After Sunset

by Nicole Renee

  He pulled away from her before stepping back and opening the car door. She thanked him before sliding inside the cool leather interior and noticed the driver just as Zahir slid in beside her.

  He followed her gaze and introduced them. “Winny this is my head of security and current chauffer Clayton. Clayton, this is Winter Frame,” he said.

  The handsome burly man gave her a smile and tipped his hat before focusing on the road. “Very nice to meet you, Ms. Frame.”

  “You as well. And please, call me Winny.”

  “Very good Ms. Winny,” he said as he pulled into traffic.

  “Uh-”

  “Get used to it. He will not deviate.”

  Zahir’s phone vibrated and he glanced at it noticing it was Akachi. He knew there were no immediate problems so for tonight, he decided to put it on silent. He would call him back later.

  They arrived at the club twenty minutes later, and Winny marveled at the venue. It was as if she was stepping back in time. The bar was decorated in nothing but black and white. It was a 1920’s theme, and there had even been a lounge singer earlier in the show. The place was packed and Winny could see why.

  She enjoyed how the entire bar was circular, so the entertainment was literally front and center. The waitresses were dressed as flappers and the men were dapper as ever in pin-striped suits, tucked shirts, and slicked back hair. The restroom was behind the lounge booths, near the exit, which was where they were currently seated.

  It was everything Winny could have dreamed of and more. While waiting for their dinner to be served, the two enjoyed the live band. The group was talented, but what Winny relished most about the evening was Zahir.

  When he dropped her off at her apartment earlier in the day she kept replaying in her mind how perfect the previous night was. She couldn’t stop smiling, she knew she was crazy, but she was falling helplessly in love with the man in front of her.

  She watched as he interacted with his staff as well as his friends. She enjoyed seeing a more relaxed version of Zahir, but what pleased her even more was when he introduced her as his woman to his many acquaintances. The only thing she was looking forward to, now more than ever, was getting back to his home, and loving on the man again.

  “What are you thinking about Winny?”

  Placing her hand in his palm, she sighed. “I’m just thinking about how much I am enjoying being here with you. And,” she added before taking a deep breath, “how much I love you, Zahir Slade,” she said softly.

  Zahir studied her face for a moment before breaking out into a smile. “Well. That’s perfect. Because I already love you, Winter Frame.”

  She beamed back at him before sliding closer into his arms and resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent. Nothing could feel better than this moment.

  Nothing.

  22

  “I’ve tried calling my brother, but he won’t pick up. This is ridiculous, I know that he saw my message.”

  Amara watched as Akachi frantically tried dialing his brother. She sat on the couch watching him pace anxiously. As soon as he arrived back from Baton Rouge, Akachi came straight to Amara’s apartment. She had quickly filled him in on her theory about Davien, and after he mulling it over for a few moments, he agreed.

  “It would make sense. Zahir did tell me that Davien was planning to take something from him. Something valuable. If you’re telling me that my brother should probably know Winny is a Daughter of Sunrise, then maybe that was it? He couldn’t possibly want me.”

  “But he did try to kill you in the beginning.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” he added, musing at the thought. “But I would not weaken Zahir’s strength. Should something happen to me, Zahir would be royally pissed, but nothing as far as to weaken him. Winny, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.” Akachi knew his brother wasn’t letting on how he really felt about the woman. That alone let him know that she was different.

  “You don’t think he was just awed by the fact that she was a-”

  “Daughter of Sunrise?” he answered. “No. My brother is not the type of man to be snowed over because of some mystical myth. He would tell you to your face if you annoyed him. I’ve heard him tell a president that one night at a state dinner.”

  Eyes wide, Amara couldn’t believe it. Akachi snorted at her look.

  “Yes, I am telling the truth. Zahir called the man uneducated, and disappointing.”

  “Ah.”

  “So yeah, my brother doesn’t care about that. However, when he does care about you, he will protect you with his whole life.”

  Amara stood from her seat. “That’s perfect. We shouldn’t worry so much. If Winny is with Zahir, all should be well. For now, at least. And I’m sure you have guards around your home.”

  “Speaking of which, let’s head over there.”

  Agreeing at Akachi’s suggestion, Amara ran to her room to grab her shoes and handbag.

  When she came back in she watched as he frowned at his phone. “I had a missed call. I didn’t see it earlier.” Pressing the voicemail button, Akachi’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the message.

  “Come on,” he barked at Amara, heading to the front door.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, scared it might have something to do with Winny.

  “It’s Walker Glacier?”

  “The vampire?”

  “Yes. He and his sister have been staked not too far from Dumaine Street. They need help.” Akachi swore under his breath as he pocketed his phone.

  “What?” she asked, following him out of her apartment and into the hall.

  “We’ve got to call Javier on the way. He’ll more than likely have his men scope out the area to figure out who did this to them.”

  “If he finds the culprits, will he hold them until we get a hold of Zahir? Let him deal with it?” she asked.

  Akachi gave a look as he opened the car door and lowered himself in. It wasn’t until they pulled away from that he answered.

  “Whoever did this to Walker and his sister will be killed on sight. Now questions asked.”

  Her eyebrows raised at his matter of fact tone. She shivered at the wicked grin that suddenly took over his face.

  “Why do you think our crime rate is so low? Besides we’re serpents. Not saints.”

  Raven was roaring in the empty warehouse. He could feel a shift in the air and knew something happened between the serpent king and the Daughter of Sunrise. It wasn’t complete, but he knew he was running on borrowed time. He called forth his legion to assist Davien, as his time was growing shorter as well. He mentally sent a picture to Davien of what he would do to him should he not deliver on the oath they made.

  After their lovely meal, Winny sighed, stuffed thanks to the delicious dirty rice and steak she’d eaten. Zahir had been watching her closely. It made him happy to know he was pleasing his mate.

  Mate.

  Such a final word. Years ago he would’ve run from it. But not now. Not today. He was in love with Winter Frame, and there was nothing more exciting to him than that simple fact.

  “What are you thinking,” she asked, parroting his same question from earlier.

  Winny took a sip of her beverage, waiting for his response.

  He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Other than the usual I love you, who’s going to hang up first,” he said in an almost bored tone, causing her to giggle, “I am in awe of what you really are. A Daughter of Sunrise. Such an honor to even be in your presence,” he said reverently.

  She looked embarrassed at his admission. If Winny were completely honest with herself, the boldness that she felt the night she and Zahir made love had calmed some. Actually, it had calmed a lot. “I am still trying to process it all. One moment I was trying to understand everything you’ve told me, the next I’m finding out I am a part of the dual community. It’s still so much to take in. I don’t even know if I believe in it all,” she admitted.

  “What do you
mean, you don’t know if you believe?” he said, pulling her close enough so he could still look into her eyes.

  She shrugged. “I believe in what you are, I’ve seen it. I also know of this community, and what I’ve been told. But for me? Having abilities? I just don’t know if I can get behind that.”

  He studied her face long and hard before speaking. “You know, Winny, sometimes you have to believe even when you do not see it. You have to believe it’s there, right below the surface.”

  She grabbed his hand, running her fingers over his palm, tracing it slowly. “But I haven’t done anything. Not anything that would be seen as spectacular.”

  He chuckled before kissing her hair. “Yes, you have. You were able to reveal your dual nature to me, and you’re are able to conceal it. Plus, you did the most important trick as of today.”

  “And that is?” she asked, a smile tilting the corner of her mouth.

  He leaned over and kissed her pink lips. “Taken my heart against my will,” he confessed.

  She sighed before burrowing her face into his neck.

  He laughed aloud at her actions and rested his arm around her waist. “You have to give yourself time, Winny. Your dual self has been asleep for a long time. It takes a while for a person to come to an awareness,” he stated solemnly.

  “When will I?”

  “When will you what?”

  “Believe. In myself and what I am.”

  “When you need to,” he said easily.

  Winny sighed before pulling back. She scowled at him.

  “Now, what?”

  “Are you always right?”

  “Pretty much, yes.”

  She rolled her eyes before pushing at his chest. “Let me out. I have to go to the ladies’ room. Unlike you, I’m not a snake, therefore I need to use the facilities more than once a month.”

  “Brat,” he shot back, pinching her side, causing her to squeak.

  She leaned over the table and kissed him before smoothing a hand over his baby soft hair. “I will be back,” she murmured.

  He purred in satisfaction, his eyes flashing completely black before returning to their original mossy green color.

  “And when you return, we’ll be heading back to my home,” he said intention clear in his voice.

  She shivered at the thought of being wrapped around Zahir again and decided to be quick about it.

  “Yes sir,” she said, causing a wicked grin to spread on his face.

  “Is that what we’re playing at?”

  Neither confirming nor denying, she winked at him before twirling in her skyscraper heels and strutting to the restroom. She heard his low whistle and it caused her to smile. She was so focused on Zahir and what they were going to do later, that she didn’t notice the woman stepping out of the shadows. She grabbed Winny, yanking her into the shadowy area she had stepped out of. Winny tried to cry out for help, but the woman had already covered her mouth and stuck something sharp in her neck. Her voice was garbled as she was dragged outside, her strength waning at lightning speed. Winny’s eyelids kept drooping and everything suddenly seemed far away. Her last thought before the darkness consumed her was she hoped Zahir was okay. She didn’t want him to suffer, worrying about her.

  Zahir was tapping his foot lightly along to the sounds of the newest band when he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was dark and moved fast, but he knew what it was.

  Demon.

  Standing, he called over the bar manager. Zahir didn’t typically hire humans, but when he met this young black man after the final interview, he knew it was the right thing to do. Turns out growing up in New Orleans made folks believe in all types of things. The boy didn’t even flinch when he saw two of his staff members-a werewolf and vampire-making out in the backroom. He, of course, was sworn to secrecy, but his staff told him the boy just had questions and was planning to write a book about it all. Fiction of course.

  “Yes, boss?”

  “Trevor, there is some unusual activity going on, just beyond where the lounge singer is. Over several rows to the back. I’m going to head through the kitchen and meet it halfway. I need you to keep everyone in the main area, alright?” he said quickly.

  Trevor nodded, eyes wide with excitement. “Got it.”

  Zahir walked around the young man, rushing toward the kitchen, hoping to intercept the demon’s path. He pushed the swinging doors of the kitchen open, running down the short hallway that led to the breakroom. He waited against the back wall, pulling out his dagger. It was short, thick, and was coated with snake venom. One stab would render its victim paralyzed instantly. Zahir let his dual side come to the surface, before blending into the wall. Seconds later, a short skinny creature tumbled into the breakroom.

  He watched as it look around the room, its hairless body and gleaming reddish-pink eyes looked for blood. Its mouth was open, and he could see the misshapen teeth which fell over his bottom lip. He cleared his path by knocking over chairs and tables, trying to get to the window.

  Just as he was about to climb out, Zahir appeared behind him, shoving the dagger into the center of his back. His howl of pain was abhorrently loud but it was immediately silenced as Zahir quickly ran the blade from his center up to his throat.

  Copious amounts of blood seeped from his body before he began to foam at the mouth. Zahir pulled his knife away, intent on grabbing Winny and getting out of the club when he received a text message on his phone. He wiped his bloody fingers on his pants before swiping the message open. His mouth gaped when he saw Winny passed out in the backseat of some car, hog-tied. His blood boiled, and his heart raced.

  Whoever did this would pay with their life.

  23

  “This is a hot mess.” Those were the only words that came to Javier’s mind.

  He was once again, standing in front of botched bodies. These ones he knew. When they first arrived on scene, they found the battered bodies of Walker and Daisy Glacier, and immediately they removed the stakes that kept them incapacitated. After putting the vampires in Javier’s truck, Amara and Akachi followed him to his bar. Prepping for the revival of the Walker and Daisy, Javier went to his office and began pulling out bags of blood from a cooler in his closet.

  Amara asked how he had so many on deck.

  “We sometimes have vampires come in. Not a lot but a few. We want to have what everyone needs.”

  “What should we do next?” Amara asked.

  Akachi spoke up. “We leave them here.”

  “What? Won’t they need help?” she looked at the two men.

  They both winced at her before shaking their head.

  “No. When they wake, it is pretty bad. Especially if they’ve been wounded. When a vampire needs to heal, you are to leave them with blood, alone. Or else they will kill you.”

  Amara’s stunned gaze look only made the men look at her in amusement. “Really?” she said a little irritated.

  “Really,” Javier repeated, before tossing the bags on the floor. He could already see the holes in the center of their body where the stakes once were healing nicely.

  “They will be out for at least a day. We will lock them in my office where it’ll be safe, and return when they’ve completely healed.”

  “Oh.” Amara had never really been around vampires, as they kept to themselves for the most part. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Amara confessed, to which Javier grunted. She noticed Akachi frowned before taking a look at her. She didn’t know what that was about, but decided to ask him later.

  Akachi’s phone started going off. He picked up quickly, eyes flashing with anger when he saw who was calling. “Finally, you decide to call me back I-”

  “They’ve taken her. They’ve taken Winny, and I need to get her now.”

  Akachi’s annoyance left swiftly, instantly replaced with worry for Winny. His eyes quickly flashed to black.

  Both Javier and Amara took a step back. Never had they seen a dual react that quic
kly. As a serpent, his responses were faster than any other species of dual. It was a trait that both he and his brother used to their advantage numerous times.

  “Where are you?” he questioned.

  “With Clayton in the car. We’re on our way back home.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” he said before hanging up. Akachi looked at Amara. “They have Winny.”

  She gasped, covering her mouth. She shook her head in disbelief. “No. That can’t be right,” she said almost desperately.

  Javier frowned. “Winny, as in Winter Frame? The bookstore owner? Your brother is with her?” he asked Akachi.

  “It’s a long story,” Akachi said.

  “I can keep up. Give me the cliff notes on the way to your home.”

  “But-”

  “He’s going to need me there. Let’s go.”

  Once they arrived at the warehouse, Tove had two of her bodyguards place Winter Frame on the marble slab. It was an altar of some sorts, and it was where Davien said she needed to be. Once she was tied to it by four ropes, Tove made sure her men were safely back in their car before calling Davien.

  “I got her. She’s at the warehouse. I expect a call when you’ve defeated Zahir,” she said. Davien growled over the phone at her. “I could just lie. Tell you about shared power only to take it away from you.”

  “You don’t think I’ve played out all the possibilities in my head of how you could weasel your way out of our agreement? What if I told you that I have an insurance video? An associate of mine caught you outside of Talon’s bar. It appeared as if you were nothing more than Raven’s errand boy. How do you think the other duals and witches will react when they find out that you’re not running things? That Raven is the true god? What a creepy looking beast, by the way,” she said before shuddering.

  Davien fought to suppress the scream that was bubbling within his throat.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Tove laughed heartily. “Or shall I say, Raven got your tongue? I will have power. And you will make sure I get it. You not only work for the devil, you work for me as well. Now, get to it, I don’t have time to waste,” she said.