by Lexi Blake
“And we look for a vampire named Alexander,” I said. “He was one of Joanne’s regulars.”
Gray nodded and pulled me against his chest. I was getting used to his spontaneous affection. I think that was the point of it. Instead of being shy, I let my arms go around his waist to enjoy the feel of him. Instead of holding myself back, I let my head rest against his chest. I was being drugged into trusting him and I seemed helpless against it. His hand rubbed up and down my back.
“I’ll look through my files and see what I have,” he said. “You need to get ready for the party. I called Liv myself and she’ll be over here in an hour. She’s says it will take all day to get you ready.”
Now my head shot up in surprise because I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why? I thought it was going to be easy with the engraved invitation.”
“That invitation is for Liv and her boyfriend,” Gray explained. “I’ll be playing the role of Scott this evening, at least until we get through the door. You can’t get in on the invite so we have to go a different route. I know Dev Quinn and if there’s one thing he likes in his clubs, it’s beautiful women in beautiful clothes. He might be married, but he’s not blind. A gorgeous girl can walk into Ether with absolutely no wait time. Liv’s working up a charm that will make the bouncers believe you’re a witch.”
I would go along with the charm, but there was one thing I wasn’t sure about. I cringed at the thought. “Am I going to have to wear heels?”
Chapter Eight
“Stop being such a baby,” Liv whispered in my ear as she smiled at a handsome werewolf who walked by. She gave me a little nudge as if to say “smile.”
Though there was a party going on all around me, I didn’t feel like smiling. Ether was stunning, but my mind was preoccupied with my feet. “They hurt.”
“They’re gorgeous and they’re only three-inch heels,” Liv shot back. “They’re practically flats. I’m wearing four-and-a-half-inch heels and you don’t hear me complaining. What did you expect me to do? Those Converse of yours don’t go with a little black dress.”
I shifted, trying to get used to my size seven-and-a-half red torture devices and got my first look around Ether. I stood at the bar, waiting for Gray to get back from dropping off our coats. Liv had worked some serious magic on me, and I wasn’t only talking about the charm I wore like an anklet. I looked damn good in a tight black dress with a plunging neckline. Liv had insisted I didn’t need a bra and my breasts were firm and the skin creamy against the black fabric. She’d forced my hair into curlers, and the dark brown locks flowed down my back in waves. I’d complained bitterly at the half hour she played around with makeup, but I couldn’t argue with the results. The hair and makeup gave me the illusion of being feminine and soft. It had been worth it to watch Gray’s mouth drop when I walked into the room. I would never do it on a regular basis, but it might be fun to dress up every now and then.
And it had totally gotten me into the club. I hadn’t even waited in line.
“What do you know about the guy who owns this place?” I asked, curious about Gray’s nemesis.
Liv sighed. “I haven’t actually met him, but I saw him at Open House. He’s the dad of the little fertility god. He’s a big fertility god.”
“So I take it he’s hot?” An unattractive fertility god would likely be ineffective.
“Oh, Kels.” She stopped and sighed, a blush making her cheeks pink. “He is the definition of hot. If you google the word ‘hot’ you get summer temperatures in Texas and a big picture of Devinshea Quinn. He’s sex on two legs. I couldn’t take my eyes off the man.”
It was good to know she could still act like a teen at a boy band concert. “Gray thinks he’s a criminal.”
Liv humphed and frowned. “I don’t think so. I can’t imagine that. He certainly doesn’t need the money. The man bought us a new gym—not gave a donation—just wrote us a check. He owns a bunch of clubs and has some corporation in the human world. He’s an actual faery prince. His mother is the Seelie queen.”
I wasn’t convinced. Gray seemed adamant about the “faery prince” being a bad guy. Liv’s crush wasn’t exactly a good reason to overlook a Texas Ranger’s experience and instincts. The club was something, though. It was hopping. It seemed like everyone in the supernatural world was spending their Saturday night here. The dance floor was full of life and the whole club was filled with a pulsating beat. It was unlike any place I’d ever been in. I spent my time in rundown bars where the goal was to get drunk as fast as possible. This was a place to meet friends and have fun.
“Hey, don’t look, but that guy is checking you out,” Liv said with a little grin.
She is stunning so I was sure she was the one being checked out. I looked across the trendy bar area and over at the edge of the dance floor where a brown-haired man stood. He was dressed in slacks and a dark silk shirt, and he was definitely looking at me, though I didn’t get a sexual vibe off him. He seemed more curious than anything else. His head cocked to the side and his eyes narrowed, but the dude was checking out my face and not my boobs.
He took a deep whiff of the air around him. He was a wolf, no doubt about it. His eyes closed and stopped for a moment, as though he needed all his faculties to assess that smell. They snapped back open and even across the distance, I could see they had darkened, taking on a more wolf-like characteristic. He stared directly my way and then made a beeline for me.
“Oh, Gray is gonna be pissed,” Liv said. “It looks like you have more than one suitor tonight.”
I kind of thought about running because that was one determined man. He pushed his way through the crowd.
Liv didn’t seem to sense the predatory nature of the man. “He’s cute and all, but I think Gray’s hotter. He looks too much like you. You would look like brother and sister. But it’ll do Gray good to know he isn’t the only interested party.”
“Do I know you?” The man stopped in front of me. He was a little taller than me, but the heels did give me a few inches. He was built on lean lines for a wolf, but I wouldn’t underestimate his strength. “What pack are you from? Are you from Nevada?”
I shook my head. No extra suitors here, just a big case of mistaken identity. “I’ve never been to Nevada. Sorry. I’m not from any pack. I’m not a wolf. I’m a witch.”
I kept to my cover story, but he didn’t look like he was buying it. What was keeping Gray? He was going to be pissed all right. He was going to be pissed I was drawing attention to myself. I noticed several people watched us. The bar seemed abuzz with people talking behind their hands as they took in our little scene.
“No, you’re not a witch.” His hand came out quickly, grasping my wrist, and then his nose ran along my bare arm up to my shoulder. I tried to pull away, but he held me tight. “You’re not a wolf, but you smell like someone I knew. Are you sure you’ve never been to Vegas? What was your father’s name? Was he a drifter?”
I pulled back firmly, unwilling to answer his questions. I had been in the place for exactly ten minutes and I was already confronted with my father. The bastard never let me be. “Let me go.”
“Hey, she’s from Texas.” Liv tried to get between us and I bet she was ready to give that wolf a taste of an actual witch. “Her dad was from Arkansas and he was a mechanic. Let her go or I’ll call security.”
The werewolf let go, but he didn’t back away. “I’m sorry to be so pushy, but this is important. My nose doesn’t lie.”
“Hey, Zack, I need your help. Have you seen the munchkins? I’m supposed to be watching them, but the little suckers got away from me. Z will kill me if they burn down the club,” a new voice said, and I found myself staring at another werewolf.
The place was thick with them tonight.
“Good, I can use your help, too. Smell her,” the guy named Zack demanded.
“I don’t want to be smelled.” I tried to back up. The bar stopped me. I ran flat up against it.
“Leave her alone.” Liv
pushed at the wolf with brown hair. The new wolf was taking a whiff.
“Hey, Zack, she smells like…”
“You!” I shouted, not caring who was looking because the new wolf was startlingly familiar. Much of the night before might still be foggy, but I recognized that platinum blond hair. Familiar light-blue eyes looked at me. I’d stared at them as he’d stalked me and thought about how icy cold they were. Tonight they weren’t as arctic, but I knew them all the same.
The blond wolf gave me a huge smile and a wink. “Yes? Do you recognize me from my career as a male model? Or did I break your heart in a past life because you loved me and I love boys?”
I wasn’t about to joke with the little fucker. I poked him right on his hard chest. “I remember you from the time you tried to kill me.”
The wolf went completely pale and Zack stepped in, trying to protect his friend. “You must be mistaken. Neil wouldn’t try to kill a girl.”
Neil frowned. “I wouldn’t put anything past me, but I don’t remember trying to kill this one. I’ve never seen you before, honey.”
I growled because when surrounded by wolves, it seemed like the right thing to do. “It wasn’t really you. It was an illusion. Obviously that damn witch knows you because he has you down. You look exactly like he projected.”
“I’m sorry. There’s some mistake. We don’t hang out with witches,” Zack said patiently. “We’re wolves. We don’t do the whole magic thing so I’m afraid we wouldn’t know anyone who could do that.”
“Umm, hello, what about Chad?” Neil said, looking at Zack like he was a dumbass.
Now Zack was the one growling and Neil took that pretty damn seriously. Those baby-blue eyes got wide and they appeared to have a silent argument. It was obvious who won. Neil looked like he wanted to tuck his tail between his legs and run.
“Who’s Chad?” I asked in my most threatening voice. It didn’t help that I kind of tottered on my heels.
“No idea.” Zack had all the smooth confidence of a born liar. He used his thumb to indicate his cohort. “And I wouldn’t listen to him. He’s slow, if you know what I mean.”
I focused every bit of my intimidation powers on the weak link. “I’ll ask again; who’s Chad?”
“Uhm, I really…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the blond wolf said and there was something a little desperate in his eyes.
“He’s lying,” Liv said as though it was a hard fought and won revelation.
“You think?” I shot back because blondie was starting to sweat. I decided to test a theory. Goth boy had known this wolf and given the fact that his illusion had been the brightest, most real of the bunch, I had drawn a conclusion. “You’re telling me you don’t know a man, probably twenty-five or so, stringy black hair, Goth black nail polish. He was kind of fat.”
“There isn’t an ounce of fat on his body,” Neil said righteously. “And his hair isn’t stringy. It’s perfect.”
Zack sighed and shook his head. “You’re such a dumbass, Neil.”
I pounced quickly. “You tell me where I can find him. We have a few things to work out. Tell him he sure as hell better bring more than tranquilizer darts if he wants to take my ass down. I fully intend to beat the shit out of him once I figure out what he wanted from me.”
“Well, I would tell him all that, if I had any idea what gorgeous, sweet, loving guy with a ridiculously low body fat percentage you’re talking about,” Neil said with a toss of his blond head. He turned to Zack. “No one ever tells me anything.”
“I can’t think why not,” Zack deadpanned.
“Now I have to figure out a way to tell everyone I screwed up some weird plan concerning some strange chick who smells like a wolf but isn’t that I didn’t even know about. Well, I can think about it while I’m tracking down the destructo twins. Maybe they’ll have mercy on me and make the club explode. I doubt anyone will be able to yell at all my blown up bits.”
I’d had enough out of that drama queen. “Look here, I’ll take you apart if you don’t…”
“Oh, shit, Kels.” Liv pulled on my arm. She pointed up and I saw Gray being dragged along by two big bouncers. He was yelling at them as they started to lead him up the stairs.
I was torn. I really wanted to force that damn wolf to talk. I could do it, too. Oh, I wasn’t sure about the brown-haired wolf. He seemed like a pretty solid liar to me, but that blond wolf would wilt like an orchid under a heat lamp once I started in on him. I glanced back up at my kind-of, sort-of boyfriend. He was so pissed I knew he was going to get into big-time trouble and then we wouldn’t learn a thing.
“Damn it,” I swore under my breath, glaring back at Neil. “We’re not done. Count yourself lucky that my escort is an idiot, but don’t think this is through.”
“Not by a long shot,” I heard Zack swear as I walked away.
I cut across the bar area to the small set of stairs on the far side of the club. It probably led to some damn security office and Gray had been made as a cop. It was the haircut. I was sure of it. No one in the supernatural world had a military cut. It screamed authority figure.
“Ma’am,” a deep voice at the bottom of the stairs said. “That floor is employees only. Please step away.”
I couldn’t get around him. He was really freaking big. I had to settle for yelling from the bottom of the stairs. “Gray!”
Liv ran to catch up. “That’s her boyfriend. Where exactly are they taking him? What did he do?”
The big wolf snorted. “He pissed off the boss, that’s what he did. If you don’t want to piss off the boss, I suggest you head your pretty little selves back to the bar and enjoy the rest of your night. If the boss kills your ride, let me know and I’ll arrange a limo to take you back. It’s all part of the service.”
I’d just about decided to see if my heels could be used as some form of weapon when Zack’s voice cut through the thick tension.
“I’ll vouch for her, Len,” Zack said and Len immediately backed off. Zack’s eyes were guarded as he studied me. He nodded toward the top of the stairs where Gray disappeared into the open door. “You know the asshole cop?”
I could feel my mouth tighten. “I know the lieutenant.”
He gently grabbed my elbow and started up the stairs. “Keep your eyes on the witch, Len. It’s obvious we’re gonna have trouble with the whole group.”
I followed the werewolf, climbing the stairs as fast as my three-inch heels would allow me.
“Where are you taking me?” I was grateful I’d been paranoid enough to strap one of Gray’s .45s around my thigh. Weapons were not allowed in the club, but while the bouncers had searched Gray, they hadn’t bothered with me or Liv. I felt the comforting weight of it on my leg and knew it would be loaded with silver ordnance. Gray had prepped it for me. I wasn’t going for it yet, but if I had to shoot our way out of this, I would.
“We’re going up to the office so we can figure a few things out.” Zack pivoted when we reached the top step. “I won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid. I just have a few questions.”
“Doesn’t seem fair for you to expect me to answer your questions when you won’t answer mine,” I grumbled as he slid a key card through the door and it opened.
“I’ve answered every one of your questions,” he replied with an enigmatic smile.
“You lied.” I was escorted into a small, intimate room.
“Prove it.” The wolf laughed and I got the feeling he was enjoying this. He kept breathing deeply, as though he liked the smells around him and wanted to fully appreciate them.
Gray sat sullenly in a chair that was placed in front of a big desk. “I’m sorry, Kelsey. They nabbed me the minute I walked past the bar. Apparently the staff was given a lecture on how important it is to keep me out.”
“There’s a picture of him in the security office. They throw darts at it.” Zack waved to the two bouncers. “Thanks, guys. Let payroll know I’ll sign to pay out the bounty.”
“Bounty?
” I looked from Zack to Gray.
The bouncers left, closing the door behind them, and I was struck that someone thought this Zack person could handle both Gray and me. I was confused because he didn’t seem like an alpha to me, but he had a lot of wolves following his orders.
“What did you expect, Sloane? Dev doesn’t like being arrested. You hauled him out of here last time in front of the entire club,” Zack pointed out. “He’s gonna like you even less in a few minutes. I believe you’ll find you’ve interrupted some alone time with his wife. They had the whole condo to themselves tonight. You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t shoot you. Now, tell me what her name is and where you found her. Is this some kind of game you’re playing, Sloane?”
“I’m here on an investigation.” Gray shook his head. “I’m not playing any games. Kelsey is a contractor. She’s a PI who’s working with me. You should let her go. She doesn’t have anything to do with Quinn’s arrest.”
“Your name is Kelsey?” Zack said my name slowly, as though tasting it.
“Yes.” I wondered who the hell I resembled that the werewolf would be so concerned with who I was. “I’m Kelsey Atwood.”
I pulled a card out of the purse I’d fought Liv on carrying. The tiny clutch she’d sworn went with the dress couldn’t hold anything more than a cell, some gloss, and my cards.
Zack studied the card. “Atwood? Any relation to Nathan?”
“He’s my brother.” I hoped I wasn’t about to get Nate in serious trouble.
Zack started to say something when twin doors slid open revealing an elevator that led directly into the cozy office. The lights in the office were dim, giving the entire place an intimate glow, but the elevator lights rushed in and I got my first glimpse of the notorious Devinshea Quinn. He radiated anger as he strode out of the elevator, still buttoning his white dress shirt. Black slacks hung low on his ridiculously muscled hips. Gray had definitely interrupted something.
