by Rhys Rowlyn
“Tell you what, when you get ready to head out, I’ll arrange for a guy to escort you.”
Chloe nods, and Kane walks back to the door. “What was that all about?”
I shrug, washing a glass and setting it on the rack. “I don’t know, but it must be pretty bad for Kane to want to arrange us escorts home.”
Business picks up, and we don’t talk about anything but taking drink orders. The bar is hopping. I am slinging drinks and barely have time to catch my breath when I feel as if someone is watching me. I glance up and don’t see anyone but can’t get rid of the feeling I’m being watched. I continue to make drinks but am constantly looking around.
“Hey, Zoey, I’d like you to meet my sister, Lucy.” Kane has a small dark-haired girl at his side, with his arm around her shoulders.
My mouth drops in shock, and I look from Lucy to Kane. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Yeah, she’s a good bit younger than me. She’s here tonight with her boyfriend, Etienne.” He points over his shoulder at a tall man behind him.
Rodney bounds up to the bar and leans over it, grinning. “Hey, Zoey, how’s it hanging?”
“Rodney, how are you? Haven’t seen you in a while. Dang, dude, you been working out?” I squeeze his now-impressive bicep.
“Oh yeah, I been hitting the gym pretty hard. So what you been up to?” Rodney slides onto a barstool, crossing his arms on the bar.
Rodney and I went to school together. I’ve known him for most of my life.
“Nothing much, just working and taking a few online classes.” I pour a beer for a guy next to him.
“Oh, that’s cool.” He leans closer, motioning for me to as well. “So, ya seen any strange folks around here lately? Like weird women dressed up and pretending it’s the French Revolution?”
“Rodney, what the hell?” Lucy slaps his arm, shaking her head.
“What?” Rodney holds his hands up, shrugging.
“You need to be a bit more subtle.” Lucy grimaces in my direction. “Sorry, but have you?”
I furrow my brow, wondering what’s going on. “No, we mostly just have off-duty cops and their buddies. Some guys from the bayou… but I can’t say I’ve seen any women like he’s describing. Why are you looking for her?”
“No reason, but if you see her, stay away from her,” Rodney says, biting his thumbnail.
Rodney is acting strange, and Lucy keeps giving him a narrow look. Lucy’s boyfriend, Etienne, is shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. They are all acting strange, which makes me more curious about this strange woman they’re looking for.
Before I can ask any more questions, Lucy grabs Rodney’s arm and drags him away from the bar. She waves as she backs away. “It was nice meeting you, Zoey.”
“You too, Lucy. Don’t be a stranger. We can always use more girls around here,” I say to her retreating back.
Chloe bumps my hip with hers. “Hey, speak for yourself. I kinda like the odds.” We burst out laughing and get some more beer for the guys lining up at the bar.
The rest of the night goes fairly smoothly, except for one guy trying to make a move and being rather aggressive. It didn’t take long to have him thrown out on his ass. One thing about him, Kane doesn’t put up with any bullshit. I stayed busy but still knew someone had their eyes on me. I caught movement in the shadows but blew it off. I guess my dad was right. I am being paranoid.
Tristan
I’ve watched her all night from the shadows, and now that the bar has closed, Kane is helping her lock up. I make my way to the back alley to assure myself she’s safe. I can’t believe the girl behind the bar is my mate. I knew it the moment I saw her. I started to race over and take her, but Kane stopped me and told me I would scare her. I needed to be more subtle, so I hid in the shadows and watched her.
Her name is Zoey and she’s beautiful, even with the dark makeup. Her hair is long and black, and her eyes are a strange brown color. She’s a tiny thing and reminds me of the fae my ma used to tell me bedtime stories about. I watch as she bids Kane good-bye and then walks toward her building. As she passes a dark corner, a man reaches out from the shadows. I was so distracted by Zoey, I didn’t even notice him.
Before Zoey can yell, he has her slammed against the wall of the building and I’m there ripping him away from her. I pull back my fist to slam it into his face, but Kane is holding my arm.
“Don’t, Tristan, you’ll kill him. Let me handle it. He won’t come near here again.”
I reluctantly release the man, wishing he were something other than human so I could at least land one good punch on him. How dare he touch her? He is the same guy from earlier, and I had to use restraint then also. Kane took care of it, but obviously this man is a slow learner.
The man straightens his shirt, standing up straighter. “What the hell, man? I was just going to have some fun. She’s been flirting with me all night long.”
Zoey shoves her way between Kane and me, pointing her finger in the man’s face. “I have not. I don’t even remember you.”
“You bitch…” The man lunges forward, and I push Zoey behind me, grabbing the man by the throat and holding him still as I tighten my grip. I’ve never wanted to kill someone as much as I do at this moment.
Kane yanks the man away from me and takes a deep breath. “That’s enough. Zoey’s been way too busy to worry about a scumbag like you, and I’m about to make you understand why you’re not welcome here anymore.”
The guy starts to resist, but Kane gives him a tap to the jaw that knocks him out.
“Dumbass,” he mumbles and drags the guy away.
I turn to face my mate for the first time. I’ve been watching her all night, but up close, she is overwhelming me. She is petite and has long, unnaturally black hair. I suspect it isn’t her natural color and wonder what is. Her eyes are a strange brown color that I’ve never seen before. I haven’t been able to pick up on her scent all night, but now it is impossible to miss. She smells like the honeysuckle that once bloomed in my mother’s garden. It reminds me of the idyllic days I would spend lying in the sun in my homeland.
“Thanks.” Zoey glances up and meets my gaze, putting her hands in her pockets and rocking back on her heels.
“Hello, I’m Tristan.” I smile down at her, bowing slightly.
“I’m Zoey. I take it you know Kane.” She nods in the direction Kane dragged the man off in.
“Yeah, his sister is dating a good friend of mine, Etienne.” I stare at her and know something is off. I can’t figure out what is wrong, but her features don’t match… and why couldn’t I scent her in the bar? Zoey is a mystery, but I look forward to figuring her out.
“Were you at the bar tonight?” Her eyes narrow, and she looks me up and down. “I don’t remember seeing you.”
“Yes, I hung out in the back and stayed out of sight. I didn’t want any trouble but wanted to make sure you were safe.” Hopefully she will accept this explanation. I had come to the bar with Lucy, Etienne, and Rodney to check for any sign of Minerva, but when I spotted Zoey, I stayed behind, unable to leave her.
“Why were you worried about me? I don’t know you.” Zoey bites her lower lip and narrows her gaze on me. I squirm a bit under her inspection.
“Let’s just say Kane asked if I’d keep an eye on you.” I know I’m not giving her the complete truth, but I want to get to know her before I go telling her I’m her mate.
She nods, accepting my explanation, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Why do you say that?” I cock a brow at her and grin.
“Oh, nothing.” She waves her hand in my general direction, laughing. “It’s just you have a strange accent. It’s sounds slightly English but not quite.”
“No, I’m originally from Wales but last lived in Paris. Growing up, I had an English tutor from the time I was a small boy and my mother was English, so my speech reflects it.” It’s been a long time s
ince I lived in Wales and spent time with my tutor, but a manner of speech is one thing that seems to remain constant. In all my travels, I have never lost my unique accent.
“You had a tutor? Your family must be wealthy, not that there’s anything wrong with that.” She looks down at her feet and kicks a rock with her toe. “Traveling is nice. We often want to travel but have never left the city.”
Jealousy raises its ugly head. I clench and unclench my fists, working to remain calm. “Do you have a man?”
“Oh no, only my brother.” She shakes her head and waves her hand, dismissing my question. “He’s probably upstairs sleeping.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and realize I need to calm down. I don’t want to scare the poor girl before I even get to know her. So far, I’ve learned from watching her that she’s a hard worker, is friendly, and gets along with everyone around her, completely opposite of her ancestor. Celeste was argumentative and lazy.
She turns to go into her building but stumbles. I grab her arm, and a spark unlike anything I’ve ever felt travels up my arm. Her eyes widen, and she stares at me.
“You said your name is Tristan?” Her voice is breathless, and I know she feels the connection as much as I do.
“Yes, I’m Tristan.” I can’t think of anything else to say and just stare at her.
She stares back, leaning toward me, then shakes herself and frowns. “Do you want to go to the diner across the street? I’m feeling hungry right now.”
“Yes, I would love that.”
We walk down the sidewalk to an all-night diner and find a booth. There are a few people from the bar getting some food before they head home. They all greet Zoey, and she waves back. I follow her to a corner booth and slide in across from her. She pulls out a menu and looks over it.
Her gaze meets mine over the top of the menu. “Are you ordering?”
“No, I ate earlier and am not hungry.” I shake my head, hoping she doesn’t push the issue. Vampires can’t eat or we vomit, and I don’t want that happening on our first outing.
A woman comes to the end of our table, holding a pad and glancing from one of us to the other. “What can I get y’all?” She smacks her gum, giving us a bored look.
“I’ll have the pancake special with bacon and milk to drink.” Zoey closes the menu and puts it back in the rack on the table.
“What about you?” She tilts her head in my direction, her pen poised to write whatever I say.
“Nothing for me. We’re only feeding the lady tonight.” I raise my brows, hoping this woman will move on.
The wench rolls her eyes, and with one last pop of her gum, she walks away.
“Do you come here often?” I look around the place, seeing a few men glancing over their shoulders at us. I wonder if I’m going to have trouble.
Zoey purses her lips, shaking her head. “No, I’ve only been here a couple of times.”
“How do so many people know you?” There were several men and a couple women who greeted her when we came in. I am a little confused since she doesn’t frequent this establishment.
“Most are regular customers at the bar or know me from living in the neighborhood. Our rude waitress isn’t from around here. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her.”
“She wasn’t very pleasant.” I laugh to cover my nervousness. I’m making inane conversation but can’t seem to stop myself. I have never had a problem talking to women, but I seem to have clammed up with Zoey.
Zoey leans forward and props her chin on her hand. “What do you do for a living?”
“A living? What do you mean?” I wrinkle my brow. I believe I’m going to need a lesson in how to speak in these times.
“Work? A job?” She dips her chin, raising her brows, and I laugh again to cover my mistake.
We worked out a story of what my profession is, but I hate lying to her even though I know it’s necessary at the moment. “I take care of security for our company, Nightfall Shipping.”
“Oh, so you’re in security. Are you like a guard?” Zoey sits back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“No, I investigate things and help track down the criminals.” I have always been the tracker of our group. It was the main reason I was with the others tonight. I can usually find clues no one else can, but Minerva is proving to be wily.
“Well, that’s interesting.” Her eyes twinkle and she smirks. Leaning forward, she whispers, “What’s the craziest case you’ve ever had?”
“It’s mostly boring and doing work to prevent thieves. I wouldn’t call it interesting.” I move to distract her from too much conversation about me, which could prove to be dangerous territory. “What about you? Do you do anything else or just work at the pub?”
“I’m taking some classes online, writing classes. I do occasionally submit articles to a local magazine about different plants in the area, and I do some photography.”
“You like plants?” Plants are about the only thing I know about. I see I’m going to need to learn more about this world. I know a magazine is some sort of book, but I’m not sure what photography is.
“Oh yes, I have a green thumb and love to garden. Of course, my garden is limited to our rooftop.” Her cheeks turn pink, and she lowers her gaze.
“I would love to see it.”
“Maybe one day.” Zoey leans back as the woman places a plate of food in front of her. It smells divine, and for a moment, I miss being able to eat. Food in this time looks so much more appetizing.
She digs into her meal as if she’s starving. I guess she probably is. All night, she worked, and I never saw her take a break to eat. I’m going to have to see what I can do about that in the future. I can’t have my mate hungry. I sit back and watch her eat, and she pays me no mind.
The rude woman returns to set a bill on the table. I take it before Zoey can.
She shakes her head, reaching for the slip of paper. “No, I’ll pay for my meal.”
“I would never allow a lady to pay for her own food.” I take some cash out of my wallet and hand it back to the woman.
“Do you want change?” The woman raises her brows, her lips drawn in a straight line.
I glance at Zoey, and she shakes her head. “No.”
The woman smirks at me and walks away.
I’ve been awake for a week now and have been given money and something they call bank cards. Giles went over how to use the cards, and I’ve been watching videos on the computer about how life has changed. Cnych, has life changed. The computers alone are fascinating, let alone the automobiles, and they now have machines that can fly, unbelievable.
Money or coin has always been necessary, but now it is currency that is used, and the cards. I need to ask about not wanting change and giving the woman more than what was on the bill. I’ll quiz Giles when I return to the house.
We leave the diner, and I walk Zoey home. Stopping at her building, I take her hand, loving the feel of her skin against mine.
“Thank you for allowing me to escort you to dinner.”
“I believe it was more like breakfast, but you’re welcome.”
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles, looking up to meet her gaze. “Until next time, fair Zoey.”
She turns and disappears inside, and I round the corner, almost running into Kane.
“There you are. Bram called and asked if I could give you a ride home. He worried you wouldn’t know the way back.”
“He is correct. I would greatly appreciate that.” I grab his forearm and squeeze his shoulder.
He returns the grip on my forearm, grinning. “I take it you’ll be spending a lot of time at the bar now?”
“Yes, she is my mate and I can’t leave her unprotected.” I stand back, crossing my arms over my shoulder.
Kane runs his hands through his hair. “I’ll let Zeke know.”
“Zeke?” This isn’t a name I’m familiar with, and Zoey claimed to not have a man, only a brother. I wonder if that’s his name.
Zoey
Where am I? I look around the forest and love all the green trees. They are huge. There are flowers growing everywhere in all colors, and I walk closer to touch one. It opens fully at my touch, and another bud forms beside it. Giggling, I touch another and another until there is a bouquet of purple, pink, and white flowers in front of me.
“Zoey? Is that you?”
I turn and find Tristan standing behind me. He’s only wearing silky pajama pants, so I look down and realize I only have on a sheer gown. “Tristan, yes it’s me. Where are we?” I feel my cheeks heat up as I take him in. He is built, and I do mean built. Tristan is well over six feet, with dark-red hair and a bit of dark-red stubble. His eyes are a light blue, and he has a strong jaw with a cleft in the center. He’s handsome but in a rough way, not classically. All in all, he’s the whole package. It’s not only my cheeks that are heating.
His expression is smug as he picks up a strand of my long, white-blonde hair and he narrows his eyes meeting my gaze. “You look completely different. Why is that?”
My gaze darts to my hair, and I suck in a deep breath. “How are you seeing me like this?” I pull away from him, walking around and looking closer at the forest. “Where are we?”
“We’re having a shared dream.” Tristan crosses his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side.
“How is that possible? I can travel in my dreams, but I usually determine where I go and how I look. How are you doing this?”
“I’m not doing anything. You are my mate, and we do this to get to know each other.”
“Wait, I’m your mate?” Holy shit, that was the spark I felt. My dad told me about how he felt when he met my mother, so I’ve been wondering. I walk over and take a seat on a large rock.
“Yes. I know you felt what I did, and it’s part of the reason you agreed to eat with me and be alone.” Tristan kneels in front of me, taking my hands in his.
