Authors: Stacie Simpson
Rosy came over to our table and asked, “And what will your
lady friend be having tonight?”
“Rosy, this is Angela,” I told her, then to Angela I said, “This
is Rosy, she owns the place with her husband Earl.”
Angela gave Rosy a genuine smile and it was good to see her
happy if only for the moment. “It’s nice to meet you Rosy. I’ll take a slice of
apple pie with ice cream as well if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Oh it’s no trouble at all honey, I’ll have it right out. Do
you two want something to drink?”
We both asked for sodas and Rosy went into the back to
prepare our order. When I glanced at Angela she was looking down biting the
inside of her lip. I wanted to know what was going through her head but I wasn’t
sure how to get her to talk to me.
Before I could come up with anything to say Rosy came back,
her smile as bright as sunshine. She set our plates and glasses on the table
and said, “Here you go, you be sure and let me know how you like it. I make all
the pies we sell here myself, no frozen nonsense in my diner.”
When she was gone I took a bite of pie, closing my eyes
while I savored the homemade goodness.
Angela laughed, a light happy sound that made me smile. “You
really like this pie huh?” She tried her first bite and sighed. “Oh that is
good. This place could put twenty pounds on my hips if I’m not careful.”
I chuckled shaking my head. “Leave it to a woman to eat the
most decedent pie ever baked and ruin the moment by worrying about her figure.”
“The moment isn’t ruined; my taste buds are still begging me
for more. I’m just thinking it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to come here very
often.”
We ate our pie for a few moments, smiling and laughing. It
was nice and I wished we could be at ease like that more often. When the pie
was finished the laughter faded and we both knew we couldn’t put off talking
about the issues between us any longer.
Angela started with, “You were in your office weren’t you,
when I came for our meeting and Dragon met me at your door?”
I smiled recognizing her strategy - a good offense is always
the best defense. I sat back with my arm along the back of the bench
considering my options. I’d been angry the last time we spoke just like I was
now, but this time I needed to keep a cooler head or I’d only push her further
away.
“What makes you think that? Didn’t Dragon tell you I was
called away for an emergency?”
She shook her head. “No games Rook, I know you were there.
When I got close to your door I felt this weird energy that sent shivers up my
spine. I didn’t realize it until I walked into that bar tonight and felt the
same sensation, but that’s what I’ve felt every time you’ve been near me since
we traveled through time together.”
I shrugged one shoulder and admitted, “I was there.”
“We had an appointment Rook. I wanted to talk to you about
the murders; that’s why I made an appointment instead of just dropping by
again. I didn’t want to have another flunky thrown at me.”
I smirked at her, “Dragon is not a flunky, he’s my boss.”
“You know what I mean,” she said clearly frustrated.
“Yes, I do. But I also know every person you’ve talked to in
my place was just as capable of answering your questions as I was. We don’t
have anything to do with the murders and we’re doing everything we can to put a
stop to them. Unfortunately, they likely won’t end until Travali is dead, and
he’s making it very difficult for us to find him.”
“But the
people
you’ve sent to talk to me aren’t even
people are they?” she snapped and I’d finally had enough.
I sat forward with my hands on the table trying really hard
not to reach across and shake her. “First, we use human terms to blend in. If
we went around saying male and female instead of man and woman, or beings
instead of people, then the humans would take notice. Second, you don’t really
care if any of us are
people
anyway. If you did, you wouldn’t be here
with me now. You’re just throwing these things out there as road blocks so you
can avoid talking about the real issue. I let Dragon take that meeting because
I told you to call me when you were ready to talk about us. The meeting had
nothing to do with that topic, so I didn’t need to be there.”
“But there is no
us
Rook, there can’t ever be an
us
,”
she insisted with tears in her eyes. “Can’t you understand that?”
My teeth ground together while I tried to maintain my
control. It didn’t work, the dam burst and everything I’d been holding back
came flooding out of me. “Has any of this ever been real for you Angela? All
those times you opened up to me, the heated looks when you thought I wouldn’t
notice, the endless excuses to see me even when your cases had nothing to do
with Myth and Legends? Or did your boss put you up to all that too, just like
tonight?”
She started to deny it and I cut her off with a slicing motion
of my hand. “Don’t bother; I know you wouldn’t have brought backup for a date
with me unless you had no choice. I figure your boss is getting pretty
desperate to stop these murders and told you to do whatever it takes to get me
to talk. The problem is; I don’t have anything to say that would help the
police solve this case. And since you know that, you wouldn’t have agreed to
that stunt back there unless you had no choice.”
She wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks and asked, “What
do you want me to say Rook?”
Her tears cooled my anger, awakened another part of me that
didn’t like to see her cry. This wasn’t how I’d imagined the night going when
she invited me to go out with her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and make
her see there wasn’t any reason for either of us to suffer like this.
“I want you to be honest with me, and with yourself Angela,”
I told her softly. “I want you to say you care for me as much as I care for
you. I want you to say you’ll give us a chance.”
When she met my gaze there was so much pain and longing in
her blue eyes that my heart cracked wide open. “I want you Rook,” she admitted,
renewing my hope that someday we’d finally be together. “I’ve always wanted
you, but being with you would change everything and I have to consider how that
would affect my daughter, Rachel.”
She looked like a scared rabbit and I chose my words
carefully. “I can understand that and I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,
but sometimes you have to think about yourself too. You’ve told me about the
problems Rachel’s been having and I could help you if you’d let me.”
Just before the bombing, Angela had come to see me straight
from the latest crime scene. She’d broken down because her daughter was mixed
up in drugs and prostitution and she’d been worried that Rachel might be the
next body she was called to investigate.
Angela leaned back crossing he arms over her chest and shook
her head. “I don’t know Rook, but I can’t do this right now. Those two cops we
ditched are going to be worried about me. I need to check in soon or every
police officer in the county will be out looking for me.” She rolled her eyes
and actually smiled. “They consider you to be the most dangerous person at
Myths and Legends. That’s why they wouldn’t let me go without backup tonight.”
I smiled back at her. “That’s because they haven’t seen
Dragon when he lets out his inner beast.”
“True,” she laughed. “Now I’m imagining my lieutenant
staring up at that enormous black and red dragon quaking in her boring,
practical pumps.”
We had a good laugh at that then we settled our bill and
said goodbye to Rosy. When we were outside, before we put on our helmets, I
pulled Angela close and held her for a moment. She was stiff at first then she
melted against me with a sigh. It felt so right to be with her. There had to be
a way to convince her we belonged together. Maybe I needed to get some advice
from a woman, one who’d recently had her world turned upside down and come out
on top. Tomorrow I’d call Serafina first thing and see if she had any
suggestions.
I smoothed Angela’s bangs back from her face and kissed her
forehead, then placed a gentle kiss on her lips before I handed her a helmet
and slipped mine on my head. The ride back to Mike’s wasn’t nearly long enough
even though I drove about five miles under the speed limit the entire way.
When we turned into the driveway for Mike’s the parking lot
looked like the staging area for a search party. I had to laugh, but when
Angela pulled the helmet off, her mood was somber and I knew this wouldn’t help
her make the decision I needed her to make. I told her I’d see her later and
she headed towards the police cruisers as I gunned the engine and took off
before anyone had time to stop me. I hadn’t done anything illegal and I was
sure Angela would come up with an excuse for leaving with me.
When I returned to Myths and Legends I went straight to the
underground gym, the one where bench pressing excessive amounts of weight
wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, and found Doyle sparring with Serrano. Doyle ran
the fight scene for the resort. He had short strawberry blonde hair and looked
to be in his late twenties. Serrano appeared to be in his early thirties with
shoulder length black hair and was in charge of all the restaurants and room
service.
Doyle took one look at me and asked, “Need to go a few
rounds?” He was barely breaking a sweat when Serrano was clearly exhausted.
“Yeah, give me a minute to change and I’ll be right out.”
Doyle would give me a good work out and help me relieve some
of the pent up frustration inside of me. He was a few inches shorter than me
but built like a brick house and he was a skilled fighter. As the leader of the
largest wolf clan he had to be able to hold his own. He wasn’t as good as me or
Dragon, but if he had a lucky day he could take either one of us.
I went to the locker room to throw on some gym clothes and
when I came back Serrano thanked me for taking over. I clapped him on the back
and laughed, but when I climbed into the ring things turned serious real quick.
Doyle could sense I needed a distraction, and he delivered blow after blow with
his brutal strength. He had my undivided attention for the rest of the night
and when I was finally tired enough to pass out, I fell into bed alone and
dreamed of holding Angela while I slept.
I called Serafina the instant I woke up and she agreed to
meet me for breakfast at The Dragon’s Lair, a casual dining restaurant at Myths
and Legends. When I arrived she was already seated at a table with Claire.
Since nothing was ever coincidental with Claire, I wondered what the psychic
was up to as I wove my way through the dining room to their table.
Claire and Serafina were very similar in appearance which
was funny when I thought about it since one woman was Dragon’s wife and the
other was his mother. Prior to the night of the bombing they’d both had long,
dark curly hair but Serafina’s had a hint of red making it mahogany instead of
brunette. Serafina lost most of her hair in the fire that night but it was
slowly growing back in. They were each about five-foot-six with fit bodies and
generous curves. Claire appeared to be in her early thirties and preferred to
dress like a fortune teller in frilly skirts and peasant blouses while Serafina
looked a few years younger and usually wore jeans and casual shirts when she
wasn’t working as a dancer here at the resort.
“Well hello Rook, it’s so nice to see you today,” Claire
greeted me as I sat down.
“Good morning Claire,” I responded eyeing her suspiciously.
She just looked back at me serenely which meant she was definitely up to
something.
Claire frequently saw visions of the future, sometimes
centuries before the actual events would take place. She kept most of what she
saw to herself and doled out just enough information to keep the rest of us on
the paths she thought would turn out for the best. Her methods didn’t usually
frustrate me because I understood what could happen to a timeline if someone
made the slightest change in their behavior. But in this case I knew she’d seen
something about me and it was driving me crazy not knowing what it was.
With no hope that Claire would drop the cryptic act anytime
soon I turned to Serafina. “Good morning Serafina and thank you for meeting me.”
“Oh it’s no problem Rook, I’ve been wondering how you’re
doing anyway so this will give us a chance to catch up. Solomon asked me to
fill in as his assistant while Renee is out of town and there’s so much to do
with The Gateway under reconstruction that I haven’t had much time for anything
else,” Serafina said with a tired shake of her head. She was a few weeks
pregnant with her and Dragon’s first child and keeping up with Renee’s
responsibilities seemed to be taking a toll on her.
“Renee was only supposed to be in Europe for two weeks while
she filled in for Katerina as club manager at Supernova. Why didn’t she come
home once Katerina returned from her vacation?” To my knowledge Renee and
Solomon hadn’t been separated for this long since he met her and turned her
into a vampire about thirty years ago. They weren’t romantically involved, but
the two of them usually spent a lot of time together.
Serafina shook her head. “I don’t know Rook. I asked Solomon
about it but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. Honestly I don’t know what’s
gotten into him. Most of the time he seems fine but then I’ll find him in his
office and he just seems so... distraught for lack of a better word.”
My brows drew together in concern. “Have you spoken to
Dragon about this?”
“Yes, and when he asked Solomon what was going on he only
said that he didn’t know when Renee was coming back and he was just having
trouble adjusting to his fox being released after so long. I know some of the
other nightshifters are still struggling with the return of their beasts, hell
I’m still learning how to control my dragon, but Solomon wasn’t having any
problems right after the spell broke so I don’t believe that’s what is going
on.”
Claire broke into the conversation at this point with, “Solomon
has a long road ahead of him and I’m afraid his mental state will get worse
before it gets better. Unfortunately, what ails him is not something any of us
can help him cure. When the time comes, he will know what he must do to help
himself.”
Serafina rolled her eyes and laughed. “You know Claire; I’m
starting to agree with Dragon. It is very frustrating when you say things like
that without explaining them.”
“You’ll get used to it dear,” Claire said with a motherly
smile then her eyes moved to something over my left shoulder.
When I glanced back I groaned and suddenly understood why
Claire was here. Angela approached our table hesitantly, obviously not
expecting me to be there and I turned to glare accusingly at the women already
seated with me. Serafina mouthed an apology and Claire gave me her serene smile
again. Now
I
was starting to agree with Dragon.
Psychics!
“Why don’t you have a seat dear, we were just about to
order,” Claire greeted Angela who sat down beside me in the only empty chair.
“Um, thank you for inviting me, but I had expected to meet
with you and Serafina,” Angela said with a nervous glance at me from the corner
of her eye.
“Spending time with Claire will teach you to expect nothing
except the unexpected,” I told Angela honestly with a hard look at Claire. I
guess I didn’t need to ask for advice about how to proceed with Angela. I was
going to get help whether I wanted it or not.
Serafina cleared her throat. “Rook called me when he woke up
a little while ago and asked if I would meet him for breakfast. Since we were
already meeting you here I didn’t see the harm in meeting with him as well.”
“Breakfast?” Angela asked incredulously. “It’s three o’clock
in the afternoon.”
“Most of us here are night dwelling creatures dear,” Claire
reminded Angela kindly. “That’s why this restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and
dinner no matter what time of the day or night it is.”
Angela glanced around the table. “Oh. I guess I hadn’t
really thought about that.”
“It’s fine dear and that’s why we asked you here today. You’ve
been introduced to our world but you still don’t really understand it. We
thought you might like to finally have some of your questions answered,” Claire
explained.
“Sometimes I’m not sure if I really want to know any more
than I already do, like maybe I’d be better off pretending the night of the
bombing never happened,” Angela said and it felt like I’d been sucker punched.
Her eyes flicked to mine for a second then she looked down at her lap where her
hands were wringing together. “But deep down I know I wouldn’t be able to live
with that decision. I need to know more because I’ll never be able to just walk
away and forget.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out and brushed my
knuckles down the side of her face. The first contact startled her then she
closed her eyes with a soft sigh. “Angela...”
She shook her head with her eyes still closed. “Please Rook,
not now, not yet. Just give me a little more time.”
I took a moment letting my eyes travel over her beautiful
features then I pulled back and gave her the room she needed. “How about we all
decide what we’re going to order now because I for one am starving.”
Angela opened her eyes and gave me a grateful smile before
going over her menu. Once we’d all ordered and the waitress delivered our
drinks Claire said, “Rook, why don’t you explain to Angela why we opened Myths
and Legends.”
I was still trying to figure out what Claire was up to but
decided I may as well play along. Looking at Angela I started with, “First you
should understand that supernaturals in general are predatory beings. Demons,
vampires, shapeshifters, most of them live to hunt, just to different degrees.
The big difference is where they draw the line on what they’re willing to hunt.
Unfortunately, being unwilling to hunt humans is often seen
as a weakness that leads to you becoming the hunted. That’s one of the reasons
Dragon opened Myths and Legends along with several other resorts and clubs
around the world. We offer safe havens to supernaturals that are tired of being
preyed upon because they want to be a little more human and a lot less monster.
If it weren’t for these places most of the people we employ would’ve been
slaughtered years ago. Dragon offers them protection in return for their
loyalty. Of course there are blood oaths involved to help fight against
infiltration by spies for groups like the one Travali runs in New Orleans.”
“Blood oaths?” Angela asked. “Is that what Dragon meant when
he said you were bound to him by blood and magic?”
“Yes, but the oaths I have sworn to protect Dragon and his
mate are more extreme than the typical blood oaths used to bind allies or swear
fealty. My oaths to Dragon are unbreakable and they compel me to protect him
and Serafina at all costs. But I’d do it without the oaths because Dragon has
proven time after time to be worthy of my loyalty.”
The waitress arrived and served our orders making sure we
had everything we needed before she left us to enjoy our meals.
“So what’s another reason for opening this resort? I mean,
you said safety was only one reason,” Angela asked as she salted her fries and
added extra ketchup to her cheeseburger.
I shrugged, “The theme of this resort lets us hide all the
supernatural strangeness that goes on around here without actually having to
hide it. Then there are always the feeding possibilities.”
Angela raised her eyebrows at me while she chewed her food.
“Vampires need to drink blood, sex demons need to absorb
lust, empathy demons feed off emotions; about half of all the supernatural
races need some kind of sustenance that humans can provide. If they all take a
sip here and there none of their donors are harmed. Having a constantly
changing supply of humans ensures no one donates too often,” I explained before
digging into my fiesta omelet.
“That sounds a lot like all of you are preying on
unsuspecting humans,” Angela commented, her voice edged with disapproval. “Just
because they’re still alive when it’s over doesn’t make it right.”
Serafina chuckled as she finished her milk and set the glass
on the table. “Take it from someone who was recently one of them, the humans
get a lot out of the arrangement too.”
Angela narrowed her eyes. “How so?”
Serafina pursed her lips for a second. “Well, it’s a little
personal, but when vampires feed they feel intense lust and they can share those
feelings with their donors.”
I laughed, “Why don’t you just be honest with her Serafina.
Vampires can give you the best, most mind-blowing orgasms you’ll ever
experience without ever touching you sexually.”
Serafina laughed. “Well that’s one way of putting it. Then
of course there’s Mystique.”
I smiled at Angela with her wide eyes and red cheeks, and
asked, “Have you ever been in Mystique?” Her cheeks reddened further and I took
that as a yes. “Do you know why you felt that amazing rush of desire when you
walked into that dance club?”
She swallowed hard and shook her head.
“Most of the dancers in Mystique are sex demons and the
pheromones they emit act like an aphrodisiac that works particularly well on
humans. That’s why at any given time there are at least two couples having sex
right on the dance floor and the private party rooms lining the walls have
waiting lists. We try to watch out for the newbies but there are plenty of
regulars who keep coming back for more. And while all the humans are fucking
their brains out the sex demons are getting their fill of lust in the air.”
Angela shivered and leaned back in her chair. “I walked in
that place one time and walked right back out. I’d heard rumors about it and I
thought it all sounded highly illegal, but once I felt that sexual pull I
decided someone else could take care of any arrests that needed to be made.”
She eyed me speculatively. “Do you go to Mystique often?”
The thought of taking Angela to Mystique was enough to make
me hard and my voice was deeper when I responded. “I don’t go there often, but
I do on occasion. The effects of the pheromones aren’t as strong on
supernaturals though. I mean we feel it, but we can normally still think
rationally if we need to. The same can’t always be said for humans.” I paused
to sip my orange juice then added, “Maybe someday you and I could go there
together.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and I knew she was thinking
about what that would be like. Her heart beat a little faster and I smelled her
arousal in the air.
Claire cleared her throat as she stirred her tea. “Perhaps
the two of you should visit Lilith’s Lounge sometime with Serafina and Donovan.
It’s a nice place with good music and the New Orleans atmosphere is a lot less
overwhelming than the sexual frenzy in Mystique.”
“Perhaps someday,” Angela replied, with a nervous glance in
my direction. Then she said, “You know, even with all the weird complaints
about this place I’ve investigated over the years, I never imagined any of
those stories could be real.”
“I know exactly how you feel. I spent hours reading the
myths and legends displayed all over the walls of this resort when I first
arrived here. When I found out all those stories were true it was a bit
overwhelming. Just imagine waking up with this on your body after one night of
really spectacular sex with a man you barely know,” Serafina said with a laugh.
She held out her arms to show Angela what appeared to be
claw mark tattoos spiraling up her arms revealing red and black dragon scales
under her flesh. The colors were so vibrant they seemed to glow.
Angela’ eyes widened and Serafina continued, “It’s a mating
mark, not a tattoo. The first time shapeshifters have sex with their mates the
mating mark appears on both their bodies. There’s more claw marks on my back
with a dragon’s eye peeking out from under them.”
“What did you do?” Angela asked.
“I freaked out of course,” Serafina smiled and shook her
head. “I asked Dragon for some time and space but it didn’t take me long to
realize my place was by his side even if I did feel like I was suddenly living
in an alternate dimension.”