He'd also hugged her when he was upset, and gotten close to her in the kitchen, but that was because of the silver earrings. Now he was casting looks her way. Was he regretting something?
God, let it go, Ashley! For all you know, he might have actually been pissed at the game and staring without thinking!
Things stayed busy for most of the evening until her break came. She sat at the bar with a styrofoam cup of soda she was idly sipping from while the thoughts plagued her.
Thankfully, a distraction came when she heard someone asking her name. Looking back, Ashley saw their hostess walking to the bar to sit down next to her.
She hadn't spoken with Aislinn too much, so she had no clue what the redhead might have wanted, asking, “Yeah?”
“I have something for you,” she started, tugging an item from her pocket that she slipped into Ashley's hand inconspicuously. “It was Sara's idea.”
Ashley glanced into her palm at a vial filled with dark liquid. “What is it?”
Aislinn smiled sheepishly, leaning in to tell her quietly that it was a tonic that would speed her healing, instructing, “Take it tonight, chase it with something, and tomorrow morning you'll be bruise free.”
Ashley continued staring at her, asking “Wait, what is—,” and she stopped when Aislinn lifted a hand.
“I'm a witch,” she explained even more softly. Sitting back in her bar stool, she shrugged, “I do little things here and there for Cade's people, you know. Ask any of them if you don't trust me.”
Well that was surprising. “You know about us?”
“Yep,” Aislinn confirmed. “Even some humans have their special quirks. It's a long story. Anyway, take that asap so it'll act faster.”
Nicole stopped in passing as she worked, asking them what was going on. Aislinn explained it using inconspicuous terms, and the blonde lupine directed Ashley certainly, “Oh, take it now. Trust me, it'll work wonders.”
The praise had Aislinn beaming, but before Ashley could think to question anything more, another customer came in.
“Well, time for more work!” Aislinn exclaimed, standing. “I'll seat this one in your section since your break's about over.”
As she walked away, Ashley looked down at the vial in her hand. She hadn't really talked to Aislinn much, but she didn't get any sense that the woman was untrustworthy.
Besides, if it was Sara's idea and Nicole vouched for her, then she could give this vial a shot. Her bruises weren't even that bad anymore, so maybe tomorrow she would look completely normal again.
But witches? I really shouldn't be surprised.
Ashley grabbed her drink and headed toward the bathroom with the vial in hand, deciding to take it privately because it would look suspicious to drink the contents in the bar area.
Not long afterward, she walked back into the dining room and decided she'd have to tell Aislinn later that she really hoped the tonic worked wonders because it tasted like shit.
Even after chasing it, there was still a bitter taste in her mouth.
But she had a customer to wait on, and grabbed her order pad from her apron along with her pen before checking which table they'd been seated at.
Booth three, and there was only one, but he was a big one—as in muscular.
Ashley approached the booth quietly, taking in the tattoos on each side of his face, black slashes leading down from his temples and then turning across his cheeks into points before heading back to both jaws.
The marks trailed into the collar of his black leather jacket, suggesting they might have stretched across some parts of his body beneath his clothing as well. His hair was long, and such a jet black color it almost looked blue in the light. His eyes were also a bright shade of electric blue—ethereally bright in fact—and as Ashley approached him, she thought he might be able to pierce them through her.
His scent concerned her however. He definitely wasn’t a human, but he also wasn’t a lupine. She'd never scented anything like it.
Or have I? The closer she got, the stronger the scent became, and the more it began to ring a bell. Something about him was familiar, but she wasn't sure what.
Still, she had a job to do despite her wariness, and stopped at his table with a kind greeting.
“Hi, what can I do for you tonight?”
He smiled casually, and she considered for a brief moment that he was actually very attractive, clean shaven face and strong features. When she automatically compared him to Cade’s level of attractiveness though—being that Cade still looked better—she pushed the thought out of her head immediately.
Cade is not my measuring stick for other men, damn it all.
But the stranger’s reply broke through her thoughts as he asked her, “What’s on special?”
He had an accent that almost sounded Australian, or British. It was hard for her to pinpoint, but she answered his question rather than inquiring over it.
“Thursday night is the Turkey Sub with a side of fries, onion rings, or your choice of chips.”
“Sounds good,” the big man replied. “It’s also nice to see you working here, lady, out of danger for the moment.”
She was writing down the words ‘Thursday Special’ on her order pad when she suddenly stopped, nearly dropping her pen over the implication of his statement while staring at him.
Then his scent hit her again, and a memory surfaced without warning.
In a cage with no escape. The sense of danger everywhere. Panic, fear, aggression, the sounds of snarling and yelling surrounding me.
The man remained quiet as she recalled the vague images, smiling casually the entire while. Though he didn't look malicious in any way, Ashley couldn’t be certain.
Hesitantly, she asked, “What do you mean?”
His explanation was plain. “The fights they had you in, lady. I’m glad you managed to escape them.”
Ashley stood there like a statue at first. More memories came back to her, the door of a cage opening, and her leap from the prison she'd been placed in while men—lupines—scrambled to recapture her.
Suddenly, Ashley found herself sitting down in the booth across from the unusual customer, still staring. This was completely unexpected, and she was glad Cade had told her about the fights now, otherwise she would've been lost over the memories flooding her mind, and might have even snapped.
But who was this stranger who'd gotten those memories to surface, and—besides an apparent meal—what the hell did he want?
Chapter 21
“You were there, weren't you?”
“I was,” her customer admitted freely, giving more details about why without prompting. “I needed to distract the bastards who had you caged. So I opened your door when they weren’t looking, and you jumped out and lunged. Pretty impressive for such a small one as yourself.”
She remembered it now, remembered the taste of blood as a man screamed when she'd bitten into his throat. Then she took off just as another canine tried to sink its fangs into her, tearing a chunk of fur and skin out of her back instead.
But Ashley escaped into the night, and the man settled in the booth with her had given her that chance.
She got the feeling from looking at this guy that he didn’t just help anyone however. Maybe releasing her had gotten him something he wanted, but why was he here now? It seemed too easy to think that he was merely wanting a meal.
Suspiciously, Ashley asked, “Who are you?”
He politely informed her, “The name’s Ulric. And you?”
“I’m,” she started, then paused. “Wait a second. How do I know you’re not here because of them?”
Ulric snorted as if that were ridiculous. “I doubt those mutts would have enough to pay me. But, Ashley,” he motioned to her name tag to show how he knew it, “I want to know if you've seen them since you escaped.”
“What if I have?”
“Then it tells me I'm in the right place,” he replied vaguely.
Ashley wasn't entirely cert
ain she liked the sound of that. But if she were being honest with herself, her instincts weren't really giving her the sense that she shouldn't be talking to him.
So she asked, “Why is that?”
“Because I’ve been looking for them,” he replied. “They have something I want, and when I found you with them, they were at a fighting ring, not wherever they normally squat.”
As he spoke, she could remember seeing the ring and the fight occurring within it. She forced herself to focus though, unwilling to get distracted at work of all places.
Still, she wanted to demand answers, find the strength to shake them out of the big man. She doubted she could even get her fingers around one of his wrists though, much less shake him.
“So, do I get to place an order now, or do I go hungry?” Ulric asked.
With the question, Ashley realized that he would be there for a while, allowing her time to get answers later.
So she tugged her order pad out again, asking “Okay, what to drink?”
“I’ll take a soda, whatever you have as long as it’s not diet.”
“Fries, onion rings, or chips?”
“Fries.”
Ashley wrote it down, then stood and told him it would be ready in a few minutes. He gave her a simple nod, and she hesitated, but walked away from his booth.
Heading behind the bar after taking her ticket to the kitchen, Ashley put ice in a cup and lifted her hand to the button for the diet soda.
Letting a sigh, she decided against it and poured a regular. But it was tempting if only because she wasn't entirely certain she trusted Ulric.
When the drink was done, Martin walked by, and Ashley turned to him quickly.
“Martin, you got a second?”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“That guy in booth three, what is he?”
Martin looked over to see, then leaned in toward Ashley so no one else would hear. “Draconian.” He stood back, asking, “That your table?”
“Yeah, and he knows what happened to me, how I escaped those fights. Did Cade tell you about that?”
Ashley watched Martin’s expression grow confused before he suddenly muttered, “Ah shit,” and glanced from her to the booth where the draconian was sitting before he added, “not good.”
“Why?” Ashley turned to face the bartender with wide eyes in concerned curiosity.
“Well, draconians aren’t bad, but if he knows what happened to you, then chances could be that he's here for you. They’re all mercenaries, hired hands that cost a shitload of money, and they’re damned good at what they do.”
With a sigh of breath, Martin continued, “There’s a chance he’s just here to eat too, but it seems unlikely, otherwise he probably would’ve ignored you completely.”
Ashley looked perplexed. “You think he'd wanna take me back?”
“Beats me, but I’m gonna call Cade about it. He’d definitely wanna know.”
She didn’t argue, deciding this was probably a good situation to have Cade intervene in, grabbing the drink to take it back out to this draconian’s table—whatever that is anyway—and then stopped suddenly when she noticed something specific.
“Martin, you might wanna get on that call asap.”
“Why?” Martin asked and looked in the same direction that she was.
The draconian was gone.
~*~*~*~
“He disappeared?”
Cade came back to Blue Moon the moment Martin called about Ulric. Standing in the back office now, Ashley nodded to confirm her story.
“He said his name is Ulric, and he freed me. He didn’t say why except that he needed a distraction. I think he's following that pack.”
Cade sighed with a distasteful look on his face. After considering it for a moment, he decided aloud, “Maybe, but until we know what he’s after for sure, I’m only letting you work the nights I work.”
“Okay,” Ashley agreed, then asked uncertainly, “What’s a draconian anyway?”
“Technically, it’s a dragon man.” Cade shrugged as if that were the simplest way he could put it. “They have keen senses like we do among other abilities, and they're immortal, which makes them powerful.”
Ashley listened, her face becoming a mask of confusion. “What the hell else is out there, Cade? Immortal dragon men? Oh, and Aislinn's a witch? Seriously?”
Cade shrugged as if he didn't think it was too crazy. She didn't have quite the same sentiments, but only let a groan without responding.
Then she snapped her fingers, remembering to mention, “Oh yeah, I forgot that draconian-whatever-he-is also said that pack has something he wants.”
“They do?” Cade looked to the side with a thoughtful expression. “He must know they were chasing you down, wanted to see if you were here because he knew you could draw them out. Still, I’m not chancing it. Who's to say he wasn't lying about freeing you to begin with?”
“He wasn't, Cade.” At his questioning gaze, she explained, “I remembered him. His scent brought back some memories, like being locked in a cage where there was a fight going on between some wolves inside a ring. Those assholes were standing around drinking beers and yelling at the fighting.”
Taking a deep breath, she added, “When I got out, I killed one of them and took off. That's when I had the fur ripped out of my back because another wolf tried to stop me from escaping.”
It was hard for Ashley to think about. She remembered taking a life now, and even if it was one of her jailers, it was still disturbing.
She had to made herself focus because of it, adding, “I’m worried about this guy showing up.”
“Don’t,” Cade started, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I'm not gonna let anything happen to you.”
Ashley liked the sound of that more than she felt she should have. Still, she grumbled, “Yeah, but I don’t want you gettin’ hurt because of me.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “Even if I did, it wouldn’t be your fault. You know what I'm after.”
She did know, and hoped he got it. But her thoughts started fading as Cade lifted his arm to lean against the cabinet, giving her an inquisitive look, interested even.
The notion that his interest had to do with her made her heart skip a beat.
“Let me ask you something, Ash,” he started in a casual change of subject. “You said you never had a boyfriend, right?”
“Yeah,” she drew out.
“Was last night your first kiss?”
Her throat went dry as her first thought was yes, and I wanna do it again. But she bit her tongue before she could say anything without meaning to as she'd so recently developed a habit of doing.
Ashley opted to nod her head silently instead.
“Damn.”
“What? You act like it’s a shame or something.”
“It is.”
Well that was unexpected. “Oh? Why is that?”
“Because you need to be kissed more often.”
Ashley stared up at him blankly. Once again, that wasn't what she’d been expecting. Why is he saying this?
He was just about to answer the unspoken question as well, starting, “It's just too bad that you're not—,” and stopped when the office door opened.
Sara's voice cut into their conversation, directed at someone outside of the room about an order a customer placed.
Not now damn it!
Sara shut the door and looked over to see the two standing there. “Oh, you're still here, Cade?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go sit in the truck for a while, watch the people in the parking lot until Ashley's done.” He headed to the door, adding as he opened it, “If that draconian comes back and I don’t catch him outside, give me a call on my phone.”
Ashley had no idea how to respond, ready to stop him and demand he finish what he'd been saying before. Too bad I'm not what?
With Sara around though, she couldn't exactly ask without raising more questions. So instead, she got her mind settled on the
situation at hand.
“Wait, Cade, how would you even know that draconian to begin with? Think you’ll be able to scent him?”
“Not from my truck, no, but you said he’s got markings on his face, right?”
“Tattoos, yeah,” Ashley nodded, having forgotten that. After all, how many guys would come in with tattoos like that?
Cade shook his head. “Not tattoos,” he corrected her. “They’re markings. All draconians have 'em somewhere, they’re born with ‘em. Another one of those mystical things normal people don't see that supernaturals do.”
Ashley wasn't sure she'd ever get used to that, but didn't comment while Sara told Cade, “I'll have her out to you as soon as she's done with her prep work.”
Cade nodded, casting a brief look in Ashley's direction before he left.
Suddenly, Ashley wanted to scream in frustration over her curiosity.
“You okay?” Sara asked. “Worried about that draconian?”
“Oh,” Ashley snapped out of her daze. “Yeah, a little, but I'm okay.” Your brother's only driving me insane. No big deal.
She just needed to get back to work. There was enough on her plate already without trying to figure out Cade Hodgins and her unrelenting attraction to him.
But she did know one thing for certain. Their conversation was more than enough to make her forget about the draconian named Ulric. Despite her efforts, she couldn't stop thinking about Cade for the rest of the night.
Or the days following.
Chapter 22
Ulric didn't show up on Friday, and Saturday was turning up the same story.
The music at Blue Moon was sounding a thumping beat that evening, people were socializing, playing pool and darts in the game room, and the waitresses were swamped, but not overwhelmed. In fact, the upbeat environment made working a good bit of fun.
The tonic Ashley took from Aislinn did the trick, and her blemishes were gone the very next morning—to a miraculous degree in fact. Whatever was in it, the shitty taste was well worth enduring.
Blue Moon Page 18
