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Regina slid her arm around my waist, her face turning left while my eyes were hooked to the right. Alright, at least we had both sides covered. As the footsteps got louder, I caught a scent, one too familiar.
One that made my blood boil.
Velvet amber and cream.
It had been a long time since that scent touched my olfactory senses. And at the same time, it hadn’t been long enough. No amount of time could make me forget that particular scent or the woman behind it.
Nothing could make me forget Teresa—the very same woman who had birthed our child and ditched us to join the plight of the vampires.
Chapter 10 - Regina
I felt his entire body tense up as those footsteps grew louder. Something was setting off his alarms as much as it did mine. Or maybe that was my body responding to his body. Perhaps we were entwined in ways the alphas had noticed without our understanding.
Icy heat flushed my body in languid waves. Fear gripped me in terrifying ways, causing my feet to plant firmly on the ground as my heart rate climbed to an impossible rhythm. This could have just been the meeting. Scorn turned us about for the flair of the dramatic, something vampires often did even with their closest friends.
Once or twice, I encountered clients who loved the smoke and mirrors thing. I wasn’t opposed to it. I just liked being able to consent to it. Yet, like other things in my life, it was one of those unpredictable things. I never knew whether I was going to be met by a Houdini-loving vampire or a business-wearing blood drinker.
Hopefully, Ander was the sipping type. I didn’t exactly want to encounter anyone here with fangs. Reputation could only take me so far in this world. While the war was over and many people had moved on, Eric was right—there was so much tension that still remained. I felt it in Drip last night while the bartender and attendees watched us with weary eyes.
I wasn’t even a wolf. Yet they were suspicious of me.
Shoot, if I had been in a war for centuries upon centuries with another well-populated species on the same planet, I would have some trust issues, too.
That reminded me: I never got to answer Eric’s question.
Did I trust him?
“Well, well, well,” a voice like honey and silk announced from my left—the same direction where Eric was looking, “Barrett—is that really you?”
I turned to face the person—the woman—who was standing in the spotlight that Eric held. The light wavered slightly, a result of his hand shivering. I grabbed his forearm and applied gentle pressure to comfort him. The sigh he released told me that he appreciated my presence.
How did I know? The same way I knew to follow him when I heard it inside my head. It wasn’t necessarily him speaking, but I knew it was him directing me.
Eric straightened his back, standing tall enough to brush the pipes above our heads with the tips of his hair. “I’m surprised you had the guts to show your face, Teresa.”
My mouth tightened shut. Teresa…isn’t that his ex-girlfriend?
His arm went in front of me, a protective gesture I appreciated.
Teresa had long black hair in a braid hanging over her left shoulder. She wore a thin black catsuit with a gray bag strapped to her torso. Tall, lithe, breasts like perfect peaches—she was my complete opposite, including her olive skin with sepia freckles.
Goddess, it was like looking into Kiara’s future.
She stepped forward, extending a slender leg decorated to the thigh with a shiny, heeled boot. “I could say the same about you, Barrett.”
“Then again, you were always a coward,” Eric spat, “considering you abandoned your child not long after you had her.”
She grimaced. “I did what I had to do to protect my family.”
He laughed bitterly. “From what? Your selfish interests? You were playing both sides the whole time, T. You used me for information!”
“That’s how it started, but I—” Her eyes landed on me, and she blinked a few times like she was just seeing me for the first time. She squinted, sniffed the air, and then grinned malevolently. “If it isn’t the Mistress herself.”
I held up my hands. “We’re just trying to locate Ander to complete a mission.”
“A mission?” She chortled while returning her attention to Eric. “Like I could ever help you again. With anything.” Her expression shifted into one of sharp concentration—and disappointment. “You better hope you can still keep up with me. I’ve had more training since our last fight.”
Eric growled as he hunched over. “Same here, you lying cu—”
