Relief floods his face so fast it almost makes me reconsider.
He bows, clumsy and frantic. “Thank you, my King. I won’t return.”
“You won’t,” I agree. If he does, I’ll rip his head off.
He doesn’t waste another second. He disappears down the hall, his retreat nearly a run.
Good.
I turn back to the girl.
She’s watching me carefully now, like she’s trying to decide if I’m another problem or the end of one.
“You’re safe,” I say.
She nods once and utters a phrase I’ve heard before, but for some reason, the fact that it’s coming from her makes it so much more important, “Thank you.”
Then she straightens, takes a deep breath, and does something unexpected.
“I should get back to work.”
“Work?” Now, I’m curious.
“Yes, work. I just started working here. I’m the new bartender slash server.”
“No.”
The word comes out flat. After what’s just happened, there’s no way I’m letting her go back out there. What really bothers me is I’m not sure why I’m so invested in the first place. This isn’t the first time that one of my customers has stepped over the line with someone who works here. Usually, I let my security detail handle it.
Dyrk has rules in place to keep the customers and my staff safe. I don’t allow for vampires to drink from other customers, let alone my staff, without their consent. This place is supposed to be a neutral, safe environment for those around. During the day, I handle other business in this place. Meeting with Corbin and others to manage the other side of my business.
Nowadays, I find myself going to his clubhouse to handle business when needed because of his mate and woman. She herself is an intriguing woman. Powerful. She’d easily drawn meto her with the power she carries inside her. More than that, how she carries herself and doesn’t allow it to darken her soul.
She’s a light soul.
Just as this woman in front of me. I don’t know her, but I can see it all around her. The light shines about her brightly.
What the hell was Sibley thinking hiring her here of all places?
Her cheeks brighten, and she frowns. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
I glance down the hallway where the vampire fled. “That ship’s sailed.”
She hesitates, clearly torn between instinct and obligation. “I really need to be on the floor.”
“You really don’t,” I reply, a little sharper than I need to be. It’s not like she did anything to provoke that bastard to attack her. I shouldn’t be taking this out on her, but I can’t help it. She’s disrupted my peace. A peace that I’ve been dying to disrupt for a long while, but that’s not the point. I wanted to do it on my own terms, not like this. “You’re coming with me.”
Her lips press together. Not defiant. Just irritated.
“Is that a request,” she asks, “or an order?”
Interesting. Is she really sassing me right now? I don’t remember the last time someone did that to me. Not even Sibley or Aziz will speak to me with such disregard to my status. Why is it so thrilling?
“It’s me preventing this from happening again,” I say. “Take it however you want.”
She exhales, then nods. “Okay.”
I don’t bother to turn around to make sure she’s following me. I can feel her presence behind me as I make my way back out to the main area of the club. From every corner, I see people staring in our direction. Not only is it out of the ordinary for meto be down off my gilded throne, but they all see that I’ve taken a special interest in the new girl. They want to know who she is.
