Pride to Pack (The Mount Roxby Series) (5 page)

He’s at least six-foot-four inches tall with jet black hair in tight curls against his head. His eyes are black and endless. He asks for a Siberian Fizz, which thank my angels I know.

I wouldn’t like to ask him how to make it; he’s likely to bite me.

I pass him the drink and take the money he offers in payment.

“Are you new here?” he questions

I put the money in the till before answering him. “Yes. I started last night.”

As I turn away to look for another customer to serve, he throws his hand in front of me. “I’m Dominick Drake.”

As I shake his extremely cold hand, he grins at my shudder, “Do you have a name?”

“Rosabel McGuiness. Nice to make your acquaintance,” I say insincerely. I don’t know if vampires can feel a lie like werewolves can, and to be honest, I don’t care. I just want to get away from him. He gives me the heeby jeebies.

“The pleasure is all mine, darling,” he says rather creepily. He
’s even looking at me as if wondering how my blood would taste.

“Quit thinking about what she tastes like. We have a deal - you don't touch werewolves,” says the gravelly voice that’s becoming ever so familiar. He must have made his way over for another drink, but when I look at his glass, it’s still full.

“Oh, is she a new one of yours?” asks Dominick, looking rather disappointed.

“No, she’s a lone wolf. Before you ask, she’s on the supe census. I saw to it myself.”

“Well if she isn't part of your pack, she’s not included in our deal. I haven’t tasted a werewolf for over a century. You taste so much better than humans.” He licks his lips while looking at me, even hungrier than before.

Brilliant, why do I have to be something tasty?

With that reply, I feel extreme anger and regret coming off Theo. My wolf bristles at the feel of the alpha energy coming off him. The whole bar falls silent to look in his direction. I’m guessing it’s not just my empathy that’s picking up Theo’s emotional state.

Dominick walks off towards one of the tables near the dance floor with a laugh. When he’s halfway there, he turns around looks directly at Theo and says, “Hope to have a taste soon, Rosabel.”

No chance!

Theo turns back to me. His alpha energy has dulled but I can still feel his emotions through my empathy, and he isn’t any calmer. He’s obviously trying hard to push down his wolf. The noise in the bar picks up again as if nothing had happened.

He downs his drink and slams his glass on the bar, the glass shattering in his hand. I notice he’s trembling all over and after hearing a rumbling growl emanating from deep in his chest, I realise he’s fighting the change.

Grabbing a bottle of Absinthe in one hand I jump over the bar and grab Theo’s elbow with the other. I start dragging him, having no idea where to take him. As I look up, I catch Misty’s eye; she mouths the word ‘office’, pointing in its direction.

Why didn’t I think of that?

I focus on getting him behind that locked door. When I feel that I’m no longer dragging him, he seems to be coming easily and the trembling is easing too. I put the code in and open the door and I practically shove him inside, slamming it shut behind us.

Taking a deep breath, I remove the lid from the bottle and swallow down a huge swig. I need it. The adrenaline rush is making my wolf twitchy. Theo’s energy is running over my skin, it almost feels like his fingers are stroking the fur of my wolf, but I’m in human form so I know that can’t be right. I pass the bottle to Theo who’s perched his behind on the corner of Misty’s desk. He takes an even bigger swig and although the trembling seems to have stopped, I can still feel the anger emanating from him.

He holds out the bottle for me to take again, “Absinthe?” He pulls a face, like he has just sucked on the sourest lemon ever grown.

“It was the closest thing to my hand when I jumped the bar. You would have turned furry and no doubt drawn Dominick’s blood if I had wasted time looking for something more satisfying.” We both laugh, passing the bottle back and forth after taking a swig.

Theo makes a show of eyeing up my height. I can guess what he is going to ask before he even says it, “You really jumped the bar?”

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug as I settle in next to him on Misty’s desk.

“How did you manage that? You’re only what five-foot? The bar comes up to your chest,” he says nudging me with his shoulder.

“I don’t know. It must have been the adrenalin rush or something! I don’t think I’d be able to do it again, no matter how hard I try.” We both laugh again.

We sit in comfortable silence for a moment before Theo breaks it. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger with Dominick. I came over to try and protect you. I would never have told him you were a lone wolf if I didn't think they were part of our pact.”

I place my hand on his forearm. “It’s not your fault, Theo. Thanks for trying to protect me.” His energy feels like electricity entering through the palm of my hand. I can’t feel the anger anymore; this is more like the first time we touched. “How are you feeling now?”

“In control again. You stopped an ugly scene unfolding in there. Thanks.”

I lose myself in his beautiful green eyes for a second. “I should get back behind the bar. It will be last orders and I’m needed to help clean up. Do you think you can handle going back in there now?”

He pushes himself o
ff the desk and makes a step for the door. “No problem.”

I open the door and gesture for him to lead the way through to the bar. The propped open bar door gives us a clear view of the empty room.

Misty stops wiping the bar down and comes straight over to us as we walk through the doorway. “Theo, how ya doing?”

“Much better, thanks to Bel here.” He passes her a handful of notes. “For the bottle,” he explains.

I walk off, leaving them to their conversation and start clearing the tables. Once the tray is overflowing with dirty glasses I head to the dishwasher behind the bar. Theo is still leaning against the bar watching me. Misty must be in her office and Lucy must have left while we were in the office. She usually leaves before last orders because she has a baby sitter to relieve. It’s just him and me in the empty bar.

“How are you getting home?” he asks before taking another swig from the bottle of Absinthe.

“Oh, I-I’m getting a lift with Misty,” I manage to stutter, shocked at the strength of the protection emotion I can feel coming off him.

“When you get home will you be alone?”

“No. Misty has offered me a room at her place,” He must be worried about Dominick following me home and attacking me. I quickly try to ease his mind. “The building is secure; no one can get in without a key. There’s a guard on the door and in the elevator.”

Theo watches me walk back to the dishwasher and fill it with the last load of dirty glasses. “Good. I’ll make sure you get in the car safe, before I leave.”

I pause to watch Theo’s reaction to my next question. I need to know how much danger I am in. “Do you really think Dominick will want to taste me? As he so nicely put it.”

He grimaces, “Dominick doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. So, yes, he will taste you. It’s just a matter of when. I’m going to do everything I can to delay the inevitable.” He reaches in his pocket, pulls out a business card and hands it to me. It reads: Theodore Wilson and has contact numbers and an email address [email protected]
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

I slip the card into the bac
k pocket of my jeans. “Thanks.”

4. BLOODTHIRSTY WEREWOLVES

Rosabel

Thankfully, the next few days
pass with no sign of the bloodthirsty Dominick. Misty informs me that Dominick is the head vampire - although he likes to be called ‘The King - of New South Wales’, which is brilliant. I don’t have just any vampire yearning for my blood, but the King Vampire of the state.

LOVELY.

I’d much rather have the local pack’s alpha yearning for me. Come to think of it there has been no sign of Theo either.

Misty has been begging me to go to the gym with her. Apparently she needs a gym buddy because if she goes on her own she can’t get in the zone. Me, I'm not a gym person.

A weekly run in the forest as a wolf is usually about it, but I haven’t had the chance to find any-where safe to run since arriving in Mount Roxby. Working from late afternoon until the early hours of the morning, and then sleeping until lunch doesn't give me many hours to explore the town. I'm not complaining, I love Misty’s. I meet lots of people, some of whom come in every night. I get to use my empathy on those troubled and in need. Misty sends me to some of her friends, or regulars, who need it, which benefits me too because the bar ends up feeling like a much happier place once I’ve helped people. I’d just like to be able to find somewhere that I can run freely.

So I have caved and we are pulling into a large car park. There are only two other cars in the empty car park, but not many people will be insane enough to go to a gym at two o’clock in the morning. Did I mention it was a twenty four hour gym?
Why did I say yes?

I WANT MY BED.

After filling out the forms and handing the membership fee over to the woman behind the counter (whom I believe wants to be in bed just as much as I do) we walk through the door with a female figure on it, into a room full of at least twenty private cubicles. The cubicles surround a large open area with a few benches for non-private changing.

We change into the crop top and shorts that the gym gave us in the open area. Even though the clothes were included in the membership, they are kinda cute. There’s a little picture of a wolf weightlifting on the leg of the shorts and on the breast of the crop. The gym is called ‘Gym Wolves’ so I guess the wolf is their icon. We pick our lockers on the far side wall and dump our stuff. I try not to think of whose sweaty neck it has already been around as I place the key on its dog tag chain around my neck.

I walk into the gym via a door next to the lockers. The equipment is all set up in sections like I imagine most gyms are. Treadmills together, weight machines all together and so on. We head straight for the treadmills with useless TVs on them, it's not like there would be anything on at this time of the night. We choose neighbouring machines and start them up. I put a music channel on my machines TV and crank up the sound so we can both hear it over the noise of the machines and our feet pounding them. I put the speed up to eight, a gentle jog for me, to stretch. I don’t jog for long because jogging just doesn’t do anything for my energy level - neither does sprinting in human form but it's the best I can get in a gym. To feel a good workout I need a good sprint in wolf form but I haven't found anywhere safe to shift and run. I up the speed until I’m pushing the machine to find a sprint to satisfy my needs.

Misty is just slowing her treadmill down but I still feel the need to keep sprinting. I suddenly sense someone approach us. I don't bother trying to identify them. It’s not like anyone I know will be insane enough to be in the gym at this time of night.

“Hi, Misty, are you having a good work out?” I can only just make out the male voice over the sound of my blood pounding in my ears and my feet thudding on the treadmill, not to mention the music.

I didn’t hear Misty’s reply.

“Bel, why didn’t you just go to the bush and shift? It would be a hell of a lot more satisfying.” The lovely gravelly voice I hear from right behind me is the last person I expected to encounter here. I’m so shocked I totally lose rhythm of my sprint and start to stumble, tripping over my own feet.

Brilliant I’m going to fall flat on my face.

Theo reaches his arms out to steady me, noticing my struggle. Unfortunately his good intentions only make matters worse, before I can hit the stop button I’m hurtling backwards towards Theo. He doesn’t have enough sense to get out my way so before I know it, I’ve knocked him off his feet and we’re both on the floor laughing.

Misty is standing next to the treadmill doubled over in laughter. After the laughter passes Theo gets up and reaches down, offering me his hand. I take it gratefully.

I must have knocked my knee somewhere during the fall because it’s bleeding and stinging like a bitch. I’m not too worried about it being hurt. Being a werewolf, I heal quickly. It’s the blood dripping down my leg and pooling on the carpet that bothers me. I start hobbling towards the locker room but all I manage to do is make more of a mess.

“Where are you going?” Theo asks in a slightly amused tone. "You'll heal in a minute or two."

I glare at the mess I’m making on the floor. “I know but I'm bleeding all over the carpet. I was trying to get to the locker room. At least the tiled floor in there will clean easily.”

He reaches his hand over his head, grabs the back of his shirt and pulls it off before throwing it at me. “Here, put this on your knee.”

As I catch it I get a whiff of his scent and I can’t help but hold his shirt to my nose, taking in more of that delectable scent. Misty’s giggle snaps me out of it and I realise what I'm doing. I quickly glance around to see Theo’s reaction, but luckily he is nowhere in sight. I breathe a sigh of relief hoping he didn't witness that.