“Join the club.”
She looked at him then, and for just a second, something unguarded passed across her face. Then she shrugged. “Forget it.” Getting to her feet, she strode off in the direction of the ladies’ room.
He should have been relieved. Instead, the knot in his chest twisted further, tightening until he couldn’t deny what had been in his thoughts the moment the young witch had trained those dark green eyes at him.
She suspects.
If Astoria could sense that he was off after two encounters, it was a matter of time before Margaux did too. And Margaux wouldn’t shrug and let it go. He needed to get Olivia out of Kentucky, the sooner the better. He was about to flag Hardy for the check when the lights flickered before plunging the bar into total darkness.
His wolf immediately went on alert, and Eli scrambled out of the booth, his Lycan vision adjusting. He could see shapes moving around him, but Olivia was nowhere in sight.
“Olivia!” he called.
“Eli!” The voice came from twenty feet away, near the bar. “Tabitha’s with me!”
“Stay—”
The front window blew in. Something hit the floor and rolled, trailing fumes. Very likely accelerant, from the acrid smell. Then, flames sprang up and spread across the bar floor, the firespreading quickly. The heat pushed through the room and the human patrons stampeded toward the exits.
“Everybody out!” Hardy bellowed.
Eli fought through the crowd toward the bar. The smoke was thickening fast, acrid and chemical. He found Olivia crouched behind a barstool with Tabitha pressed against her side.
“Where’s Tori?” Tabitha’s voice was strained.
“She went for the back exit,” Olivia said. “I saw her run out the back with Hawk.”
“Move. Now.” Eli grabbed Olivia’s arm while Tabitha latched onto Olivia’s other hand and they pushed through the back hallway, bent low under the smoke.
A figure stepped out in front of them, lunging at Eli.
“Get down!” Eli shouted before shoving Olivia and Tabitha low to the floor. He caught the attacker’s arm and wrenched it sideways. His attacker rolled with it and swung with his free hand, connecting with Eli’s jaw. Eli’s head snapped backward and he tasted blood. On instinct, he drove his knee upward, aiming for the man’s ribs but something wrapped around Eli’s throat from behind. The arm was thick and hairy, unbendable like steel and even with his Lycan strength, he could not overpower it. He tried to reach for the vials in his pocket, but the chokehold only tightened.
His vision started to narrow, though he still saw the first attacker pull out something from behind him, raise it and point it between Eli’s eyes. His entire body went rigid and time slowed as he stared into the barrel of the gun. As he contemplated his fate, a scent wafted through the air, cutting through the smoke. One that Eli hadn’t smelled in years. It was already fading, but it was unmistakable. His wolf recognized it before his conscious mind did, the memories of when he first smelled it came flooding back.
Then, something happened that Eli couldn’t explain. The man with the gun jerked backward, hard, as if yanked by an invisible hand. He stumbled, the gun clattering to the floor. Then the arm around his neck loosened, and the man behind him let out a shout of surprise. That was all Eli needed. He drove his elbow backward into the man’s solar plexus, broke free, and spun.
He paused, trying to figure out what the hell happened. But this wasn’t the time to sit and wonder. The two attackers were recovering, scrambling back to their feet. He wasn’t safe yet. Olivia wasn’t safe yet. However, before he could act, light exploded from behind him. Turning back, he saw the source—Tabitha was on her feet, both palms raised, her body glowing white-hot, Olivia huddled on the floor behind her. The light poured out of the witch in a sustained blast directed at their attackers. Both men threw up their arms against it, blinded.
Tabitha dropped her hands, her glow slowly fading before collapsing. Olivia caught her in time before she hit the ground. Eli dragged them out the back door, straight out into the parking lot.
The cool night air hit Eli’s scorched lungs. Hardy and Snake were already outside, pushing the human patrons away from the building. Hawk had Astoria, who was clawing to get past him.
“Tab!” Astoria wrenched free and sprinted to her sister.
“I’m fine,” Tabitha managed between breaths as she disentangled herself from Olivia. “Drained.” She winced. “My throat …”
“Smoke inhalation,” Olivia said.
Astoria frowned at her. “You seem fine.”
Before she could explain, Eli pulled Olivia against him, one hand on the back of her head. She pressed into his chest, her hands gripping his shirt.
“Who were they?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He didn’t. The attackers were professionally trained, that much was obvious. Plus, the fire and the blackout were obviously planned. Lycans, at least the one who put him in a chokehold had to be. And then he remembered that scent that had triggered his memory.
Leather, rum-soaked oak barrels, and grass.
