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“Thank you.”
He’s really got to stop thanking me. It only makes me feel worse that his injuries are my fault.
Ryker might have done this to him, but make no mistake. I’m responsible.
I bring three more bags over to Aleks. Partly because I’m desperate for him to recover, and partly because he can’t talk when his fangs are busy with the blood. In the end it takes six bags before his chest is completely healed and his light green eyes lose that glassy look.
He gets up, swallowing another ‘thank you’ when I glare at him. I’m stacking the empties so that I know how much I’m going to owe my boss, and I would’ve willingly replaced six more if it meant that I did something for Aleks instead of the other way around for once.
Even though Ryker’s gone, I refuse to leave Charlie’s. I don’t know what staying at work proves, but when I snap my human teeth at Aleks after he suggests that we head back to the apartment together, he throws up his hands in a silent apology. He then offers to stay, but the idea of him sticking around as some kind of personal bodyguard—or, worse, getting in the way if Ryker does come back—just rubs me the wrong way.
The only way to make all of Charlie’s believe that what happened was no big deal is to act like it. That means that Aleks has to leave, and I have to return to my post behind the bar before I give Charlie a conniption.
Besides, both of us know that Aleks can’t stay. He still needs to feed; human blood straight from the source is far more potent than the chilled stuff that Charlie keeps at the bar. And then there’s the matter of Roman…
He’s not wrong when he says that the story of what happened in the bar will come better from him than one of the vamp customers. Just like I’ll have to deal with Charlie, he’s got his own boss to answer to.
I give Aleks one of the chef coats they keep in the kitchen since his shirt is toast. A quick splash in the bathroom and no one could tell that he was attacked barely half an hour ago.
With a searching look, he asks me one final time, “Are you sure you want to stay? I can walk you back to the apartment before I go see Roman.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be fine. Actually, I should probably stay until close to make up for everything. I’ll see you later. Okay?”
“Be careful, maly wilku.”
Be careful? Now that I know Ryker’s in town, he should be the one who’s careful.
He caught Aleks off guard. As much as I hate to admit, he caught me unaware, too, but he won’t do that again.
We’ll see about that.
Yeah, Ryker. We will.
Bring it on.
* * *
I get super lucky.Not too long after I finally convince Aleks to leave, Charlie calls. He wants to hear about what happened from me, so I tell him that it’s handled and he doesn’t need to come down tonight. He never comes by the bar on Saturdays since it’s his poker night with a couple of Cadre members, so I know that he’ll come if he has to but he won’t want to—and, trust me, I don’t want him coming down, either.
Since there’s no sign of Ryker when I leave the backroom, I figure that everything’s okay for now. I have no illusion that he’s gone back to Accalia, but so long as he waits until I’m done with my shift, I can deal.
And if he doesn’t know how to find me at home to resume our challenge? That’s not my problem.
That doesn’t stop me from looking up whenever I get the chance. Now that I have his scent in my nose—and my wolf is prickly from his sudden appearance—I’m sure that I’ll pick up on him if he decides to push me by coming back to Charlie’s.
Turns out that I gave myself too much credit...
By the time night falls, the bar is slammed. I don’t know if it’s because word got around to the supe population and they’re hoping for a rematch between Ryker and Aleks or what, but I’ve never seen the place so busy even on a Saturday. A majority of the patrons are vamps, too, and I have to consciously tune out the conversations because almost every single one seems to mention the brawl.
There goes any hope that it didn’t get out. I just hope that Aleks can keep Roman calm, and that I don’t get my sorry tail tossed out of Muncie because Ryker couldn’t control himself.
For the first time in ages, Hailey shows up to a weekend shift on time. I can tell from the way she’s buzzing that she’s heard the gossip and she’s dying to ask me about it. And while we are super busy, I make sure to keep myself occupied because I just don’t want to listen to a human talk about how amazing it is that a vampire and a shifter fought over me in the middle of Charlie’s.
Because I know my co-worker. That’s totally what she thinks happened.
And maybe it did? I don’t know.
I throw myself into serving customers, even bringing food out to tables when the waitresses fall behind if only because I need the distraction. Even so, my head pops up every time the door opens.
