Ian turned to Fallon and waggled his eyebrows at her. “How ‘bout you? Ever done it with a vampire? I won’t bite… unless you want me to.”
“Nice, real nice.” Zuri rolled her eyes at Ian then turned to Fallon. “Feel free to stake him.”
“I thought that kind of stuff didn’t work on you guys?” she said with a confused expression.
Zuri shook her head. “It won’t kill him, but it might shut him up for a little while.”
We all enjoyed a laugh at his expense, but Ian didn’t appear embarrassed. He kept on going without missing a beat.
“Don’t listen to them, baby. Once you go vamp, you never go back,” Ian said with a cocky nod to the door.
Fallon burst into loud fit of laughter. “Does that stuff really work on girls?”
The smile faded only slightly from Ian’s face. “Well, you’re no fun. Off to flirt with my waitress then. Be back in a bit.”
“He’s got a bit of an ego, huh?” I asked.
“Ian’s a playboy, but he’s a good guy. He’s on the enforcement and cleanup crew like me,” Zuri said.
“I’m intrigued,” Lysander said. “We have nothing like this at home. Please, tell me how it all works.”
Zuri leaned forward, her elbows propped up on the table. “Connor pretty much runs the show. He sets patrol schedules and pays us for our time. We get our schedules at the monthly meetings. It’s pretty cut and dry. Connor’s good at organization. He’s been Alpha here for the last hundred years. Not sure who was here before. I got here about fifty ago.”
“Wow, you’ve been here a while,” I said.
“Yeah, I was brought here by my sire from Chicago. But the bastard left soon after. Word to the wise, short stuff. You got a pretty good mate here, but always be ready to live on your own. You got that.” She turned to Lysander. “No offense, handsome. Just fact.”
“None taken, I assure you. I know better than most how fickle Immortality can be.”
“True. So after my man ditched me here, I found some of the local vamps. There was already a vampire coven here, and they were trouble. I was young, but I knew I didn’t want to be involved with them. The wolves were constantly cleaning up after them. That’s how I met Connor. Some vamp left a huge mess and I happened across it on my hunt. Connor saw me and thought it was my fault. We had some words at first, but he eventually believed me. He’s a fair guy, always willing to listen to both sides before passing judgment. I told him I wanted no part of the coven, and he offered me some shelter until I got back on my feet.”
“Sounds like a pretty stand-up guy,” Fallon said, taking the last swig of her beer and swapping it out for the one in front of me.
“Yeah. After that, I did some odd jobs for the wolves. Cleanup, mostly. Occasionally he’d ask me to deliver a message to the coven. He was trying to work on some arrangement with them before a full-blown war broke out. The coven just didn’t give a shit about what they did, and it was really causing problems.”
I nodded. “Sounds very much like Kallisto’s coven. I’d often wondered why the Saints hadn’t caught on to her sooner. I see now why they found her so quickly in Vegas. We have nothing like this in place. Though in retrospect, we should.”
“Yeah, every city needs a good system in place,” Zuri said with a nod to Lysander. “The wolves and the few vamps working with them were ready to go to war. It’s weird, though. Just as relations were getting to the boiling point, she left.”
“That would be in large part due to me,” Lysander offered. “She was my old mate, and tormented me whenever I found and settled into a new home. She’d always wait until I was comfortable and content, often after siring a companion vampire.”
“She was a straight up bitch,” I said.
“Yeah, well we were happy to see her go. Life quieted down a lot then. Connor set up the shift system, where some of us local vamps monitor the touristy spots for newbies. We warn them and nudge them to safer hunting ground, and since we’re already here, we can help cover up any accidents that might happen. I liked working with the wolves, so I joined the pack officially and have worked with them since.”
“How many other vampires are members?” Lysander asked.
“I dunno. A fair few. Not all the vamps in the city work with the wolves. We have a fair share of homebodies like you guys. Quiet, content, and never out in the open.”
“How does one become a member?” Lysander asked.
“Ya looking to stay and make this a permanent home?” Zuri cocked her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. “The pack don’t take no out-of-towner’s. That’s not how this works.”
“We’re just curious, having never lived in a city so well run. What of witches?”
I perked up hearing Lysander say that. After months of being a vampire, I was still learning so much every day about the world of the supernatural. Of course there would be witches—why not? Vampires and werewolves were real.
“Witches have their own circles. I know a couple, but they aren’t into the whole supernatural camaraderie thing. It’s not all
kum ba yah
with them, more like
cha-ching
. They like to get paid for any participation in supernatural events.”
“Sounds about right,” Nicholas scoffed. I was surprised to hear him say something. He’d been so quiet the whole time we’d been here I’d almost forgotten he had come with us.
“Witches are necessary at times. Especially when you can’t clean up a mess fast enough and the police get involved,” Zuri said, looking at Nicholas with suspicious eyes. “We have an acquaintance we call on regularly. She’s technically an honorary pack member too.”
“What are the rules out here? What happens when someone continually causes trouble?” I asked.
“That’s where pack enforcement comes in. Wolves are just as strong as we are, and though our sense of smell is good, theirs is phenomenal. You’re warned and given a few chances to be good. If you continually cause trouble, you’re hunted.”
I remembered the huge wolves we had met. A shiver raced down my spine, imagining a whole pack of those hunting me down. “Yeah, that would be enough to keep anyone in line.”
“Yep, and since we are pretty much trapped inside during the day, it makes it that much easier for them to find us.”
“I have to admit, I am very impressed by the system Connor has set in place here,” Lysander said.
“Yeah, he keeps the peace, and we can enjoy immortality. Speaking of which, looks like Ian scored.” She pointed towards the front door.
I turned just in time to see the back of his head as he walked outside, arm wrapped around the skinny waitress. I shook my head and giggled. “Yeah, he is definitely enjoying himself.”
“Zuri,” Lysander said. “I hate to impose on our new acquaintanceship here.”
“You’re right, Alyssa, the Renaissance man vibe does grow on ya.”
He cleared his throat. “But we need to have a chat with Connor. Perhaps a good word from you could help expedite a meeting?”
The smile fell from her face. “You aren’t bringing problems into the city, are ya?”
“I don’t mean to dampen the mood,” Lysander said. “But I think our problems started here.”
“That’s why ya so interested in our town.”
“Lysander’s memoirs are missing, and we think whoever has them sent us a Pandora’s box,” I blurted out.
Zuri’s face screwed up in confusion. “Dunno what that is, but by the sound of it, it wasn’t good.”
“It gets worse. We opened it.” I pointed to myself and Fallon. “And the thing inside killed his mate.” I pointed to Nicholas.
Zuri’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a deep breath. “No shit?”
“Yeah. Problem is we don’t know how to stop the thing that escaped,” I said.
“And you think the wolves know?” she asked.
“Not sure, but Lysander had some old memoirs stashed here. We hoped to find some answers in them. They’ve mysteriously gone missing. Edmond was the only one—we thought—who knew of them. He either has them or knows where they are. Either way, we need some extra help, and our first meeting with Connor didn’t go that great.”
“Yeah, yeah, no sweat. I’ll put in a call and we’ll see what we can arrange.”
“Thanks. We owe you.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She winked. “Now, enough bullshit. We came out here to have some fun. The band’s about to start.”
The first band had just finished sound checks when two of Zuri’s other roommates showed up. “The twins are here!” She pointed to them as they walked through the front door.
Aiden and Brady.
While not identical, they were both equally impressive in stature. Aiden stood taller than his brother. He was well built and muscular. The skin-tight tee-shirt he wore left nothing to the imagination; however, his baggy carpenter jeans did.
“Where do I get tickets to the gun show?” Fallon whispered under her breath to me, as her eyes zeroed in on Aiden’s massive arms.
I tried to hide my giggle. He did have a nice pair of cannons, but they were nothing compared to his mysterious eyes—black as pitch and framed by just enough brow to draw in your attention and keep you there. It was working. I was transfixed, and so was Fallon. I’d almost forgotten Lysander was sitting next to me. He squeezed my hand and cleared his throat to remind me. I turned and grinned sheepishly.
“These your friends, Zuri?” Aiden asked, in a sexy bass voice. It reminded me a lot of Connor’s in its deepness and volume. Even over the music, his words were loud and clear.
I stared up at him with interest, knowing right off the bat that he wasn’t a vampire. I couldn’t gauge his feelings toward us, but I did catch the slight curve of his lips. He wasn’t quite smiling, but he wasn’t scowling, either. There was an interesting mix of intrigue and caution there.
After a silent exchange between us, I felt a little silly. I probably looked like I was gawking, though I wasn’t alone. Fallon was doing some admiring of her own, though I don’t know if she was staring at his wide, masculine jaw like I was, or the curves and ripples of his muscles. That shirt
really
didn’t leave anything to the imagination!
I mentally shook myself and turned to Brady. He was a hair shorter, but equally built. And just like his brother, he chose clingy clothes that accentuated his physique. Unlike Aiden, though, with his pitch black eyes and hair to match, Brady’s hair was a dirty blond and his eyes a chocolate brown. I could see the family resemblance, though, in their long and sharply pointed noses.
Before Zuri had the chance to tell me they were wolves, I recognized something familiar in their scent: earthy and musky like patchouli oil, they almost radiated a nature vibe.
Fallon nearly knocked over her beer to introduce herself when no one else did. “I’m Fallon.” She held her hand out to Aiden.
Aiden turned to her and regarded her silently for a moment before taking her hand.
Fallon seemed to have lost her voice; she stood there while he inspected her and just beamed.
“It’s not often I find a human among vampires. Very nice to meet you.” He took in a slow breath and closed his eyes as he held her hand to his lips. His mouth quirked into a smile as if he were secretly making a special note of her scent, and then he planted a kiss on her knuckles.
I thought Fallon was going to drop right there on the floor. She radiated attraction toward Aiden, and I smelled the instant change in her. Adrenaline, excitement, sexual urges—they all put off an aroma, and it’s like candy to a vampire. It called out to my inner beast and awoke my hunger. I took a deep calming breath to gain control over my instincts. Her heart beat so fast and loud I could hear it over the band.
Lysander squeezed my hand again, but not to chastise me. I felt his strength almost flowing into me, helping me to maintain composure. I appreciated that calming influence and squeezed his hand in return.
Brady eyed us cautiously. I wondered, for a brief moment, if he sensed me trying to calm my inner beast. “I’ve seen you before,” he said in a wary tone.
I remembered the two wolves who had accompanied Connor to the house.
Was he one of them?
“Have you now?” Nicholas jumped to his feet and leaned in close to Brady, as if responding to a threat.
His reaction startled me. Brady hadn’t sounded angry or accusing. Why was Nicholas jumping at him?
“Have you cleaned your mess up?” Brady said as he met Nicholas face-to-face. Nicholas wasn’t a tall man; he was less than six foot. Brady slowly rose to his full height and towered over Nicholas. He suddenly seemed to take up more space too. I noticed a vein throbbing near his temple and the slight curling of his upper lip.
Nicholas, though, showed no sign of apprehension, even as a low rumbling growl vibrated up Brady’s chest.
“We’re working on it.” I stood and side-stepped in front of Nicholas, making myself a barrier between him and Brady. Probably not the smartest idea, but the way things were headed, I sensed a fight about to start. While I was curious as to who would be stronger, a supernatural vs. supernatural brawl in public was the last thing any of us needed.
“Play nice. We’re all friends here,” Zuri said, in a surprisingly commanding tone.