Beasts and Burdens (17 page)

“With Ethan or Jordan?” She pulled away and smiled a knowing smile, and he glanced to where Nevia was looking on. If she was watching, she wasn’t likely to appreciate Cori’s zeal for dance, but she also knew that jealousy was a great aphrodisiac.

“I don’t know that she cares. I’m just her booty call.”

Cori raised her arms and shimmied back to him like a standing lap dancer, close, but not too close. “That’s bullshit,” she said matter-of-factly and he narrowed his eyes at her. She shifted so he couldn’t intimidate her with his eyes. “She wants to be with you, she’s just confused and scared.”

“I’m not interested in your analysis of the last couple hours.”

Cori shifted back to face him, leveling him with her own glare. “It’s not an analysis. She told me.”

Daniel’s eyes flickered over hers and his mouth dropped open. The music slowed enough to warrant more proximity and he drew her hands up around his neck. “She said she wants to be with me?” He rested his hands on her hips with barely any pressure.

“She wants to be with a man that she can be proud of. One that she can introduce to her family, and not have them wonder what the hell she’s doing with her life.”

“I thought she didn’t care about what her family thought.” Daniel glanced back at Nevia. Cori wasn’t sure if he had caught her eye, but he didn’t look back for a long moment. “Does she…love me?”

“She didn’t know. This is all very new to her, Daniel. I told her to be persistent and patient. I told her an emotional relationship was going to be new for you too.”

Daniel looked her over. She wasn’t sure if the intensity in his gaze was angry or staid. She had apparently crossed a line by making assumptions about his personality. “I’m glad he married you,” he said abruptly. The sober respect lingered in his eyes for a moment, and then it was gone. “It’s a good thing too, because I’d be more than happy to steal you away.” He winked at her offering his best flirtatious smirk.

Cori laughed. She knew this was as close to a heartfelt moment as she was probably going to get with Daniel. “Baby and all, huh?” She leaned back pushing her stomach into his.

His smirk shifted from flirtatious to mischievous and he leaned into her ear. “That’s part of the draw.”

Cori finally caught a glimpse of Nevia looking over the scene dutifully. She was a hard woman to pinpoint, but Cori could see the pain on her face. She was only standing guard out of duty. If not for that, she would have stormed out and walked home. She felt guilty, but that only meant the ingredients in her love spell were just right.

“Dance with her,” Cori said motioning to Nevia with her eyes only.

Daniel shook his head. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

“I’ll stand by the bar. You can watch me the whole time.” Daniel glanced anxiously to Nevia. She could tell he really wanted to get his hands on her, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone.

“Daniel,” she said softly and drew her hand in front of his face. She lit a small flame in her hand and extinguished it just as quick. The expression on his face was priceless, a combination of fear and pride and
what the hell
! “Remember, I’m not without my defenses.” She smiled and raised her brow.

“Mmm-mm-mmm, you are just a piñata of
with benefits
.” He grinned and let her lead the way back to the bar.

42

Daniel bypassed Cori on the way to the bar and slipped a twenty into her hand in case she wanted another Coke. When he reached Nevia he didn’t bother asking her to dance or even hold out his hand as a gentlemanly request. He just grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.

On their way back through, he noticed the concern on Cori’s face for his perceived irritation. He winked at her to let her know he was only faking it.

Unable to detect his lie, Nevia was immediately concerned by his abrupt change in behavior. She probably would have pulled her firearm if she hadn’t seen that Cori was safely ensconced at the bar ordering a drink. “What’s wrong with you?”

He didn’t answer. He just pulled her through the crowd onto the dance floor. The band was still playing a slower beat, so he pulled her into a tight embrace. She struggled to get control of the situation, but he didn’t let her. He clamped his arm around her back pressing her into his chest.

She looked up at him with annoyed and confused eyes, but when she saw his somber expression, she relaxed against him. He eased his grip letting her move more freely. As he did, she moved her hands up his chest and around his neck. He had never been this close to her without being in bed with her. It was strange how something almost sexual could be more intimate than sex.

He shifted with the music, and she followed his movements without hesitation. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he assumed that she was wetting her lips in preparation for a kiss. He held off, letting the dance be the foreplay.

He bent her back in a rotating dip, wondering if he could get away with drawing his finger down her neck into her cleavage. When he brought her back up she shifted her stance so her thigh was pressing harder into his crotch. He smirked, and leaned down to her ear. “Did you find something you like?” he asked playfully.

“Someone, anyway,” she responded and sucked his earlobe. The tantalizing pleasure sent shivers through his body

“Have I mentioned I love that you aren’t shy?”

“Not lately,” she whispered and swirled her tongue along the outside of his ear.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to have to shag you in the bathroom of this place.”

“How about right here?” she whispered and bit his earlobe hard. He yanked her back and kissed her hard shoving his tongue in her mouth. He expected her to pull back, but she just sucked his tongue and drew him closer.

Eventually, he needed to breathe, so he pulled away. “Feck, woman, I have no control over myself with you.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, but it makes me feel powerless. You make me feel powerless.”

“I know how you feel,” she said earnestly drawing back slightly.

“What do you want from me Nevia? I’ll give you anything, but I can’t give you my heart until I know for sure.” Her eyes flitted over his shocked by his honesty. Or perhaps she was terrified. For once they couldn’t just fall into a bed to avoid having this discussion. “Don’t tell me you don’t know either, because you’ve had plenty of time to think about it.”

“I…” Her voice cracked and she looked like she might cry if she spoke. He had only seen her shed a tear or two once, and that was only because she was significantly startled. Like she always said, she didn’t wear fear well. “Where’s Cori?” Her eyes darted to the bar behind them, and for a moment he didn’t fall for the distraction, but when she didn’t find her right away, he whipped around to join the search.

43

Cori left the bathroom happy to release the sudden pressure on her bladder, via the baby tap dancing to the music. She wasn’t surprised that the vibration had woken him/her up, but she was surprised that the pokes were almost going in tempo with the beat. Perhaps her baby was as fond of music as she was.

She made it back to her frilly drink that was overloaded with enough fruit to make it look like a small gift basket. After a satisfying sip of the sweet virgin beverage Daniel approached from behind her, startling her with his tone. “Where the hell did you go?”

She choked on her cocktail and shrugged. “I had to pee.” His jaw clenched tightly and he looked almost ready to pout. “Daniel, I have to pee. I was only gone a minute. I figured you guys would be making out for a while.”

He flushed and looked at his feet. “Yeah, we were having a moment.”

“And where is the lucky other half of that moment.”

“Looking for you.” He glanced around the room for her, but he didn’t seem to find her. Cori joined him in looking around, but she didn’t see her either.

“She probably went to check the restroom?” Cori offered grabbing his hand. “She’s smart like that.”

“Yeah,” he answered, squeezing her hand back before he let go and sat across from her. “I shouldn’t worry so much. She’s tougher with a gun than most of the men I know.” He gave her a small proud smile, and she smiled back at him.

The band stopped suddenly and there was a tap on the microphone. “Attention patrons,” a tall lanky woman with muscular arms and thighs peeking from her black satin dress spoke into the microphone, “we have a
special
request for all the animal lovers out tonight. Enjoy.” She smiled mischievously and left the stage.

The band returned to their posts and the lead singer howled into the microphone. There was a slight growl at the end of his howl that sounded unintentional. “Who’s that I see walking in this bar?” The singer talk sang the first line. “Why its little red riding hood?” He proceeded to sing the “Sham and the Pharaohs” song with a good deal better drum back up than the original.
“Hey there little red riding hood…You are sure looking good…You’re everything…a big bad wolf could want.”

Daniel shot up out of his chair. “Feck!” He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door, before she could ask what was going on. “Go to the car, and lock yourself in!” He shoved the keys in her hand and ushered her to the door.

“I’m not leaving you. What’s wrong?” she asked frantically looking for the threat. Even as she asked she felt the threat like hot breath on her back. Two bouncers corralled the door before they could leave, staring at both of them with extreme interest. One of them licked their lower lip at her and she nearly blasted him with her rings for the insult, but she remembered she was supposed to be incognito.

“Werewolves, Cori. That song is for me. They have Nevia,” Daniel said still scanning the crowd.

“Then let’s get her back.” She ushered him back into the club.

“This was a trap,” he said lost in thought, “they’ve been plastering advertisements on my car for months. Holy shit, Cori, I’ve walked all of us into a fecking werewolf den.”

Cori could see the panic taking over his judgment, but for some reason a den of werewolves couldn’t scare her more than being brain raped by her own house. “You!” Cori yelled to the doorman that wasn’t licking his lips at her. “Come here!”

He stepped forward and rested his big beefy arms on each of their shoulders. She could see the glint of anger starting to take over Daniel’s panic. “What can I help you with, little ones?” His voice sounded deep and hollow, like his voice box was echoing in his chest.

“Where is Nevia Jordan?”

He laughed. “With my boss.”

“Yeah, and I bet your boss wants to watch us squirm on the line a while before you take us to her, but frankly I’ve had a really bad third trimester so I’m not in the mood to play the game by your rules.”

“What makes you think you have a choice?” He brought his face close to hers baring his big bright white teeth, accented by the lengthy, sizeable canines. Werewolves weren’t predacious in human form, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he could take a bite out of her with ease.

“These.” She waved her rings in front of his face before pressing her hand to his cheek. He yelled as her superheated hand imprinted on his face. The lip licker behind him jumped forward to help, but one look from Daniel slammed him into the wall. He shook his head at the man and he begrudgingly kept his distance.

“Now,” Cori cooled her hand as her new buddy knelt down cradling his face. “I can either keep manhandling you, drawing the attention of all these profitable drinkers. Or! I could burn this place to the ground. Or! You could do as you’re told, and take me to Jordan and your boss!”

The werewolf looked up at her with murder in his eyes, but just to be sure they understood each other, she bloomed a fireball in her hand. The shock on his face contorted into the standard angry pout of someone who knows they are outwitted and outgunned. He stood and marched down to the dance floor. Cori and Daniel presumed that they should follow.

Daniel leaned over to her as they walked. “Would it ruin the moment, if I commented on how cool that just was?”

“I think we’re due some back slapping for our awesomeness.” She answered and he grinned.

44

Daniel expected Tweedle-Dickhead to take them to some seedy back office, but instead, he led them out the backdoor to the alley. It was a closed off alley, designed for unloading truck supplies for the entire building. The cool wet air—compounded by the smell of dead fish, made for an appropriate ambiance for his first meet and greet with the Queen bitch since Nevia incited a coup.

“Frederique,” Daniel said cordially to the tall blonde blocking the exit to the alley. He was amazed at how put together she looked for a street fight. Although, he imagined that she had no idea what night he might arrive on. “Nice to see you again,” he lied, eying her back up.

The two fem-wolves backing her up were shorter and stouter than her, but they did look ready for a fight. The jeans and t-shirts they wore were even matching, and now that he thought about it, they were probably the roadies for the band. As if on track with his mental thought process, several more people exited the club joining them in the alley. It was the band—obviously not just on a smoke break—and the other bouncer.

“Where’s Jordan?” Cori asked boldly. Daniel was impressed with her fortitude inside the bar, but he wondered if her hormones were clouding her judgment a little. They were in fact, in trouble.

“You can’t even imagine how thrilled I am that you’re here, Cori,” Frederique shrilled. “I had never dreamed that I would have any chance of exacting any revenge on Ethan for his part in this fracas of political upheaval. Seeing you makes all the months of baiting Daniel here, worth it.”

“Don’t you mean, baiting Nevia?” Daniel asked remembering that it was his car that the ads were on, not hers.

“No, Daniel that was also a fortuitous event. I was only hoping to lure you in to offer you a chance to save her life. The fact that she is here now for me to bring home the point, is just a cherry on my already bursting cake.”

“Seriously,” Daniel scoffed drawing in closer to Cori. “I’m just not into you, get over it.” Everyone behind him laughed and he got the sense it wasn’t because of his levity.

“Daniel, I’m offering you a position. I am struggling to keep control of my empire and I need strong supporters. My sister has already turned so many of my allies against me, that I am forced to seek partnerships…external to my race. I am not proud of this, but many of my followers believe in the traditions that we have upheld for so many years, and they don’t want to change. So, we will do whatever it takes.”

“Where is she?” Daniel asked ignoring almost everything she said.

She pointed up and he saw Nevia hanging from a noose four stories up. She wasn’t choking since the noose was holding her by the back of the neck, but he imagined she might need some chiropractic adjustments later. She was gagged and she wasn’t struggling much, but he could see she was trying to get a view of what was happening below.

“Damn it, Frederique, just let her go! She’s just a stupid, obstinate little girl! She’s just a hippy fighting wars with a picket line.”

“From that height she’ll die on impact. Unless, of course, you have something to offer me in exchange for her.”

“I have something to offer,” Cori snapped.

Before Daniel could stop her, Cori’s hand erupted in electricity that threaded out at Frederique. Frederique convulsed from the shock, but it was quickly interrupted when the bouncer that brought them out elbowed Cori in the stomach.

She gasped and fell to the ground interrupting her attack. Daniel caught her and eased her down. Cori held her pregnant belly and struggled to breathe. He could see she was angry, but he hadn’t realized she was still up for a fight until he saw her hands frosting over with ice.

“Don’t,” he whispered, “please.” She didn’t seem to like that answer since it was her baby that took the brunt of the hit, but she kept her hands to herself.

Daniel stood and eyed the burned man. He was more than happy to seek retribution on Cori any way he could. “Touch her again and I’ll end you,” Daniel said evenly, but the man only chuckled at his cockiness. Little did he know, he wasn’t being cocky.

Once upon a time, Daniel would have obliterated every last one of them to protect his friends, but along the road of learning to heal people, he realized that he wasn’t as evil as he once thought. He was starting to believe he could be the hero. Unfortunately, with his power, villain and hero were too damn close to call.

“Frederique what exactly do you want?”

Frederique ripped her glaring eyes from Cori. For the most part she seemed undamaged by the electrical offense. “I
want
to kill your little chippie, but short of that, I am willing to accept your submission.” Above them, Nevia tried to say something, but her mouth was crammed with too much cloth to hear it.

“I join you to fight your sister, and Nevia goes on unharmed?”

Frederique stepped forward and shrugged. “Unharmed would require further negotiation, but I would be willing to offer…unscarred for free.” She waved her hand like a magic wand, bestowing the option generously.

Daniel narrowed his gaze on her. “And if I refuse?”

Her smile grew and dropped. “Then
I
end
you
.
All
of you.”

“I won’t let that happen,” he said shaking his head apologetically.

“I understand you are very powerful Daniel, but there are…” She recounted the men and women surrounding him. “…nine of us.”

He frowned at the number, which made her smile since she didn’t understand why the number bothered him. “I’m not sure that will matter, but you can give it a go.”

“I thought you might say that, so I added a tenth.” Frederique pointed up and a rifle toting fem-wolf looked down at him from her perch above Nevia. Her gun was pointed right at him.

Daniel was capable of taking out bullets and people with nothing more than a look, but four different angles and the speed of bullets did put a question in his mind. He glanced at Nevia and tapped his leg. He dipped his brow slightly and she tugged on her pant leg. They hadn’t bothered searching her. She was still armed, and her hands weren’t bound tightly enough to prevent her from reaching her gun if she lifted her leg. She might be able to get a descent angle to fire below her if she could crane her head enough to fire aimlessly at the dog pack behind him. Maybe he wouldn’t have to kill everyone after all.