I backed up, feeling my stomach tighten as he advanced a step. "Why would you need my measure?"
"I represent a group who are looking to hire someone with a special set of skills."
"And last night you were seeing if I had those skills?" I couldn't keep the skepticism out of my voice. He hadn’t yet done anything that could be construed as threatening, except for the fact he hit a ten on the creep'o'meter. That was more than enough for me to treat him with extreme caution.
"Suffice it to say, we'd like to hire the pretty vampire." The man sounded pleasant enough, but I could sense the threat right under the surface. If I didn't do what they wanted, there would be consequences.
I backed up another step, frustrated when he advanced, reclaiming the distance between us.
"You still haven't told me who you are," I bluffed, buying time while I tried to think of a plan to extricate myself from the current situation.
"You can call me Don."
That had me blinking at him in surprise. It was such a normal name for a person that I suspected wasn't a person at all.
"Alright, Don, how about you come back during business hours, and we can discuss this like civilized people," I tried.
He took another step toward me, closing the distance. "It would be better to discuss this now."
I'd been afraid he would say that.
From under his umbrella, shadows unfurled—like unruly locks of hair being released from a hair tie. They flexed and curled as they dropped nearly to his waist, some as thick as an elephant's trunk, others thin and sinuous.
I edged away, conscious of the fact the situation was quickly spiraling out of my control.
The temptation to give in and take the job, terms unknown, was strong. Unfortunately, I had an iron clad rule about not accepting work from people who terrified me. And this man scared me on a whole other level.
There was something primal about his power, that whispered of fears half forgotten. It told me this man was something dangerous and unknown.
There was also the small matter of not letting someone strong arm me into accepting jobs I didn't want.
Reputation was a fragile thing. Once lost, it took twice as long to regain. If people thought it was easy to walk all over me, they'd take advantage. I'd lose any gains I'd made since going it alone.
I stopped retreating. If I acted like prey, he was going to treat me like prey. Sometimes you had to bluff to get ahead.
"Like I said, I only hear requests during business office hours."
Granted, I didn't actually have an office or business hours during which he could visit, but he didn't know that.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist." Regret colored his voice.
The blackness he cloaked his magic in swelled, giving me a split second to brace.
A blur of white barreled into him from the side.
"Run," Connor roared.
Yup, good plan.
I didn't hesitate, shooting down the path without a backward glance.
If a vampire, centuries my senior, wanted to go head-to-head with a scary Fae, more power to him. This baby vampire planned to live by the mantra that those who ran away, lived to fight another day.
By instinct I managed to head toward the part of the city where I’d left the car.
Getting out of the park was easy since no one tried to stop me.
I hit the cobblestone streets that signaled the beginning of German Village and pounded down an alley, making a beeline for my car.
