Page 2 of Blood and Embers (The Rose Vampire Coven #7)

S cott watched the tall, dark stranger stand there with his strength and resolve on full display.

There was something about Pike that he found fiercely attractive, and not least of all his rugged yet polished good looks.

Pike, with his darkly handsome face and body so tall and solid, was clearly much more than a bartender, regardless of what he claimed.

His aura spoke of a strength and a control that was trained like that of a soldier.

"Are you hoping he calls?" Andrew, a friend and fellow firefighter, asked with a grin. "I've never seen you so interested before, especially not at a scene.” He laughed again.

“He’s interesting." Scott shot back. "He says that he's a bartender, and yet he was handling that disaster like a pro, not a moment of fear or confusion. I’d say he’s used to trouble, and he’s used to cleaning up.”

“You found your soul mate, friend.” That statement struck Scott as soberingly significant.

He’d dated a lot, but it was always surface, nothing deep or heartfelt.

It worked for him, and he chose guys who were looking for the same, just brief and physical.

But this man, Pike, presented something different from the moment he laid eyes on the gorgeous man.

He felt something stir in his heart and in his core.

It was like waking up or suddenly coming to life.

It was important, and he wanted to find out what it was.

“Are you familiar with any of the people from the Blood Rose?” Scott asked him as they made their way back to the station.

“Not really, I've been there a few times, but unfortunately, I struck out every time." He laughed at himself. "I do know that everyone who works there is literally drop-dead gorgeous. It must be a prerequisite for hire."

Scott fell silent for the remainder of the ride, his mind consumed by the drop-dead gorgeous bartender.

“Thanks for getting Daemon out of there," Hugh told him while they stood guard the following morning at the back entrance of the Coven House. The Master was not taking any chances on whether the Bagwell Pack knew of their location. Security would be tight and obvious for a while now.

“Is he okay?” Pike remembered him being unconscious when he picked him up off the main floor. He wasn’t sure at that time as to his injuries; he just wanted to get him outside and to safety.

“Yeah, he’ll sleep it off. It was just a slight concussion.”

"That's the perks of being a vampire," Pike spoke up, and Hugh nodded. "The humans didn't fare so well, unfortunately.”

"No one died, thank God, but some needed hospitalization."

“It’s not good for business when patrons die.” Pike through in another comment.

“Not good at all.” Hugh agreed.

It was near noon when Pike noticed movement at the club and alerted Hugh.

They approached quietly, not sure who it was and whether they had the right to be there.

The police had visited the place repeatedly, as had the fire department, but they were under the impression that the investigation had been completed.

Pike entered through the burned-out section of the side wall and took his steps carefully to avoid alerting whoever was inside.

Hugh circled to the front and entered from there.

The scent of ash and fire was still prominent, but another scent was also present.

It was sweet cotton candy and not a scent that should be inside the charred remains of the club.

“Do you smell that?” He asked Hugh as they met on the remains of the dance floor.

“What do you smell?”

“Cotton candy.”

“All I smell is the ruins of the fire and the sour stench of the wolves who set this fire.” Hugh was very clear.

Then they heard someone walking toward them from the back hall, an area that was damaged but wasn’t completely destroyed.

They stood still and quiet, waiting for the person to approach them.

Pike took a deep breath when the smell of cotton candy assailed him.

The man walking toward them was Lieutenant Scott Jones, and he was Pike's beloved.

The suit, the helmet, and the fire must have obscured his scent last night.

There was a reason Pike felt so drawn to the guy and enjoyed his company so much.

“Scott.” He called out. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought the investigation had concluded.”

"Hey, Pike." He responded and walked up to them. "It's pretty much concluded, but we're still checking out a few things." He sounded casual, but Pike sensed a seriousness in his demeanor.

"This is Hugh, he works security at the club." Pike introduced them, and then Hugh excused himself to return to his post, assuming Pike had this, whatever it was, in hand.

“I just wanted to give the place another walk-through to see if we’d missed anything.” He said as he scanned the area. “It could have been so much worse if you and your people hadn’t acted so quickly or if the club had been fuller.” Pike had a feeling that Scott was figuring things out.

Scott looked at him directly, holding his gaze and studying his reactions. "This attack was meant to kill, and honestly, considering the amount of gasoline used, it's a miracle no one died.”

“We were lucky, and we’ll be more careful in the future.” Pike neither supported nor commented on his statement. He turned and started walking to the back door, and Scott followed him. Once outside, they stood in the alley and looked back at the building.

“This isn’t the first fire like this, Pike.

I've responded to two others that were very similar.

" He said, and then after a pause, explained.

“A club to the east was burned, and didn't come out of it as well as you. That fire was two weeks ago, and it was tragic.” Pike remembered hearing about it during their meetings on the Bagwell Pack.

"There was another just ten days ago, which occurred in a small bar not far from here. They didn't do so well either. There were no deaths, but the business was a complete loss.”

“What are you getting at?” Pike asked. He knew what was going on, who was doing it, and why, but he couldn’t share that information with Scott.

His beloved was an intelligent man with a logical mind, and he wished he could discuss this case openly with him.

Things needed to be said, and information shared, before trust could be given.

For now, he would listen and take the opportunity to learn about his beloved.

"Something is going on here, and I think you know more than you're telling me," Scott stated. “You were targeted, and your boss didn't seem surprised by it, nor did anyone."

“We’re letting the police do their job.” Pike defended. Scott arched his eyebrow and smiled.

“Yeah." He said in a skeptical tone. “Just a law-abiding citizen. I can see that.” He continued to smile and shot him several side eyes. “You were hit with five large gasoline bombs.” He paused and continued to stare at Pike, who gave nothing away.

“They wanted to kill, and since they failed, they will try again and probably come at you with more than five bombs.” Another pause. “At this time, I would normally implore you to tell us what’s happening so that you can be protected, but I can recognize a company man when I see one.”

“I’m just a cog in the wheel around here. I do as I’m told.” Pike diverted, but Scott was clearly not convinced.

“Yeah, just a cog.” He let out a long breath. “You and Hugh on guard duty?”

“Yes, just making sure the property is secure.”

“Makes sense.” He looked back over his shoulder at the warehouse behind. “Does Rose own that too?” It was a secret but an open secret. Scott could find out the truth easily enough, so Pike did not try any deceit.

"Yes, he does." Pike took a couple of steps closer to Scott and breathed in the amazing scent of cotton candy, letting it soothe and warm him.

“Would you be interested in getting dinner and drinks with me this evening?" Scott asked, and his expression brightened when Pike smiled. Pike liked that look; it proved he was feeling something, too.

“I’d love to. Where would you like to meet?” Pike was definitely on board. Scott let his gorgeous gray eyes travel Pike’s face for a few seconds before responding. The moment was electric.

“The Granary on Pine. Meet me at eight." He said it more like a question, and Pike nodded.

“See you then.” He said and turned to leave, but then turned back. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, Pike." He said good-naturedly.

"I don't doubt that, Scott." Pike shot back.

"A couple of cuts and bruises." He yelled furiously and slammed his fist down on the table. "You people are pathetic. I gave you the gear to take that place to the ground, and you leave them with cuts and bruises and a club that can easily be rebuilt. You’re a bunch of fucking failures.” He slammed his fist again.

Tank Bagwell, the self-proclaimed Alpha of the Bagwell Pack, tried to instill fear and loathing in his men, but they just sat there and stared at him.

That’s what you get when you have no criteria for membership.

Bagwell let anyone join as long as they were willing to fight, and the dirtier the better.

He ended up with a pack filled with community rejects.

They weren't ideal, but they would do anything for money, and that was all Bagwell was looking for.

He would worry about loyalty after his territory expanded and his income increased.

This group was necessary for the battle, but he planned to cultivate a better crop of soldiers once he had established a name and a position of distinction.

His core group of four were solid fighting men and had been with Tank since before coming to Chicago.

They would help him put together a proper pack once the dirty work was finished.

For now, he would deal with these halfwits and ne’er-do-wells as long as they get him what he wants.

What he wants is half of Conall Rose's territory.

It was time for Rose to learn to share, and Tank was just the man to teach him that lesson.

“The Coven was trained and prepared.” One of the men seated at the table spoke up.

“Who prepares for an attack like what we launched. There is no preparing for the death that should have befell them. You fucked up." Bagwell continued to yell, but no one was really listening.

"They're not going to go down easy. They're not like the others.

" This time, the voice came from across the room, a man standing by the doorway. This was Jinx, a dark Fae who joined their group a few months ago. He hadn’t gone on the attack last night, stating at the time that it was a mistake.

Tank didn't like to be second-guessed and was finding this new routine particularly irritating.

“They’ll die just as easily as any other," Tank said with a little less bluster this time, considering the previous outcome of their efforts.

“The Blood Rose entertains humans, and the Coven takes their safety seriously, unlike the other establishments that were strictly paranormal hangouts.” Jinx clarified in a tone that denoted boredom.

“I don’t give a fuck about humans.” Tank shot back.

“Master Rose clearly does.” Jinx finished and walked from the room, and several others joined him. Tank's control was seriously slipping.

“Fuck them,” He said in disgust. “We hit the Blood Rose again tonight. They won’t be expecting us, and this time we level the damn thing and kill everyone in our way. Do not return unless there is blood on your hands.”

Pike was given the evening off after explaining that he had a dinner date set up with his beloved.

Drakon was very understanding but emphasized that he may be called in if things escalated with the Bagwell Pack.

Pike knew they were still under attack, and the perpetrators had not yet been apprehended.

He could pursue his beloved, but must be prepared to respond if called upon to do so.

"Congratulations, Pike, and good luck." Drakon left it at that. He'd been through it himself, finding his human beloved at the Blood Rose. He understood that it could go easily or very hard.

“Thank you.” He responded. “He’s a Lieutenant with the Chicago Fire Department and puts himself in danger regularly." Pike could find his protective instincts kicking in at the thought of Scott being in mortal danger.

“It’s his job and probably a large part of his identity. You’ll have to find a way to be at peace with it.” His words were true, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.

"It's not going to be easy," Pike admitted.

“The best things in life are rarely easy but well worth the effort.” Drakon was unusually philosophical. “He’ll be a fine addition to the Coven." That was more like a Drakon comment, always looking to the practical. “Take the evening and get to know your man.”

"Yes, sir." With that, Pike was dismissed and immediately went in search of Hugh. They'd been on guard duty earlier when Scott showed up, and Hugh was called away to follow up on a lead on a Bagwell man. He was back, and Pike wanted to know if the man had been located.

Draken had trailed the attackers last night but lost their scent at the salvage yard. He'd put three teams out searching the area, but hadn’t discovered anything until Hugh had gotten the call today. Everyone was eager to put an end to the Bagwell Pack.