Page 38 of Soulmates
Then, because shit’s not weird enough, a couple of the wolves stalk over. One’s tall and lanky and the other’s about my height with lots of curves, and I decide their names are Batman and Robin.
“Y’all need to go,” Batman says, a magnolia lilt to her vowels.
Robin just growls.
I try to get Trajan’s attention, but he’s too busy glare-wrestling the bartender. The pixie’s gaze is bouncing between the two vampires, and the other wolves are getting restless, belts and chains jangling. I take a deep breath. Time for the alpha to take charge.
I straighten to my full five feet five inches and let my wolf out just enough to buzz along my skin. No fur, no claws, but even without a mirror, I know my eyes have gone full lupine, amber gold with a wide black pupil.
There’s a reason my family’s run our pack for five generations. Power is hereditary, and while this pack’s alpha might be able to keep a pack of rowdy bikers in line, my genetics say I could control every wolf in this country if I applied myself.
Robin drops first, with Batman right behind her. “Sir,” one of them whispers, but I’m too busy staring down the leader of their pack to respond to them.
Between the tats and the dreads and the leather bustier, the pack leader’s a walking stereotype. She comes forward and stops behind the two who are kneeling. She wants to fight, but it only takes a couple of seconds for her to bow her head. “Sir.”
“What’s your name?”
She lifts her head but keeps her gaze on the floor. “Lydia.”
“Cool. Nice to meet you, Lydia. I’m David Collins, and my friend and I do not mean to trespass. You’re the boss here, okay?”
She meets my gaze, her uncertainty apparent. I raise my hands, palms up, and tell my wolf to sit the fuck down.
“I’m nobody’s alpha yet. I’m just trying to stop a fight. Obviously, you’ve got your little chicks’ nest going on in here, no sausages allowed or whatever, and that’s cool, but we’re looking for our friend Sheena.”
“She comes here all the time.” Trajan pivots so he’s standing at my elbow. “Sheena’s an Amazon, blonde, works at the Rectory.”
“Does that sound familiar to any of you?” I don’t try to force too much authority into my tone. I want the truth, not just whatever pops into their head because I compelled them.
“She was here,” the leader says, not quite up to the level of arrogance she had when she walked over. Close, though, so she heard me when I said she’s the boss. And honestly, this is a parlor trick compared with what my father can do. For me, power comes shrouded in ambivalence; a useful skill, but not something I want to do all the time.
Batman lifts her chin and manages to meet my gaze. “She said she was going to meet somebody, and we saw her talking to some dude in the parking lot, so we figured that’s who she meant.”
The bartender smacks a rag down on the bar. “Would you guys shut the fuck up? What happens in here stays in here.”
Makes sense, actually. A small place like this, with such a specific clientele, probably has to keep a pretty tight lid on things. Doesn’t stop me from glaring at her, or from being surprised when she shuts up.
“What’d he look like?”
None of the weres answer Trajan, so I repeat the question.
“Didn’t get a good look at him. He had brown hair, maybe about his size.” Batman points at Trajan. Her description isn’t much help. Easily half the men in LA are about Trajan’s size.
“What time did you see her?”
This time, I don’t have to prompt them to answer.
“’Bout seven thirty.” Robin’s twisting her fingers together like I’m causing her pain.
Aw shit.That’s not what I meant to do. Time to break up this little party. “Come on.” I nudge Trajan. “Let’s go.”
He gives the bartender another mean look and nods to me. We head out, the swell of the wolves’ voices chasing us through the door. Trajan hits his key fob, and the big SUV lights up.
“Get in,” he says, all overbearing vampire.
I stifle a grin. Under the right circumstances, I can be a badass too, and I like knowing he’s seen that side of me. I climb in and buckle up. “Drive on, boss man.”
Chapter Thirteen
