Chapter 5

                                                            Taylor

            I rolled onto my back and groaned as the late afternoon sun streamed across my face. I didn’t want to get up, but someone had left the blinds open. I looked around, blinking, as the nights events came back to me. I sat upright with a start. I had fallen asleep in a vampire’s bed. A vampire who hadn’t seemed at all interested in me hanging around. The goddess Nyx had told me that it would be a struggle getting through to him. My emotions warred with one another in my mind. On the one hand, I felt a deep sympathy and desire to heal him. On the other, I was a witch, fear of his kind and the duty to kill were ingrained at me at a young age. An urgency in my bladder pulled me from my thoughts.

            “Hello.” I called out, expecting the brooding vamp to answer.

            Only the sound of my own voice echoing off the empty walls greeted me. I pushed myself off the bed and began searching for the bathroom. The vamp had obviously left as I slept. My hand creeped up to my neck and I sighed in relief as my fingers revealed he hadn’t bitten me. Feeling slightly dejected that he had left me in his apartment alone, I decided to make myself at home. I had to open the bar at six, a quick glance at my phone had revealed that I had slept until just after four. I reasoned to myself that it just made sense to shower here, rather than make my way across town to my own small house. I usually kept a spare change of clothes at the bar for nights when the crowd got rowdy.

            The apartment was still empty by the time I had showered and pulled my clothes back on. I suspected a vampire wouldn’t keep anything edible in their lair, so I made my way to the front door, stuffing my panties in my purse as I went. I hesitated momentarily, wondering if I should try to lock the door, before shrugging to myself and pulling it closed. It wasn’t like the man had much anyway. I popped into the café that was on my way to the bar to grab some food before I needed to be at work. It was a Friday, and a payday for most of the townies, tonight would be busy and I wouldn’t have time to scarf down some bar food to appease my stomach.

            I had just enough time to make it to the bar by the time I had finished my meal and paid my tab. I wasn’t surprised to see one of the regulars already waiting outside. She was an unusual woman, always in some crazy outfit. Today, she was dressed as a “sexy” panda. Her voluptuous breasts threatening to spill out of her top as she pranced around the door waiting for me to unlock it. She stood out in our small town almost as bad as I did with her wild appearance.

            “Come on in Orchid.” I said, as I opened the doors.

            She made her way to her favorite barstool, she said it gave the perfect view of the door so she could get ‘dibs’ on any fresh meat. I secretly thought it was because she had easy access to the bartenders. I quickly mixed up her usual and left her be as I tended to the business of readying the bar for patrons.

Most nights I had hours to get things in order, Friday’s the bar would fill up quickly after the doors were opened. People were already streaming in by the time I had finished bringing up the last box of liquor I needed to start with a fully stocked bar.

            I had been slinging drinks nonstop for the last few hours when I felt my pendant heat up. I looked up from the bar, hoping to see my vamp, but instead there were a half dozen men I had never seen in my life entering the bar. What the fuck is it with all the sups lately? I thought to myself as I stole a quick peek down my blouse. My pendant was yellow, that meant the strange men were werewolves. I couldn’t help noticing that they were all muscley, tan, and earth shatteringly gorgeous.

            “What can I get ya?” I asked when they reached the bar, plastering a smile on my face.

            “Oooh, I recommend the bamboo shooter.” Orchid squealed, squeezing herself between the bar and the closest wolf.

            “Thanks.” He responded dryly. “I think I’ll stick with whiskey, on the rocks.”

            “Oh, you are whale-cum. Get it, Whale. Cum? You know, cuz you got a moby dick?” Orchid was practically drooling on his shirt. Not that I blamed her, he was a good-looking man.

            “Orchid, I’m not sure they’re the type to quite appreciate your sense of humor love.” I scolded.

            She pouted before sticking her tongue out at me and wandering off to her usual plaything. I quickly produced six whiskeys for the wolves and returned to serving other customers. I wanted to know why the wolves were in my bar, but I didn’t want to out myself as a witch. My kind was made specifically to kill other supernaturals, them knowing what I was would only put me in danger. I saw my opportunity to gain information when they called for a second round of drinks. I slid the glasses onto the counter and filled them with whiskey, knocking one over as I slid them to the men.

            “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry.” I cried, snatching the towel off my shoulder to mop the liquor up from the bar. “I’m so clumsy, I got you with it. I am so sorry.”

            I moved quickly, continuing my apologies as I wiped his shirt with the remaining dry spot on my towel. As I had hoped, he reached his hand up to grab my wrist and stop me. I barely heard him tell me it was alright, that he could clean his shirt himself, before the images flooded my field of vision. I saw everything leading up to the moment he grabbed my wrist. He had been tracking a nest of vampires, suspicious that they were under the protection of the first. They had been looking for them after some kind of war between the supernaturals in the fae kingdoms. He had tracked them to the outskirts of town, decided him and his packmates would stay in a local hotel and get some rest once they had cleared the nest. That was when they found him, my brooding vamp. I pulled away, biting back a gasp, as the image of them forcing a stake into my mate’s chest held steady in my mind. I had seen from the wolf’s memories that it hadn’t done much to him, but they were hellbent on finding a way to succeed killing him. I needed to find a way to get him out.