Darklands

by Nancy Holzner

Page 26

 

  Juliet leaned forward and snatched up the remote. She clicked on the TV and tuned in to the Weather Channel, where the local forecast was just coming on. It didn’t sound good. Cold…fog…steady drizzle…chance of precipitation is one hundred percent.

  Juliet muted the sound. She was smiling. “Well, now I feel better. It’s good to know there’ll be one person in Massachusetts tonight who’s more miserable than I am. ”

  CREATURE COMFORTS WAS PACKED. ACTUALLY, “PACKED” WAS an apt description in more ways than one, because the place was brimming over with werewolves. They clustered around tables, sharing pitchers of beer, talking, and laughing. They kept Axel, the bartender, hopping. For years, I’d wondered what species Axel was. At seven feet tall, he had a hooked nose, beady eyes—and what I’d like to call a kind smile, but it was hard to tell behind that bushy beard. Axel, I’d recently learned, was a troll. Instead of a bridge, Creature Comforts was his territory—and nobody messed with Axel in his territory. Partly because he was so damn big and scary looking, and partly because they didn’t want to get banned. Creature Comforts was the most popular bar in the New Combat Zone. Now, Axel moved as fast as I’ve ever seen him, supplying the werewolves with drinks.

  For werewolves, the night before a full-moon retreat is like the beginning of a mini-vacation. Even though they’re compelled to go—any werewolf caught outside a retreat during a full moon can legally be shot on sight—werewolves treat retreats like a holiday. And why not? In a way, that’s exactly what they are. Three days away from jobs and societal responsibilities, when they can loose the inner beast—running through the woods, hunting deer, and howling their hearts out at the moon.

  Right now, that sounded pretty damn good to me. And I couldn’t go.

  “Vicky!”

  My name cut through the buzz of conversation.

  Kane leaned out of a booth near the back of the room, waving and wearing a big grin. I waved back, thinking he wouldn’t look so happy in about five minutes. My palms were sweating; I wiped them on my jeans and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Kane was a grown-up. He could handle this. If he couldn’t, then maybe our relationship wasn’t what I thought it was.

  I squared my shoulders, plastered a smile on my face, and made my way through the crowd toward the booth.

  To find myself face-to-face with Simone Landry.

  The smile dropped from my face like a boulder tumbling off a cliff.

  Simone slid out from the seat opposite Kane, beaming as though running into me were the most wonderful thing to happen all day. Hah. I knew the reason behind her smile—she’d wanted me to see her with my boyfriend.

  Kane stood and put his arms around me, brushing his lips against my cheek. I kept my gaze on Simone. He’s kissing me, not you. Got that?

  Simone said, “I guess I’ll be going. ” When Kane pulled back from me and nodded, she reached out and grazed his arm with her fingers. Her touch was both light and brief, but it conveyed extraordinary intimacy. It wasn’t a touch, it was a caress, damn it.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. ” Her low, throaty voice thrummed with promise.

  “You’ll see both of us,” Kane said. “Remember? I told you Vicky is coming with me. ”

  Simone’s glance flicked my way, frost chilling her smile. “How nice. ” The words held a subtext of challenge. Her face warmed as she turned back to Kane. “I’m looking forward to it. ” She sauntered away, hips swaying. Several male werewolves injured their necks whipping their heads around to watch her go.

  Bitch.

  Of course, that isn’t exactly an insult to a female werewolf.

  Kane wasn’t one of the throng drooling over Simone. His eyes were on me, and they shone with pleasure. Damn, I wished I didn’t have to disappoint him.

  “Let’s sit down,” he said, scooting over to make room.

  I sat across from him. It felt wrong to be getting all snuggly just before I broke the bad news that he’d be spending the weekend alone.

  No, I reminded myself, seeing Simone’s cold smile. No, he would most definitely not be alone.

  Damn it all to hell.

  Deep breath time. “Kane—” I began.

  “No, wait. ” He reached across the table and took my hand in both of his. So warm. “I want to start things off right tonight. ”

  “But—” As if by some signal, Axel appeared at our table, bearing a silver champagne bucket. He put it down, and then set two flutes on the table. Behind him were a couple of werewolves who worked with Kane. They carried trays and were handing out glasses of champagne to everyone in the room.

  “Kane—” I tried again.

  With a flourish, Axel popped the cork. Everyone cheered as bubbly fizzed from the bottle. Even Axel was smiling as champagne frothed into our glasses.

  Kane stood. He pulled me up to stand beside him. One arm around my waist, he raised his glass. I wanted to sink through the floor.

  “May I have everyone’s attention?” His courtroom voice rang out.

  “Stop,” I hissed, jabbing his ribs with my elbow. He kissed the top of my head.

  “Most of you know my girlfriend, Vicky. And everyone who knows her also knows how crazy I am about her. ”

  Applause rippled around the room. Someone started clinking a champagne glass with their silverware, like we were at a wedding reception, and within seconds the whole room had joined in. Kane pulled me to him and gave me a deep, lingering kiss. The kind that would have melted me if it weren’t happening in the middle of a disaster.

  I pulled away. “Kane, don’t. ”

  Kane smiled and turned back to the crowd. “So I’m pleased—no, thrilled—to announce that Vicky has agreed to come with me to Princeton this weekend. ” Another round of applause. “Now, those of you who don’t know Vicky may wonder how this is possible. She doesn’t smell like a werewolf. And that’s true. ” He pressed his face against my neck and inhaled deeply. “Although she does smell delicious, she’s not a werewolf. She’s a shapeshifter. She can become whatever animal she chooses. And this full moon, for my sake, she’s choosing to be a wolf. ”

  Why, oh why did Kane have to make such a production out of it? It was too late to put the brakes on this train wreck. I managed a feeble half-smile.

  The werewolves cheered loudly, clapping and stamping their feet. Howls rose. Then, everyone quieted down as Kane lifted his glass.

  “I just wanted to say how honored I am that the woman I love is coming with me on retreat. So please raise your glasses and join me in a toast to Vicky. ”

  “To Vicky!” everyone shouted. But suddenly it felt like my ears were stuffed with cotton.

  Love. The word echoed in my mind. All I could think of was that he’d said, “The woman I love”—love—and there were too many eyes on me for me to even begin processing how I felt about that. Couldn’t he have said it in private first? Or was it just part of the show he was putting on?

  Love. A small word, a tiny word. But one that was way too big for me to deal with right now.

  Especially when I was about to blow him off.

  Kane tossed back the contents of his glass and kissed me. He tasted like champagne. And guilt. A whole lot of guilt. No, the guilt was all mine. Butterfly would be feasting tonight.

  “Oh, and one more thing. ” The crowed quieted as Kane’s voice took on an edge. “This weekend, Vicky is under my protection. Anyone who messes with her, anyone at all, answers to me. ” He subjected the entire room to a hard stare, one table at a time. Some of the werewolves stared back at him, their features just this side of a scowl. But sooner or later, every single wolf dropped his or her gaze and looked away.

  When he’d made his point, Kane treated the room to another of his million-dollar smiles. “Enjoy yourselves,” he said. “The bar’s open for the next hour. My treat. ”

  The wolves cheered and crowded the bar. Axel, always up for
a challenge, rubbed his thick-knuckled hands together and picked up the pace. This was going to cost Kane a fortune, and all for nothing.

  Love. Why did he have to say “love”? If he’d said it in private, I’d be confused enough. But a public declaration…My brain refused to process what was happening.

  Kane surveyed the room with satisfaction. I sat down again, on the same side of the booth where I’d been sitting before. Kane started to take his seat on the opposite side, then sat down next to me. I slid over, but I could feel his heat along the length of his thigh, pressing against mine.

  Time to rain on Kane’s parade. Rain, who was I kidding? We’d passed “rain” ten minutes ago. This was more like dropping a nuclear bomb smack on the marching band.

  “You’re not drinking your champagne,” he said, pushing my untouched glass in front of me. “Do you want something else?” He turned toward the bar, his hand half-raised to signal Axel.

  “No. ” I reached over and captured his hand, returning it to the table. I let my hand rest lightly on his. “Kane, I wish you hadn’t done that. ”

  His gray eyes darkened with concern. “What, the announcement? I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. That wasn’t my intention. It’s a werewolf thing. They’re used to seeing me as a lone wolf. And any new wolf, male or female, gets a hard time the first time it shows up at a retreat. I had to make sure they understand you’re mine. ” You’re mine. A smile touched his lips as he said the words. “Now, they’ll leave you alone. ”

  Okay, so maybe “love” was part of some werewolf territorial declaration. I hoped so. It made what I was about to say a little easier.

  “No, listen to me. I really wish you hadn’t done that. ” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “I can’t go with you. ”

  He went utterly still, except for a narrowing of his eyes. I don’t think he was even breathing. He didn’t say a word. I hated that. Kane, who’s always full of opinions and comments and theories on every topic under the sun, had absolutely nothing to say.