Page 64 of Kidnapping Their Third

Pike

Pike paused at the sign outside the exclusive bar.

Sanguine

We have the perfect drink

for every client

He’d never been here, but he’d heard about it from several other shifters. It had an enchantment on it so only creatures with magic could see it, which was why Cora was staring at the windows of the place with a frown.

“Cool name, but it looks abandoned.”

Kimble chuckled and took her hand in his to lead the way inside, Pike following behind. Once she was inside, the enchantment no longer affected her. She came to a dead stop, her eyes wide as she took everything in.

The place had an old-world elegant feel to it with dark wood tables and plush overstuffed chairs everywhere. Pike made out everything despite the dim lighting, but Cora was probably unable to see much beyond the pools of light at each table and the bar itself. Almost all the tables were occupied and about half the seats at the bar. Pike could smell all kinds of creatures including at least one silkie. This was a popular place.

“Fancy,” she murmured.

“We are,” a masculine voice agreed cheerfully. They all looked at the man behind the bar. He was wearing a blood red button up shirt with black slacks. His loose, shoulder length hair was curled around his head in artful disarray.

It was the type of styling Pike had tried once in his teens and gave up within a few weeks. He didn’t have the patience to put that much effort into his hair. He pulled in a deep breath and smelled cat shifter, probably a mountain lion. That made sense, cats were all about grooming.

“You must be the throuple Ellie sent over,” he said, waving them over to a small table at their right. “Have a seat, and I’ll bring you some drinks.”

“Wow, Monroe buys you a dress, and Ellie buys you drinks,” Pike said. “I’d be jealous if I didn’t know better.”

Kimble moved over to hold a seat out for Cora. She blushed and demurely sat down. He could tell she felt a little self-conscious in the dress. By the end of the night, he was determined that she would understand how beautiful she was, in this dress or out of it!

Cora looked out the nearby window. “Why can I see everything now but when I was outside this place looked empty?”

“That’s because I paid a lot of money to an entire coven to help keep this place hidden from the average human,” the man said as he carried over a tray with drinks. “Welcome to the Sanguine. My name is Zan, owner and master mixologist. I’ve taken the liberty to bring our vampire friend a nice fresh vintage of 0+. For the bear, I got a hefeweizen with a hint of orange.”

As he spoke, he set the drinks down. Kimble’s blood was in an ornate crystal wine glass while Pike’s beer was in the largest glass mug he’d ever seen.

So far, Zan had gotten their orders spot on, but a bear shifter and vampire weren’t hard to guess. What would he choose for Cora?

“For the lovely human, I’ve brought a magic concoction of my own creation,” he announced as he set her drink down. Cora’s drink was some kind of colorful cocktail topped with several vivid ornaments.

Cora stared at it warily. “Magic?”

Zan laughed. “Magic because I make great cocktails, love. There’s nothing but regular ingredients in that. Not a single speck of the supernatural, I promise.”

Cora looked at him expectantly, so Pike leaned in and took a sniff. He smelled a lot of things, but none of it was magic.

“It’s safe, but there is alcohol in there,” he warned her.

“I can do one drink without falling asleep,” she murmured, picking up the glass and holding it high over the table. “Cheers!”

He and Kimble quickly clinked their glasses with hers and took sips of their drinks. His beer was cold, crisp and refreshing and by the expression on Kimble’s face, the blood was palatable.

After a small experimental sip, Cora made an appreciative sound and took a longer swallow. “Oh damn, this is good!”

Pike watched the drink disappear way too fast for the amount of alcohol he’d smelled. Oh well, he could carry her back to the car if necessary.

Zan brought over a bowl of mixed nuts, giving Pike a sly grin as he set it down. “Sorry, I don’t stock roots or berries. I hope this will work.”

He was gone before Pike could take a swipe at him. Damn cheeky cats!

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