Page 78 of Poet & Protector

Caleb smiled. “Not a bad way to make a living.”

That was true now, but he’d told me that when Efron first approached him, determined that Caleb would work in way that put him on display for our master’s elite circle, Caleb had panicked. He’d been keenly aware of how some Keepers might interpret his position and decided it was worth risking his life to ask Efron for specific terms or he would refuse the job. Namely, that while Caleb would do what was obviously expected—to flatter, cajole, and flirt with Efron’s friends while he served them—Caleb himself would never be on the menu.

Asking for any concessions from Efron could have earned Caleb a death sentence, but fortunately our master was impressed by his boldness, though Caleb suspected it was more likely that Efron found the idea of denying his Keeper inferiors something, or in this case, someone, they coveted incredibly appealing. There was nothing Efron loved more than flaunting his power.

Neither compassion nor concern for a Guardian’s well-being factored in our master’s decision to grant Caleb’s request. I was grateful my friend was able protect himself from abuse, but it killed me that there had never been way for Sabine to do the same.

When I set the Banes’ empty glasses and bottles on the bar, Caleb asked, “You ready for another round?”

I nodded and Mason ordered a selection of drinks for his pack.

Caleb grabbed a few bottles from the fridge then asked Mason, “First impressions of Eden?”

“It’s a lot,” Mason answered. “Kind of screams ‘you might die here, but we’ll make sure you had a good time first.’”

With a nod and a chuckle, Caleb said, “That’s why the outrageous cover charge is worth it.”

“Exactly,” Mason said.

After Caleb loaded up two trays with our packs’ drinks, Mason and I carried them back to the lounge area only to find the couches abandoned.

“There’s gratitude for all our hard work,” Mason said wryly.

He set his tray down and I did the same.

“As far as I see it, we have two options,” he continued. “We sit down and get black-out drunk or we go find our packmates.”

“Do you want them to find us passed out on the couches?” I asked, though I knew he was joking about the drunk thing.

“You’re right.” He let out a fake sigh. “I guess we hunt them down.”

Since they weren’t at the bar or in the lounge, this would be the easiest hunt ever. Mason and I exchanged a look and went to the dance floor.

“There they are.” Mason pointed.

Dax, Fey, Cosette, Sabine, Bryn, and Ansel danced with abandon. Any lingering animosity among them had dissolved in the power of Eden’s spell. I wondered why our alphas were missing and where they could have gone. It seemed like they’d want to be around to witness this since the whole ‘peace between rivals’ venture was their idea.

I was glad to see Sabine with our packmates. Whenever she disappeared, I worried she’d end up in Efron’s clutches and I knew he was somewhere in the club. He kept an office downstairs, but he could appear among the dancers at any moment to steal her away.

She was dancing with Cosette, who gazed in awe at Sabine’s fluid grace. Dax and Fey had paired up and were shockingly close to each other as they danced, though there was a good chance they both viewed their increasingly provocative moves as an alternate version of fighting.

Bryn appeared to be giving Ansel some instruction. Her lesson involved fitting Ansel’s hand to her hips while she moved their bodies in sync. Ansel would likely go up in flames any minute. According to Mason, he was completely gone for her.

“It’s going to happen soon,” Mason said, also watching Bryn and Ansel. “Look at that.”

Ansel had dared to slide his hands from Bryn’s hips to her lower back and pull her close, molding their bodies together. She smiled up at him encouragingly.

“I’m not saying it will never happen,” I countered. We’d been debating the likelihood of the Nightshade alpha’s little brother and her second-in-command hooking up since shortly after Mason told me about Ansel’s crush. “But I’d still give it a few months. He’ll take it slow because he doesn’t want to mess this up. He knows he’s aiming at a moving target.”

“You’re underestimating Ansel,” Mason argued. “That boy is ready to pounce. Bryn won’t know what hit her and she’ll love it.”

I cast a sly smile at him. “You wanna put some money behind that?”

Mason laughed. “I’m in for a bet, but money is boring.”

“What do you have in mind?”

He thought about it, then grinned.