| |
BSI – Again?
Shadow
––––––––
“What a gem she turned out to be,” Kovah snarked, spitting chew into a Styrofoam cup.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you still fucking here?”
“I was just leaving,” he replied with a chuckle before letting himself out through the front door to the clubhouse. The overhead alarm chirped twice, letting us know the door had been opened.
Phoenix clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t listen to that immature asshole. I think Bloome will come through for us. I saw the way she looked at you. She’s definitely got it bad for you.”
I laughed sardonically and said, “Thanks, brother. But I doubt it. I’m fairly sure she hates my guts. But everyone’s got a price. She’ll hand over the murderous witch to us if she wants her ten grand.”
Phoenix grinned, his yellowish-green eyes dancing with mischief. “I can’t argue with you there.”
“So, you both agree that the redhead will be of no use to us,” Venom remarked as he walked into the kitchen where Phoenix and I sat, discussing the meeting with Bloome. He opened the refrigerator door and rummaged around before pulling out a loaf of bread, two bottles of condiments, cheese, and lunchmeat.
God, it must be such a burden to have to constantly feed the human body. After sixty-plus years, I could hardly remember what that was like. A sustenance of blood was much easier to maintain.
“I wouldn’t say no use...” I started to defend her but realized I couldn’t. Not really. Bloome hadn’t promised us shit, and for that, I was annoyed and honestly, a bit embarrassed. “But yes, hopefully she’ll give up a name and we can get rid of this murderous witch. We need to maintain peace in the city.”
Venom finished assembling his sandwich and then plucked an orange from the basket on the counter and began peeling it. “You do realize those witches have been in this area for decades... centuries. You vamps coming here and telling them how things are gonna be isn’t going over well with them.”
“We get what you’re coming from, dawg, we really do, but you don’t think Viper did his homework? There was already an established community of supes when we got here. The vampires mostly laid low, with not a lot of leadership. They were happy to let the Nighthawks take the reins. That’s no bullshit,” Phoenix said.
Venom tossed the orange peels in the trash and plucked a wedge from the fruit. He popped it in his mouth before answering. “I have no doubt Viper did his homework, but you still need to understand that vampires aside, the rest of the supes were living and thriving here just fine before we rolled into town. Witches, wolves, hell even the faeries and dragons were doing fine—and they still are.”
I shook my head and raked my fingers over my too-long beard. “Faeries and dragons... you know what? I don’t even wanna know. We’ll talk about that later. All I can tell you, from what my best friend has told me, is that the vamp community here in the Big Easy was an unorganized mess. And we’re here to clean it up. Or at least give it a small facelift.”
Venom stared at me as he continued to shove orange slices into his mouth but said nothing.
“As far as I’m concerned, we can clean it up, get some organization going, and keep the peace, not only in the Quarter, but most of the South. We’ve got the Shreveport club still going strong, and we can branch out to other areas once we’re ready.” Phoenix folded his arms across his chest and stared at the werewolf.
Venom piled his sandwich together and smashed it flat with his huge, meaty hand on the cutting board. Then, he lifted it to his lips and paused before saying, “I definitely can’t fault you for having a plan.”
As he bit into it and chewed, I continued, “Hey... I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did you get the name Venom, anyway?”
He swallowed down the bite of his sandwich and said, “It’s a long story.”
“Okay?” I said. “Does it have anything to do with being a wolf?”
Venom smacked his hands together to clear the crumbs, then raked a hand through his salt-and-pepper beard to clear the rest. “I’ll tell you the story one day.”
I shrugged. “I have nothing but time.”
I must have looked sad about that because he replied, “I’ve accepted my monthly curse. Have you accepted your eternal one?”
I nodded. “Sixty years and counting, brother. No thanks to one of your kind.”
Venom pierced me with an intense stare before nodding in respect and exiting the breakroom eating his sandwich.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and looked at Phoenix, who was staring at me with raised eyebrows. “What?” I asked.
“Ya gotta cut him some slack, man,” he said.
“Oh, okay. I will once you accept that we need to work together with the witches.”
I wasn’t one hundred percent sure on his past with witches, but I knew it was sour and jaded, so I used his hatred toward them against him every chance I could.
He folded his massive arms across his chest, and with his eyes narrowed, he replied, “I’ll tolerate them but never accept them as allies.”
I bit back a smile. “Really? Even if they prove themselves?”
His pale cheeks flushed, and it had been a long time since I’d seen a vampire’s face get that red. “Witches can never be allies. I only joined this club for a place to belong, but if y’all are going to be aligning yourselves with the likes of witches, then I’m fucking out.”
I’d never heard Phoenix talk like that, nor be so passionate about something. I reined in my snark and tried my hardest to soften my features. After all, it had taken everything in my gut to accept Venom into our club, but I liked to believe I had evolved over the past sixty years to realize they weren’t all bad. I hoped one day Phoenix would realize that about witches. One of them had wormed her way into my heart and I wasn’t sure what I would do if I decided to make her my mate and had to humbly ask that my club brothers accept her.
I ran my fingers over my long, dark beard and stared at my friend, who had hurt dancing in his jaded gaze. “I don’t think the Nighthawks will ever fully align with witches, but in this day and age, we need to learn to try to coexist. Don’t you think so?”
Phoenix stared at me long and hard before nodding. “I do.”
I grinned. “See? Was that hard?”
He bit back a smile. “Thanks for talking me off the ledge. Probably won’t be the last time.”
I chuckled and pulled him into a man hug. I knew the fucker was over a hundred years old and that constantly having to evolve and adapt could wear someone down. After pulling back, I said, “You weren’t on a ledge. I can tell you’ve been fucked over by a witch—probably a sorceress—and you’re angry. One day I hope to get your story. Until then, you have a family here with the Nighthawks. Just like you pledged all those years ago. Vampires first... it will always be our motto. Nighthawks protect their own. Nothing comes between us and the world. Nothing.” We bumped fists in agreement.
“Visitor!” Dash’s voice.
Phoenix and I turned our heads toward the noise to look at the video mount in the corner of the breakroom. It seemed the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation—the damn BSI—was once again visiting the Cobalt Room.
What the hell did those cops what want?
“Fuck. Let’s get over there. See if Viper needs backup.”
Phoenix agreed as we headed toward the walkway that led us to the Cobalt Room.
I should have found it odd that Kovah and Special Agent Bishop were huddled together in the corner of the bar, but I didn’t. Viper had told me they had history dating back years. Everyone knew Kovah was a vampire-human hybrid who didn’t age, could resist the sun, and eat human food, but we knew little of his actual past. Looking at Special Agent Bishop, and knowing he was human, I could tell he couldn’t be older than thirty and determined that Kovah’s history with the agent had to be recent.
Not that I fucking cared at the moment.
“What do they want?” I asked Viper, who had his woman pressed up close to his front.
“I don’t know but get rid of them. I have an announcement to make, and their appearance here is cock-blocking it.”
Both eyebrows hit my hairline. I’d rarely heard my friend talk like that and it was fucking awesome. I swaggered over toward Kovah and Special Agent Bishop. They stopped talking when I approached.
“What do you want, Special Agent?” I asked the blond agent.
“Just a routine check of the bar. Everything looks great. No worries.” He tried to throw me a charming Southern grin, but I saw right through it.
I sucked in my cheeks and then blew out a breath. “Okay, cool. So you’ll be leaving now?”
“Once I’m done chatting with my friend.” He pointed at Kovah. “Yes, I will.”
Seemed harmless enough, and I walked away. I was too old for their immature shit, so leaving the scene was the easiest thing anyway.
“How long do you plan on waiting to call Bloome before you cave for some answers?” Phoenix asked me.
I glanced at him to see a knowing smile dance on his lips. Smarmy bastard.
“Two days. She doesn’t get with us about this murderous witch, I bust down her door and find her myself. It’s not like I don’t know where she lives.”
We watched as Kovah walked Special Agent Bishop to the door and then locked it, as the bar was now closed.
“Everyone have a seat,” Viper said, standing against the bar with his woman.
I knew he had something to say tonight, so I took a seat at our favorite table next to Kovah. Phoenix and Venom did as well.
“MyAnna and I are engaged to be married. We’re going to do it right here, along with her turning ceremony so we can be together forever. I expect all of you to be there as I make her my old lady.”
She shoved at him playfully while holding out a ridiculously large diamond ring on her left hand. The place erupted in claps and we made our way to the front of the bar.
Jewel was the first to approach. She grabbed MyAnna’s hand and examined the ring, whistling low under her breath. “Wow, that’s a beaut. Perfect clarity. Pure.”
“Hands off. In fact, eyes off,” Viper said, eyebrow raised.
Jewel raised both hands in surrender and laughed. “I would never.”
I couldn’t stop the smile on my face. I had never seen Vane this happy. I smacked him on the back with a hug and congratulated them both. “I never thought I’d see the day,” I said to my best friend.
“Me either,” Viper said, unable to hold back a smile. One I hadn’t seen in many years. “You’ll be my best man, right?”
“I better be!” I replied.