FOURTEEN
The Howling Wolf, so appropriately named, was a bar and grill that catered to a very specific crowd. Though a few random humans sometimes found their way inside, The Howling Wolf catered primarily to supes. You could find things on the menu that didn’t make any sense, such as the Goblin’s Delight, but you could also find one of the best burgers within a hundred-mile radius.
The crowd was rougher than a normal bar, but that was only because the patrons were creatures and beasts prone to excitement. Every night, there were at least a few people thrown out by the wolf who owned the place because they decided to break the furniture. Said wolf didn’t care if you blackened an eye, but she did care when her barstools or glasses were broken. That was the quickest way to get banned for life.
And missing out on The Howling Wolf Burger was a tragedy.
Nic and Jo walked into the bar with plenty of air separating them. Nic, as much as he was trying to be a gentleman, unnerved Jo when he got too close. It wasn’t because there was something wrong with him. In fact, it was because too much was right. His scent, his appearance, the way he held the door open for her and moved far enough so she didn’t have to worry about brushing up against him unwarranted. He was being a perfect gentleman, and it annoyed Jo to no end. Where was the werewolf who put his foot in his mouth right off the back? Why was he suddenly being so helpful and nice?
Paranoia had Jo thinking it was because he was playing some sort of sick game, but what game could he be playing? Nic was risking his life to be her partner in the Race Games. He had been nothing but helpful. It was silly to suspect him of something nefarious.
With that thought in mind, Jo led the way toward a booth in the corner, the prime spot to see the entire room in case shit hit the fan. There was always some sort of rough and tumble confrontation in the bar and when there were so many people out to get them, it could be dangerous to not see the entire room.
“Maybe this wasn’t a great idea,” Jo commented over the sound of the siren singing in the corner. Most were ignoring her in favor of their food right then, her powers lost on most supes. Only a lone goblin was staring slack-jawed at the singer in the middle of the dance floor.
“Why do you say that?” Nic asked, staring at the menu. “I’m getting a burger. Man, have I been craving one.”
“We have literal targets on our backs,” she grunted. “Anyone could target us right now and no one would be the wiser over this crowd.”
Nic glanced at her. “Relax. Our reflexes are quick enough we’d see it coming from a mile away. Nothing is going to happen to us while in The Howling Wolf. It’s supposed to be neutral.”
But Jo knew many creatures didn’t follow the rules. Money and power made supes think they were above the law and some of them were. They got away with far too much. Before King Yophiel had taken over as King of the Vamps, the prior king had been a nightmare. There was always an opportunity to take control, to pay under the table, to take people out and worry about the consequences later.
The waitress came over to take their order—two burgers and two beers—and Nic and Jo lapsed into silence while they waited. On the dance floor, there were groups of people moving to the siren’s song by that point, a sensual upbeat tune that made it feel intimate to watch the dancing. It was almost as if they shouldn’t be wearing any clothing at all, and in fact, the dance floor was starting to appear as if it were one beat away from an orgy before the owner came out and yelled at the siren. She immediately switched to something less sensual, but the dancers continued to grind on each other as if they never had before.
Some small part of Jo wanted Nic to ask her to dance, but she knew she’d say no. It was too soon, too hopeful, for anything such at that.
The waitress returned with their burgers, and they dug in. Jo realized how famished she’d actually been, how badly she’d needed the burger after all. When was the last time she’d splurged on a meal like this? Not for at least a few months.
Looking out over the crowd, the groups of supes who didn’t even bother to look their way, Jo pondered the atmosphere.
“This place never changes, does it?” she said.
“No matter how popular it gets, it doesn’t,” Nic agreed. “I used to come here, before. . .you know. I used to love the vibe of this place. After, well, it lost its appeal besides the food.”
Jo sat down the piece of burger she was almost finished with and narrowed her eyes. “You trying to say I made your life hell?”
Nic met her eyes. “I’m trying to say after losing you, my life was hell.”
Surprised at his words, Jo picked up her burger and took a final bite. She couldn’t eat anymore, too stuffed to finish, but she needed the extra food to have this conversation. Normally, she’d have changed the subject, but it had been a long time coming and she was on her second beer. If he wanted to hash out things, then she’d give some answers.
“We weren’t ready. We both agreed back then. I was still chasing my dreams and you were chasing every piece of tail that came your way. You told me you wanted to be free.”
“I know,” he replied, his voice quiet.
“You told me point blank that you wanted to keep going on adventures and sleeping around until you were ready to settle down. All I’d asked is that you wouldn’t stand in the way of my dreams,” Jo pointed out, getting angry at the way he wasn’t defending himself.
“I know.” The same answer. No answer at all.
“I know?” Jo growled. “That’s all you can say?”
“I have no excuse for what I did. I was an idiot and I know saying all those things made you hate me, made you want to reject me. I don’t blame you for doing that.”
Jo blinked. “Then what is it you want, Nicolas? What exactly are you trying to pull?”
“Nothing,” he answered, and the word rang with truth. “I’m not trying to pull the wool over your eyes. I just want you.”
Without asking, the waitress brought over a tray of shots and dropped a few on the table. Jo didn’t even question where they came from. She threw a shot back, reached for another one, and did the same, until the buzz of the alcohol was in her veins.
Wolfsbane. The only tequila worth a damn for a werewolf.
“We could have been great,” Jo admitted, staring at the man that was almost her mate. “Back then.”
“Yeah, we could have.” He studied her. “We could still be.”
“It’s too late for all that,” she answered, and threw back another shot. “I’m going to dance off some of this burger.”
She didn’t wait for Nic to answer. She simply got up and joined the crowd, the sound of the siren sinking into her bones and making her move in fluid movements, as if she were on the sea with the kelpies and letting it pull her beneath.
Jo found a group of women dancing and they immediately pulled her into their group, swaying with her, accepting her despite them all being literal strangers. Women, no matter their species, stuck together on the dance floor. Jo didn’t know how long she danced there, how many songs that passed as she took shot after shot that had been passed around, but she was feeling the alcohol so deeply, she wondered if she should slow down. She still had work the next day, still had weapons to build, but it had been so long since she’d let go, since she was so free.
Too many songs later, strong arms came around her, rough fingers that could belong to only one man, one wolf. When she turned in his arms and found brilliant golden eyes looking down at her, Jo didn’t pull away. Instead, she let him sway with her, let him revel in her freedom to throw back her head and move. This was what she needed.
“You’re the most wildly beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Nic murmured, pulling her in close, the Wolfbane in their veins throwing inhibitions to the wind.
Still, Jo tensed for a moment at his words, at the compliment she didn’t expect. She didn’t answer, couldn’t, because what was she supposed to say? That he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen too? Thank you? So she remained silent and kept moving, allowing the wolf she rejected ten years prior to pull her in closer and move with her.
They’d started with distance between them, but a few minutes later, their bodies were pressed closer than air, nothing stopping their flesh from touching save their clothing. It felt right. It felt far too right, and Jo knew she needed to do something. Still, the alcohol in her brain dampened the urgency to get away, and when the siren switched to something soft and slow, haunting, she looked up into Nic’s eyes and saw emotion shining there.
“You were the best thing to ever happen to me,” Nic whispered, loud despite the crowd because of her supernatural hearing. “It was my biggest mistake letting you walk out the door.”
Jo stared at him, her brain fuzzy. “You were supposed to be a part of the dreams,” she rasped. “You were supposed to be there.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Give me a chance, Jo. I’m trying to make up for what I did.”
They moved together, their eyes locked, and then before Jo knew what was happening, he was leaning in and she was leaning up, but before their lips could touch, she paused.
Her mind cleared as his scent washed over her.
A hairbreadth away from a kiss, Jo stared up at the wolf that had hurt her far more than any other in only a few minutes, and. . .
She wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t. The fuzziness in her brain disappeared and the fear returned.
Stumbling back from the wolf, terror filling her, she rasped, “I can’t,” and fled The Howling Wolf.
It took everything in her not to look back at the wolf she left behind.