“Victor, please will you serve me tonight?” she pouted at him, “I wouldn’t want to catch rabies off that dog that you insist on keeping around.” I rolled my eyes again.
“Yeah, you serve her, Victor,” I called over. “Just watch out for crabs, from what I hear.”
“You bitch!” she screamed, and Victor sighed dramatically, although I could see the glint of amusement in his eyes.
“Erica,” he pleaded. I shrugged and smiled. I couldn’t help it. This bitch wolf had been on my back almost as long as I worked here, and it was grating on me. What made it so much worse was the main reason she had a vendetta against me was making his way up to the bar as we spoke.
My heart lifted slightly as I turned to see Damon Pierce sauntering towards me, his dark hair perfectly tousled and a playful grin on his lips. He was tall and well-built, with deep brown eyes that always seemed to be dancing with mischief. Despite being the beta heir of a local pack, Damon had never shown any interest in asserting his authority over me. A refreshing change from the majority of werewolves I'd encountered in my life.
"Hey," I said, managing a genuine smile. “What brings you here? And on a school night I believe.” I winked with a flirty smile that I knew would piss Heidi off.
"Thought I'd drop by and surprise you." Damon playfully reached out and took my hand, very much aware of the glare from Heidi. "You know, keep things interesting."
"Interesting?" I raised an eyebrow at him. That was one way to describe the current situation. I glanced down the bar again at the Alpha, knowing full well he was still watching me. Damon's eyes followed my gaze, and I saw his face harden as he saw the two men at the end.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” he hissed, and I looked at him in shock. It was rare that I saw anything but happiness on Damon’s face.
“You know him?” I asked, and Damon looked at me before looking back down the bar.
“Yeah I do,” he said. “And I don’t like him.” I looked down the bar again and Jasper was observing the exchange between Damon and me with undisguised interest. He glanced at Damon and I heard a growl coming from Damon in response. Jasper looked more amused by Damon’s reaction. I saw his beta Kieran lean over and whisper something in his ear. Jasper laughed at whatever it was and Damon growled again.
“Who is he?” I asked Damon, “Why is he getting under your skin so much?” It wasn’t just Damon I was concerned about, this Alpha had just been asking about my family, if I could get information on him then I could take it back to Trenton.
“It’s complicated,” Damon said. He then looked at me with concern in his eyes. "I don't trust him, and neither should you."
"Are you jealous?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Of course not," Damon blustered, his cheeks reddening. "I just care about you, and don’t want to see you get hurt."
"Then trust me to make my own decisions," I replied, trying to convey both my gratitude for his concern and my determination to handle the situation on my own.
"Fine," he relented, but his expression remained tense.
Damon took a big sigh and shook his head. He reached over the bar and took me by the elbow. He pulled me down to the other side of the bar, as far away from the two werewolves as he could before he spoke.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure," I replied, feigning nonchalance.. "What's up?"
"Look, I know tonight's been a bit... intense," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Shoot," I said, folding my arms across my chest and bracing myself for whatever bombshell he was about to drop.
“Not here,” he said and glanced down the bar. “Will you meet me tomorrow night? It’s your night off right? Can I take you out for dinner or something?”
“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He flashed his award-winning boyish charm smile.
“I’m gonna be staying over at the apartment,” he said, and I sighed. The apartment was owned by the Silver Stone pack and was used by the upper ranks in case they needed a bed in the city. Or if they needed to house a potentially dangerous guest.
“Damon,” I said, “I’m not sure that it’s the right time.” I was reminded of the fact that once Trenton got back from his trip, we could be out of here and I wouldn’t see those beautiful brown eyes again.
“Please Erica, I really want to see you,” he pleaded, and I grimaced. I tried to think of an excuse, but already knew I wouldn’t find one.
“Fine,” I said. The smile I got was bright enough to make me smile.
“Great,” he said happily. “We can talk properly tomorrow.” I smiled in return, although I was starting to feel nervous. I didn’t like the sound of this. Whatever he wanted to talk to me about, I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to like it.
Chapter 3
