Strange Brew

by Angela Colsin

  “You don't sound too surprised.”

  “I have my sources.”

  At that, Troy's gaze drifted to Aislinn, who shrugged. “He's a good friend, I had to tell him.”

  The werewolf nodded. “Tell who you need to. News seems to spread fast anyway.”

  “And you're here for … ?” Cade started, leaving his question open for Troy to fill in the blank.

  “A drink, if you have one. I also wouldn't mind knowing who's in charge.”

  “That would be me.”

  “Of the bar, or the pack?”

  “Both.”

  Though the talk was casual, there was a tension between the two men that almost seemed palpable. Aislinn might've even played the mediator if her intuition hadn't told her this wouldn't end in gory bloodshed. So instead, she watched the exchange silently.

  “Good,” Troy started, holding out a hand in greeting. “Troy Ashland.”

  Cade looked at his hand, then took it, asking, “Are you in charge of your own?”

  “I am here, so we'll need to talk sometime.”

  Somehow, learning Troy was an Alpha wasn't so surprising considering the man's size, and Aislinn noticed Cade relaxing a little before he introduced himself. “Cade Hodgins, and we will, maybe tonight if I find time. So go on in, but don't be surprised to get a lot of strange looks.”

  “Yeah,” Troy started, making his way past them, “I wouldn't doubt it.”

  Aislinn watched him going, then looked back at Cade, pursing her lips. “I get the feeling he came here for me, so I'm sorry about this.”

  “No, it's okay. I see what you mean about him. He really doesn't seem like a troublemaker.”

  She sighed in relief that Cade wasn't irritated while glancing in Troy's direction again as he settled at the bar. Their bartender, a lupine named Martin, seemed uncertain about the werewolf, but didn't deny him service, and he wasn't the only one giving Troy a questioning look. A few other lupines nearby exchanged glances, but they all knew Cade wouldn't have let Troy in if he'd thought there would be a problem, and left him alone.

  Still, Aislinn paid little attention to the scrutiny Troy was garnering in favor of focusing on her own curiosities. Was he really there for her? Or had he simply been looking for Cade?

  Turning her attention to the Alpha, she asked, “Would it be okay if I went over and talked to Troy for a second? I just wanna know if he's actually following me or not.”

  “Go ahead,” Cade nodded. “If you come across Hobbs, let him know he's off break.”

  Thanking him, Aislinn didn't waste a moment, heading to the bar while wondering what answer Troy would give her questions—and how she'd react considering her excitement over seeing him again. But no matter how appealing he seemed, for all she knew, he'd been following her around all day long, which wasn't acceptable.

  So she really hoped he'd come for the right reasons.

  Troy intended to find Aislinn at Strange Brew that evening, but instead, the same young woman he'd seen earlier that day was behind the counter. Somewhat humorously, she threw out a shy apology for her intrusion that morning, then informed him that Aislinn was working her second job that night.

  Heather was also reluctant to elaborate on where that job was, at least, until she saw the expensive rose pendant he wanted to give Aislinn. Only twenty minutes later, he was parking his truck in the lot outside of Blue Moon Bar & Grille with Heather's response in mind; oh goddess, she'll love that!

  Considering how long he'd waited to hand it over, Troy hoped the young witch knew what she was talking about.

  Aislinn's blue sedan was three spaces away from him, proving he had the right place. But instead of immediately going inside, he watched the establishment for several minutes, deciding whether to make an appearance considering the scent of lupines was mingling with that of the humans socializing in the parking lot. If they were around, there was a chance that a fight would break out, which could jeopardize Aislinn's job and make things unnecessarily difficult between them.

  Still, it was high time he learned who the lupine Alpha was, especially now that she'd slowed his turning. Besides, Troy was too eager to see his witch again to let a couple of lupines stand in his way.

  So he got out of his truck and stepped inside, greeted in the foyer first thing by the sight of Aislinn standing near the entryway—and the way she was dressed distracted him to the point that he momentarily forgot to walk through the second set of doors.

  With her red hair pulled up in a haphazard bun at her crown and curly tendrils framing her face, she wore a thigh length carolina blue dress with long sleeves, a scoop neck, and a snug fit on her curvy body. Her long legs were bare, leading down to a pair of black stilettos on her feet, engrossing him so thoroughly that he was only able to snap himself out of his reverent daze upon realizing that the beautiful witch was smiling at a tall, dark haired man standing across from her.

  For a moment, Troy was more jealous than he could ever remember being. Grabbing the handle of the door, he walked in with every intention of confronting the male, but two things snuffed out his impulsive anger almost immediately. First, the man's scent was that of a mated lupine, and second, he was wearing a Blue Moon shirt, proving they were merely working together and not fraternizing.

  So Troy remained civil and, after an unsurprisingly tense conversation, learned the lupine was actually the Alpha, killing two birds with one stone. Not only could he finally talk to the guy, but he had a chance to speak with Aislinn as well, opting to take a seat at the bar, get a drink, and hang out until the opportunities arose.

  Once he settled, the bartender—another lupine—warily asked as he cleaned a brandy glass, “What'll it be?”

  There was no malice in his tone, but his stance was telling of the fact that disruptions wouldn't be tolerated.

  Troy was starting to like this pack.

  “Whiskey, strongest you got,” he replied, and while the man served his drink, a few others sitting nearby were watching him carefully. Some of the waitresses cast glances his way as well, and he could hear them curiously whispering to each other over his presence.

  Werewolves must've been the abominable snowmen of Arkin City.

  But he paid no attention to the scrutiny, and wordlessly thanked the bartender with a nod of his head when his drink was ready. Lifting the glass to his lips, Troy noticed movement to his left, glancing over to see the same witch who'd haunted his thoughts all day long taking a seat in the stool next to him.

  Wondering if she was already off work, he turned to face her and commented, “That didn't take long. Buy you a drink?”

  “I'm not off,” Aislinn returned, “I just came to ask what you're doing here.”

  Nodding, he answered, “I went to your shop and was told you worked a second job tonight. So I decided to drop by.”

  “Heather wouldn't just qualify that information,” she pointed out.

  “She didn't,” he confirmed, “I had an ace up my sleeve.”

  “What ace?”

  “A gift I wanted to give you, but that can wait,” Troy replied vaguely, then changed the subject to keep her from fishing for information about the pendant considering he was likely to buckle at a single bat of her eyelashes. “So if you work two jobs, how'd you find time to set up a trap? Not that I really mind being caught when the warden's so sexy.”

  “Goddess,” Aislinn muttered, “are you gonna let that go?”

  “Maybe in a few decades,” he grinned.

  Clearly amused by his comments, she returned playfully, “So sure you'll know me that long?”

  Troy held her crystal blue gaze for a moment, answering honestly, “Don't have to be psychic to know some things.” Because if I don't, I'll be dead, plain and simple.

  Unexpectedly, Aislinn sat back in her stool as if she'd sensed a hint of the bleakness he'd felt over the thought of not having her in his life, and hadn't been prepared for its impact. But she didn't comment, and only stood up, mentioning, “I need
to get back to work.”

  “I'll be here when you get done,” he returned.

  The witch canted her head, and he noticed a look of enthusiasm in her eyes just before she masked it by asking, “Exactly how long are you planning on staying?”

  “Your entire shift if I have to.”

  With a shake of her head, Aislinn turned to go, muttering, “Why am I not surprised?”

  Amused by her feigned agitation, Troy called behind her, “Not gonna try sneaking out on me, are you?”

  At that, the witch stopped, then glanced over her shoulder long enough to retort, “Guess you'll find out when you realize I'm gone,” and walked away.

  Troy grinned, questioning his theory about Aislinn's shyness when she was so fiery—and he liked it. In fact, staying in his seat at the bar instead of following her was a struggle, and he decided to pass the time getting to know people if at all possible.

  The bartender seemed to have the same idea because he asked, “You know Aislinn?”

  Troy looked over at him, shrugging a shoulder. “Sort of. I just met her last night.”

  “She doesn't seem to dislike you.”

  “There a reason that matters?”

  “Maybe. Aislinn's like one of our own,” he answered in short, but the comment told Troy all he needed to know—their pack was protective of his mate, likely because she helped them with magical endeavors on a regular basis. Most mortal witches, especially those of the solitary persuasion, tended to get along well with lupines who protected them from bigger, stronger supernaturals if the need arose.

  Not that Aislinn would need their protection with Troy around.

  But the notion that they viewed her as part of their pack made him even more grateful for his decision to wait before talking to the lupines. Considering his state of mind up until that morning, his lack of patience would've created a huge problem.

  It wasn't long before Cade came by the bar, either. Troy was downing the remainder of his drink when he heard the Alpha telling Martin to get ready to go for the evening, then gave the werewolf his attention.

  “Care to have that talk, Ashland?”

  “It's as good a time as any,” he agreed, standing when Cade motioned for him to follow as he entered the back hall of the establishment.

  Just a moment later, they arrived in the office where Cade sat at one of two desks, offering Troy a seat on the couch next to the door. Once he sat down, the lupine asked, “So why the hell would a pack of werewolves wanna move into that old mansion?”

  “It's not for the market value,” Troy returned blandly. “But if you're worried we're gonna start trouble, don't.”

  Surprisingly, Cade looked like he almost believed the statement, but couldn't quite bring himself to do so without asking a few questions. “Then what are you trying to start?”

  “Just our lives,” Troy answered. “How much do you know about us, Hodgins?”

  “I know you can be pretty volatile. So if there was a problem, my pack would fight to protect themselves, which means protecting the humans here.”

  There was no lack of sincerity in Cade's voice, and Troy gave a nod, “That's fair. But we're not planning on letting any werewolves move here who've turned Savage, so the humans around will be safe.”

  Curiously, Cade inquired, “Turned Savage?”

  If there was going to be any semblance of peace between them, the lupines would have to know what to expect. So Troy explained everything without mincing words, starting with how a werewolf turned Savage, and even informed the Alpha that he'd been closing in on his own loss of humanity until finding Aislinn that morning.

  Finally, he concluded, “So Braddock's Estate won't be a place for the older, unmated ferines. It'd be too dangerous to have them so close to a human city.”

  “Christ,” Cade drew out. “Is that why you waited so long before coming to talk?”

  “Yeah. We don't want a fight, and I broke my own cousin's nose yesterday. So you can imagine how I would've fucked this up.”

  The Alpha grinned, shifting his weight where he sat before commenting, “Guess I should thank you. In any case, Aislinn seems to think you're decent enough, and I trust her judgment. So the biggest problem we'll have is just trying to keep our people in line, and it's not possible to watch them twenty-four seven.”

  “True,” Troy agreed, “but there's another angle to this I don't think you've considered.”

  “What angle?”

  “Aislinn,” he pointed out. “Because she's my mate, and you guys look at her as a part of the pack, my people will automatically respect yours. I don't wanna usher in a new era of lupines and werewolves holding hands in friendship, but I want our packs to get along, and if things go well with Aislinn, you'll eventually see I'm not bullshitting you.”

  Cade thought that over, then nodded as if growing more comfortable with the situation. “Good point. I think it'll take my wolves time to come to terms, but as long as we're on the same page, there shouldn't be much trouble.”

  “We'll just have to keep in touch and decide what to do if a problem comes up,” Troy suggested.

  “I can deal with that,” Cade agreed, and it was relieving to hear him say so. Troy hadn't known what to expect at first, but if the majority of wolves in the Arkin City Pack were as levelheaded as their Alpha, then keeping the peace shouldn't be too much trouble.

  Now that he'd smoothed things over as much as possible, he decided to see if he couldn't glean any information about his mate that might help the endeavor of gaining her interests.

  “So how do you know Aislinn, anyway?”

  Cade was quiet for a thoughtful moment, then qualified, “She's lived here all her life, helped my pack out on several occasions, and she's a shrewd businesswoman.”

  Troy grinned. “Then, in the interest of keeping things going smoothly, you wouldn't happen to have any pointers for me about winning her, would you?”

  The Alpha smirked. “I don't think it's my place to say, but I have some inside information that might be handy.”

  “What's that?”

  Standing to go to the door, the Alpha explained, “I'm letting her go early tonight to save on labor, so there's your chance to talk to her.”

  Grinning, Troy stood and followed Cade out of his office with the words, “Remind me to buy you a drink sometime.”

  Chapter 10

  With little need for a hostess, Aislinn was let go early.

  Cade approached her not long after he emerged from the back with Troy and told her she could leave. So without complaint, she went to the office, clocked out, and grabbed her coat and purse.

  In the process, she wondered what Cade and Troy had discussed, and whether or not she should tell the werewolf she was leaving instead of simply skipping out on him. Such a thing actually seemed a little childish after all, but her sanity meant more than being mature when Troy possessed the ability to multiply her sexual frustration to an unbearable degree.

  On the other hand, he had a gift for her, which was one of Aislinn's weaknesses. She loved gifts, and considering Troy's was good enough to make Heather offer him information on where she worked a second job, suspense was going to eat at her until she knew what it was.

  Weighing her options carefully, her curiosity inevitably won out, and she decided to exit through the dining room instead of using the back door in the kitchen. Hopefully, the werewolf would see her leaving and get up to follow.

  Only, as she passed the bar, she didn't see Troy anywhere.

  Brett Hobbson, a large, burly lupine with tattoos up and down both arms, was standing in Cade's place at the entryway. Aislinn knew him well—they'd dated once, but Hobbs never bonded with her well enough to call it anything but a friend's with benefits relationship, one they'd sporadically taken advantage of since their breakup.

  But Aislinn's mind was a million miles away from such things as she came to a stop, asking him, “Hey, did you just see a werewolf leave?”

  “Yeah, about five m
inutes ago.”

  “Oh,” she nodded, wondering if Troy was waiting outside. “Thanks. See you tomorrow, Hobbs.”

  He told her to be careful, and she stepped out into the parking lot, looking for Troy on the way to her car. But she saw no signs of the werewolf among the people present before climbing into her vehicle and shutting the door.

  Sitting behind the wheel, Aislinn grumbled, reminding herself that she should've been grateful for Troy's early departure. Still, her curiosity wasn't limited to his gift—she also wanted to know more about him, and would've liked having at least a few minutes to talk.

  “Just let it go, Aislinn,” she muttered aloud, turning the engine on to head home for the night. On the way, she was unable to decide which was worse; being frustrated in Troy's presence, or yearning for a chance to speak with him. But there was no doubt in her mind that in either case, it was going to be a long week.

  Yet, after turning down another road, Aislinn had an unexpected premonition.

  Troy's waiting at Strange Brew.

  The thought presented itself as a doubtless fact in her mind, and she lifted a brow, picking up speed before realizing what she was doing. But she didn't slow down, rounding the corner onto the road where her shop was located only a few minutes later.

  Still, as she pulled into the alley, there were no traces of what her intuition was insisting to be true. The streets were rather deserted, and there weren't even any cars parked nearby that could've belonged to Troy.

  Turning her engine off, Aislinn groaned loudly with her forehead falling against the steering wheel in resignation, supposing her intuition was just wishful thinking stemming from desperation. Why else would I be so damned eager to see him? I barely know him.

  Endeavoring to get her mind off of the irritating werewolf, Aislinn climbed out of her sedan and headed to the stairs leading up to her apartment. In her distraction, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps in the alley behind her until she'd reached the bottom of the steps, glancing back in time to see a plainly dressed man approaching from the sidewalk.

  As soon as he noticed her looking, he asked, “Hey, are you Aislinn Carmichael?”