Liam’s eyes landed on me sitting across from Brax and something flared in them. Could have been happiness or joy, but I was betting on one of the darker emotions like irritation or rage. Maybe exasperation if I was lucky.
The wolves flowed to their feet, moving with almost impossible speed as they prepared to attack the intruders.
The two vampires at Liam’s back spread out as they eyed the wolves, some of which were beginning to sprout fur, their skeletons twisting closer to that of a wolf’s.
“Hold.” Brax’s power spilled into the room. Where before it was a warm bonfire on a winter’s night, now it was a raging inferno threatening to burn and destroy.
I took a shaky breath, struggling under the pressure of all that power. Sitting so close, I got a full dose of what it meant to be alpha and it gave me an idea of just how much he was keeping under wraps.
His power was vast like the ocean and could probably crush me with barely an afterthought.
Liam’s power rose to meet Brax’s, a cool breeze on a sweltering hot day. Immense in its own indefinable way. The two powers met and I was surprised when no weather event marked the area where they clashed, evenly matched. I expected a storm front or tornado to form.
I suddenly had a better appreciation of Sondra’s statement about my weakness. Compared to these two juggernauts, I was an insect. So powerless that I might be destroyed by accident simply by standing too close to the epicenter of the blast.
I took hold of the glass in front of Brax and threw back the drink, savoring the burn of (was that bourbon?) as it hit my stomach. I didn’t know much about bourbon, despite spending time on an Army base in Kentucky, but I thought this might be some of the good stuff. Definitely not meant to be guzzled like a shot.
Both Brax and Liam paused their stare off to look incredulously at me.
I held the glass up to the bartender, who looked like he was torn between hiding and attacking. “Got any more of this?”
His gaze shot to the blazing inferno on the other side of the table from me. Brax gave a small nod. “For our guests as well.”
The barkeep pulled several glasses from beneath the counter and a bottle of amber liquid from the top shelf. Fancy. I never got to drink from the top shelf. Usually I stuck with the beer on draft or if I was feeling frisky, a rum and coke.
“What are you doing here?” Liam asked, without taking his eyes from Brax.
The blond vampire on his other side shot me an assessing glance before focusing back on the wolves. He and the other one looked familiar. Like I had seen them before, and recently.
Ah, they’d been in the club last night when Aidan had shown me to the room Liam was in.
From their body language, I was willing to bet Liam was their boss or commander.
I gave the bartender a big smile when he set the glass in front of me. He set another glass in front of Brax. The glare Liam was currently aiming my way caused him to bobble the rest of the glasses.
“You can hand those to me,” the blond said.
The bartender gave up his burden. The vampire gave him a lazy smile while managing to hold his companions’ glasses in one hand before taking a sip of his. He made a pleased expression as if to say it was good stuff.
“Aileen.” Liam’s voice took on a threatening edge.
“Oh, were you talking to me?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink. Bourbon wasn’t my alcohol of choice. “It’s so hard to tell.”
“You try my patience.”
Good. That was my goal.
Brax shifted and my attention shot back to him. His face was closed as he gave off all of the life signs of a rock. His eyes found mine and held a warning.
I got the strange feeling Brax didn’t want me sharing about the wolf.
I agreed. At least for now. He would have to know eventually as I was pretty sure a vampire was in that clearing with the werewolf, but that information could wait until there weren’t quite so many people listening.
I doubted Liam would believe I had just stopped by for a drink. I needed a lie he would believe. Preferably something that wasn’t an out and out lie as I had a feeling he’d catch me in it.
Things would have been so much easier if Brax had agreed to have this discussion in the back room.
Liam looked expectantly at me, as if he had no doubt I would eventually answer his question. The arrogance of the man made me want to challenge him. Withhold information just to prove a point, but I wasn’t a child anymore. As an adult I was expected to be the bigger person. To not escalate a situation.
