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A body slipped between him and the three figures, stopping them in their tracks. Daria looked up, pouting at him in disappointment.
“I thought we agreed on seven, but you kept me waiting. Aren’t you too old for procrastinating and keeping women waiting?”
The reprimand sounded so genuine that it left him speechless. Before he could respond, she turned in the men’s direction, cloudy orbs pinning the center one in place. She tilted her head.
She gasped dramatically. “Aren’t you vampires? Those creatures with fangs that crave human blood? Didn’t your kind cause a mess in this bar last month, driving the owner to ask help from the Hastings Clan to keep you in line? I remember it was the talk of the grapevine and the culprits got what they deserved.”
Three pairs of eyes widened, taken aback. They gaped at her, bewildered. The one on the right hissed again.
“Who are you?”
“You ought to leave. You are not prepared and you stand out in this place. I think the owner’s in his office now and is bound to hear about you soon.”
But the vampires didn’t look convinced, observing her too much for Charlie’s liking. His beast was starting to claw once more, wrestling for control, so he snatched her hand and squeezed it in a warning. She snatched it back and pointed it at the vampire who took yet another step.
“There are no drugs here for you,” she said, her loud voice carrying over the music. No one paid her any attention.
“Why, you little—”
“Back off,” Charlie warned, stepping in front of her and reaching for the man’s throat.
“There’s a bomb!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
The music went on. The conversations dwindled. Someone echoed her last word until it rippled all over the crowd. A second later, a scream repeated it.
“There’s a bomb!”
And chaos erupted.
Chapter 2
Somehow, no stampede took place as panic riddled the crowd trying to get through the front and back exits of the bar and giving them the perfect cover-up to make their way out, too. They ran for it, hands in each others, mostly him guiding her so she wouldn’t stumble in the messy escape. But Daria Sinclair didn’t need the assistance, her senses directing her to where the voices were fading and the fresh night air was more prominent. Before they got any further, she tugged him to stop.
“Hold still for a second,” she pleaded.
Charlie did as asked, no questions asked. Relief buzzed as their fingers stayed intertwined, anchoring her with the warmth that his contact always had. Then her senses opened and out came an even more intense buzzing, knocking her back until she swayed on her feet. An arm wrapped around her waist, holding her steady.
Coolness coated her like a blanket, the buzzing dwindling to a humming that brushed her skin. She sighed, loving how it felt.
“We are invisible now but it won’t last long. We have to get away before they get our scents and track us down.”
“I know,” he reminded gently. “It can last depending on your energy. How much sleep did you get earlier?”
“I woke up before dawn.”
He grunted. “Then we need to hurry.”
She opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, unsure why she was about to apologize. The need to explain that how many hours of sleep she got didn’t matter anymore as her magic seemed to shift as time went on, more abruptly in the last few months—and no one knew, not even him, because he had a different life now. She swallowed, brushed it off her ruminations, and followed the directions he called out from time to time.
When she recognized the scent of the forest path and the particular way the squirrels and birds moved here, she dropped his hand just as she felt the humming disappear, then tried to be casual.
“I don’t think we need to waste my magic now,” she said. “I’m sure they are off our trail.”
He didn’t question it, waiting as she seemingly shuddered her energy back in when in reality, it left by itself because she could no longer keep the invisibility trick as long as before. Guilt assuaged her for her white lie, but she ignored it, refusing to discuss weaknesses with a man who was seeking to get rid of his. He was on the right track, a path leading to success and happiness.
“What is your clan asking you to do now?”
Of course, Charlie was not one to keep other stones unturned, but she was prepared for this.
