Blair“Please have a seat, Blair.” Dr. Strand spoke in the same gentle tone he’d used with me out on the main floor. I shook my head to decline his offer and moved instead to stand close to the door. I could feel him watching me intently and it made me even more uncomfortable.“I prefer to stand.” I replied, careful to not meet his gaze. My heart was frantically pounding in my chest, and I could feel goosebumps prickle my skin as fresh panic seized me.What kind of bad luck was this? Of all the people to run into, it had to be the doctor who’d treated my injuries, and even unfortunate, he remembered me out of all the dozens of patients he must have attended to in the two months since our encounter.Strand…I silently cursed myself for not making the connection sooner. Lucy’s last name was Strand and so was this doctor. He had called her ‘babe’ back there, so did that mean they were a couple? Probably.Another memory popped up in my head, confirming my earlier suspicions. He had litera
Mac“I just want to get the general idea of what you two talked about.” I told Blake for what felt like the hundredth time. I could literally hear his eyeballs move as he rolled his eyes, fully fed up with my bullshit, but I didn’t let it deter me. “She’s my employee - if there’s something to know, you should tell me.”Blake snorted and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Key word being ‘employee’. That doesn’t mean you have the right to nose into her private business. An employee is not an indentured servant, no matter what you may think of yours.”“I’m aware of that, but still, c'mon dude, at least give me a hint.” I urged, tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it unceremoniously to the side, which earned me a scowl from the fastidious Lucy. I shot her an apologetic smile and picked the offending fabric back up, folded it neatly then placed it among the pile.“I’m not telling you shit. Leave it alone” Blake declared. He shucked off his jeans and underwear and stood there arms on waist
BlairI’d intended to get off work early today, it was a Friday after all, which usually meant everyone was in a hurry to start the weekend and fucked off as soon as they could. By 2pm, almost everyone had already left, including Mac and I’d been prepared to lock up, but a phone call from the logistics company that handled our deliveries had kept me back. By the time Ben, the driver, pulled into the loading bay, it was already close to 3:30pm.I watched him place the last box containing lab supplies at the top of the stack, shifting impatiently from foot to foot, silently urging him to hurry up so I could close up for the day.I glanced once more at my watch. It was already 4:14pm which just left me a little over half an hour to get to the shelter closest to the office. If I was lucky, there would still be available beds and a warm place to pass the night and if I wasn't lucky…I didn't want to think of the consequences just yet.It would certainly be unpleasant. That much I knew. A co
One Hour EarlierMac“The witch’s in the cabin.” Blake fell into step beside me. We were heading towards the cabin, the farthest from the main house. I cast out my senses over the area, wrinkling my nose as I picked out a scent that did not belong.It was a human scent, but tainted with strong hints of the Lore. Which made sense since witches, unlike other Lorekind, were actually human. Lore had it that the first witch had been blessed by Hermia with powers which had then passed to her descendants.As we neared, I spotted three of my strongest wolves standing guard. I nodded in silent approval as they stepped aside to let me into the cabin.A young woman rose as I entered, turning towards me. I took a moment to study her - long raven colored hair, high cheekbones, porcelain skin and a killer body. She was beautiful in a way that was meant to stun and seduce, but I was willing to bet an arm that that wasn’t what she really looked like. Underneath that glamour spell, she could be a seve
BlairThere was something about the enormous wolf that I found oddly comforting. Maybe it was the relief that it had just saved me from death, or the fact that it was one of my kind, I couldn’t really tell.Or, maybe it was the look in its eyes. In those golden depths, I could see concern, curiosity as it watched me as though it knew me. Either way, as it turned to leave, I knew I couldn’t just let it walk away without expressing my gratitude.“Wait.” The words were out before I could even think. It carried an edge of desperation too - I didn’t want to be left alone again. The wolf stopped and turned its large head in my direction.I took a deep breath and forced my feet to move. If I was going to say thanks, the least I could do was show that I wasn’t terrified. Well, I was, but that’s beside the point. As I approached, it turned fully and sat on its hind legs, waiting, head cocked to one side. It was truly a magnificent creature, its pure black fur gleaming under the lights, looking
BlairI took my time drinking a sip of the steaming hot coffee Lucy had made, doing my best to delay the moment when I had to look up into the three pairs of eyes watching me. I especially wanted to avoid a pair of black eyes that were currently glaring daggers at the top of my head.My head still felt fuzzy, but I could still recall what had taken place in that alley. A shiver ripped through me at my too close brush with death andI couldn't really remember how I'd gotten to Mac's office or even being held in the shower. Or how he'd even found me in the first place. The last thing I remember was talking to the shifter in wolf form who had saved me from the vampire. The next thing was waking up in a bathroom, with these three. Lucy had filled me in on how Mac had found me passed out in the alley, and how he'd helped me beat the cold, but I couldn't really recall any of it.I brought my fingers to my neck, wincing at the tenderness. There would be some ugly bruises later on for sure. T
BlairWhat had I done?I yanked my hands away, my cheeks bright red with mortification and stumbled back a few steps, my mind still reeling from the scenes that burned through my mind like a bad movie.What the hell had possessed me to act like that? I didn’t even want to begin imagining what had been going through Mac’s mind while he’d tried to fend off my unwanted advances. Wasn’t that that sexual harrassment?Now I understood why Mac was so irritated with me, nearly chewing my head off. It wasn’t just because of my reckless behavior, but the fact that I’d basically thrown myself at him while he was trying to help me. It was a miracle I still had a job at this point.“I’m sorry.” I mumbled, wishing I could somehow spontaneously combust. I continued backing away, eager to put a lot of distance between us. He just stood there, watching me, his gaze now unreadable. I wished I could tell what he was thinking, then was glad I couldn’t because I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle it. “
Mac“We were able to trace the vampire’s scent all the way to Larkey Avenue. And from the looks of things, that’s his usual haunt, given the number of mysterious deaths and disappearances that have taken place in the last couple months.” Jace informed us, his expression solemn. “According to police reports, a young woman was found dead in one of the alleys around that area. Time of death was placed at four this morning.”My hands clenched into fists and I gritted my teeth, a growl rumbling in my throat. Like I had figured, that creature must have used that poor woman to heal his wounds. Filthy fucking bloodsucker.“And the vampire?” I asked.Jace shook his head. “No sign of him yet. But I stationed two men to keep an eye out.”“My guess is he’s gone into hiding to recuperate from the injury.” Blake added. “Plus, he probably knows that you’ll come after him and will lay low until he deems it safe again.”“I agree with Beta Blake.” Jace said. I saw Blake wince out of the corner of my ey