simple drink. What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this, alone?” Ben asked, his charm and chiseled chin a bit too perfect. I reached for the glass, careful to keep my ring away from his fingers—a tungsten heirloom from my father. Ben didn’t need to know I wore a forbidden metal.
“Some friends told me the Kensley family visited this club from time to time. I was hoping to see them in the flesh. Am I in the right place?” I asked, attempting to sound casual. I prayed to the Goddess that the vampire believed I was a naïve human crushing over royalty. I sipped my drink, enjoying the ginger’s subtle heat. I could feel Ben trying to assert his charm, but his power couldn’t compete with the wolf pulsing in my veins. He must be young and desperate for tips to try to charm me already. If he was suspicious that it wasn’t working, he didn’t let on. He chuckled and leaned in close.