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“Fuck.” She grabbed her chest, the curse flying past her lips before she could stop it. “Shit.” That one as well. Then she groaned—loudly.

Way to be cool, Alex.Her cheeks heated.

Ugh. Anyone buthim.

Liam’s best friend sat on the barstool, watching her make a fool of herself with a humorless smirk on his perfect face. If he didn’t unsettle her, shemighthave found his piercing eyes attractive, the color reminiscent of melted caramel dipped in chocolate. While a girl could easily lose herself in his golden gaze, steel crept into her spine, her guard going up. At previous visits, she’d gotten the impression the Council enforcer didn’t approve of her being Liam’s Chosen. As though he believed she wasn’t good enough.

With that kind of attitude, the self-righteous vampire should at least have a hooked nose with a wart. Nothing about the guy was unattractive, much to her dismay. With his long black hair and native features, he reminded her of the Aztec warrior she’d seen in a painting at her favorite Mexican restaurant. The sexy one with the half-naked man and the unconscious maiden in his arms.

While Jericho had a muscular build, she’d noted, with great delight, he was nowhere near as bulky as her Liam. Few were. Still, the way his leather jacket stretched over his broad shoulders wasn’t totally unappealing.

The first time she’d met him, he had been watching over Ava, a petite newborn vampire who’d gotten tangled up in some secret operation he was working on. With Ava, he’d been patient and kind, protective. Unfortunately, Alex received but a taste of his sweeter side. One minute he was friendly, those golden eyes scanning her in a way that said he didn’t hate what he was seeing. Then in the amount of time it took her to dig a bottle of Basil Hayden out of Liam’s private stash and turn around, he’d completely shut down.

Ever since, he’d watched her like a cop with a radar detector, eager for her to screw up and prove him right. How Liam and Mr. Judgmental became friends was beyond her understanding.

Unfortunately, this was the one man Liam respected above all others, so she’d have to play nice, more or less.

While her stomach twisted as though she’d swallowed worms, she held his gaze. “Hi. Sorry. I didn’t see you waiting there. Can I get you something?”

“Just Liam,” he said, gifting her with the minimum number of words needed to convey his needs. God forbid he engage her for more than two seconds of polite conversation.

“And you are?” She countered as if his disapproving face wasn’t burned into her brain.

“You know who I am,” he growled in a deep, shiver-inducing tone.

“Oh, right. Now I remember. You’re Liam’s friend, Jer, Gerald…Jericho. That’s it. Sit tight, and I’ll get him for you.”

His full lips tightened with annoyance, sending both a jolt of victory and alarm tingling over her skin.Alex, what are you doing?her inner voice whispered. The voice that had kept her off the Council’s radar for years.Way to race through that speed trap at ninety miles an hour.

She hustled after Gavin and asked him to track down Liam.

Within seconds, Liam was at her side. “What’s up, Sunshine?”

She nodded toward his visitor.

“Jericho!” Liam boomed, deafening her in one ear. He plodded around the bar, crushed his friend in a Liam-sized hug, and pounded Jericho’s back like a base drum. Alex cringed. Liam was known to crack a few ribs with his enthusiasm.

“You sorry sonofabitch. Where the hell have you been?” Liam asked. “Alex, honey, grab the Basil Hayden.”

Alex set Liam’s favorite bottle of whiskey, along with two glasses, in front of them, then hustled in the opposite direction. At a safe distance, she sucked a slow breath through her nose and exhaled.This is so stupid.She didn’t have time for judgmental vampires with smoldering eyes. She had a job to do. As a matter of fact—she’d already forgotten the sexy jerk was even there.

“What’ve we got?” she asked Gavin, who studied her with one brow arched.

“Two Purple Mambas, one Death Dealer and three pints of Guinness.”

Her stomach rolled. No apple martinis or lite beers for this crowd. At Gavin’s insistence, she’d tried a Death Dealer—once. It was an experience she wouldn’t be repeating.

“I’ll get the Guinness.”

Gavin opened his mouth as if to stop her, then clamped it shut. He folded his arms, shooting her a this-should-be-good smirk.

Prepare to be impressed, buddy. She grabbed a pint glass, pulled the tap handle and tilted the glass at a forty-five-degree angle for theperfect pour.

He rewarded her with a grin. “You’ve been paying attention.” Gavin treated the perfect pour with the same reverence reserved for religious ceremonies. She waited for the Guinness to settle while eyeing the back of Jericho’s over-inflated head. “I really don’t understand what Liam sees in that guy. They’re complete opposites.”

Gavin glanced at the two men at the end of the bar. “Who, Jericho?” The demon shook tabasco into the drink. “Sure, he’s one of those ‘devoted to the clan’ types, but he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

Not so bad? The tip of her nose was still frostbitten from his icy disdain. She hitched a shoulder because she couldn’t care less,really. “Well, I hope he isn’t staying long. It’s terrible for business, having one of the clan leader’s guard dogs in here.” Half of their customers bailed the moment they spotted him. When the enforcer was here a few months ago, she’d noticed none of the shady types—AKA, their target market—liked to hang around when he and his buddies were near.