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“You know, Sasha says the vampires that go into the tavern are nice,” he said in a low voice. “I just thought that would help.”
“Well, the tavern and the inn are neutral ground, Henry. Of course, they’re nice when they go there.”
An exasperated sigh from him caused me to deflate. How could he not understand how bad things were? He was at the market when we got attacked. He saw what those vampires can do to us. This little “friend” of his was no different, and I wanted to make sure I put the whole thing to bed.
“We’re both tired, Henry,” I reasoned. “Let’s talk about it another day.”
He didn’t reply, but I felt some of his tension slip away. It was hard being a single dad to a kid who wanted to see the best in everyone. It was even harder being a single wolf to a pup who just wanted some playmates.
The lights of the ranch came into view and eased my tense muscles, inspiring me to slow the vehicle. A couple more wolves joined us as I paused at the checkpoint to put my code into the gate. More wolves were waiting on the road beyond the entrance. We weren’t taking any chances at night anymore. Double the security and double the rounds. It was the best course of action.
It just sucked to have to live this way.
When I pulled into the driveway of my cabin, Henry had fallen back asleep. I scooped him out of the backseat and carried him inside, hoping that he wouldn’t wake in the night for any reason—supernatural or otherwise. While lingering near his bed, I noticed the photograph he kept on his nightstand.
Sweeping it from its place caused a hailstorm of emotions to whirl in my gut. My fingers instinctively traced each figure in the picture, me included, before dropping to my side. Another glance at my son demolished some of the guilt that dwelled inside me, the same feelings that insisted I was a failure as a father. He was important to me and that was all that mattered—what did being single have to do with my success?
After checking on Henry one more time, I walked to my bedroom and left the door wide open. I needed sleep, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, of presence. It was like something—or someone—was with me everywhere I went and I couldn’t figure out who or what.
Chapter 4 - Charlotte
One of the busiest nights of the tavern had me stuck in the kitchen with one sous chef out sick and a server refusing to answer her phone. Fridays were always particularly hectic, but this one seemed to be directly from hell, putting me in the strangest position as the leading chef in the kitchen. And seeing as no one else was around to pick up the slack, I dove right in without hesitation.
Christopher nearly went cross-eyed when I offered to serve tables, but he also didn’t argue, choosing to send me in the direction of a group of wolves since they would be much more amiable to me. Many of them were from out of town and were unaware of the research being done in Rochdale about the wars they were attempting to escape, their eyes were glossed over with a glazed expression that indicated inebriation.
Who wanted to think about war when the inside of the tavern was cozy and warm with spirited conversation?
Serving them drinks took less time than anticipated, so I hopped back into the kitchen to make sure my chefs weren’t destroying the place. After circling back through to the bar and sliding past Christopher to grab some menus, I noticed Adam had sidled into the tavern, his eyes roaming the area curiously.
When his gaze landed on me, the green of his eyes sparkled like fresh dewdrops on blades of grass. The feeling of spring accompanied his presence, an alluring array of sensations that made me lose my grip on my notepad.
A hand waved over my face, causing me to recoil as I blurted, “What?Jesus, you’d think I wasn’t appreciated for my help around here.”’
Christopher narrowed his eyes. “You taking that one?” He pointed at Adam. “Because he and his little buddy aren’t my favorites around here.”
“Yeah, I can take him.”
“I’m sure you can, sweetheart.”
Before the jab could register, I darted across the room as fast as my kitchen shoes would carry me and seated Adam nearby. I would have slid into the booth across from him if I hadn’t had a group of biker wolves waving me down. The way they whistled in my direction caused Adam to perk up.
“They bothering you?” he asked while pointing in their direction. He turned around so he could fix his gaze on them, the darling dewdrops originally intended for me were now replaced by summer steam. The biker wolves reduced their rowdiness by about twenty percent by the time Adam turned back to me and grinned. “Because I can talk to them if they’re bothering you.”
‘They’re not bothering me at all. I’m their waitress tonight.”
He looked impressed. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
I laughed. “Waiting tables is easy.”
“Sure, you make it look that way. But what about picky eaters?”
“Whataboutpicky eaters?”
His deviant smirk was doing things to me I wasn’t ready to admit.
But it was in my head nonetheless.
“Can you handle them?” he teased. “Tough gal like you could probably handle just about anything that’s too…” He shrugged nonchalantly before adding, “Thick.”
