by J. K Harper
There was no time for selfish luxuries like fun. Jax wasn’t even sure if he remembered how to have any at all. Duty kept him alive while letting his animal roam free kept him sane.
The two of them shifted not long after and waited for their replacements before reporting to Lance. They found him in the main house with his sister, Danika, and her mate, Blaine. It had surprised all of them to see Lance’s baby sister mated before their alpha leader, but Danika was a strong-willed wolf who wasn’t going to sit around and wait for life to happen to her. Since her pairing, their entire pack wondered when Lance would find his mate.
Jax had wondered about finding a mate for himself and Hendrix, too, but he wasn’t going to give up everything he stood for on the possibility of a mate that may or may not show up.
“Here they are,” Lance said. “We were waiting for you two.”
Cole came out of the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand, and Jax was surprised to see him. Danika broke off her arranged union with Cole to be with Blaine, but Cole didn’t seem bitter about it. Maybe it was because they were never a mated pair. Their parents had only promised them to each other to strengthen the union between their packs.
“What’s going on here?”
“Cole is here because we still need to solidify an alliance,” Lance said. “Some of his pack members have gone rogue with other Southern deserting shifters and are attacking packs they feel are too strong and pose a threat to their reckless attempt at power. Cole’s here because we must merge our strengths to prepare for what’s coming. Although Danika is mated, I promised him an alliance with another in our pack, as long as they are willing. No one will be made to do anything they don’t want, but we need to act quickly in enhancing our allies.” Lance looked around the room, stress lines at the edges of his eyes. “I’m going to need all of your help for what’s to come. Kala West is in for a shift in power for both shifters and the magicals, and we must be ready.”
Danika put a hand on her brother’s knee. “Don’t worry, Lance. We’ve all got your back on this.”
Lance patted his sister’s hand. “Thanks, Dani.”
“I’ll keep my ear close to the witches and warlocks,” Blaine said. “I’m sure Zara and her mates can help, too. Silas is working at the Kala West Clinic again, and my brother, Baxter, is helping him. They’ll keep us informed.”
“Good, Blaine. That’s smart thinking.”
“What do you need us to do?” Jax asked. He felt like he should have been doing so much more to keep all of these unknown threats from hitting his people, and it angered him that he couldn’t do it alone.
“You and Hendrix keep doing what you’ve always done. Stand by my side through this. I’m going to need your help most of all when this comes our way.”
“Sounds like shit could hit us hard,” Hendrix said.
Lance laughed and nodded his head. “That’s an accurate way of putting it. I’m not sure how some of the changes will impact us, especially with the shift in power of the Elemental Board and their new instilling of a spirit witch, but we need to expect anything and everything.”
“If that’s the case, do you mind if Jax and I go off grounds overnight this evening one last time?”
“Why the hell would we do that?” Jax asked. “We need to be here.” Didn’t he tell him he wasn’t in the mood to go out? Apparently someone needed a chunk of his hide bitten to remember how to hear correctly.
“We could use one last time off before we’re needed twenty-four-seven.” Hendrix was ignoring him.
“I agree,” Lance said. “Take the night off, and we’ll meet back here before the Holiday Run. I know that event will do all of us some good, too.”
“You’re the wolf, Lance,” Hendrix said, standing up. “We’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Jax was left chasing his brother out of the main house.
“That wasn’t necessary,” Jax said as they walked out into the night air.
“It’ll be fun. Besides, you need this. Trust me.”
“Last time you said that we almost got our hides shot by hunters.”
“Then trust I won’t get you shot.”
For some reason, Jax thought his wolf getting shot would be a good thing compared to what Hendrix had planned.
Chapter 3
“I asked for a Burning Flamethrower five minutes ago. Something wrong with your hearing?”
Rynn rolled her eyes at the man sitting at the end of the bar. She so didn’t need trouble her first few weeks bartending at Toad’s Wharf, but the warlock was getting on her last nerve. She wondered if it was against any rules to turn him into a fish until he sobered up. A fish in a bowl suited him well.
“I heard you,” she screamed over the loud rock music. “You’ve had four already. I’m cutting you off.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“The new bartender, so get used to it.”
“Crazy witch!”
“This crazy witch is one step away from getting crazier,” she muttered.
She fixed a martini for a witch dressed for some place fancier than a bar, with makeup packed on thick and a dress that showed more cleavage than offered any support for them. Yet warlocks were still hitting on her like she was using sex magic.
Hell, maybe she was, but Rynn could care less. As long as they weren’t hitting on her. None of the men in the bar were her type or even captured her interest. That was until the tall towers of hotness walked in.
Everyone stopped and stared as if these two men were the most interesting things in the bar, and they were. Rynn was positive she was one of the few who felt like a ball of lust when staring at them.
The duo looked like brothers but different. One had raven-colored hair while the other’s reminded her of golden chestnuts. She immediately wanted to roam her hands through their hair to see if it felt as soft as it looked. The strung-up holiday lights made their skin glow in the dimly-lit bar, and it was obvious the two carried some kind of silent power with them as they moved through the place.
Almost every new patron found their way over to Clown Makeup Witch at the bar, and she’d spurned them all as Rynn made her martini after martini. These were the first ones who sat as far away from her as possible at a table in the corner.
“That’s brave,” Clown Makeup Witch said.
“I’m sorry?” Rynn asked as she put her fresh martini down next to her.
“Those two muscles of hotness that just walked in. They’re brave.”
“For coming into a bar?”
“Can’t you tell? They’re shifters, honey, and they’re asking for trouble if they think all these intoxicated warlocks are okay with that.”
“I thought this bar was open to all paranormals.”
“Just because it’s open doesn’t mean others are stupid enough to come in here.”
It was as if the men knew they were talking about them because their eyes focused on the bar and settled right on her. She could feel them staring, and it made her go still. She couldn’t breathe. All she heard was her heart picking up speed.
A part of her magic reached out to them without her even thinking about it. Although they weren’t warlocks, she could still sense their strength and energy. These men could be fierce and lethal when they needed to be, but she wasn’t afraid.
“I finally get a challenge tonight,” the woman at the bar said. “Wish me luck.”
Rynn was too dumbfounded to talk. Although she didn’t know the woman or the men she was walking toward, the last thing she wanted to do was wish the woman luck.
For some reason, she didn’t want her to go anywhere near them, which was crazy since she didn’t even know who the shifters were or what they were doing in the bar. Maybe they just wanted a drink, but she felt like there was more to it than that.
She didn’t get to see what happened since Connie, one of the waitresses, ran up to her.
“I need another round of Kala West Premium Draft for table four,” Connie said. “They’re
downing that stuff like water.”
“Don’t you think you should cut them off then?”
Connie laughed. “You must be joking. Drunken warlocks leave the best tips.”
“Another round coming up, but if they get aggressive…”
“Don’t worry, Rynn. I’ve been here a couple of years. I know how to handle magical idiots when I need to.”
Rynn handed Connie her beers and was busy eyeing the men at her table, which is why she was caught off guard.
The drunken man from her bar had made his way over to grab her arm.
“You can’t just ignore me,” he said. “I pay my money here as much as everyone else, and you’re going to cut me off? You better think twice if you think I’m going to let you get away with that.”
Although Rynn was a witch with no history of being a shifter that she knew of, she could still feel the edges of a growl fill her throat.
“What is it with men who think they can keep grabbing me? If you don’t let go of me right now, I’m going to make you wish you never set foot in this bar.”
“Seems like the little bartender has some spunk in her after all,” the drunken man said. “What are you going to do? Turn me into a toad?”
She didn’t care if it was a poor witch cliché. At the moment, turning him into one sounded like a good idea. “Don’t tempt me.”
“How about you make me another one like a good little witch? But this time, it better be on the house for all the trouble you’ve caused me.” He hiccupped, showing the only thing he needed was a good kick in the ass.
That was it. His words were going to have her fury fly through her and take over all rational thoughts. She reached down and found the carbonated soda gun and aimed it at him. “If you don’t let me go, I’m going to make sure this soda goes so far up your ass that it’ll have you burping bubbles for months.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, drunk-ass. I’m a water witch behind a bar filled with liquid and one who isn’t in the mood for more macho warlock bullshit. I left that, and I’m not going to stand it here. Got it?”
The idiot didn’t have a decent brain cell, because he reached for her face, and she squeezed the trigger, knocking him on his back. That wasn’t enough. All the crazy warlocks and witches in there needed to get that she wasn’t going to let people walk all over her. Not anymore.
She called her water element and made a big show about it, despite her not needing to. She pulled each drop from the floor. The puddle of soda the drunken man fell in swirled around him, and the floating liquid lifted him up in the air.
Everyone watched as she moved him up, his eyes wide. The good thing about him being drunk was that he couldn’t focus on using his own element, whatever that could have been. Rynn was in control, and she made sure he knew it.
“I’m only going to say this once.” Rynn kept her tone steady and unwavering. “Touch me or the waitresses inappropriately or even try to mess with the bar while I’m at it, and I’ll make sure you never set foot in this place again.” She gathered the water until it lassoed the idiot, and with a flick of her wrist, she threw him out of the bar doors. “Any questions?”
No one answered, but she looked over to see the two shifters staring at her. While the others looked at her like she’d gone off the deep end of crazy pool land, they watched her with something more serious, something that resembled respect. The one with the brown hair even grinned at her.
“Good,” she said. “Carry on.” She turned her back on everyone to keep from seeing their confused looks. She’d never had a temper. All her life she’d been reserved, but maybe that’s why people like Billy and the haughty warlock thought they could get over on her. No more. She was not a victim. Anyone who thought that of her was going to get a big surprise when they learned otherwise.
“I have one,” a deep voice said.
Rynn turned to come face-to-face with the brown-haired shifter. That close to the bar, he towered over her. She loved the way his face was chiseled as if it had been created using the finest marble and given life. He had some stubble there, but it didn’t look unkempt or out of place. It made his look more masculine, while also providing a sleek sense of sex.
Tight places inside Rynn clenched and begged for this man to fill it, although she knew absolutely nothing about him. She could feel the beginning of wetness gather in her panties, and he smiled as if he could tell what naughty things her body was doing.
She glanced over to see the dark-haired one pushing Clown Makeup Witch away before joining them. It was hard to ignore the woman’s evil stare at being rebuked.
A laugh came out before Rynn could stop it.
“What’s so funny?” the sexy shifter asked.
“Everything.” She shook her head. “Now, what did you want one of?”
“A question.”
She stared at him, completely confused.
“You asked if anyone had any questions. I have one.”
“Oh. I meant figuratively, but okay. Did you want to know about drink specials or something?”
“More like I want to know about you.” He grinned wide, and she felt like an idiot for smiling back. “I’m Hendrix. What’s your name?”
“Subtle much?” she asked.
“I hate subtlety,” he said. “I think people should mean what they say with no hidden code. I see something I want, I don’t play around.”
She turned to his quiet partner. “Is he always so modest?”
The dark-haired one watched her for a while and didn’t answer. She couldn’t look away from even darker eyes that pulled her in and didn’t let go. He seemed to take all of her in and then some. It was as if his eyes penetrated to something deep within her and was entranced by what he saw.
“He has his moments,” the dark-haired wonder said. “You must be new here.”
“What gave it away?” she asked.
“Let’s just say you have a strength we don’t see often in the magical community. It’s refreshing.”
“Rynn. The name’s Rynn.”
“Well, Rynn,” Hendrix said, “we’ll take a scotch and soda with a side of you.”
“I’m afraid I don’t come with the drinks. We don’t pair well together most of the time.”
“Something tells me you pair well with lots of things when given the chance.”
She tried to focus on the drinks she made for them, but the two men made her nervous. She’d never been so drawn to someone with primal attraction. It was definitely sexual, but it felt like so much more beyond that. She felt her power strum to life in their presence, and it was hard not to continue looking up at them as she mixed in the soda.
Rynn handed it to the dark-haired one first, whose name she still didn’t know and felt was crucial to find out.
“So you’re Hendrix. Who are you?” she asked as she handed him the drink.
“Jax.” In that one word, he had a voice that could melt any woman within hearing distance.
His hand gripped Rynn’s as she passed him his glass, and she felt a strong surge shoot from his fingers and explode through her entire body. It was like a mini orgasm had rocketed through her, and she had to hold onto the bar to regain her balance.
She wasn’t used to the way these two men were making her feel. It was throwing her off her game and making work that much harder to complete, even though the sensations they were giving her were pleasurable ones.
Rynn was more careful as she handed over Hendrix’s drink, but he wasn’t going to let her avoid him. He took the glass and held onto her wrist, ensuring they made the ultimate contact with each other during the exchange. His touch was different, although it was still electric. It was like a shot fired through her veins, but it wasn’t painful or agonizing, not in that way. Instead, it was more like the fire struck the passion that she so carefully tried to hide away.
What were these men doing to her? Why did they have her so tangled up in knots, even though they were simply strangers to h
er?
She needed to get her act together soon, or other customers would start complaining and ruin a night that was getting better by the minute.
As the night picked up, she got busy and had to serve drinks to her other customers. When she glanced back to where they had been sitting at the bar, they were gone. Only a payment for the drinks and a generous tip were left in their place.
Rynn didn’t see them leave, but they had to have left. There was no sign of them still in the bar, and they were too tall and muscular to not notice or hide behind anyone inside. A part of her felt like they had taken something that belonged to her with them, but she couldn’t figure out what that something could possibly be.
Chapter 4
It was four in the morning when Rynn was finally able to lock the bar up. Although she’d only been there for three weeks, the owner trusted her shutting the place down. He would come in at three to get the money from the night’s earnings and then wish her well with the closing. He seemed more concerned with the money the bar earned rather than how it operated. She couldn’t believe he had inherited it from his parents and could care less how the place ran in his absence.
That was fine for her. She liked the independence that came with being in charge of the place. Although she wasn’t the manager, she was still given multiple responsibilities when it came to distributing the alcohol and keeping everything in that area organized.
Although it was a new job, she hadn’t told her boss that she was pregnant. The only other person who knew was Zara, and Rynn trusted Zara with her life.
The sole thing that bothered her was how people would react when she started to show. Was it okay for her to still manage the bar while she was pregnant? It wasn’t like she was going to be drinking on the job. There was no way she would put her baby at risk like that. What scared her was whether she would be able to maintain her job or not. Her position had kept her sane since leaving Billy. If she lost it, she wasn’t sure she could keep that sanity.
She was so distracted and in her head that she didn’t notice the drunkard hiding in the shadows between the bar and the alleyway. He grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream.
