by Kathy Love
“Sorry guys,” she murmured to the bag, “but you can’t be any more distressed than I am.”
The last person she’d expected to be in the bar was Sebastian. She’d just assumed that the great Sebastian Young didn’t make an appearance until the place was bustling with his next round of human victims. After all, that was the importance of the nightclub for him, wasn’t it?
Wilhelmina hadn’t expected him to be sitting right there at the bar, watching her with those intense, golden eyes.
She’d been prepared for the rest of the waitstaff, and how quickly she was going to have to race through the bar, so they didn’t sense the animals in her backpack. She’d almost blown it when she’d seen Sebastian and their eyes met. It was a sheer miracle that she managed to keep her footing when she’d tripped. And then he’d called her, and she’d been certain that he’d sensed the rats. But he hadn’t. Her hope that the waterproofed knapsack would buy her a little time had worked. The scent of the rodents hadn’t easily filtered through the rubberized material.
But she knew she didn’t have much more time. The werewolves’ sense of smell was very keen. She needed to get this done, fast.
Creeping back to the doorway, she looked both ways to make sure no one, especially Sebastian, was around. The coast was clear. She ducked back into the lounge and hurried over to the backpack.
As she unzipped the nylon, a fountain of rats sprang from the growing gap. They scrambled over each other and over her hands, their little claws scratching her skin in their desperation to escape.
“Sorry guys,” she whispered again. “But you’re free now. Scurry wherever you like.”
The dozen or so rats seemed to take her at her word and scuttled away, heading to the corners of the room rather than exposing themselves to the middle. She watched them for a second, feeling a strange connection to them. She’d lived much the same way for most of her life. Clinging to the edges, trying to remain unnoticed. Never exposing herself to the world. That was how she’d survived.
But she was putting herself out there now. She rose suddenly feeling less nervous and more positive that this was the right thing to do. The brave and strong and honorable thing to do.
She unzipped the side pocket of her bag and pulled out her cell phone. The number for the New York health department, which she’d gotten before she left her apartment, appeared in her call list. Arrowing down to it, she hit Send and the phone began to ring.
“Hey, there.”
She nearly dropped the phone as she quickly flipped the cover shut, just as a faint hello sounded on the other end. Trying to appear calm, she turned to look at the speaker, knowing exactly who owned that deliciously velvety voice. Sebastian leaned in the doorway, watching her with a troubled frown.
“Hi,” he said, his voice oddly soothing. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
She blinked at him, again stunned that anyone, preternatural or not, could look that dazzling. And combined with that voice… She blinked again.
Sebastian’s frown deepened, and he stepped into the room. She shifted, realizing she’d been staring. For how long, she didn’t know. Long enough for him to sense the rats? Had they had time to scurry away?
She glanced down at the bag, which was unzipped and wide open in the middle of the floor. She didn’t want him questioning her about the now empty pack. Returning her eyes to his, she hoped he didn’t follow her glance. His intense eyes were locked on her face, watching her.
Taking what she hoped was a subtle sidestep, she positioned herself in front of the knapsack. With her heel, she nudged it under a chair. The zipper clanged on the metal of the chair leg, and for a moment, she feared it was one of the rats squeaking. Before the cause of the sound registered, she raised a hand to her mouth and coughed loudly, dramatically.
Sebastian stepped even closer, reaching out a hand to pound her on the back, but she jerked away, falling rather unceremoniously onto the chair under which she’d just hidden the bag.
“I’m fine,” she assured him quickly, wanting him to leave. She was afraid the rats weren’t dispersed enough and could still be detected. Not to mention, she was too aware of how close his body was to hers. His leg practically brushed her bare knee. She gave their near touch a sidelong glance, then forced herself to meet those intense eyes of his.
“I’m fine,” she said again, pressing a hand to her chest. “Um, allergies.” Then she offered him a forced smile. “I–I really must make that call.” She held up the cell phone, still clasped in her other hand.
He studied her, but this time there was an emotion she didn’t quite understand in his eyes. And for a split second, she could have sworn his gaze had dropped to her lips. Of course, he was probably noting that her smile was labored. She was quickly discovering she could never make a living as an actress.
Then his golden eyes narrowed and before she could think to react, he reached forward and caught her hand.
“What happened?”
She glanced down at his finger stroking over her skin, and it took her a moment to realize he was tracing the faint marks from the rat’s claws on her pale skin.
“Oh that,” she said, searching for some excuse, but her mind couldn’t focus on anything but the slightly roughened pads of his fingertips like suede on her skin.
“They look like cat scratches,” he said, looking back up to her eyes.
“They are,” she said, immediately grasping his excuse. “I–I have a cat.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow to that. “Cats and vampires don’t mix. We freak them out.” His fingers caressed the small welts again. “But I guess you’ve learned that.”
“Yes,” she said again, forcing another smile. Or at least she thought it was a smile. She couldn’t be sure, since she couldn’t seem to focus on anything but him. And his fingers.
Finally, she managed to gather her thoughts enough to ease her hand away from his. He allowed the withdrawal, although his eyes still held hers.
“Are you sure you are okay?”
She nodded. “I just need to make that call. It-it’s a really important call.”
He regarded her closely, and she had the feeling that he didn’t believe her.
“And private, too,” she added, hoping that would get him to leave.
He didn’t move for a second, but then nodded. “Okay.”
He crossed the room, stopping in the doorway to look at her again. His mouth parted, as if he planned to say something else, but then he just nodded and left the room.
Wilhelmina blew out the breath that she didn’t even realize she’d been holding. She sagged back against the chair, the tingling in her body nearly overwhelming. She remained that way, boneless, her mind numbed, unable to do anything for a moment. Then she lifted the cell phone and flipped the cover up. Her fingers shook as she arrowed down to the right number.
“Hello,” she responded to the voice on the other end. Her voice was breathy, but determined. “I need to report a health code violation, and I think someone needs to be sent right away. Carfax Abbey is overrun with rats. Yes. Yes.”
She gave the woman on the other end the address.
“Thank you.”
She hit the End button, her hands still trembling. She’d done it, the right thing.
And in the nick of time, too. Sebastian Young had just proved how dangerous he was-and not just to mortals, but to her as well.
“Have you ever heard of a vampire having allergies?” Sebastian asked his sister-in law, Jane. She looked up from her computer, where she was working on the payroll.
“Is this a joke?”
Sebastian had the strange feeling that it had to be-one he wasn’t in on.
“Have you ever heard of that?” he asked again.
She shook her head. “No, but I’m pretty new at this vampire thing.”
He was relatively old, and he’d never heard of such a thing.
“Have you heard of a vampire having a cat?”
Jane pushed h
er chair back from her desk and regarded him with her vividly green eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Have you met the new waitress?” he asked, sitting forward in his chair, resting his hands on the polished wood of her desk. “Wilhelmina?”
“No. Is she the reason you’re so agitated?”
He wasn’t agitated. Then he glanced down, realizing he was gripping the edge of the desk. He released the wood and slid back in his seat. He wasn’t agitated. He was-confused. He had no idea what to make of Wilhelmina. He could sense emotions from her that didn’t make sense. Anxiety, even a little fear-yet a very strong determination too. He had the feeling there was a lot going on in her head that she wasn’t sharing.
“She’s different,” he said.
Jane nodded, a shrewd smile on her lips.
“Oh no. No, no,” Sebastian said, waving a hand, knowing where her thought processes were going. “Different in a weird, and very unappealing way.” Even as he said the words, he knew it wasn’t true. He noticed appealing things about her, far more appealing than he’d expected. But she was not different in the way Jane was thinking.
Jane’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard you talk that way about a woman.”
Sebastian frowned. Jane was right. He appreciated all women, and his words had sounded more than a little rude.
“What woman?” Sebastian’s brother, Rhys, appeared in the office doorway. He leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, sporting a look much like the one his wife had worn just moments earlier.
“Damn,” Sebastian muttered, “I swear people in love are worse than drug pushers. You are always trying to get others, who are quite happily single, shackled to someone. It’s damned annoying.”
Rhys grinned at his brother, a gesture that still gave Sebastian pause. After nearly two centuries of scowls and general brooding, the fact that Rhys now readily smiled managed to startle Sebastian almost every time.
Rhys stepped around the desk to Jane and reached for her hand. She slipped out of the chair and into his arms.
“You should really try it. You don’t know what you are missing, baby bro.”
Jane grinned and added in her best «pusher» voice, “Yes, try it. What? Are you scared?”
Sebastian rolled his eyes as his brother and sister-in-law grinned at each other and then kissed.
“Room. Find one. Now,” he muttered.
Rhys pulled away from Jane, but his gaze didn’t leave his wife’s face. “My thoughts exactly.”
Jane smiled impishly, the grin somehow naughtier on her innocent features.
They left the office hand in hand, leaving Sebastian in the office, forgotten.
“I’ll be doing the same thing later tonight,” he called after them. “And it will be just as good.”
He leaned toward the door and added loudly, “Better even.”
Jane’s laughter was his only reply. A melodious, and altogether disbelieving, giggle.
Sebastian snorted, then rose to move to the other side of the desk. He settled down at the computer, minimized the payroll program that Jane had been working on, and opened the sales report. He started to peruse last month’s numbers.
But quickly the columns of figures blurred as he thought about both Rhys and Jane’s happy smiles. He did appreciate the love between his brother and Jane. Still, that didn’t mean he wanted the same thing in his life.
Unbidden, a memory of Wilhelmina’s small smile appeared in his mind, rather awkward and stiff, yet somehow endearing in its valiant attempt. He wondered what her real smile looked like. Would it be sweet? A little naughty? A bit of both.
He frowned at the computer. Why was he thinking about this? He wasn’t interested in the vampiress. She was weird with bad hair and glasses. What vampire wore glasses? And she owned a cat! Everyone knew cats didn’t like vampires.
He determinedly refocused on the document on the computer screen. He had enough to think about without thinking about Wilhelmina.
She did have the softest skin he’d ever touched. He growled, pushing away from the desk. What was his fixation with this new waitress? Why did he find himself remembering the most unimportant details about her?
“Because you need exactly what your brother’s getting,” he stated aloud to the empty room. Well, not exactly what his brother was getting. He needed fun, dirty, uncommitted sex. Then he’d have control of his wayward thoughts.
The bass of the dance music in the club thumped in muffled repetition. A call to find his companion for the night. He punched off the monitor and stood just as Nadine appeared in the doorway. A frown pulled at her dark brows and created creases on either side of her wide lips.
“What’s up?”
“Health inspectors are here,” she said, seeming a little confused.
“Health inspectors? Why?”
“Apparently, they got a call stating we have a rat problem.”
“What?” He strode out of the room, heading to see what this was all about.
Wilhelmina made her way through the crowd to where Sebastian stood talking to a man and a woman near the doorway that led to the employee lounge and back storerooms. Both the man and woman wore business suits, and didn’t look remotely like regular patrons of the club. The woman reviewed a paper on the clipboard she held in her hand.
The health inspectors.
That hadn’t taken long. Wilhelmina couldn’t contain the smile that tugged at her lips as the woman wrote something on the paper. Probably the notice saying that the club would have to be closed down until the rat problem was resolved.
She stepped closer, trying to hear the conversation.
“We’re sorry to have to take up your time like this,” the man was saying in a raspy, almost breathless voice. His suit coat barely buttoned around his paunchy middle. The health inspector was hardly the image of good health himself.
Sebastian smiled at the man. “Well, you have to do your job.”
Wilhelmina frowned. He was taking this too well. He had to be furious that his business would be closed indefinitely.
She edged a little closer.
“But it’s unfortunate to waste your time, and ours, when there are obviously no health code violations here,” the woman muttered and scribbled something else on her clipboard.
No violations! Wilhelmina stepped closer to the group. What was the woman talking about? There were a dozen rats roaming the backrooms. How could they have missed that?
“Can I do something for you?”
She startled at Sebastian’s question.
He frowned at her. “Is there something you wanted to ask me?”
Hugging her empty drink tray to her chest, she shook her head. “No. Um, no.” She hurried off to the bar, her mind still trying to wrap around the fact that the health inspectors had found nothing. Nothing. That couldn’t be.
She stopped at the drink pick-up area at the far end of the bar, setting her tray down, still staring at the group. Sebastian spoke to them, another gracious smile on his full lips.
Wilhelmina shook her head, as if she could somehow shake away what she’d heard.
“Do you have an order for me?” Nadine asked, jarring Wilhelmina’s attention from the trio.
“I-um. Yes.” She rummaged in the pocket of her dress for her order pad. She tore off the top sheet and handed it to Nadine.
The bartender scanned the list, then nodded. She hurried away to fill the order.
Wilhelmina looked back over to see Sebastian walking the health inspectors toward the front entrance. She fought the urge to chase after them, to demand they check again, more closely. The rats were there. She knew.
But she couldn’t do that. Not without giving herself away. And she wasn’t prepared to out herself in front of Sebastian. Not even for the cause.
” Long Island Iced Tea, a Screwdriver, and two merlots.” Nadine placed the cocktails on her tray.
“Thanks.” Wilhelmina’s gaze never left Sebastian, who still chatted with the t
wo inspectors. Wilhelmina’s eyes narrowed. She wanted to scream. Was Sebastian Young the most charmed vampire in existence?
“Wondering who the two suits are?” Nadine asked.
Wilhelmina nodded, not wanting to give her any reason to suspect why she was watching them so intently.
“Health inspectors,” she whispered. “They got a call saying that Carfax Abbey was infested with rats. Crazy, huh?”
Wilhelmina nodded again, even though she didn’t think it was crazy at all.
“We’d be the last damned place in New York to have a rat problem,” Nadine murmured.
“Why?” Wilhelmina asked, surprised by the bartender’s certainty.
Nadine leaned closer, so no one could hear. “Everyone knows that rats are terrified of preternaturals. And with the amount of preternaturals in this place, we are more effective than any exterminator. No vermin would come within a mile radius of this place. Not even a damned cockroach.”
The tall woman straightened and grinned like the whole thing was the funniest joke ever.
And Wilhelmina supposed it would have been pretty funny, if she wasn’t the butt of the joke-again.
CHAPTER 5
“Hey, this isn’t my drink.”
Wilhelmina stopped midstep and turned back to the table surrounded by a mixture of humans and what she suspected, if the men’s sizes were any indication, alpha werewolves. The huge, heavily muscled man who’d spoken to her gestured to his drink. The cocktail on the table in front of him was pink with cherries and a purple umbrella. Definitely not the kind of drink a burly lycanthrope would order.
She quickly picked the glass up and placed it back on her full tray. She frowned at the drinks, guessing his was the pint of porter.
She carefully placed the dark beer before him and waited, hoping she’d guessed right. She had. He nodded and lifted the drink to his mouth, swallowing half the beer in one gulp.
