Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Abel, Charlotte

  “I’m here for work actually, at the hotel.”

  “Are you around for the whole summer then?” Not the tourist I expected. If the sex was as good as I knew it would be, a longer stay could be convenient.

  “Yeah, I’m here until I start school in the fall.” So Owen wasn’t completely off. She was probably fresh out of high school.

  “All right, so where are you going to school?”

  “Princeton.”

  “Nice.” Smart girls weren’t necessarily bad, as long as they didn’t overanalyze everything.

  “You in school?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to be a senior at Tulane.” Maybe she’d loosen up a little if she realized I was in school. Some girls were like that. They assumed you were a good guy if you were in college. It made no sense, but it usually worked.

  “Oh, so you live here?”

  “Born and raised.”

  “I didn’t think locals hung out at places like this.”

  “We don’t usually, but they’re great spots to meet girls from out of town.” Or more specifically, it was a good spot to find her.

  She shook her head. “Ah, so you’re one of them.”

  “One of who?” I tried to figure out what group she was throwing me in with.

  “The type to prey on innocent tourists.”

  “Innocent tourists? You make me sound like the big bad wolf.”

  “And you’re not?”

  A wolf? As if she was dealing with something that tame. “Only if you’re Red Riding Hood.” I’d pretend to be a wolf if it involved her.

  “Wow, that’s original,” she said snidely, but her face gave her away. She was definitely interested. “Well, nice talking to you.”

  What? Was she seriously trying to blow me off again? I had to act fast. “Hey, I didn’t even get your name yet.”

  “Allie.”

  “Is that short for Allison?” I needed to keep her talking.

  “Yes, but no one calls me Allison.”

  “I’m Levi.” I held out my hand.

  “Is that short for something?” She gave me her hand and it felt nice in mine. I didn’t want to end the contact, I liked touching her, but I finally dropped it.

  “Leviathan. But you can call me whatever you like.” Hell she could call me a wolf if she was doing it in my bed.

  “Well, nice to meet you.” She actually started to walk away. What the hell was going on?

  “Wow, it’s hotel bar guy.” The blonde swayed as she walked over drunkenly. Either she was a light weight or she’d had more to drink than Allie. Allie—it was nice to have a name.

  “So you did notice me.” I leaned in closer to Allie again, if she’d noticed me enough to talk to her friend, I was good to go. She was just playing hard to get. I didn’t mind a good game of chase.

  “So, does this mean you changed your mind?” the blonde asked.

  “Changed her mind? About what?” Had she talked about me more?

  “Allie’s sworn off men, or so she claims,” Blondie said while taking a swig from her beer. If she drank much more she’d pass out before anyone got her home.

  “Is that so?” What did that mean exactly? I’d have thought she was into girls, but I wasn’t getting that vibe.

  “Yes, not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Any particular reason why?” I was intrigued. Had someone hurt her? I felt an unfamiliar feeling of protectiveness take hold. I shook it off.

  “None that I wish to explain.”

  “She thinks it’s because she has bad luck with relationships, but really it’s because no one is good enough for her,” Blondie tattled. Allie’s eyes got all big—I got myself ready for a cat fight.

  But then Allie relaxed her shoulders. “I think I need another drink.”

  “My pleasure. What can I get you?”

  “Surprise me.”

  “I will.” I winked at her. “I’m good at surprises.”

  I needed to find the perfect drink—Allie seemed like the kind of girl who liked them sweet and strong. I ordered her something different—my own invention. I called it the Oasis. I heard the girls continuing to argue. One of the many benefits of enhanced hearing was eavesdropping in on conversations. The blonde’s name was Jess and she was really egging Allie on.

  As I returned to the girls, Jared caught my eye. He and Owen were sitting at a table. He nodded, wanting us to come over. Normally I’d have made him get off his ass, but I wanted Allie’s attention, which meant getting her friend fixated on someone else.

  “A few of my friends are sitting over there, care to join us?”

  Jess glanced over and answered first. “Why not?” Her words were casual but it was obvious she was interested in one of my friends. I hoped it was Owen—that would make tonight interesting.

  Allie still hadn’t said anything, so I looked to her. She finally nodded.

  I made the introductions. “Girls, this is Jared and Owen. And this is Allie and Jess.” I realized afterwards that they might have thought it was odd that I knew Jess’ name, but they didn’t seem to notice.

  “Well, hello there.” Jared grinned. He looked over Allie, but then moved his attention to Jess.

  Owen just nodded. “Hey.” He smiled again, but I didn’t worry about it. He knew not to get in the way of what I wanted.

  Jess sat down next to Jared, he must have been the one who caught her eye. I’d hoped she’d keep Owen occupied so he’d stop looking at Allie, but it didn’t actually matter.

  I put down our drinks and pulled out a chair for Allie, careful to make sure she sat in the one closest to the wall. I wanted her attention all to myself.

  “You can’t really mean to punish the entire male gender for the errors of a few.”

  I watched her pick up her drink and taste it. She liked it, and I liked her smile. It went all the way to her eyes.

  “Because it would be really unfair to do that.”

  “Um, can we please talk about something else?” She turned away from me, and I saw her looking at Owen. Not what I was hoping for.

  “Sure, for now. What made you decide to take the job at the hotel?”

  She turned towards me again. “Oh, I needed a job and my dad was able to get it for me.”

  “Because Allie’s dad is super rich and bought the place.” Whoah. This was the new owner’s daughter? I wasn’t sure what to make of the information at first. “What? It’s true.” I must have missed an exchange between the girls. Was she trying to keep it a secret? Most girls would brag about something like that.

  “Your dad bought the Crescent City Hotel?” Jared asked, sitting up straighter. He seriously needed to keep his cool.

  “Yeah. The deal went through earlier this year.” She downed her drink. Something about this conversation was stressing her out. I wanted to find out what it was. I doubted she knew anything about the hotel. It was something else.

  I wasn’t about to ask her about it. I’d just have to find out another way. She set down her empty glass.

  “I guess you liked it?”

  “Maybe a little. What was it?”

  “Want another?”

  “No, don’t worry about it. I can get one for myself if you’ll tell me what it is.” I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She was the type of girl who worried about guys buying her drinks—afraid that meant she owed them something. Such bullshit, buying a drink for a girl was just an opening… where it went after that depended on her.

  “I’m getting up anyway. Besides, if you don’t know what it is you will have to let me keep buying them for you.” I enjoyed the look of annoyance that flashed across her face.

  “Don’t worry, she’s not always so uptight.” Jess’ voice surprised me as I ordered some more drinks. I hadn’t expected Jared and Jess to follow me. That left Allie alone with Owen—not the plan—definitely not the plan.

  “I’m not worried about it,” I said offhandedly, wanting the bartender to move faster. This was
taking far too long. Owen was laughing. What could she be saying? At least she didn’t look as amused.

  “Levi’s good at, uh, breaking through tough exteriors.” Jared ordered them a couple of shots.

  “She’s worth it,” Jess said as I walked away.

  “It looked like you two were having a good conversation. Did I miss anything?” I shot Owen an annoyed look. He was seriously beginning to piss me off.

  “Nothing worth repeating.”

  Owen smiled. “Well, Allie was telling me that she isn’t interested in you.”

  Hmm, well at least they were talking about me.

  I leaned in close to her, letting her know what I thought of the statement. “It’s because she’s sworn off men. But I think I’ll just have to be the exception.”

  She took a few large sips of the second drink I’d gotten her. “What in the world would make you think that you would be an exception?”

  “One, you’re attracted to me and two, I can be very persistent.”

  “I am not attracted to you!”

  “Like hell you’re not,” Jess said before bursting into laughter. She hadn’t even sat down yet.

  “You know there could be a few females alive that are not into you Levi,” Jared mocked. I was ready to knock that smirk off his face.

  “It’s always a possibility, but that’s not the case this time. She likes me, she just won’t admit it.” I scooted my chair closer to her.

  She sighed and closed her eyes. I actually felt a little bad. She seemed pretty stressed out. I’d love to do something about that… I put an arm around her shoulder, it felt nice, natural.

  I moved close enough that I could kiss her, but I resisted. It wasn’t time yet. She moved to turn away but I caught her chin, making her look up at me. “Stop looking away. I love green eyes.”

  “Does that line usually work for you?”

  “Usually. I’m guessing it’s not going to work tonight.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “I’ll just have to get more creative.” As frustrating as her resistance was, it was also a nice change of pace. It would make finally getting her all the more worth it.

  “You do that.” Her look was teasing—she was definitely challenging me.

  “So, what do you think of New Orleans so far?” Owen asked her, having to pull her attention away again.

  Jess answered. “It’s been fantastic. It’s so awesome to get away and meet new people.”

  “And what about you, Allie?” I asked, finding I actually cared about her answer.

  “Well, considering we’ve been here less than twenty-four hours, it’s hard to have much of an impression, but I like it so far.”

  “You’ll have to keep me posted as you have more time to form an opinion.”

  “I’ll be sure to keep you updated.”

  “You girls want to see the rest of the Quarter?” Jared asked.

  “Yes!” Jess squeaked. “We haven’t seen anything but here and the hotel.”

  “You interested?” I whispered in Allie’s ear. I liked how it made her shiver a little. I definitely had an effect on her.

  “Sure. Why not?” She finished off her drink and stood up. She tugged down on her skirt. I had to resist the urge to reach out and stop her. The skirt was fine the way it was.

  I put an arm around her, leading her out. I shot Owen a backwards glance to let him know to stay away. “I guarantee you’re going to love New Orleans.”

  She slipped away from me. I held in a frustrated sigh.

  “Is that right?” She sounded distracted and I noticed her staring at her friend and Jared. Was she worried about her?

  We walked down St. Peter’s Street, and crossed over into Jackson Square. Allie seemed impressed by it. I noticed her eyeing the wrought iron railings. That was the second time I’d noticed her checking out architecture. Maybe we had that interest in common.

  We maneuvered through the square, past the usual crowd of musicians and artists showing off their work.

  “Care to have your fortune read?” a palm reader called out.

  “No thanks.” Allie waved her off.

  “Are you sure you don’t want a glimpse into your future?”

  “I prefer surprises.” Her response seemed at odds with how uptight she seemed. I sensed there was a lot more to her that I still wasn’t seeing.

  “Same here,” Jess agreed. “This is too cool. It might be even better than Washington Square Park.”

  Washington Square Park? So they were New Yorkers.

  “Of course this is just where all the tourists hang out. There are much cooler places, hon. Maybe I’ll show you sometime,” Jared crooned.

  “Like where, your apartment?” Allie raised an eyebrow. She had a nice sense of humor.

  “Why, you want to see my place?” he threw back at her.

  “In your dreams.”

  I laughed. She had some nerve. I couldn’t resist touching her. I came up from behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She fit perfectly. “Would you change your mind about that if you knew I was his roommate?”

  “Why would that change my mind?” She pushed away. I reluctantly released her.

  I held back, maybe I needed to give her space so she’d come to me.

  I tried to pay attention to everything else going on but then, of course, Owen had to go talk to her again.

  I heard them talking about the crow on the fence. She seemed to find it creepy. I wondered what she’d think if she knew what I was. When I heard them talking about going home, I had to intervene. She was thanking Owen for giving her a heads up.

  “The heads up on what?”

  “I was simply suggesting she pry Jess away from Jared if she wants to get her home tonight.”

  “What’s the hurry? The night is young.” I smiled at her, resisting the urge to punch Owen. If I wasn’t stronger, my eyes would have changed.

  “We have our first day of work tomorrow.”

  “Your first day of work at your father’s hotel. Can’t you skip out?” I was definitely not ready to say goodnight, and it was looking unlikely she was coming home with me.

  “No! I am not missing my first day of work. I’m not like that.”

  If I couldn’t have her that night, I’d just have to try again. “Really? Maybe I can learn more about you tomorrow night? Maybe over dinner?”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Oh, that’s right; you think you’ve sworn off men.”

  She pretended to ignore me, but I saw the tiny curl of her lips. “Jess, let’s go!”

  “Now? Seriously?” Jess whined.

  “I’m sure you can meet up with your friend another time.”

  Her friend? Allie had a bit of edge didn’t she?

  “What’s the rush all of a sudden?” Jared asked, glaring at Allie.

  “Owen decided to point out the late hour to her.” I knew Jared would appreciate it as much as I did.

  “What the hell, man?” Jared lunged at Owen; his eyes turning black. I hoped the girls didn’t notice, and I put myself between my friends. We’d have to settle this later.

  “Let it go, Jared. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see them again. We’ll walk you girls home.” I wasn’t happy to see Allie leave, but I also wanted another chance—it was time to cut our losses and regroup.

  She waved. “Goodnight.”

  “I’ll be seeing you,” I said before walking away. I’m sure she had no clue how true my words were—there wasn’t a chance in the world I was letting this girl go.

  Learn more about Alyssa Rose Ivy and The Crescent Chronicles at: www.alyssaroseivy.com

  The Gathering By Charlotte Abel

  Channie bolted upright, smacking her forehead against the pine log above her bed. She groaned and ran her fingers over the wet, sticky lump already forming over her eyebrow. Blood. Yuck. She considered using a healing spell, but with her luck, she’d wind up with more bumps than a hedge-apple.

  What time
was it, anyway?

  Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting long shadows across the braided rug on the floor — which meant it had to be well past midnight. What had startled her awake?

  The triplets were cuddled up against Abby’s side like a litter of pups, sound asleep.

  The pine tree outside their window swayed back and forth as if rocked by a storm. Something was in that tree. Plink, plink-plink. And something was tossing pinecones into the loft.

  Channie’s heart stopped. She reached out with her magic and felt the presence of another mage. Confident that Momma’s keep-away spells would protect her, Channie probed a little deeper to read his energy field.

  He raised his shield and blocked her, but not before Channie sensed his strongest emotions. He was excited and … hopeful? Not exactly what she’d expect from an intruder. And no thief would announce his presence by chucking pine cones through the window. Whoever he was; he wanted to wake her up.

  Or maybe he wanted to wake up Abby. He could even be the trips’ daddy. The thought spread a grin across Channie’s face. If she could discover that little secret, she’d never have to do dishes again. Only an idiot would pass up such a perfect opportunity for blackmail.

  Channie kept to the shadows as she made her way to the window. She had to see his face before he saw hers. The low angle of the moon striped the landscape with bands of light and shadow — perfect cover for lurking.

  Fog swirled over the ground and flowed down the hollow like a river of milk. Channie strained her ears but didn’t hear so much as a single cricket. Well, two can play at this game. She picked a pine cone up off the floor and threw it at the tree.

  Branches shifted and swayed, but Channie couldn’t see a darn thing.

  A dull thud drew her gaze to the ground. Whatever had been hiding in the tree was now in the back of Daddy’s old Chevy truck.

  That vehicle had been propped up on cement blocks since before Channie was old enough to crawl under it for afternoon naps. All sorts of critters had nested in it over the years, but that was no varmint creeping onto the truck’s cab. Channie craned her neck to get a better look, but all she could see was a vague shape … until he sprang straight at her.

  An instinctive burst of defensive magic shot out of Channie’s power-well, surrounding her with a protective wall of energy.