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After everything that happened last night, Charlie gives me Sunday off.
That’s the nice way of saying that, between the fight involving one of the Cadre and the Alpha of the Mountainside Pack—not to mention the six bags of blood I fed to Aleks—he didn’t want to risk me bringing trouble down to his bar for a second night in a row.
If it wasn’t for Aleks being involved, I’m sure Roman would’ve had all of our heads for how obvious those two ding-a-lings were. Brawling in sight of that many oblivious humans? Seriously? I don’t know how Aleks convinced his boss that we weren’t to blame, but he assured me this morning that we were in the clear.
I’m glad. Last night, I drank three cups of tea and even that wasn’t enough to put me to sleep. I paced for hours, part of me expecting Ryker to show up at the apartment, the other part wondering how the Cadre was going to respond. I was almost convinced that they’d run me out of town before long.
At the very least, I hoped that the vamps forced Ryker out.
When I asked Aleks, he changed the subject. Though I’ve never told him outright that I can tell when someone is lying to me, he’s pretty fucking astute. He figured it out on his own, and has his own workaround. My roommate doesn’t lie to me, but if he doesn’t want to tell me the truth, he evades the subject.
Fair enough. It’s not like I’m completely honest and open with him all the time. And after everything that happened at Charlie’s, I’m doing a bit of avoiding talking about it myself.
We come to an unspoken agreement. Neither one of us mentions Ryker, and when I tell him that Charlie gave me the night off, Aleks confesses that he already requested another guard take his patrol. Without saying so, I get the idea that he planned on joining me at Charlie’s, just in case Ryker made a third appearance.
I’m actually a little surprised by that, though I probably shouldn’t have been. In the year since I’ve known Aleks, he’s only taken a handful of nights off. My twenty-sixth birthday was one, the anniversary of his death another. He insisted we celebrate both nights—even if I thought it was weird to celebrate his death, but, hey, vamp—and he brought me to one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the whole of Muncie.
Mea Culpa.
Really. That’s its name.
It’s a vamp club. A fang is your ticket inside: either you have a pair of your own, or you wear one like a charm like I do. Even if Ryker avoided being chased out of Muncie by the Cadre, there’s no way he’d be able to track me down at Mea Culpa.
Which is precisely why I ask Aleks if he wants to go with me.
Am I using him? I’d like to think that I’m not. We’ve gone clubbing together as platonic friends, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to have drinks and do a little dancing at the club. Deep down, though, I know a good chunk of my reasoning has to do with proving to myself that I’m over Ryker.
Because while I was pacing last night? I kept thinking of our near kiss and wondering if I really am.
For the first time in months, I feel the bond stretched between me and Ryker that I’ve long thought buried. All it took was him showing up, acting like a possessive alpha, and I’m falling under the same spell.
I don’t want to, though. And if I have to go out on the arm of a beautiful, generous, kind vampire to prove it? Wow. What a hardship.
Of course, Aleks jumps at the offer. I make it clear that this isn’t a date—I’m not so cruel that I’m purposely going to lead him on—but I don’t think he cares. Honestly, I get the idea that, after the way Ryker attacked him, he likes the idea of being seen with me. Like I chose him, and not the aggressive wolf that didn’t belong.
I don’t blame him at all. His body might’ve recovered, but I think it’s going to take some time before his pride does. Going out to Mea Culpa instead of hanging over at Charlie’s is just what he needs.
At least, I think so—until about an hour after we arrive and, with a soft rumble, my wolf warns me that he’s found us.
What the…
I don’t normally second-guess my senses, but I have to be sure. I turn in time to watch Ryker stroll confidently into the club. The music is pumping, countless bodies swaying, and still I can pick him out on the edge of the crowd. The vamps nearest to him give him a wide berth, and after a few seconds, he’s standing all alone.
His eyes are locked on me.
I don’t blink until I catch the rusty, tangy, meaty scent of blood on the air. Aleks’s blood. I jerk my head, following the scent. Holy shit. I must’ve grabbed at Aleks’s arm when I first picked up on Ryker. I don’t even remember giving my claws the order to come out, but I obviously did because I’ve basically stabbed the poor guy. I can already see blood welling up.
“Ah, shit. Aleks, I’m so sorry.” I carefully pull my claws out of his arm. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Aleks isn’t even looking at the marks I left in his formerly flawless skin. His jaw tight, his fangs lengthening, I see that he’s also spotted Ryker.
Oh, boy. The last thing I need right now is a repeat of yesterday.
Grabbing Aleks by the sleeve, I tug him until he’s looking at me instead. “Wanna dance?”
The fierce look in his eyes softens when he glances down at me. “Are you doing this so that I don’t confront your wolf?”
“He’s not my wolf,” I argue, “but yes.”
