Page 5 of Sassy Embrace

Claude turned away, not just because the display of affection was awkward. He still felt a slight twist in his gut at the thought of a vampire and wolf having romantic relations like that.

Even worse, one of them was his close, dear family.

“Hey, Claude,” Trevan said as if the shifter just noticed he was there.

“Nice to see you again,” Claude lied. He cleared his throat. “I should head over to Embraced and get a look at what I’ll be dealing with.”

“I’ll send you the schematics and work plans,” Aria called out as Claude marched to the front door.

He sighed as the door shut behind him. Everything around him was changing so quickly, and he wasn’t sure he liked a single bit of it.

THREE

LEIGH

Leigh shook the stainless steel cocktail shaker vigorously, feeling the beading condensation pool around her palms. She shook until the container became too cold to handle anymore, and that’s when she knew the drink was ready.

She grabbed a tall glass rimmed with sugar and filled it with ice before popping the cap off the shaker and carefully pouring the contents into the cup. She smiled at the color, a perfect pale orange, exactly what it was supposed to be. The egg white settled on top, perfectly frothy.

Finally, she filled the drink to the top with sparkling water and garnished it with a single orange wedge before handing it over to the blonde girl with stars in her eyes.

“One orange creamsicle!” Leigh said enthusiastically.

“Oh my God, thank you. You have no idea how much I’ve been craving this,” the woman said before taking one very long sip.

Leigh smiled wide at her customer’s vivid satisfaction. This is what she loved. This is what gave her life that shining beacon of meaning.

She was back bartending at the Sassy Wolfe, right in her favorite element. Managing the other clubs was certainly afulfilling challenge, but it was here behind the bar where she flourished. Nate considered her his favorite employee for a reason. She was damn good at what she did.

And she had an even better time doing it since the rebranding from the Thirsty Wolfe to the Sassy Wolfe, in honor of Nate’s mate, Karla.

“Excuse me, can I get one of whatever she’s drinking?” Another woman came to the bar and pointed at the blonde practically making sweet love to her cocktail. “It looks incredible, I don’t even care what’s in it.”

“One orange creamsicle, coming right up.” Leigh was used to these sorts of asks. Once one person ordered a particularly enchanting-looking drink, five more requests for the same would come flooding in. She went through the preparation with practiced ease, happily stuck in her zone.

Until one of the pub’s waitresses approached her with the cordless phone, mouthing “It’s for you” at her.

Leigh accepted the receiver, holding it to her ear with her shoulder while preparing the shaker.

“Hello?”

“Leigh! It’s Tristan. Are you busy?”

Leigh bit her lip. She already knew what was about to be asked of her. Just when she was getting back in the groove of things too.

“Me? Busy? Whatever would give you that idea?” she asked before vigorously shaking the drink.

“Ha-ha, very funny, Leigh.”

Not many people could get away with sassing the pack alpha, but Leigh was a hard worker with a reputation for a smart mouth. So she was definitely one of them.

“What do you need?” she asked with a more serious tone. She may have felt disappointed, but she wasn’t about to let down her pack.

“Glad you asked. Listen, I have a special request for you. I know your hands are full, and that’s exactly why you’re the one I’m trusting with this,” Tristan said.

Leigh passed the drink to the waiting customer before excusing herself to the back office.

“Oh?”

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