The brunette flirting with Bren scowled at me the moment I slumped onto the stool. I slammed my purse onto the bar, tired of dealing with petty bitches. “Do you have a problem?”

Bren groaned when the tramp ran like I’d set her sequined miniskirt on fire. He shoved a lime into another Corona and handed it to me. “Are you trying to ruin my chances of getting laid?”

I played with the bottle. “Sorry. It just sucks to always be the one without a date.”

My stomach clenched with the immediate sadness my words brought me. I hated admitting how lonely I was.

Or how badly I wanted to fall in love.

Bren leaned forward. “Ceel, you have a killer body and are smarter than hell.” He grinned. “You’re also beautiful. And you don’t even f**king know it.” He reclaimed the beer, took a swig, then handed it back. “But you know what your problem is?”

“I scare people?”

“Yes. Shitless. But that’s not what I meant.” He sighed. “You haven’t found anyone who can compete with the strength of your beast.” His smile faded. “You need to find your equal, babe.”

I glanced back at Taran and the wolf she’d so easily enthralled. “What if I can’t?”

Bren didn’t answer me. He may not have known how much I longed to be in the strong arms of a man who wanted to share his life and passion with me. But he did know better than to give me false hope. I downed my beer and went to the bathroom. When I came out, Bren’s floozies were once again throwing themselves at him. I didn’t want to continue to bug him, so I left the bar area to check on my remaining sisters.

Shayna ripped it up on the dance floor. She laughed as she moved, totally showing off. Koda surprisingly kept up with her. He appeared to be having fun, but I still wouldn’t have jumped for joy at the sight of him in a dark alley. When a couple of guys stopped to watch Shayna, one glimpse from Koda sent them scurrying toward the exit.

Emme and Liam faced each other along the far wall. They weren’t dancing, but they stood pretty damn close. Liam stroked the side of her cheek and spoke softly while she smiled shyly at him.

Liam didn’t appear threatening, but I didn’t want Emme to forget he was a were. I slunk around a few guys dancing until I reached Emme. She jumped when I tapped her shoulder. I barely blinked before Liam took a protective stance in front of her. He laughed, and patted my head when he saw it was just little ol’ me.

I would have drop-kicked him had it not been for his next comment. “Sorry, kid. By the way Emme jumped, I thought someone was trying to hurt her.”

I couldn’t believe it. Liam had only just met Emme, and he was already prepared to stomp ass in her defense.

Emme peeked around Liam’s big body. “Hi, Celia.” She frowned when she caught my surprised expression. “Is everything all right, sweetie?”

She was obviously in safe hands with this wolf. “Um. Yeah. Listen, I’m hot. I’ll be out by the lake if you need me.”

Emme nodded, but appeared concerned. Liam patted my head. Again. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll watch out for her.”

“You’d better,” I said in a low growl that clearly meant business.

Liam laughed and turned back to Emme, whose eyes widened with alarm at my “I may have to pummel your date’s ass” scowl. I didn’t gut Liam only out of respect for Emme, but that didn’t mean I’d wait around for another pat on the head.

And what did he mean by “kid”? I stormed away. Patronizing a**hole.

The music switched from the floor-shaking “In the Ayer” to the soft, aching melody of “Lightning Crashes.” From where I stood, Shayna beamed expectantly at the mountainous Koda. Surprisingly, the smooth wolf dancing so effortlessly moments before glanced down awkwardly at my beautiful sister with the dazzling grin. He froze, his eyes searching hers, but failed to act.

Shayna carefully slipped his mammoth arms around her slender waist. Koda hesitated briefly before smiling softly and bending forward. Shayna encircled his neck. And just like that, they became one. It was a perfect choreographed moment in time. One that shouldn’t have been so difficult to watch.

But it was. Regardless of how much I didn’t want it to be.

I could have come to the club in one of my many slip dresses or in a nice pair of jeans and a sweater. Instead I’d allowed Taran to dress and accessorize me like a ridiculous Barbie doll.

And it hadn’t made a difference.

I walked out of the club and into the night.

And I kept on walking.

CHAPTER 7

Damn it.

The almost full moon gleamed against the dark blue night. Time was running out for Misha…and for Tahoe if the impending bloodlust crisis wasn’t contained. My steps turned slow and cautious at the thought.

I’d told Emme I’d be out by the water if she needed me. But she didn’t need me. She had a guardian of the earth on her arm. I sent her a quick text letting her know I was going home. I needed to mull over Misha’s proposition.

My focus remained ahead, away from the noisy street where the upscale clubs along the lake battled it out for the rush of new tourists…in time to see Petro exit one of the five-star restaurants. Two high-priced call girls led him toward his white limo. His eyes widened upon seeing me, and, despite the illumination of the fluorescent streetlights, I could see his face redden.

I pretended I hadn’t noticed him or his dates. Women likely washed Misha’s feet with their own hair. And there was Petro, master vampire, forced to pay for sex.

A throng of twenty-somethings, chatting and laughing with excitement, hurried across to where the velvet ropes awaited. Valets turned away perturbed drivers attempting to pull in, claiming the lots had reached maximum capacity. I alone moved against the restless crowd and crossed the street, seeking solace from the increasing madness.

I shoved my way through a mob of pedestrians, their large numbers spilling out of the crosswalk.

And that’s when it hit me: the familiar scent of fire, earth, and water crashing over stones. My knees buckled and I almost fell. The wolf from my run stalked toward me, a blond bombshell, with a Victoria Beckham bob, fastened to his arm. She spoke to him, but he didn’t appear to listen. His head snapped up and his eyes widened the moment he saw me. A few anxious tourists circled around him as his pace slowed. The blonde tugged on his arm, her voice garbled as if she were speaking underwater. Yet he failed to acknowledge her, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on mine.

The blonde’s tugging became more urgent as our steps converged, her muffled voice becoming louder. “Are you listening? What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Ten more steps. The wolf’s piercing gaze intensified.

Five more steps. The sounds of the street disappeared.

One step…

His brown eyes blazed with fire.

My neck craned and my body whipped around as we passed, refusing to leave the forceful grip of those eyes.

I stopped.

And so did he.

A couple of drunks bumped into me as I remained cemented in the middle of the street. The wolf stood only a few feet away, but it felt like miles. More people brushed past us, their steps quickening until everyone had cleared the street.

Everyone but the three of us.

The blond she-wolf with him glanced openmouthed back and forth between us, her shock swiftly turning to fury. She growled, deep, hard, and deadly. “Mine.”

My jaw slackened. Yours? Her words pierced me like the sharp edge of a knife. He’s…yours?

A deafening car horn made me jolt. I was blocking traffic and didn’t even know it. More cars joined in, their angry horns making my sensitive ears burn. In a painful rush, the full cadence of the city overloaded my senses. I stumbled and kept moving. This time I didn’t look back.

I hustled for five blocks in the torture devices Taran called shoes, shaken by what had just happened.

Did he do something to me? That didn’t make sense. The wolf appeared just as freaked as I was. Aw, hell. Could I have done something to him?

I shook my head to clear it and forced the experience from my mind. It doesn’t matter, Celia. He’s not yours to take.

The thought alone made me slow down. But what had I expected? Someone that striking would never know a lonely night.

I slipped off Taran’s deadly interpretation of footwear and called a cab. The cold sidewalk alleviated the aching of my swollen feet, but it was no match for the sense of longing the wolf had caused. I paused and lifted my hair, willing myself to calm, and hoping the brisk night air would whisk away the evening’s frustrations.

It didn’t work. As much as I dreamed of seeing him again, I never imagined it would be on the arm of another female. Disappointment beat shock into submission.

When the cab arrived almost forty minutes later, I crept into it, disturbed by the unusual ache gnawing at my chest.

“Where to, lady?” the cabbie asked.

“Dollar Point.”

The portly cabbie adjusted his baseball cap, but didn’t bother to turn around. Most of the hair he had left hung from his ears. “Sixty bucks,” Prince Charming muttered. He jumped when he caught my scowl in the rearview mirror. “I have to charge more when I cross the state line!”

“It’s less than twelve miles away.”

“I don’t make the rules, lady. I’m just trying to put bread on the table.”

I slumped in my seat. “Fine.”

Sixty bucks for a sixteen-minute ride in a car that reeked of stale cigarettes and armpit. I rolled down the window for some fresh air and debated whether to return to The Hole—not for my sisters, they were fine—but to get another glimpse of those steamy baby browns. I abandoned the idea. His girlfriend wouldn’t be happy. Not that I blamed her. If he were mine, and some girl tried to—

The metallic scent of blood burned through my nose.

“Stop the car!”

“What?”

I shoved my feet back into Taran’s death traps. “Stop the car now!”

The cabbie pulled to the side. I bolted out before he finished parking. “Hey, wait. You have to pay!”