He was part of the local vampire Family, I assumed. He seemed young, cocky, his red silk shirt open at the collar, his smirk unwavering. He opened his lips just enough to show the points of his fangs.
“We don’t want your kind here.” Wiry and feral, he had a manic, Clockwork Orange feel to him.
I looked across the room to find T.J. Two more of them, impeccably dressed in silk shirts and tailored slacks and oozing cold, blocked him in the corner. T.J.’s fists were clenched. He caught my gaze and set his jaw in grim reassurance. I had to trust him to get me out of this, but he was too far away to help me.
“I thought you guys didn’t like this place,” I said.
“We changed our minds. And you’re trespassing.”
“No.” I whined a little under my breath. I had wanted to leave this behind for a few hours.
I glared, shaking. A predator had me in his sights, and I wanted to flee, a primal instinct. I didn’t dare look away from the vampire, but another scent caught my attention. Something animal, a hint of fur and musk underneath normal human smells. Werewolf.
Carl didn’t hesitate. He just stepped into the place the vampire had been occupying, neatly displacing him before the vampire knew what had happened.
Our slight commotion made the vampires blocking T.J. turn. T.J., who could hold his own in a straight fight, elbowed his way between them and strode toward us.
Carl grabbed my shoulder. “Let’s go outside.”
He was about six-four and had the build to match. He towered over my slim, five-six self. He had rough brown hair and a beard, and glared constantly. Even if I didn’t know what he was, I’d have picked him out of a lineup as most likely to be a werewolf. He had this look.
I squeaked as he wrenched me toward the door. I scurried to stay on my feet, but I had trouble keeping up. It looked like he dragged me, but I hardly noticed, I was so numb with relief that the vampire was gone and we were leaving.
A bouncer blocked our way at the passage leading from the dance floor to the main entrance. He wasn’t as tall as Carl, but he was just as wide. And he had no idea that Carl could rip his face off if he decided to.
“This guy bothering you?” the bouncer said to me.
Carl’s hand tensed on my shoulder. “It’s none of your business.”
Frowning, the bouncer looked at me for confirmation. He was judging this based on human sensibilities. He saw a girl get dragged off the dance floor, it probably meant trouble. But this was different. Sort of.
I squared my shoulders and settled my breathing. “Everything’s fine. Thanks.”
The bouncer stepped aside.
Joining us, T.J. followed us down the passage and out the door.
Outside, we walked down a side street, around the cor
ner and into an alley, out of sight of the people who were getting air outside the club.
There, Carl pinned me against the brick wall, hands planted on either side of my head.
“What the hell are you doing out where they could find you?”
I assumed he meant the vampires. My heart pounded, my voice was tight, and with Carl looming over me I couldn’t calm down. My breaths came out as gasps. He was so close, the heat of him pressed against me, and I was on the verge of losing it. I wanted to hug him, cling to him until he wasn’t angry at me anymore.
“It was just for a little while. I just wanted to go out. They weren’t supposed to be here.” I looked away, brushing a tear off my cheek. “T.J. was with me. And they weren’t supposed to be here.”
“Don’t argue with me.”
“I’m sorry, Carl. I’m sorry.” It was so hard groveling upright, without a tail to stick between my legs.
T.J. stood a couple of feet away, leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed and shoulders hunched.
“It’s my fault,” he said. “I told her it was okay.”
“When did you start handing out permission?”