by J. L. McCoy
“Well, I’m 23 and I definitely feel older than I am,” I smiled, shrugging one shoulder.
“You act older than 23,” he smirked playfully.
I bit my bottom lip and grinned. “So, I’m dying to know,” I said, changing the subject. “Is Dic your real name or just a nickname?”
He took another quick swig of his Zeigenbock and set it back down on the table before he answered. “Nickname. My real name is Dean Ian Cruz. Dic is just a nickname I picked up in high school.”
“And how in the world did that happen?”
He smirked and relaxed back on the bench some. “My cousin Dylan and I went to the same school and played varsity football together. A player’s jersey would normally just say their last name, but Dylan and I had the same one. In that case, a school will usually put the player’s first initial in front of the last name. Since Dylan and I shared first initials, our school put my middle initial on my jersey to distinguish us. My jersey read D.I.Cruz and everyone started calling me Dic for short.” He cocked one eyebrow and shrugged a shoulder. “It just sort of stuck. Once I became All-State, everyone outside of school started calling me that.”
I licked my lips as I finished the rib and wiped my mouth. “I think I like the name Dean better,” I said honestly. “Would you mind if I started calling you that instead?”
Dic chuckled and leaned over to comfortably rest his elbows on the table. He looked up at me and I saw the playfulness in his eyes. “You can call me Dean if you’d like. Hell, you can call me whatever you want just as long as you call me, gorgeous.”
I bit my bottom lip and tried to suppress a smile as I felt my cheeks begin to burn hot from the attention. “So, what made you open a head shop? Do you smoke?” I asked quickly, desperate to change the subject once again.
“God, no,” Dic, I mean Dean, laughed as he bundled up the trash on the table. “Owning a smoke shop in a college town is a lucrative business. Once I obtained my license to sell beer, and I opened the hookah bar, it really took off.” He stood and took the butcher’s bundle of trash to a nearby trash can and deposited it. He walked over to Jack, handed him some money, shook his hand and said his goodbyes.
“Thanks for the food,” I said when he returned to the table. “It was really good.” I stood and finished the last sip out of my beer.
“Anytime, babe,” he smirked sexily as he took my empty from me and threw it away on our way out the door. The sun was starting to set and I guessed it was around 7:30pm by the pink hues that lightly tinted the sky.
Dean opened the passenger door for me and I climbed in. Just then my cell phone started ringing and I dug around in my messenger bag for it.
I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Archer. “Hey, boss man,” I answered, feeling fully sated and happily relaxed.
“Hello Skye. I just wanted to check in with you,” Archer rumbled from the other end of the line. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is great,” I said as I watched Dean slide into the Charger’s front seat.
“So, I was thinking we could…” Dean started to say but I waved my hand and pointed to my ear to show him that I was on the phone.
“Who’s that?” Archer asked sternly.
“Oh, that’s my friend Dean,” I said with a smile. “He took me to grab a bite to eat at this amazing barbecue joint south of downtown. It’s seriously yummy.”
“Dean who?” Archer enunciated slowly, his voice deeper, holding an edge of anger.
“Um…,” I stumbled. “Crap. I forgot his last name.” I turned to Dean and asked him to repeat his last name.
“It’s Cruz,” he said with a smile as he backed the car out of the parking space.
“What the hell are you doing with him?” Archer growled savagely before I had a chance to relay his last name.
“What?” I asked confused, suddenly worried.
“What the fuck are you doing with Dean Cruz?” he roared then shouted something in Gaelic that I couldn’t understand. “I’m coming to get you. Right now! Where are you?”
“I’m fine, Archer,” I explained, getting a little mad. “What’s your freakin’ problem?”
“Tell him to calm down. I knew this was going to happen.” Dean sighed as he looked over at me and shook his head exasperatedly. “You’re such a buzz kill, Archer. Keep your panties on. Tell him I’m taking you over to The Mausoleum now and to meet us in the back parking lot.”
“What?” I asked, shaking my head. “You don’t have to do that. I want to hang out with you. He’s just being…well, crazy is the best way I can put it.”
I turned my attention back to the phone and Archer’s angry breath sounds. “What is your deal, Rhys? You can’t dictate who I hang out with. It’s none of your damn business what I do,” I spat angrily. “You gave me the night off. This is my personal time, Archer. I can do what I please when I’m on my personal time.” I didn’t know what his problem was, but Dean was no threat to me. He was an awesome guy and I had been having fun with him. I didn’t want to be taken back to The Mausoleum like some errant child.
“You tell him that I will meet him outside,” Archer growled angrily. “And that if he lays a hand on you, so help me God, I’ll kill him.”
“What?” I screeched in disbelief. “I will do no such thing!”
Dean chuckled and reached over to take the phone from my ear. “I heard you, blood sucker. Calm down. I haven’t laid a finger on Skye that she didn’t welcome,” he said into it before hanging up on Archer.
Chapter 15
I looked over at him with wide eyes as my mind was trying to play catch-up with what Dean had just said to him.
Dean chuckled again as he handed me my BlackBerry. “Such an angry guy isn’t he?” he said with a playful wink.
“Why…,” I stumbled in shock and shook my head, trying to clear it. “Why did you just call him a blood sucker?”
He looked over at me with knowing eyes and raised his eyebrows. “You know why,” he said simply, turning his attention back to the road.
My heart thundered rapidly in my chest and I swallowed hard. I was scared to hear his answer, but I had to know. “How do you know?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s my job to know what goes on in my city,” he said, never taking his eyes off the road.
“What do you mean your city?” I questioned him with narrowed eyes. What the hell is going on?
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough,” he sighed, turning the Charger onto Bluebonnet Street.
I sat back in my seat and watched Dean out of the corner of my eyes. Something was going on between him and Archer and I was desperate to find out what it was. First Zephyr asked me if Archer knew I was at Tricky Dic’s then Dean asked me the same question. When Archer found out who I was with, he went ballistic. Something wasn’t right here and I started to get really nervous. What did he mean by ‘my city’? I bit my bottom lip and snuck a better glance over at Dean. Is he some kind of mobster? He doesn’t look like one… Dean looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and I quickly looked away.
“I’m not going to bite you Skye, Jesus,” Dean chuckled. “I’m the same guy I was ten minutes ago and two days ago. You don’t have to be scared of me.”
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I’m not scared of you,” I mumbled and pried my fingers off the passenger door handle. I had been white-knuckling it and I hadn’t even realized.
“You’re afraid, I can tell,” he said simply as he turned down the back alley to The Mausoleum.
“You don’t know shit,” I huffed defensively, stubbornly. “You’re not omnipotent…or psychic…or whatever the hell you call it!”
Dean laughed as he pulled into The Mausoleum parking lot. “I like you when you’re flustered. It’s adorable.”
I frowned at him then turned my attention to the employee entrance door. Archer was standing beside it and he was flanked by Quinn and Seamus. Trey stood off to the side with a
worried look on his face.
Dean maneuvered the car into a free space by the alley, put the car in park and got out. I stuffed my BlackBerry back in my messenger bag and went to open my door, but Dean was already there.
“I had a lot of fun hanging out with you today, Skye,” he said with a breathtaking smile; his dimples on proud display. “I really hope we can do it again.”
I swallowed hard, took his offered hand and allowed him to help me out of the car. “I don’t know what’s going on Dean,” I whispered honestly. “For some reason, my boss is completely pissed off that I was with you, and that…scares me some.” I dropped my hand and put my messenger bag over my shoulder. “What don’t I know about you, Dean? What aren’t you telling me?”
Dean sighed and looked over at the group of vampires walking toward us. “We’ll talk later, I promise. I’m not a bad guy Skye. You know that, right?” he whispered, looking back over at me.
“I think I do,” I whispered back, slightly unsure. “I know that I really enjoyed hanging out with you today.”
“Did he hurt you, Skye?” Archer growled as he stepped up to Dean and me.
I shook my head in frustration. “No, you damn hot head,” I huffed, turning to him. “I told you that I was fine on the phone.”
Archer didn’t take his eyes off of Dean as he spoke. “Where did you meet Mr. Cruz, Skye?”
“Here,” I said as I angrily crossed my arms over my chest, “At the club opening night. Would you care to tell me why in the hell I’m here, in the employee parking lot, having this ridiculous conversation with you instead of being out and about enjoying my only day off?”
Archer ignored me and spoke to Dean. “You have no right associating with what is mine,” he growled fiercely.
Dean laughed and crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hood of his car. “She walked into MY establishment,” he grinned cockily. “I was hungry, she was hungry…we ate. End of story, fanger.”
Quinn snarled and took an angry step toward Dean. Trey, like an idiot, stepped in front of him to stop him from moving any closer. Trey bravely whispered something to Quinn and Quinn visibly relaxed a millimeter but didn’t step back.
“Alright,” I said, getting pissed, and walked to stand between Archer and Dean, “Enough of the bullshit, Archer. First off, I am not yours…whatever the hell THAT means. I am your employee and that is all. Secondly, Dean was nothing but a perfect gentleman at dinner. I have no idea what the hell has you so pissed off, but someone had better start explaining things to me…right the fuck now,” I yelled. “This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous!”
Dean cocked his eyebrow at Archer and smirked smugly. Archer pursed his lips in thought and relaxed somewhat.
“It is not safe to hang around this…man, Skye,” Archer finally spoke.
“Why?” I demanded.
Archer and Dean stared at each other for a few moments and no one said anything.
“Why?” I demanded louder, crossing my arms over my chest.
Archer pursed his lips and stared daggers at Dean. “Do you want to tell her Conriocht, or shall I?” he growled lowly.
Dean grinned. “Since you’re doing such a bang-up job of pissing her off, I think I’ll let you explain.”
Archer grinned devilishly. “Very well,” he said calmly then turned his attention to me. “Dean is the leader of Central Texas’ Kaxaw pack.”
“What the hell is a ‘Kaxaw Pack’?” I asked motioning with my hands in frustration.
“Kaxaw is the Tonkawa Indian word for Black,” Dean said with a cock of his eyebrow. “The Tonkawa Indians are my ancestors.”
“Dean is skirting the subject,” Archer said simply. “It’s a werewolf pack Skye.”
“Bullshit,” I said to Archer, crossing my arms back over my chest. “Why are you lying to me?”
Archer pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed. “I assure you, Miss Morrison, I do not lie.”
I turned to Dean and cocked my head to the right. “Are y’all playing some kind of game with me?” I asked angrily between narrowed eyes. “Because, I don’t think this is the least bit funny. You and I both know that werewolves don’t exist. Those are cheesy campfire stories told by unimaginative tweenagers.”
Dean stood up from his hood and fisted his hands down at his sides. “So, you believe in blood sucking fangers, but you don’t believe in the existence of werewolves? What kind of narrow-minded crap is that?”
I laughed at him. “You can’t be serious, Dean,” I shook my head. “Come on.”
Dean crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me hard. His breathing increased as the seconds ticked by. I looked back at Archer questioningly, but he motioned his head toward Dean and silently told me to turn back around.
I looked back and Dean, my brow furrowed in confusion, and I nearly jumped out of my skin at what I saw. I scrambled back a few steps and ran right into Trey, who promptly put one arm around my shoulder.
“Dean?” I asked, unsure of what I was seeing, my voice trembling along with my body. Dean’s beautiful chocolate brown eyes were no longer. In their place were bright yellow eyes that seemed to glow. His round black pupils had transformed into vertical black slits. He leaned back on his car hood, hooked his thumbs in his front belt loops, and smiled at me. All of his teeth were a bit longer and they definitely looked sharper. His top and bottom canines were longer still and pointed into fangs.
“It’s still me, toots,” he grinned playfully. His voice was a lot deeper, more guttural and animalistic.
I took a deep breath and leaned harder into Trey for support. “How is this even possible?” I asked, more to myself than anyone as I put my hand to my forehead, trying to fight off a wave of sudden dizziness.
“The reason why our species don’t normally associate with one another is because a werewolf bite is dangerous to us vampires,” Trey explained softly to me. “One bite will usually kill us.”
“Is this true?” I asked, turning to Archer.
He nodded his head silently.
“Well, say something,” Dean said to me.
I took a deep breath and turned back to him. “I…,” I started and then stopped. “How…,” I tried again but couldn’t finish. I shook my head and mentally slapped myself. Get a frickin’ grip, girl! “What do you eat?” I finally managed to ask. “Do you eat people?”
Dean threw his head back and laughed heartily. When he looked back up at me a few seconds later, his eyes and teeth were back to normal. I relaxed a bit at the sight and took a deep, cleansing breath of relief.
“We just went to dinner, Skye,” he grinned, amused at my question. “You saw me eat. I eat what any human eats.”
“But…you’re not human,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“Not entirely,” he conceded. “But, I’m more human than these vamps you hang out with.”
“Watch it, dog,” Seamus snapped from beside Archer.
Dean laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to step on any dead toes,” he chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked as I took a step closer to him. “I talked with you, danced with you, I had dinner with you. You had plenty of chances to tell me what you were, Dean.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I didn’t figure it was a big deal.”
“Of course it’s a big deal,” I argued. “You should have told me.”
“Why?” he asked, recrossing his arms over his broad chest.
“Be…because,” I countered feebly.
Archer stepped forward and put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his body. “You could have hurt her, Conriocht,” he said with a low growl. “What if you had to change while in her presence and you momentarily forgot yourself? She is but a human.”
Dean stood up in a flash and growled at Archer. “Like I am more of a threat to her than you are?” he spat. “You drink human blood to survive, blood sucker. There is no danger of me draining the l
ife out of her.”
Seamus and Quinn stepped up to flank Archer and me. “I have lived over 1,300 years, dog,” Archer roared. “My bloodlust is well under control. Can you say the same for your temper?”
Dean growled gutturally and his eyes began to glow yellow again. “I am Alpha of the Kaxaw pack and you will do good to remember that, Archer Rhys.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. When he reopened them, they were a rich chocolate brown again. “I am not some pup and I will not stand idly by while you treat me like one. You are in my city, with my permission. I wouldn’t press your luck with me if I were you.”
“We are vampire,” Quinn laughed. “We don’t need your permission to be here.”
“Silence,” Archer growled to Quinn.
“If you don’t want to start a war, you know damn well that you need to remain in my good graces,” Dean smiled slyly, itching for a fight. “I’d be very careful if I were you.”
Archer took a deep breath before he spoke. “You will stay away from Skye,” he said calmly, the tension in his body told another story. “As always, you and your pack are free to enjoy The Mausoleum, but she is off limits.”
I shook my head and stepped out from under the cover of Archer’s arm. “I’m not some damn piece of property, Archer,” I said hotly. “And, I’m not some little kid. You can’t tell me who I can and cannot be friends with.”
Trey stepped forward to speak to me but I silenced him with my hand. “Stay out of this, Trey. I know you mean well, but this isn’t the time.”
Seamus growled as Dean laughed. I turned to Dean and put my hands on my hips.
“And as for you, mister,” I spat. “Well you can just go to hell, okay? You should have told me what you were. It’s not some small thing, Dean!” I turned back to Archer and threw my hands up in the air. “Why the hell does everyone treat me like a child? You withhold information from me, tell me what I can and cannot do, tell me who I can associate with, and where I can live…what the fuck?!”
I put my right hand up in front of me as I readjusted the messenger bag on my left shoulder. “You know what? Save it! Screw you guys,” I yelled and turned on my heel. “I don’t have time for this bullshit. It’s my day off and I’m going home.” Werewolves and vampires actually exist! What the hell is happening to my world?!
