Page 1 of Fighting Fate (Monsters of London #4)
Dax
“You two again?” Evan sighs, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Probably shouldn’t let you in here at all.”
Next to me, Patch snorts. Evan’s serious expression only holds out for another second before he breaks into a smile, and he meets Patch for a quick, one-armed hug.
He gives me one, too. Evan might not be in our pack, but we see him often enough, either here at Bite or at other pubs and clubs in neutral territory. I slap him on the back before I take a step away.
“Anything good on the menu tonight?” Patch asks, and I sigh.
Evan rolls his eyes. “Fucking hell. Now I am reconsidering.” He looks at me. “Ever consider getting a new best friend, Dax?”
“Don’t be a dick.” Patch rubs a hand over the back of his head, messing up his dark hair. Doesn’t matter. It’ll be all over the place once someone gets their hands on him. “Just… any hotties?”
“Of course.”
“Anyone new?” I ask, and Evan’s gaze shoots to me. Patch’s, too, and I can’t fight the heat in my cheeks.
“Still looking for your mate, huh?”
Patch nudges me with his shoulder when I don’t answer. I push my hair back from my face. It’s getting a little long. “I mean… They could be anywhere. Right?”
It doesn’t need to be a question. We all know it. Our mates could be anyone. We could meet them at any time. In any place.
“Well, good luck with that tonight,” Evan says. “Only a handful of newbies, and most of them are human.”
Patch pulls a face. I shrug. I’m not against humans, and if one is destined to be my mate… Well, so be it. He slings an arm around my shoulders and steers me through the doors. “You’re not just looking for a mate tonight, I hope?”
I elbow him in the side. Only gently. Patch pays for our entry and the wolf behind the counter laughs when I shrug off his arm. “Nah.” I know the chances of finding them are slim to none. “I’ll find someone fun.”
“That’s the spirit.” He nudges me again, and we don’t even bother heading for the bar as we enter the club proper, instead wading out onto the dance floor. Bite is packed tonight. We squeeze past a mixed group of young humans and wolves and find a spot near the middle. Most people wouldn’t have a good view here, but even for werewolves, we’re both big, and as I start dancing, I glance around.
There are wolves here from all the different London packs. That’s the point of having a club in neutral territory, I guess, and Alpha Levi does a good job of keeping everyone in check. The song changes, and I roll my hips to the beat. Patch grins at me, baring his teeth.
I see humans, too. Some with wolves, some not. Humans always end up wandering in, ones who don’t know about wolves and vampires and everything else, but that’s never a problem. Even for me, it’s easy to tell if they know or not. It’s easy not to give anything away.
Tonight, I don’t spot a single vampire in the crowd, which makes me frown. Vampires have their own places to gather, but usually there are at least a handful of young turns hanging around.
“Where are the vamps?” I ask Patch, leaning in so he can hear me over the music. It’s only kept this loud for all the humans; it’s annoying as shit for us. For me.
Patch shrugs. He darts a look around, then frowns when he realises I’m right. “Dunno. Can’t scent any.”
Yeah, me neither. It’s not our problem, I guess. Patch seems to have the same thought. He grins and tosses the concern aside as he falls into the music again.
We dance for a while, up until Patch finds a cute little wolf who looks adoringly up at him with big eyes. They move together like they were made to do it, and I turn away, scanning the crowds for someone I could take home tonight.
Well, we’ll see who’s taking who home. Patch and I share a flat in our pack house, and though we’ve both taken one-night stands home on the same night before, it’s a little more distracting when our partners are wolves, too.
I turn my head and spot a likely candidate a few feet away. He’s handsome, shorter than me, but with enough muscles that, for a human, I think he’ll be able to take anything I throw at him. He’s faintly scowling, though, and there’s an edge to his scent I don’t understand.
Something in me settles when I look in his direction, and that’s what has me smiling at him. I give him an obvious once-over and a wink, just in case he doesn’t know what I want.
He rolls his eyes in response and looks pointedly away. My stomach twists. Oh well. I turn my gaze away, and an antsy, unsettled feeling grows in me.
Maybe I won’t find anyone tonight. Patch can go home with whoever he finds, and I’ll just get a good night’s sleep and—
“Hey,” a voice says.
I turn to find a man standing before me. Not the one I winked at. No. His friend, I think.
A wave of calm washes over me at the sight of his smile. He’s tall, sure, but half a foot shorter than me. Amusement sparkles in his pretty amber eyes when all I do is smile back.
“I’m Vince.” He leans forward to shout in my ear, steadying himself with one hand on my arm. The moment he touches me, his eyes drop to where his hand presses against my skin. “Holy shit,” he mutters, clearly expecting me not to hear. “You’re massive .”
I laugh quietly. I can’t help myself. Vince’s eyes snap up to my face, then away as he ducks his head.
“Sorry,” he says louder. He lets go. “I didn’t think… Sorry.”
“No, I—” I reach for the hand he’s withdrawing and gasp at the faint shock that passes between us when our fingers touch. “I’m Dax.”
Vince’s grin returns. It lights up his entire face. “Wanna dance, Dax? Or were you only interested in my friend?”
His friend? I can barely focus on anyone else in the club now that Vince is right in front of me. “Yeah. I mean, no. I mean…”
Vince tugs on my hand, pulling me closer. He leans up and our mouths are so close.
“Come on, Dax,” he says, voice pitched low and full of promise. “Let’s dance.”