He looked to his right. Constance was speaking with Jeremy and Ryan and he could almost see their tongues hanging out as they stared at her. He shook his head. The Lycan was well aware of her effect on men and she used it to her advantage on a regular basis.

  “Tell me the truth, man. Are you hitting that?” Mannie was suddenly standing next to him.

  Will gave him a disgusted look. “Her name is Constance and no, I’m not sleeping with her.”

  Mannie shrugged. “Just checking. I assumed you weren’t thanks to your unrequited love for Hannah but there seems to be a lot of hatred being projected your way, and I thought maybe you might have turned to Constance for consoling. She certainly seems rather fond of you.”

  “What hatred?”

  “Are you kidding me? I hate to tell you this but ever since that hot she-wolf showed up, when Hannah isn’t actively avoiding you she appears to be trying to kill you with her stare alone.”

  When Will didn’t respond, Mannie shrugged. “I know you love her but since you seem unwilling to not give a fuck about what other people think of a Lycan and a human shacking up together, maybe you should do both of you a favour and let her go. You’ve got a hot Lycan practically drooling on you, and we both know Reid’s got it bad for Hannah.”

  “She’s not interested in that asshole.” Will muttered.

  “No, of course she isn’t. Why would she? He’s only handsome and funny and super-smart and – “

  “Why does everyone keep insisting on telling me how funny and smart he is?” Will scowled. “It’s like you’re trying to convince me to date him.”

  Before Mannie could respond, Will suddenly stiffened, his hands clenching into fists as Reid kneeled at Hannah’s feet.

  “Show me your gams, sweetheart.” He winked at her and Hannah lifted her skirt up to the top of her thighs.

  Reid held a holster with a gun in it in one hand and ran his other up the smooth skin of one thigh. “Left or right?”

  “Right.”

  He placed the holster on the outside of her right thigh and looked up at her. “You’re going to have to spread them just a little more for me, sweetheart.”

  Hannah blushed, her lips curling up into a small smile as she shifted her legs apart and Reid slipped the straps around her thigh.

  “How’s that feel?” He ran his finger between the leather strap and Hannah’s thigh. “Too tight? Too loose?”

  She frowned. “A little loose I think.”

  He undid the straps, holding them between his fingers, and then paused. “It might be too low. Let your dress down.”

  Hannah dropped her dress obediently, trying to stare around Reid’s head to see if any part of the holster was showing.

  Reid pursed his lips. “A little higher I think. We wouldn’t want it to show when you sit down.”

  Hannah went to lift her dress and he shook his head. “Don’t bother. I can do this with my eyes closed.”

  Will watched suspiciously as Reid shifted the holster higher, his hands hidden under the material of Hannah’s dress. Reid’s face was directly in front of Hannah’s pelvis, his nose almost buried in the juncture of her thighs, and Will’s spine stiffened with anger when Reid inhaled deeply before looking up at Hannah.

  “How does that feel?”

  “Good. Not too loose this time.”

  He started to rise to his feet, keeping one hand under Hannah’s skirt. “My personal motto is that tighter is always better.” He grinned delightedly when Hannah blushed again.

  “Hey!” She suddenly reached behind her and pushed his hand out from under her skirt. “That’s not my leg, cowboy.”

  Will made a choked sound and started forward. Mannie grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “Cool it.” He muttered. “We’re killing vampires tonight, not each other.”

  Now, Will watched as Hannah picked her way across the bar to the bathroom. She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her and he took a swallow of the beer in front of him, ignoring the tension he felt when she disappeared from his sight. He was sitting with Chen at a small table close to the bar. Reid and Mannie were across the room, near the front door and they were casually studying each person that entered the bar.

  The women had chosen a high table right in the middle of the bar. They had climbed onto the bar stools, ordering drinks and talking and giggling. It hadn’t taken long, not with Constance in her red dress, for them to attract plenty of attention. They smiled and flirted with each man or group of men who approached them, but they had been here for nearly three hours without a single sign of vampires.

  “Perhaps we’ve chosen the wrong spot.” Chen said softly, as though reading Will’s mind.

  Will shook his head. “The highest concentration of missing people has been in this area of town. In fact, nearly half of them went missing after a night at this bar. We’re in the right place. Maybe they’re just taking a night off.”

  Chen took a sip of beer. “Maybe.”

  * * *

  “Selena?” Hannah called out for her as she smiled at the woman washing her hands at the sink. The woman returned her smile before drying her hands and slipping back into the bar. The music swelled and then returned to a distant hum as the door swung shut.

  “Selena?” Hannah said again, her stomach tightening when there was still no response. She cocked her head and listened. There were muffled sobs coming from the last stall and she ran down to it and pounded on the door.

  “Selena, let me in. Right now.”

  “Go away, Hannah.” Selena’s voice drifted wearily through the door.

  “No! Open the door. Dammit, Selena! I will break the damn thing down if I have to.” She pounded on the door again.

  After a moment, the lock turned and Selena opened the door. “I’m fine.” She said sourly.

  “You’re not fine.” Hannah reached out and cupped Selena’s shoulders, pulling her out of the stall. “And it’s okay that you’re not fine. What happened to us – it was awful and scary and – “

  “Spare me, Hannah.” Selena took a deep hitching breath. “You didn’t panic. You didn’t worry about dying that night. You did what you needed to do and saved our lives.”

  “Selena.” Hannah squeezed her shoulders softly. “It doesn’t mean I wasn’t terri-“

  “You should have let me die!” Selena suddenly shouted at her. Tears were beginning to flow down her face. “I watched Tyler die and I couldn’t do anything about it. Why didn’t you let me die?”

  She began to sob brokenly and Hannah tried to gather her into a hug. “Honey - it gets better. I promise you that. I know how badly it hurts right now but – “

  “Do you? You think because you lost your sister to the vampires you’re an expert on grieving over loved ones?” Selena pulled back and gave her a scornful look.

  “The man you love is sitting in the bar right now. You didn’t lose him that night. You could hug him, kiss him, listen to his laughter – “ she paused, “oh wait, that’s right. Your Lycan lover dropped you like a hot potato. What? He finally get tired of worrying that he might kill you while he was fucking you? ”

  Hannah’s face went deathly pale as Selena glared at her. “Thank God he’s got that new Lycan bitch to keep him warm. I imagine she’s more than capable of handling his – “

  Hannah slapped her hard across the face. Selena’s head rocked back and she placed one hand on her cheek, staring at Hannah with wide eyes.

  “Listen to me, Selena.” Hannah pushed her against the stall door and held her shoulders tightly. “I know you’re hurting. I know you miss Tyler and honey, I’m so sorry you had to watch him die like that. But you didn’t die that night. Mourn him, grieve him, but figure out what the fuck you want. If you want to take that grief and that sorrow and let it turn you into something you’re not then go ahead, it’s your fucking life, but stop blaming me for saving your life. I’m sick and tired of listening to your bullshit. If you’re half the person that I believe you are, you’ll take your grief and channel it into killing the goddamn bloodsuckers who took Tyler from you.”

  She stepped back, panting harshly, and stared at Selena.

  The tears dropped down Selena’s face and she looked silently at Hannah for a few minutes. “You’re right.” She whispered. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I know I’ve said some terrible things and I – “

  Hannah shook her head and hugged Selena roughly. “It doesn’t matter. I love you, Selena and I just want you back. Okay?”

  Selena nodded. “Okay.”

  “Are you good for tonight? If you’re not, it’s fine. We have plenty of people around to take the sons of bitches down.”

  Selena straightened. “No. I’m good.”

  Hannah studied her before nodding. “I know you are. You and I are the baddest motherfuckers in this bar.”

  Selena burst out laughing. “Yeah, we are.”

  “That’s right, bitch.” Hannah held her fist up and Selena bumped it with her own.

  “Now, let’s go Buffy this place the fuck up and slay us some undead.” Hannah grinned at her.

  Will watched as Reid spoke briefly into his cell phone and then made his way over to where he and Chen were sitting.

  He sat down in the empty seat beside Chen and stretched his long legs out in front of him. “That was Ryan. He and Greg are still in the parking lot and they haven’t seen any signs of fangers.”

  Chen sighed. “Perhaps it’s time to call it a night.”

  “Let’s give it another hour. It’s still early.” Reid replied.

  He hesitated and looked at both Chen and Will. “You know this whole hunt thing with Hannah is pointless right?”

  When neither responded, he continued. “The Board won’t care if Hannah doesn’t do well tonight. They don’t need her to do well to use her as bait.”

  “We know.” Will said shortly.

  “Then why do this?”

  “To give us more time.” Chen said. “Vampires aren’t known for their patience. Given a long enough time period, they’ll attack her parents even without Hannah being there. We’ve got a good team keeping watch over them. They’ll stop the vampire attack and possibly even find this Marcus without ever having to involve Hannah.”

  Reid tipped his head in admiration. “Not bad, boys. Not bad.”

  The three of them watched as Hannah and Selena came out of the bathroom. They walked by without acknowledging them and joined the other women at their table.

  Reid whistled under his breath. “Jesus, Hannah is looking good tonight. I wonder – “

  He paused as his cell phone buzzed.

  He read the text and took a deep breath. “We’ve got a group coming in right now.”

  They looked to the door as a group of seven young men entered the bar. They scanned the bar with an arrogant confidence that set Will’s teeth on edge. A waitress approached them and the biggest of the group looked her up and down, licking his lips, before placing an order. He let his hand linger on her waist and the waitress stared mesmerized at him. He grinned down at her, his face pale and beautiful, and Will had no doubt that if he had taken the waitress’ hand and led her from the bar she would have simply followed him like a puppy on a leash.

  “Here we go.” Chen murmured.

  The vampires had already noticed Hannah and the others. They looked at each other, a silent communication rippling between them, and then approached the table. Hannah smiled a bit stiffly at them as Selena, her hands folded into a tight fist on the table, looked down and breathed deeply. Constance gave them a much more natural and inviting smile. Mallorie and April were already staring rapturously at the two vampires closest to them.

  Reid frowned. “Are those two strong enough for this?”

  Chen nodded. “They graduated from the program six months ago and have been out hunting almost weekly since then. Trust me – they’re very good at what they do.”

  “They seem a bit too smitten.” Reid said.

  When they chose to, vampires had an innate ability to hypnotize their victims into a type of warm and willing compliance. Will had seen it many times before and he knew why Reid was concerned.

  “They’re excellent actors.” He said gruffly as he leaned further into the shadows. He was more concerned about Hannah and Selena. They had never been exposed to this side of the vampires before and although at least four of the group of vampires appeared to be yearlings, the big one was definitely dangerous and he was looking at Hannah.

  He watched as Constance laid one perfectly manicured hand on the biggest one’s arm and smiled warmly at him. She was doing her best to distract him but he gave her a disinterested look before turning back to Hannah. He crowded against her, leaning casually against the table and staring deep into her eyes. Hannah returned his stare, her head tipped to the side and a small dreamy look on her face. She made no objection when the vampire reached out and stroked her cheek with one pale finger.

  Will could feel his blood heating up in his veins, the objects in the room sharpening and the colours becoming more vibrant. He was acutely aware of the smells in the room, the sharp tang of Reid’s sweat and the sour smell of old beer, and he took a deep breath, his spine crackling as the power rippled through him.

  He would make the biggest one suffer, he thought hazily, just for touching her, for infecting her with its scent. He would tear out its spine and gouge its eyes out before he ripped its heart from its chest. And when the vampire was dead, its body turned to ash, he would take Hannah back to his apartment and fuck her until the only scent on her skin was his. Everyone - vampire, Lycan, and human alike - would know she belonged to him and damn the consequences of it. He didn’t care if -

  “Will!” Chen said quietly.

  Will turned to him, his eyes glowing with a kind of cold madness but Chen didn’t flinch.

  “Control it, Will.”

  Chen stared unblinkingly at him. “Control it or I’ll drag you out of here and chain you to the truck like a stray dog.”

  Will stared down at the table, clenching his hands into fists so he wouldn’t reach over and tear Chen’s throat out. He took breath after breath, clearing his mind until he was aware of nothing but the steady rhythm of his breathing. After nearly five minutes, he raised his head and stared calmly at Chen.

  “Jesus Christ.” Reid was staring at him with undisguised disgust. “Do all Lycans have this much trouble controlling themselves or is it just you?”

  “Enough, Reid. Now is not the time.” Chen said quietly.

  “Fine.” Reid snorted. “But all I’m saying is maybe you should think about learning how to chill out big guy. I hear yoga really helps with anger issues.”

  Will ignored him, taking another deep breath before looking back at the table. April and Mallorie had dragged two of the vampires to the dance floor and were dancing with them, pressing their bodies against theirs and smiling vacantly into their eyes.

  The biggest one had pulled a barstool close to Hannah and was sitting next to her, one arm draped casually across the back of her seat. The others were crowded around the table, three of them hanging off of Constance’s every word, and Will breathed a sigh of relief that Selena had actually managed to relax and look like she was enjoying chatting with the vampire standing next to her.

  “So tell me, Hannah. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” The vampire grinned at her and moved the arm draped on her chair to her shoulders.

  She giggled, putting her hand over her mouth before pushing gently on his chest. “That’s original, Brent.”

  He shrugged. “The classics never go out of style.”

  Hannah giggled again. “Next you’ll be asking me if it hurt when I fell from heaven.”

  He laughed, the sound so warm and inviting that a girl walking next to their table actually stopped and drew close to him, staring at him with unabashed delight.

  He grinned at the girl, winking and squeezing her arm before giving her a gentle push to get her moving again.

  Hannah pouted at him. “It would seem you’re popular with the ladies.”

  He shrugged carelessly. “I do okay.”

  “Maybe I should leave you to it then.” Hannah slid off the bar stool and the vampire grasped her arm and pulled her towards him. He cupped her face in his cold hand and rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone.

  “I don’t think you want to do that.” He whispered, staring into her eyes.

  “No, I don’t.” She whispered back.

  He smiled and bent his head to kiss her. At the last moment Hannah turned her head and his lips slid across her cheek.

  A look of anger flickered across his face before he smiled down at her. “Are you shy, Hannah?”

  “A little.”

  He brought her glass of beer towards her. “A little liquid courage perhaps?”

  He urged her to drink the rest of it and she obliged. “Better?”

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He waved at the waitress who immediately came over, smiling and letting her body rub up against his.

  “We’re going to be needing more drinks.” Brent purred at her. , “A lot more – for all of my new friends.”

  Chapter 6

  Chen and Will watched as Hannah took Selena’s hand and, weaving unsteadily, led her to the bathroom. Reid had returned to the table he shared with Mannie and for the last two hours they had watched as the women giggled and flirted and drank with the vampires.

  “They’ve had too much to drink.” Will said worriedly to Chen. “They’re both drunk. It’s going to affect their ability to fight.”

  Chen nodded. “It’s too late now.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “I’ve never seen vampires do this before, have you? Why the hell are they getting them so drunk? As far as they know, the girls are already under their power. Why get them drunk?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because most of the group is yearlings? They may think it’ll be easier for the yearlings to lure them in and feed from them if the women are drunk.”