Kat smiled fiendishly, straightening her blouse. “Sorry. Sometimes I’m a little too frank, but you shouldn’t be so wooden about language. It’s the only way I can get in with some of the guys who hang out at the bar. They don’t give information to girls with Russian accents who speak prim and proper, now do they? Anyhow, the knife is tucked on my left side, but the strap goes over my shoulder and around my chest and has a lot of small compartments—including a clip to hold handcuffs. My old one was pretty basic and the holster sat in the center of my chest, but that hurt too much and was harder to conceal when wearing low-cut shirts.”
Prince kept imagining her without a shirt, the holster strapped tight against her left breast, the feel of her leather pants as she stretched across his lap… He shifted in his seat. “How did you find Vlad after all these years?”
“He walked into a bar where I was hot on the trail of an arms dealer—the kind who specializes in stunners and rare weaponry. I guess the higher authority got sick of this scuzzball when one of his weapons killed a hotshot Mage. Anyhow, I was having a drink in the bar, and Vlad walked right in and sat beside me. I didn’t recognize him at first because the last time I’d seen him was twenty years ago, but the longer I stared at him in the mirror, the more familiar he seemed. He looks the same, except he has a lot of whiskers, like he’s trying to grow a pathetic excuse for a beard. Same cloudy eyes, blondish hair that’s real short to his head, same mean face, like Russian KGB.”
Prince glanced at her body again, wondering if handcuffs were part of her master plan. “Cuffs won’t hold a Mage.”
Kat waggled her brows. “Mine will. You’d be surprised what kind of metals are out there. That’s why these aren’t clunky. I don’t carry them with me all the time—not unless I’m on the hunt. These will make him as dangerous as a butterfly,” she said, flapping her hands comically. “I just need to get close enough to put the knife in his chest before I haul him off.”
Prince laughed and opened his door. “I sense this evening will not be uneventful.”
“Nope! A night with me is never a bore.”
The young couple standing in front of the club, tongues down each other’s throats, led Prince to believe this wasn’t the type of Breed establishment he’d normally be seen in. He frequented a few clubs and sometimes went to Howlers, a Shifter bar with a relaxed atmosphere where he could be among his own kind. Prince didn’t mind the company of most Breeds, but he could never trust a Mage.
Possessive instincts overwhelmed him when they entered the bar and two Vampires leered at Kat with their onyx eyes. She didn’t possess the same delicate mannerisms as her sister, nor did she wear short skirts that showed off her legs, but she garnered attention just the same with her sultry strut and self-assured way of settling her eyes on a man.
Prince eased up next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.
Kat nudged it off. “Don’t do that, Charming. People will think we’re an item.”
“That’s my intent. Then maybe they’ll cease giving you proprietary looks.”
Kat coughed and waved a cloud of smoke away as they moved toward a dark area. “Say what you will, but this body is what gets people talking to me.”
He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. “And you find this acceptable behavior?”
“You don’t think Nadia uses her body to attract clients?” They stopped by a wall, and she ran her finger down his silk tie. “And what about you and your expensive suits and imported cologne? Not to mention that sexy ponytail thing you’ve got going on. You don’t think that gets people’s attention a little more than say…thatguy?” She jerked her thumb toward a man in a blue flannel shirt, five buttons brazenly undone to reveal a thick bed of chest hair.
Prince lowered his eyes to meet hers. “Isn’t your job dangerous enough?”
When her lips tightened, he realized he’d offended her.
“I hope you’re not one of those guys who think a woman gets what she deserves because of what she’s wearing. A supremely stupid man made up that logic to blame women for his lack of control. I’ve locked up a lot of men in my time, and you wouldn’t believe the excuses I’ve heard. For example, if I strip down naked in this bar, then every man and woman has the right to look at me because… well, there I am. Kind of hard not to notice. But not one damn person has the right to touch me.”
“I trust you don’t intend to test that theory.”
Her eyes narrowed, dark lashes obscuring her brown eyes. “I’m shy, so that’s not on the agenda. My belly button is the only magic show you’re getting tonight.”
Odd. Nadia had no trouble showing off her fit body, and yet her identical twin struggled with self-image?
Kat suddenly sneezed and rubbed her nose. “Look, I know how to take care of myself. If I want to wear tight leather pants to get an informant to let his guard down and give me information, then that’s a sacrifice I’ll readily make.” She gasped, on the verge of sneezing, and then let out a sigh. “Sometimes I wish human laws applied to Breed establishments.”
He tilted his head to the side, startled by the sudden change in topic. “They’re not aware we exist, so we don’t have to follow their laws. Not as long as we keep them out of our clubs.”
She sneezed again, and it was high-pitched and quite pleasing to watch. “Well, I’ve always been a supporter of their smoking ban. Some of these immortals puff like a chimney, and it does a number on my allergies.”
Prince wiped a drop of sweat off his forehead, wishing he’d left his suit jacket in the car. “Shifters aren’t afflicted with allergies.”
She rubbed her nose. “Yeah? Well, I’m a sensitive girl. Say, why don’t you dash over to the bar and grab me a bottle of beer so we blend in? Don’t get me any of the fancy-pants stuff.”
“What is your preferred brand?”
She snapped her fingers and briefly closed her eyes. “Ohh, ‘Fire and Rain.’ Ilovethis song.” She quietly sang a few lines before she turned her attention back to the bar. “Let’s not make this complicated. Just point at one of the green bottles.”
Prince headed toward the bar and paid for a bottle, hoping his selection would please Kat. He even compared brands and chose the most expensive. Strange that he’d want to please her when they’d only just met. Prince felt comfortable in her presence, as if they’d known each other for years. The only other person he’d ever felt that same connection to was Alex.
It didn’t make sense, because he had more in common with her sister. Who else was more suited to be his mate than Nadia? Sophisticated, enchanting, eloquent…
