Page 18 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

Cortes had muzzled the parrot.

Vlad grimaced. “Your familiar needs therapy.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Cortes frowned at the bird before jerking his head toward the bar. “Seriously though, go. The worst she can do is say no.”

Or snap my arm like a twig. But Vlad was already rising to his feet.

Tarang moved to follow. Vlad hesitated.

His familiar usually made himself scarce during his hookups. But something in Tarang’s steadfast gaze told him the tiger wasn’t going anywhere tonight.

He crossed the floor to the bar, aware of Cortes and Popo watching with poorly concealed interest. Though the woman didn’t look up as he approached, the way she fractionally adjusted her posture suggested she knew exactly where he was.

“That was impressive.” Vlad settled onto the stool beside her.

Tarang plopped down on his haunches and stared unblinkingly at the blonde.

She glanced at Vlad. “The part where I said no or the part where I had to demonstrate why no means no?”

“The part where you did it without spilling your drink.”

That earned him a faintly interested look. “A woman has her priorities.”

The bartender appeared with her whiskey. Vlad ordered the same.

The man dipped his head cautiously at him before vanishing.

Most people who worked around here had an inkling who he was.

Though the blonde clocked the exchange, she didn’t comment on it.

“Good choice.” She studied the amber liquid in her glass. “Though I prefer the twenty-one-year-old myself.”

“So do I.” He held out his hand. “Vlad.”

She eyed it for a moment before taking it. Her grip was firm, her palm callused in places that confirmed his suspicions about her.

“Delphine.”

Looks like I was right about that accent.

They sipped their drinks for a quiet moment.

“What brings you to New York?” Vlad said lightly, watching her reflection in the mirror opposite the bar over the rim of his glass.

She raised an eyebrow. “Who says I’m visiting?”

He smiled at the repartee. “I don’t live far from this place. I would have noticed you a long time ago if you were a regular.”

Delphine observed him with a quiet intensity that would have made any other man fidget.

“Work,” she said finally. “Though tonight I’m just killing time until I get my assignment.”

Vlad glanced at her glass. “Must be an important assignment if you’re drinking the good stuff.”

“More like one I could have done without.” Her gaze remained steady, like she was gauging him against some kind of mental checklist. “What about you? You don’t strike me as someone who needs to drink alone.”

“Who says I’m drinking alone?”

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