A low growl rumbled from the big one’s chest. I shut my mouth and stepped back. Both of their eyes shimmered amber. I didn’t think I was imagining things when it looked like the bones under their skin rippled, as if they were planning to rearrange themselves.
Holding up my hands, I backed further away. They waited until I was on the street before going back inside.
This was not good.
I checked my phone again. Seven minutes left.
He had to be in the bar. It was my only hope. If he’d left, I had no way of tracking him, so I’d assume luck was on my side and the smaller werewolf had simply missed him in his walk through. Maybe he’d been in the bathroom.
That meant I just had to find another way into the bar. Easy. Right.
These places always had a back entrance. I think it had something to do with the fire code. There had to be two exits to an establishment of this size. I’d just work my way back there and see if it was as well guarded as the front.
It took only a few seconds to walk around and find the alley the bar let out on. I crinkled my nose at the strong odor of decay. I didn’t know what they were putting in their dumpsters, but it smelled foul.
I was in luck. Nobody challenged me even when I pulled open the door—thankfully unlocked—and made my way inside.
It was a little surprising, actually. For people who didn’t want any outsiders in their bar, they didn’t do a very good job of securing the perimeter. I expected some type of lookout in the rear entrance given the giants at the front. Maybe they thought the keep away charm would dissuade persistent strangers.
The smell of blood stopped me. My fangs lengthened as the first sharp tang of iron hit my senses. I found myself turning towards a door midway down the hall as if in a dream. The blood called to me. I could practically taste it.
I opened the door and stopped short, shocked out of my bloodlust.
A dark-haired man knelt over a figure on the floor. His sharp blue eyes met mine, pinning me in place. I couldn’t move, my thoughts scattered and unable to assemble as his gaze held me spellbound.
A distant part of me noted the fangs protruding from his mouth and the puddle of blood spreading out from the body on the ground. A body that was currently in several pieces.
The scrape of a shoe in the hallway distracted me enough to break the stranger’s gaze. The smaller of the front door werewolves stared at me in surprise.
“How did you-?” His eyes shifted to amber as he lifted his nose to sniff at the air. “Blood.”
In the next moment, he shouldered me aside and let loose an eerie howl at the sight of the body on the ground.
The man with the beautiful blue eyes was gone.
In the next moment, someone grabbed the back of my jacket and threw me into the wall behind me. My head banged hard against the plaster, sending stars across my vision. I didn’t have a chance to do much more than blink before a snarling face was in mine. The owner of that face lifted me off my feet, bringing me still closer.
Growls filled the hallway as men and some women caught the scent of what was in the room.
This wasn’t looking good.
“Murderer,” the half-transformed face lisped at me.
He raised one furry, clawed hand. If that landed, I didn’t know if I could survive. I kicked out, landing a solid blow against his stomach. He grunted, his grip loosening.
“Enough.” The voice came from the room, halting the half-man in front of me. “Brax will want to see her.”
My captor turned back to me, a row full of very sharp teeth on full display. Seeing the intention in his eyes, I tried to duck as one fist caught me on the side of my head. Darkness rose up to greet me.
*
Ugh. My head felt like an elephant was tap dancing on it. Blood coated my tongue. Please tell me I hadn’t hit the bars and snacked on one of the college kids. The ensuing hangover would last all night. I hated being hung over.
I opened my eyes to find myself the focus of several sets of angry glares. Oh right. The knowledge of the body and the very angry werewolves came rushing back to me.
Hah, this was so much worse than a hangover.
My head protested as I drew myself up to sitting. That must have been quite the blow he gave me if my enhanced healing hadn’t fixed it already. By the pounding in my head, I was guessing a normal human wouldn’t have survived. At least not without brain damage.
