Page 14 of The Way You Bite
Lexan drummed his fingers against his sweating beer glass. Bodies gyrated on a packed dance floor a few feet away. He didn’t frequent human haunts as a rule. He had no interest in anything offered by the barely dressed girls draped around the periphery of the downtown club or the pierced, leathered guys eyeballing from the bar ready to deal pharmaceuticals.
He punched the Indiglo on his watch. This meeting should’ve been over five minutes ago. Three more minutes. Then, he was out of here.
He tugged at the edges of his sweatshirt’s hood to ensure it still camouflaged his face. He didn’t want to deal with an accidental female enthrallment. He adjusted the loose black coat floating down to his knees, ensuring easy access to the double-edged blade at his side. The sweatshirt-coat combo, although hot, was vital to camouflage his weapons, a bad habit, a leftover from the War. He didn’t miss the old days when werewolves fought to emancipate themselves from vamps. But, back then, no one cared if he carried a big-ass blade. These days, metal detectors and the paranoid security rampant in the human world made concealment a nightmare. Weapons remained a necessity. When the vamps broke the peace, he’d kill before reverting to subservience.
Over the human lust hormones he detected a nonhuman scent.
Finally.
The human techno-grind parted. Those at the edge of the opening halted as a darkly clad form glided through. Blaylock.
He and Blay represented a slim minority of living veterans of the War. Relic warriors of an era long gone. That didn’t mean they shared beers and war stories on the weekends. This particular wolf chose to walk his own path in the shadows, although not alone. He had an army of wolves who worked for him, many who were scientists researching medical problems inherent to wolves.
A curvaceous brunette woman threw herself into Blay’s path. He barely paused. The girl jumped away. He probably used a mental nudge to get rid of her. The nifty ability unnerved many, but not him. Mental coercion didn’t work on him, maybe because he held some serious seniority over this wolf.
Blay slid into the straight-back chair opposite. His head swiveled to glare behind him toward the entrance. Distinct disadvantage to be back-to-the-exit. He shifted around. “I was delayed.”
“Apparently.” Lexan scowled. No one showed up “late” to meet with him. Ever.
Blay dropped his gaze. Marginal submission, but not enough.
Lexan glanced at his watch. “My time untiltheytrack me down is limited.”
Blay glanced around as if one of the Elites might slither from the shadows.
He hated giving the boys the slip earlier, but no one was to know this wolf still lived. The Elites were wickedly good at their job. Actually, they were better than good. As ex-cons and criminal masterminds, they were downright terrifying in their ability to track and ferociously protect him. They had to be. Between extremist vamps like those in the States, human hunter zealots, and dissenter wolves, there were more than a few gunning for the king.
“For a dead guy, you sure like risking exposure with this cloak and dagger shit.” Lexan threw his shades on the table and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the pulsating lights. He leveled his gaze on Blay in a calculated glare meant to intimidate.
“I’m not impressed by your progress so far, Your Majesty. Time is running out.”
Had this been any other wolf, he’d strike him down for the disrespect. But the two of them were bound by memories that fucked them up and still tortured. Even if Blay preferred the shadows, if Lexan called upon this wolf for anything, he would show up, armed and ready to kill. No questions asked.
“If you decided you’d like to be involved in this venture, then you could’ve phoned. If you’re ready to go back on your word to her dying mother that you’d stay out of your daughter’s life, and you want to finish this yourself, then so be it. You can collect on yourIOUa different time.”
“How could you let her go to the wedding?”
Yeah, he didn’t think Blay would release him from his promise to help Vee so easily. Unlike last week, now he was okay with helping her, actually anticipated it. “You forbid I kidnap her. There would’ve been no other way to stop her.”
“You were supposed to use your…lady charm and have her on a plane to Europe already.”
“It doesn’t work on her.”
Blay stilled. “That’s odd. Did you pick up any other skills from her?”
“She’s a healer who uses some sort of calming thing on her patients.”
Blay nodded toward Lexan’s beer. “You mind?”
Lexan shook his head.
Blay took a huge swig. “Well, that makes this complicated. I was counting on your ability to make this fast.”
“I’ll get this done for you, but it’s going to take more time than anticipated unless you’re ready to okay kidnapping.”
Blay took another large swallow of beer. “No kidnapping. It has to be her choice to leave her life here. I need you to get her somewhere safe. Very safe.”
“This isn’t just about her transition, is it? You’re worried the vamps are going to play with the virus in this country. Did you hear something?”
