Kat wished Anthony would look away. The Alpha Mate’s understanding smile didn’t detract from his overwhelming magic. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you. I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for all you’ve done, but I need to know the protocol for pack jobs. Are you expecting me to fill a particular spot? Do you have something you want me to do in exchange for my housing? I don’t have much money, and I’m uncomfortable being an official healer since you have an actual doctor.”
“We do,” Anthony confirmed. “You also said you’ve been a hairdresser. Do you want to do that? We require that everyone in the pack contribute somehow, but we prefer you do something you enjoy. A happy pack member is a better pack member,” Anthony said in a singsong tone as if he repeated it often. A few people in the bar snorted into their drinks. More than the lone vampire was listening in on their conversation.
“I wouldn’t mind cutting hair, but I don’t want a salon or anything. If people want to come to my house, I’d happily do it for a small fee. What I really would like to do is open a store for organic bath and personal care items. I have some great recipes for healing balms and soaps, and I enjoy the process of making things. I want to continue that.” He leaned back and clenched his hands together to prevent biting his nails. A terrible habit he reverted to when stressed.
“Hmm.” Anthony set down his drink, and his eyes took on a faraway glint.
Kat fidgeted with his glass as he waited for Anthony’s judgment.
It took a few heart-stopping minutes before Anthony replied. “How about this? You make me a sample of all the bath items you want to sell. Can you do large batches?”
“Yes. My last group went through tons of lotion and hair care items, but I had to leave my garden behind.” It had broken his heart to abandon the little plot where he’d grown most of his herbs, but his life had been on the line, and he had no difficulty choosing between the two.
“Send me samples of your products. If I like them, I’ll help you develop an exclusive line of bath care goods for my hotels. We can sell them in the rooms and gift shops and possibly make mini travel kits. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”
“H-how many hotels?” Would it be wrong to jump for glee during a business meeting? Kat barely kept it together.
“How about we start with this one?” Anthony tapped the bar. “This is my most upscale hotel so far, and if you can specialize your products by species, that would be even better. I can give you a list of the most well-known herbs that bother vampires, fae, and shifters. If you tell me what ingredients you’ll need, I’ll provide them until you can grow your own or find better sources. What do you think about making generic, non-scented versions for the rooms and scented ones for the gift shop? If they do well, we can expand and maybe put little boutiques in the other hotels.”
By the time Anthony finished speaking, Kat was all but vibrating in his seat. “I would love that project!” Not only would he be helping the pack, but he could also build a nice nest egg and possibly fulfill his dream of adopting a child. There were a lot of kids out there, especially shifters, who needed a home and didn’t have a relative to take them in. Some shifters were prone to rejecting children who were different in any way. Kat wanted to give at least one of those kids a home.
“Great!” Anthony’s charming grin almost derailed Kat’s thoughts.
No wonder he was a successful businessman. Who could resist a smile like that?
“If the contract works out, we’ll get you a workshop and some helpers. Maybe they can do the easy stuff while you develop new products.”
Kat bit his lip. “I don’t want to share my grandmother’s recipes. What if they steal them?” He held up a hand, stopping Anthony’s words. He quickly put it down when he realized what he had done. “Not that I think anyone in the pack is a thief, I just…” He didn’t know how to make it sound better.
A furrow deepened between Anthony’s brows. Kat winced at the sight, worried he’d somehow ruined his chance at stable employment.
“I can make a magical employment contract that will prevent them from sharing what they learn from you. Will that work?”
“Yes. Thank you.” He gulped a mouthful of his drink, not tasting it so much as giving him a way to hide his embarrassment.
“Hey." Anthony gently touched Kat’s wrist. “I’m not upset. It’s a valid concern. I understand why you might be nervous about sharing your family recipes with strangers. Even though I trust the pack, information can travel fast and far, within minutes. I’ll take care of the contracts when we find you employees. Do you have any other concerns?”
Before Kat could reply, a blast of magic slammed into the bar, bright and blinding. Only his foot hooked around the barstool rungs kept him upright.
Dishes tumbled, bottles of liquorsmashed to the floor, and some patrons fell off their elegant chairs. The other bar customers screamed and called out to each other. Only a few people had been as stable as Kat.
“What the hell?” Kat muttered. He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the spots in his vision.
Once he could focus again, he gasped.
A boy lay embedded in the bar. The wood had wrapped around his body, and his face pressed close beneath the shiny, shellacked surface. His eyes were closed, and only the slow rise and fall of his chest revealed any signs of life.
Anthony stood from where he’d remained poised on his stool, unruffled as always. “Silence!”
Everyone stopped making sounds as if a pause button had been pushed.
Kat couldn’t help but be impressed by their automatic obedience.
Addressing the room, Anthony asked, “Was anyone injured?”
Murmurs of ‘no’ and ‘we’re fine’ rumbled through the bar.
Anthony stepped away from the embedded body, blocking it from casual view. “Good. I want everyone to evacuate while we investigate what happened! Don’t worry about your bar bills. We’ll cover them to make up for the inconvenience. No one will be charged for this afternoon, and if you need to have anything dry cleaned, submit the bill to the front desk for reimbursement.” Cheers burst from the patrons as they happily vacated until only Anthony and Kat remained. Even the bartender had left after a head tilt from Anthony.
