by June Stevens
“Yeah, they get along pretty well. Pinky has hit a level of “Dadness” I haven’t seen in a while. In addition to teaching her the ropes around here, he’s helping her learn how to control her telekinesis. It’s a lot like he was with us when we were kids, despite the fact that she is almost the same age as River.”
Fiona smiled. “I was really counting on that. Farrah’s biological father is a real scuz. Another fine example of wealth and power not equaling human decency.”
I laughed. “I thought you’d gotten over your prejudice against the rich when you fell in love with the richest man in the city-state.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “I’m not prejudiced. Trust me, my feelings about Senator Purcell are purely based on his actions. Both he and Farrah’s mother are norms, and they treated Farrah like her mage powers were a disease to be ashamed of. If you’d heard the way he’d talked about her when she was missing. He hadn’t even wanted us to look for her. Ugh.” She let out a snort of disgust.
I’d known there had to be something wrong with Farrah’s home life when she came to live at the pub after her ordeal with the kidnapper Fiona had destroyed last year. I hadn’t realized it had been that bad. My empathy and respect for Farrah went up a notch. I knew what it was like to have parents who detested who you were because you were different than them.
“That explains why she seems so surprised and even upset when her powers get stronger. She probably had to suppress them for years. I’ll never understand the pure evil lurking inside some people. You were right to bring her here. Pinky will help her heal.” Like he did for me, I thought, but didn’t say it out loud.
“She was a bit of a brat before, from what I could tell. On the road to real destruction. But I think that was mostly due to her treatment at home. I had a feeling this would be a good place for her.”
“Whatever she was like before, she’s different now. She’s quiet, never complains, and works damned hard. I’ve never seen this place shine like it does these days.” I made a mental note to ask Farrah out for an afternoon of shopping and lunch soon. Unlike my sisters, she seemed like she’d enjoy doing girly things as much as I occasionally did.
“I’m glad you like her.” Fiona grinned. “Now enough about her. I want to hear what’s been going on in your life, little sister.”
I shook my head. “Not much. Just working here and hanging out.”
“Not fighting?”
I rolled my eyes at my sister’s not-so-subtle poke. “Why tell you something you already know? I know you keep tabs with Pete. I’m doing as I promised. Only once a week and no juiced-up opponents.”
“There are other fight-houses,” she said.
“And you probably have at least one person in each reporting to you. And you know I’m not stupid enough to do the illegal fights. I’m not about to take on vampires or shifters. I fight for exercise and to relieve tension, not because I have an idiotic death wish.” I took a deep breath, gearing up to really go on a tirade, when I saw the glint in Fiona’s eye and the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
I clamped my mouth shut. She’d baited me and I hadn’t fallen for it, I’d dove for it, head first. I grabbed my bottle of ale from the bar, took a swig, and then waved the bottle at her. “You are pure evil, you know that?”
Fiona stopped trying to hide her smile and broke into peals of laughter. “But you are so easy.” She laughed so hard she snorted.
“Pure fucking evil,” I murmured, taking another drink.
After a few minutes Fiona’s laughter died down. “I’m sorry, I just miss you, and I really need someone to tease. Now that we are living together, it isn’t as much fun giving Ian a hard time. He gets all sullen and pouty, and I have to be all sweet and beg for makeup sex to make him feel all manly.”
I faked a gagging motion. “I will forgive you if you swear to never, ever, ever tell me that last part again. Ever.”
Fiona grinned and took a sip of her wine. “Speaking of sex, have any encounters with any super-hotties lately?”
My thoughts flitted to my moment in the alley with Jarrett this morning. If anyone in the world qualified for super-hottie status, it was the giant vampire. Although I think they suspected it, I hadn’t told either of my sisters about my fling with Jarrett. No need to go into it now. “Nope,” I lied, feeling a twinge of guilt.
“Aww come on, Anya. Nothing? I’m doing this monogamy thing now; I gotta get my cheap thrills vicariously through you.”
I laughed. “Geeze, Fee, when was the last time you had sex? You never acted this much like a sex-starved teenager when you were one.”
“This morning.” She laughed. “Okay, so maybe I lied, this monogamy thing is actually pretty damned awesome. You should try it sometime. You’d think it makes things boring, but trust me, it doesn’t.”
I shuddered. “Thanks, but you can have it. I have no desire to pin myself down with one man for more than a few weeks at a time. That is quite long enough for me to get bored.”
“You really aren’t seeing anyone?” Fiona asked, her voice edged with concern now. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Mercifully, at that moment the door swung open and a group of six women walked in. I waved at Pinky when he started to stand to let him know I’d take care of them. Then I drained the last of the ale from the bottle and hurried over to take the women’s orders and escape my sister.
I was putting a round of drinks down on the table in front of the women and trying to figure out how to steer Fiona onto any other topic of conversation than my love life, when the door swung open again. I looked up and saw a tall, broad-shouldered vampire with long, dark hair and creamy brown eyes stride in. My hand shook as I set the last drink on the table. He was the last person I’d expected to see in the bar tonight.
Jarrett stepped into Pinky’s Pub still not sure it had been a good idea to come here. He’d floundered back and forth all afternoon about whether or not to stay in Nash, then all evening about whether or not to see Anya again. He hated being indecisive, and it had made him more than a little grumpy.
After leaving Sam’s office, he’d gone to the market and restocked supplies, then grabbed a few hours of sleep. Once he got up, the indecision had started. He’d prepped the boat to leave before deciding he could leave tomorrow. He thought one night of fun in the city would do him good.
Until he saw Anya that morning, he hadn’t realized how long it had been since he’d had female companionship. Once he really thought about it, he realized Anya was the only woman he’d been with since he started tracking Cora.
Just one woman in a little over eight months. That wasn’t completely unheard of. He had no hard and fast rules about having a little female companionship when he was working, mostly because he was always working. Often he was undercover in gangs of thieves and outlaws, and it helped sell his cover if he indulged in the available and willing women around him. He was a vampire after all, and had the over-active sexual appetite of any other of his race.
But as a Blade, he’d learned to control his urges better than most, and there were times when an assignment was so dangerous that being distracted by a woman for even a few minutes could get him killed. There were also those rare moments when he was so engrossed in a case that he didn’t even think about sex or women. This had been one such time. But the case was over and his mind was free to think about other things. That had been why holding Anya close under that bridge today had kicked his libido into overdrive.
So, he’d dressed and went out to find some fun, but he hadn’t headed for Pinky’s. Instead, he went to a restaurant and bar near the docks, had a meal, and then moved into the bar area. Several women had approached him, though he couldn’t chalk it all up to his good looks. Not that he was lacking in that area, but vampires produced higher amounts of pheromones than other humans.
But those women hadn’t interested him, so he’d moved on to another bar. He’d gradually worked his way down Broadway, but every place had been the
same. There had been many beautiful, willing women, but none that caught his interest. Once he’d realized that he kept looking for a particular shade of red hair paired with pale skin and a light smattering of freckles across the nose, he’d given up all pretenses and headed to Pinky’s Pub.
The moment he laid eyes on Anya, his body kicked into high gear, telling him he’d finally made the right decision, though his brain was still not sure. Their eyes met and he saw the shock and interest flit across her features before she pasted on a generic, welcoming smile. He decided to stop listening to his brain for a while.
After her initial smile, she turned back to the women she was waiting on and Jarrett focused on finding a seat. He saw Fiona sitting at the end of the bar staring at him expectantly.
“When did you get back into town?” she asked after she’d hugged him and they were sitting down.
“This morning. Just finished wrapping up a case and Nash was the closest place to report in,” he told her, giving her his full attention.
“What can I get ya?” Anya asked, approaching them.
She was wearing a dark purple corset with a matching skirt of layered lace that ended mid-thigh. Black leather boots laced up to her knees. Her braided hair was wrapped around the top of her head, with tiny red tendrils escaping everywhere. She was mouth-watering.
Since Jarrett couldn’t give the answer he wanted to with Fiona sitting right next to him, he said, “A whiskey would be great.”
“No problem. Damn, I have to go get a bottle from the back. I’ll be back.” She turned and swished away.
“Jarrett.”
“What?” He turned to Fiona. Apparently she’d been speaking.
“I asked you how long are you staying?” she said, smirking.
“I don’t know. Not long, probably. I’m officially on leave. I haven’t decided what I’ll be doing just yet.”
“I see. Well, I hope to see you before you leave,” she said, pushing her wine glass away from her.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, a little disappointed. It was true he hadn’t expected to see her tonight, but he always enjoyed hanging out with Fiona. She was one of his few close friends.
“Yeah, Ian’s teaching a night class that will be letting out very soon. I want to meet him at home. But don’t pretend to look disappointed, I know I’m not who you came to see.”
“I just came in for a drink,” he lied. Badly.
Fiona laughed. “Oh, please. Don’t even try that with me. I will admit that I was pre-occupied the last time you were in town, but I wasn’t completely blind. Nor am I now. I know you have something going with Anya.”
Busted. Jarrett scrambled for a moment, not sure how to respond, deciding on indirect honesty. “How do you feel about that?” he asked, not confirming or denying her suspicions, but not lying.
Fiona laughed and shrugged. “I didn’t realize it was my business to feel any way at all. My sister is a big girl and can take care of herself. She has never come to me for approval of who she dates and would be pissed if I tried to give it. You, well, I think you can hold your own against her. Maybe.” She gave him a wink.
Jarrett laughed. He shared her skepticism. “I was just asking out of respect. You are my best friend, and you do tend to go all over-protective-big-sister on occasion.”
“Not this time.” She laughed again before her expression sobered. “I love you like a brother, you know that right?”
Jarrett nodded. “Of course I do. And I love you, as well.”
“And you know I’ll always have your back, just like you’ve always had mine, right?”
He nodded. “Always.”
“Good.” Fiona stood up and moved behind him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug and pressing a light kiss on his cheek. She put her mouth next to his ear and in a low, soft voice said, “But just know, if Anya asked me to, and she had good reason and really meant it, I’d put a knife in your heart.”
Her tone wasn’t menacing but he knew she meant what she said. He had no doubt she’d attempt to do exactly as she described. And out of love for her, he’d let her succeed. “Fair enough.”
“Good, just wanted to make sure we were clear,” she said louder, her tone cheerful. Dropping another kiss on his cheek, she moved away. “Have a good night, I’ll see you later.”
She strode away as if she hadn’t just threatened his life. God, he really loved that woman. It was like she was his twin, separated at birth. He watched as Fiona said her goodbyes to her family and then left the pub.
Was having another night with Anya worth pissing his best friend off and possibly losing his life? His eyes sought Anya and watched as she took a tray of drinks to the poker players in the back room. His eyes were drawn to the creamy, pale skin visible between the top of her boots and the hem of her skirt. Yep, he’d risk death. No doubt about it.
He was ruminating over his apparent death wish when Anya came back over, a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass in hand.
“I was going to bring this over a few minutes ago, but you were having a pretty intense conversation,” she said, pouring a shot.
He downed the shot, savoring the warm burn at the back of his throat, and then put the glass back on the bar. “When is a conversation with Fiona not intense?”
She laughed and he felt it right down to his toes. Holy mother, everything about the woman was sexy as hell.
“True enough,” Anya said. “Another?” She lifted the whiskey bottle.
He nodded. Yeah, he needed more. About a gallon more.
“So, I thought you were headed right back out of town after taking care of business this morning. Something else pop up?” she asked, a tiny glint in her eye.
Oh, yeah.
“I decided that since I’d saved you from three guys, I needed more of a reward,” he said, slugging back the second shot.
Her eyes narrowed. “And just what kind of reward were you thinking to get?”
He wiggled the glass at her, flashing his sexiest grin. “The drink you promised me.”
She poured another shot, but to Jarrett’s surprise, she grabbed the glass and knocked back the amber liquid herself. Then she leaned across the bar, propping herself on her elbows and affording him a beautiful view of the creamy skin flowing out the top of her corset.
“I had a feeling you would be back.”
“Oh? What made you think that?” he asked, leaning forward until their faces were only inches apart.
Her eyes danced. “The feeling I got against my hip when you had me pressed against the wall.”
Jarrett burst into laughter. “I guess there isn’t any use in trying to hide my true intentions then. So, what do you say? Want to take a walk with me when you get off work?”
She leaned closer, this time her breath tickled his ear as she whispered into it. “So, Vampire, you think you can just stroll in here after six months, flash me a sexy smile, and I’ll let you back between my thighs?”
He pulled back, leaning against the back of the bar stool and grinning. “So, you think my smile is sexy?”
Her nose crinkled in mock-indifference. “It’ll do.”
He laughed again, took her hand, and ran his hand over her palm. “So, are you telling me my smile isn’t enough?” he asked. He loved this seductive game she was playing, though it really wasn’t necessary. All she had to do was say the word and he would do whatever it took to have her in his bed, or on the bar, or in the back storeroom.
She looked down where their hands touched and back up at him, her eyes full of heat. “Oh, no, it is. I just thought I should pretend to be a little hard to get.” She laughed and pulled her hand out of his. “But you’ll have to wait. The bar doesn’t close for another four hours, then I have to clean up.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be,” he said. Not for another two weeks now that he was officially on leave, but she didn’t need to know that yet. Perhaps he wouldn’t tell her at all. Maybe he would get his fill of her tonight, take off tomorrow night, an
d spend his two weeks leave somewhere else.
He watched as she walked to the other end of the bar, her skirt swishing across the tops of her thighs as her hips swung from side to side. He felt himself harden. Could he get his fill of her in one night?
Not bloody likely.
I stood in the pub’s kitchen, my hands braced on the counter top, trying to catch my breath. My heart was racing, and excitement and nervousness bubbled up inside me. It was odd. Flirting had never affected me quite this way. Flirting with the patrons was part of my job. And like Pinky, I was good at my job because it came second nature to me. Flirting was harmless and meaningless, but fun and made people feel good.
Of course I was good at the meaningful flirting as well. The seductive little games that lead to hot and sweaty horizontal games were also fun and exciting, but they never made my heart race like it did when I was playing them with Jarrett. When he had been here before, I had chalked the extra zing to the danger. After all, we had spent so much time together because he was protecting me from a deranged serial killer targeting people my sister loved.
But now, I was starting to think the danger came from the man himself. Jarrett Campbell intrigued me more than any other man ever had, and that in itself was dangerous.
“Do you know what you are doing?”
I gasped and jumped, grabbing a wine bottle like a club as I spun. I lowered it when I saw the intruder. “Shit, Pinky. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry,” he said, but his tone and grin said he wasn’t even a little sorry.
I put the wine bottle down. “What did you say?”
Pinky walked over and lazily leaned against one of the counters. “I asked if you know what you are doing.”
“I’m putting dirty glasses in the sink,” I said, confused.
Pinky rolled his eyes. “Not with the glasses, with Jarrett Campbell.”
My head rolled back on my shoulders as I looked up at the ceiling.
