by Raven Steele
A quick glance at Samira told me she wasn't as impressed with the house, unless deadpan was her expression to everything.
We walked up the driveway, passing several large and ancient oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss. A rope swing hanging from a thick limb reminded me of one I used to swing on as a child. I wish I could go back to those days.
Grunting, I pushed away the memory and followed them inside the house.
“This is the shit,” I breathed and looked around the wood-paneled foyer with dark stained baseboard molding. Near the top of the cathedral ceilings was a stain glass window depicting a red pentagram. Interesting.
Samira breezed past me. “Must you always curse?”
“Get used to it, roomie.” I glanced back at Lynx who was standing in the doorway biting at her lip, her complexion pale. “You okay?”
She inhaled a deep breath and on her exhale smiled and said, “I’m good. Feel free to walk around and choose the room you want, except for the master bedroom on this floor. That’s where I’m at.”
I chose the room on the third floor in the northeast corner. It was away from my roommates and more open, two things I wanted. Samira took a room in the basement. It didn't have any windows and the only exit was through the stairs. It also smelled of rust and several years’ worth of dust. Enough reasons to make me hate it.
I walked back down the stairs and into the living room where Lynx stood by the fireplace, fingering a silver chain around her neck. Samira appeared at the same moment almost as if she had been listening for me. I stepped away from her to create space between us.
“Love my room, Lynx,” I said. “It’s perfect for smoking pot.”
When her face paled, I quickly added, “I’m just messing with you, but I’d keep an eye on this one.” I shoved a thumb in Samira’s direction.
“I don’t abuse substances,” Samira said.
I dragged a hand down my face.
“I’ll get my stuff and come back in the morning.”
“I have to leave too.” Samira walked toward the door not looking at either of us.
“Will you be back tonight?” Lynx asked her. “I can leave the back door unlocked.”
“No. Tomorrow night.” She opened the door and darkness swallowed her whole.
“I can not wait to get that woman drunk.”
Lynx laughed, but it was quiet and reserved.
I rubbed at an ache behind my neck, taking in her body language. “Is this the first time you’ve had roommates?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Don’t be nervous. Your house. Your rules. If Samira is too cranky and boring, feel free to kick her out. I’ll help. And if you find me too bossy and mouthy, then I’ll buy you a bottle of Everclear. It worked for my houseparent at the group home I stayed at when I was younger.”
“You were in a group home?”
“Um, once or twice. I should get going.” I turned away from her, scolding myself for having revealed personal information. I needed to be more careful.
I said a quick goodbye and headed into the night. I wanted to search a couple of more clubs before sunrise. Maybe I'd catch a glimpse of Silas again. But, after the rest of the night proved fruitless, I returned to my cheap motel for another restless night of sleep.
The next morning, I was ready to leave the sleazy motel and its prehistoric cockroaches for good. I returned to the house with my two suitcases, ready to move in. Lynx seemed surprised to see me so early, but she graciously let me in with a smile and showed me to my room.
It didn't take me long to settle into my room. I only had one suitcase of clothing, consisting mostly of jeans and dark t-shirts, which I shoved into dresser drawers quickly. The suitcase also held the few things I'd swiped from foster homes over the years. They didn't necessarily mean anything to me, but I kept them anyway. Simple mementos of my time in each place.
The only other suitcase I had was an ugly green one from the seventies. It was a ratty old thing, intentionally left that way so no one would think it was worth anything. The truth was, it held my most valuable possessions. I'd saved up for months to buy the items in here. I'd lovingly nicknamed it my booby trap case.
First, I pulled out my bras that looked pretty average, but if one looked closely, they would see that the material was thick and stretchy, lined with detailed stitching that reinforced the pockets sewn into it. It was bound with flexible whalebone, giving me space to hide my thinnest but sharpest knives. I put my thigh bands away next, also filled with knives of every sort, and shut the drawers.
I was already wearing the one strapped around my waist, holding a knife at my back.
I turned back to my new room. It had an old but comfy bed, a set of drawers, and a shelf for pictures or books. Light filtered in through a large bay window, and I pushed the curtains closed. I liked to let the sun in the room but not at eight am. The room also had a large walk-in closet. I hung up my one nice dress; it looked strange and lonely.
I thought of the dresses I’d owned as a kid, large and frilly, and usually caked with mud. My life had changed so much since then, and the only connection I had to that life was hidden deep in a cave just outside of town: the Abydos, a thousand-year-old sacred blood that first gifted a human with shifter abilities. It was foretold that one day this blood would either destroy the world or save it. It had been my pack’s responsibility to protect it for centuries. And now I was its sole protector.
No pressure.
After some time, I left my room to find something to eat in the kitchen. Lynx was no longer here, and Samira wouldn't arrive until sunset. I could get used to these living arrangements. When I finished eating a package of dry Ramen Noodles I'd found, I headed to town to ask about Silas. Someone had to know something, but everyone clammed up as soon as I mentioned his name, which was annoying as hell. I'd just have to wait until I got to work. My generous boobs and alcohol had a way of getting people to talk.
As soon as the sun set, like the very second its light disappeared, someone knocked briskly on the front door. I peeked out my bedroom window and spotted Samira on the porch. She also packed light, which made me even more suspicious. Female vampires never packed light; they usually traveled with sexy muscle-lined men that moved the antique furniture and delicate items they'd collected over the years.
I packed light because of my jacked-up past, plus I had plans of killing people so I needed a quick getaway. Even though I loved some of my possessions, I had nothing I couldn't leave behind. I hoped Samira's reasons weren't the same, or Rouen would see a lot of blood spilled. I'd have to keep an eye on her.
I waited about an hour before heading down the narrow stairs leading to a hallway next to the kitchen where I heard Samira and Lynx talking.
"Hey, roomies." I walked inside, interrupting their conversation. I opened the fridge and noted how little food there was. "I'll buy groceries with the tip money I get tonight."
I sniffed, smelling something that should never be in a refrigerator. I pushed aside a gallon of milk. Behind it were two glass bottles full of a dark crimson liquid with an attached handwritten label that read: Tomato Juice. Samira's. Don't drink.
I rolled my eyes, my face chilling in the open fridge. Did she think we were idiots?
I wondered if Lynx had any idea of what Samira and I were. If so, she didn't give any hint of it.
As for Samira, she had to know I was a shifter, just like I knew she was a vampire.
Samira reduced the space between her and me. I slammed the door shut, taking note of her closeness and wondering what the hell she was doing. But I didn't move away. If she was pulling some kind of power move, she'd be disappointed that I didn't back down. Ever.
"Thanks for grabbing some groceries," Lynx said. "I always forget." She didn't seem to notice Samira's and my interaction. "What time do you go to work?"
I continued my eye-lock with Samira but answered Lynx. "Not for several hours. I work the ten-to-two shift. You guys should come by."
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Lynx ran her fingers through her hair. She had straightened it today. "I don't know. That fight was a little too much for me. Are you going, Samira?"
Samira finally stepped away. "There were one hundred and seventy-two people on just the first floor. Another fifty-three on the balcony. They were over max capacity by three." She stopped talking, as if that was all that needed to be said.
How the hell did Samira know all that? Was counting one of her superpowers? She should fall into a vat of chemicals somewhere to try and get something different.
"So... are you coming?" Lynx asked, her brow furrowed.
"I will count the numbers when I get there," Samira said. "Chaos bothers me."
"Let me guess. Math was your best subject as a child." I opened a cupboard and found a box of breakfast pastries. I held it toward Lynx, raised my eyebrows as if to say, "May I?" She nodded an approval, and I slouched into one of the kitchen chairs to eat one.
"Numbers can't lie to you." Samira's voice held a clear note of resentment.
I bristled. "Someone's been hurt in the past."
"I'm sure we all have," Lynx said quietly. "Do you want a pastry, Samira?"
"Actually,” I interrupted, “I bet she'd love some of her homemade tomato juice." I glanced back at her and winked. She gave me her dead face, which I think translated to, “Screw you.”
A knock on the front door had me on my feet, alert and ready to fight. Samira also started, her hand inside her jacket as if to grab a knife hidden inside.
Lynx stared at us expectantly.
When no one moved, I glanced at the door. "Do you want me to get it?"
Lynx cleared her throat and laughed nervously. "I'm not used to visitors. I'm guessing neither are you two." She moved toward the living room. "I can get it. It's probably just a neighbor."
Relaxing, I shoved the rest of the pastry into my mouth, but Samira remained tense. As soon as Lynx left the room, Samira turned toward me. "It's a wolf."
This had my hackles back up, and I gulped down the rest of the food in a hurry, in case trouble happened. "You can sense that all the way in here?"
"He smells bad."
I sniffed, faintly detecting a masculine smell. Like the forest when it turned into fall. I thought it smelled amazing... until I recognized who it was. Frowning, I kicked the edge of the table. "I'll take care of it."
Why would the shifter from the club come here?
As I walked out of the kitchen, I wondered if all shifters smelled bad to Samira. I snickered. Hopefully not, or she was going to have a hell of a time living with me.
I reached the front room. Lynx stood at the open door, laughing.
As soon as I saw him, my body instantly reacted, sending a warmth shooting across my flesh. He filled the entryway with his massive body, and his eyes took me in as I approached. My face tinged pink when I remembered how I'd panicked in front of him.
Sensing my presence, Lynx turned. "Luke's here for you."
Luke, is it? I tilted my head to the side, pretending I was just recognizing him. "Oh, hi, nice to see you again. Thanks, Lynx."
"Sure." She gave Luke a quick wave of her hand. "See you later."
As soon as Lynx was gone, I pressed my hand to his chest and pushed him onto the front porch. Samira's sleek black car that was probably worth a gazillion dollars sat in the middle of the driveway. A motorcycle was parked next to it. Assuming the bike was his, I understood now why he smelled like gasoline the other night.
"What are you doing here?" I slammed the door behind me and folded my arms over my chest. "Are you following me? I think that could be filed under creepy stalker behavior."
His eyes met mine for a moment, and I heard his breath pick up. He scowled, with eyebrows so intense they met in the middle. "I followed your scent."
"Clearly. And, like I said, stalkery. What do you want?"
His eyes glanced down to my crossed arms, then he quickly averted his gaze. I remembered I hadn't put a bra on yet. Damnit.
"Other shifters at the club sensed you,” he said. “A new, and a lone wolf in town draws attention. Do you belong to a pack?"
"I'd rather chew on bullets."
"It's pretty suspicious when wolves roll into town and won't even consider joining. It usually means they have something to hide."
"What I do is my business. I'm a lone wolf and completely happy with the sitch."
He raised his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth turning up. "Lone wolves are usually cowards or bitches. Which one are you?"
"I'll tell you who the bitch is. Did your Alpha bark an order to find me? Do you like being told what to do?" I stepped forward again, moving myself into his personal space so that I was inches from him. "I can order you around too, if that's your thing.”
He collapsed the space between us. The heat from his body warmed mine. "Let me make one thing clear. I'm the one who gives commands."
My wolf emerged, snarling protectively, and her power pulsed through my body. "I'd like to see you try."
"There is no try. Only do. And I do it good."
"Oooo, big wolf. Why don't you come inside and show me how well you do it?"
He gulped in a breath, taken back by my forwardness, which is what I wanted, and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure where you were raised, but it's only polite to check in with the local Alpha when moving into a new territory. Come check out the pack first, pay respects to my Alpha. Then maybe I'll think about showing you how well I give orders."
He looked me over possessively, which only pissed me off more. "Screw you."
"If you're not interested in the pack, why were you sniffing around my beta last night?"
Shit. I took a step back, realizing it wouldn't do if he got suspicious. It would draw too much attention to me. Leaning against the door frame, I bit my nail and glanced casually up the street and sighed. "Fine. I'll pay my respects. But I have to work tonight so it will have to be later."
His eyes studied me carefully. "You should think about joining the Silver Claws. We could use more females."
I visibly shivered at the thought. Females. Like we were some specimen. No way did I want to be part of that crap.
But. If I joined the pack, it would give me information a lot quicker than trying to get it on my own. And killing Silas and Dominic wasn't going to be easy. Just because I'd found them didn't mean I could walk in and smash their brains out. Not if I wanted to keep on living afterwards. I'd have to be smart about this.
"Possibly. Where do the Silver Claws hang? And who's the Alpha?" I already knew the answer, but couldn’t let on that I did.
"You can always find some of us either at Sinsual or out in the Beechwood Forest. North side of town, near the DuBois Swamps. The big house, you can't miss it. As for the Alpha, I'll tell you if you tell me why you took such an interest in my boss last night. It looked like you wanted to tear him apart."
I shrugged and spit out a fingernail. "I thought I knew him from somewhere, but I was wrong."
Realizing I was holding my breath, I quickly released it, hoping he hadn't noticed. He searched my eyes, even dropping his gaze to my lips. I turned my head away.
"Fine. I guess you'll just have to make an appearance to meet the Alpha yourself." He took two steps back, as if to leave. "By the way, interesting roommate choice."
"Goth girl?"
"The other one. I'd be careful around her."
I laughed. "You're kidding, right? Lynx?"
His expression darkened. "She's not who you think she is." He turned around and walked toward his bike, pulling his keys out of his pocket. "Gotta run. Take care, Briar."
I stared after him, checking out his fine backside and wondering what he meant. He gave me a final glance before starting the engine. It wasn't until he turned the corner that it hit me.
I hadn't told him my name.
Chapter 4
After spending too much time trying to figure out what Luke had meant about Lynx, I returned to my room to
get ready for work. Whatever he was getting at, it couldn't have been a big deal. She was way too sweet and innocent for anything devious.
It took me longer than I wanted to choose the right outfit that would get people talking, but I still managed to arrive at work on time. Barely. I swept my hair back into a loose ponytail and adjusted my low-cut, blue tank top to make sure there was ample cleavage showing. I was seeking information after all. My Grams had always insisted our big breasts were to be used only as weapons for good. It was a motto I lived by.
The club was just starting to get crowded. People laughed and huddled together, drinks in hand. I pushed my way through to get to the bar, all smiles.
"You're almost late." Eddie's eyes stayed focused on mine instead of dropping to my breasts. Impressive. Working for him might not be so bad.
"Almost being the keyword." I slipped behind the counter. Peeper was already there wiping down glasses. He glanced at me but quickly adjusted his gaze when he spotted my cleavage.
"How's it going, Peeper?"
"I've had better days, but the night is young."
"I like your attitude." I slapped him on the back, then studied the bottles. They needed to be reorganized; they had to be a certain way for different acts I liked to perform.
Eddie walked around the other side of the bar and tapped the dark wooden top. "When you're finished with your shift, make sure you complete all the employment paperwork. I would've had you do it before your shift, but you came late."
"I arrived on time, remember?" I looked up at him, giving him my best smile. "On time to get this crowd moving, if you'll let me."
"Paperwork's on my desk in my office, which is upstairs. Payday is every other Friday. You keep all your tips, but make sure you report them on your taxes. I don't want any IRS people asking questions."
I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Maybe there was a lot more to Eddie than I originally thought. He was a straight arrow.
