Page 10

I nod. Fresh air sounds amazing right now. We get our hands stamped so we can come back in and move away from the queue snaking along the front of the building. I don’t want to stand near the smokers at the side either, so we end up towards the back of the building near the fire exit.

“Jeez, I haven’t danced like that in months.” I pull my sweat-soaked white T-shirt away from my body and wonder if I should have chosen a different outfit for tonight. Something that doesn’t show sweat patches would have been a better choice, even if this does mould to my body perfectly.

Irving snags my free hand. “Yeah, it’s been a while since we got to do that together.”

Umm… not what I meant. I gently extract my hand on the pretence of checking the time on my phone.

Irving grips my hips in his big hands and presses me against the wall behind me. He’s careful not to hurt me, and I know he never would, but I put a hand on his chest to keep some space between us.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought maybe… I know we agreed to only one night, but your dancing is so hot, Ayo. I was wondering if you’d be interested in a repeat?” He brushes his thumb over a small strip of skin at my waistband, just under my T-shirt.

Oh. I didn’t see that coming. Irving and I did have one awesome night together about two years ago, and although the sex was great, I’ve never felt the urge to go there again.

It’s possible I might have been interested tonight, except that Irving doesn’t get me excited the way my wolf shifter boss does without even trying.

So other than the fact they’re both big guys with beards, they really don’t compare.

I might have had one or two—or ten—naughty dreams about Ethan since I started working for him. Sure, it’ll never happen, but hooking up with Irving doesn’t feel right. Not when I’m starting to crush on my boss.

“I’m flattered, big guy, but no.”

Irving immediately drops his hands and steps back. See? He’s a sweetheart. “Right. Sorry. I thought, with the way you were dancing with me… Never mind. No pressure.”

When he turns his back to me, I straighten and take a step towards him, careful not to touch. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I thought we were on the same page with things.”

“We are. It’s fine.”

Yeah, I’m not buying that. He won’t turn around and look at me.

“Shall we head back in?” I’m not actually sure I want to now, but I won’t bail on the others without at least telling them, especially not when they’re all out tonight for me.

Irving rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. After you.”

Fair enough.

I only make it three steps before Irving crashes into me with a shout, knocking me to the cold cobbles. I bang my head hard as Irving’s weight half pins me down. My mind goes fuzzy as I try to figure out what the hell just happened and why my face is wet.

It’s a struggle to turn over, and when I do, I freeze in place.

Over Irving’s shoulder, I can see that the back of his shirt is in tatters, dark bloodstains spreading across the fabric, as a pair of amber eyes with vertical pupils watch us from the shadows. Eyes that are not at human height.

A chill spreads through me, lifting the hair on my arms. It’s them. It’s the serial killer we’ve been searching for.

I shake Irving, trying to wake him, attempting to get him off me so that I can protect him while he escapes, but his eyes won’t open. At least he’s breathing.

Okay, I can do this.

I try to throw a shield over us, but I must have hurt my head worse than I realised because it wobbles and fails. So does my second attempt. My moonstone pulses a warning, but my focus seems intact, so that’s not the problem.

Fuck. What else can I try? The throbbing in my head is intense, and my vision is blurred. All those spells I practised for my enforcer test vanish from my sluggish brain.

I try to ignore my throbbing temples and concentrate enough to reach for my phone, which fell from my hand when I hit the ground.

I stop dead at the vicious snarl from whoever that is.

It’s too dark to see more than the eyes, so I attempt to use my magic to at least pin down the species, but it’s like I hit an invisible wall.

Fuck, this is bad. Irving still isn’t moving, and I’m half-trapped by his bulk. His breathing is becoming increasingly laboured and I don’t know how to protect us without a shield.

A black animal lunges from the shadows so fast I can barely track it.

My heart stops as it aims for Irving. I try to roll us or protect him in some way, but he’s too heavy, and I’m too slow.

The shifter’s claws leave more gouges in him and catch my bicep where I’m trying to reach over to protect him, sending pain searing through my arm.

“Leave him alone!” I finally find my voice. “Help! Someone, help!”

The shifter snarls at me from the shadows before turning and leaping over a wall. Seconds later, two vamps zip around the corner. Their fangs descend, probably at the smell of blood, but they cover their noses and mouths with their sleeves.

“Shit. You okay, kid?”

I grip Irving tighter, silently begging him to hang on. “Call Doc P. Please.”

I don’t recognise either of the vamps, but they’re decent enough people that they nod. While one backs away, phone out, the other carefully moves Irving off me. He’s panting more than he should be and looks up at me with hunger in his eyes before backing away.

“Sorry, kid, I can’t… We’ll stay with you, though. Make sure no one comes back.”

I nod, glad they’re old enough to have the self-control to not attack us when the smell of our blood must be overwhelming for them.

It takes me a minute, but I finally find the strength to reach for my phone with my good arm.

My hands tremble as I tap the screen, and although it takes me longer than it should, I manage to find Ethan’s number.

As soon as he picks up and I hear his gravelly voice, probably half-asleep, a tiny bit of the blinding panic leaves me.

“Ayo?”

“Ethan. Fuck. They were here. The shifter. Doc P is coming, but Irving is unconscious, and it’s bad… and my head hurts, and… the vamps are helping, but there’s so much blood. I need you. Please. I just…”

My head is swimming, and I’m not sure I’m making sense. There are faint noises in the background—maybe a zip, the jangle of keys, and a door closing? That could be something at this end. Everything is too fuzzy for me to tell.

“I’m coming. Where are you?”

“Um…” I can’t remember. “I… We’re at…”

“The back of Love Bites on Trinity Street,” one of the vampires calls out, hopefully loud enough that Ethan can hear them with his shifter hearing.

“Got it. The others are on their way too. Hang on, Ayo. Keep talking to me.”

I want to, I really do. But my vision is getting darker. Did the street light go out? Wait, I think my blinks are getting longer.

“Ayo, talk to me.” Ethan sounds tense now.

I don’t want my wolf boss to be grumpy with me. But as my vision goes dark, I don’t think I can do what he asks.