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The ride to the restaurant was uneventful. I slid into the back seat of the car, half expecting Remington to be waiting there for me. It would be just like him to not want to wait for me to arrive.
He wasn’t waiting.
Thank all the merciful gods. I needed the thirty minutes it would take us to get from the bar to the outside of town. Not to do anything important more like think up a battle strategy though. Planning was essential for hunts, sure, but it was almost more so for dating. At the end of the day, hunting was easy. Find the bad guy, stick the pointy end in them before they stuck it in you. Actually, I supposed dating was the same but with feelings. Emotions.
Oh boy.
I hadn’t done the feelings thing in a while. Not that I was having mushy feelings for Remington. If I was right, he did kidnap my dad and send me a semi-threatening note. Well, to those who didn’t know him anyway.
Then there was Alec.
What was I thinking? No, there wasn’t Alec. Alec was nobody, worse than that. He was the bane of my existence, the cause of all my heart ache and despair... but he had looked good. Too bad he was just as much of an asshole as I remember. He couldn’t even trust me to do the job he asked me to do.
It was my dad. I wasn’t going to fuck this up, even if it meant staking one of the only good vamps in the city that made my vagina want to jump up and dance.
Fuck. Stop it, Adara. You’re not the nervous type. Not for a vampire.
My life hadn’t changed much since I left the guild. I still hunted vampires and demons, but instead of killing them, I ended up screwing their brains out and then kicking them out before the sun came up. Well, not counting last night.
I liked the way my life was, and I had no interest in changing it. Sure, I got the occasional itch to hunt again, but then again, my best friend was an angel and tended to get herself in all kinds of trouble. So, when I could and was asked, I helped. In turn, it scratched my itch until it was time to go hunt again.
“We’re here, miss,” the driver said over his shoulder before stopping the vehicle and getting out. He opened the door for me a second later and offered me a hand up.
I didn’t take it.
Not because I was a bitch, but because I didn’t like having the disadvantage. While my dress kept the majority of my shoulders and legs exposed, I still armed myself with a couple of daggers on my thighs and a pair of very sharp wooden sticks in my hair that could double as a weapon if need be.
I hoped that wasn’t the case.
If I was reading Remington right, this was another one of his elaborate schemes to get me to spend time with him. Since he was a vampire and I an ex-hunter, there really wasn’t any other reason other than coming into my bar every night which he used to do before I threatened to pour holy water into his glass the next time he came in.
Since then, he used every excuse in the book to run into me or to try to get me to come to him. Dad’s kidnapping was going a bit far. I had to give him props though, the guy was persistent.
“Thank you.” I nodded to the driver with a small smile, not wanting him to offend him. Brushing past him, my eyes scanned the front of the restaurant taking in the bushes around the windows and the parking valet. People were waiting in a roped-off line, hoping that someone would cancel at the last moment so that they could get a table.
No one ever did.
I bypassed the line and walked toward the door, my heels clicking on the sidewalk. Eyes bored into me, and I was tempted to look but kept my eyes forward. I had a tag. Either one of Remington’s vamps or even worse Alec’s hunters.
Sending a silent prayer up that Alec wouldn’t fuck this up for me, I entered the restaurant.
The hostess, a pretty little brunette thing, looked up from her stand and offered me a pleasant smile. “Hello, welcome to Under the Moonlight, where we strive to make every experience magical. How may I make your evening a delight?”
I repressed an eye roll.
“I have a party waiting for me,” I politely explained. “I’m not sure what he would have put it under.” Remington didn’t like to use his real name for most things. It made it hard to live in the modern word and be immortal. I knew a few of his aliases but which one would he use?
“Perhaps,” I chewed on the side of my lip. “A Richard Greer?”
The hostess frowned for a moment, scanning her list. “No, I don’t have a Greer, perhaps another name?”
A large man with skin so dark the white of his eyes stood out in stark contrast cleared his throat, jerking the hostess’s eyes to him. I saw that smile of her stutter, clearing afraid of the obvious body guard.
“Draq,” I shook my head at him. “You almost blend into the wallpaper there.” I pointed at the walls covered in starlight with a smile.
He didn’t grin back. It was hard to get this one to break his stoic face. When he did, that smile of his dazzled, even with the fangs attached.
“Oh, so it’s that kind of night,” I commented, allowing him to lead me away from the front. I waved a hand at the hostess before sashaying my way into the restaurant. The tables were full but spread out enough that we wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard. The ceiling above had a cinematic feeling to it with glass skylights showing the night sky. They really wanted you to dine under the moonlight.
I felt Remington before I saw him. There were perks to being a Phoenix Hunter. Besides the longevity and literal fire power, our senses were heightened, and there was almost a palpable feeling that came from demons and vampires alike. Honestly, there wasn’t much difference between demons and vampires. The biggest one was that vampires were created not born. I was sure there was some deeper connection between the two, some grand origin story somewhere, but I’d never cared enough to find out.
Remington made my hair stand on end and my nose tickle with the scent of lilacs and vanilla. I wasn’t sure if it was something he bathed in or if it was just his own personal scent. Either way, it always sent a pleasant hum down my spine, settling low between my thighs.
Damn vampire.
“Adara.” His voice was a smooth rumbling sound with just a hint of a European accent that made my name sound like something sinful and delectable. “I’m so overjoyed you have accepted my invitation.”
My eyes trailed over the crowd and landed on the vampire lounging in his chair at a back table. Remington didn’t sit. He posed. It was like he expected someone to pull out a camera at any moment and snap his photo. Not that I ever checked to see if a vampire came up in photos. They certainly showed in mirrors.
However, if there was one vampire I’d love to capture on film, it would be Remington. Dark ebony locks fell in waves around his face and over his shoulders, stopping at the tops of his pectorals. On anyone else, the hair would have looked ridiculous, but on him it made every person with a libido sigh.
If his hair wasn’t enough, those striking blue eyes that licked over your body like he wanted to undress you right where you stood would have. Those eyes moved over my body, making every part of me stand at attention. I suddenly felt like I was overdressed.
Sliding into the seat across from him, I scowled. This. This was why I stayed away from him. He was manipulative, overconfident, and a pain in the ass, but my damn hormones wanted to throw him down and roll around on him like some kind of feline.
“It’s not like you gave me much of a choice.” I gave him my nastiest grin. “There’s such a thing as calling? Or you could have sent the flowers to the bar?”
Remington snorted. “And you wouldn’t have answered. My flowers would have been turned away or worse thrown in the trash. I have become a desperate man.”
The way he said desperate made my thighs press together, and I grabbed my water glass the waitress had brought for me. Not caring if I was being lady-like, I chugged half the glass and sat it back down to be refilled. “Let’s get this over with. What do you want in exchange for my dad?”
Rolling his head to the side like some lazy cat, Remington clucked his tongue. “In such a hurry, Adara. You haven’t even eaten yet. You must be starving.”
My stomach decided to make itself known at the precise moment I was about to tell him to fuck off. Flushing and sinking further into my seat, I let my fingers play with the knife next to the plate.
Raising his hand to signal the waitress, Remington watched my face as he ordered for both of us. Steak, bloody, with a baked potato and greens. He only ordered a glass of wine.
“You’re not even going to pretend to eat,” I asked as the waitress left us. I tried to keep my eyes on anywhere but him. Sure, it was rude, but it was the only way I was going to get out of here with my panties firmly where they were.
I told you. Vampires were my kryptonite. Once I had a taste of them, it was hard to say no, especially this one. I’d only made it this far because I’d made a point not to speak more than a dozen words to him. Meaning, I ran. I wasn’t proud of it, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
“I wouldn’t want to be rude by ordering something I don’t intend to eat,” Remington continued, unaware of my inner turmoil. “Besides, I do enjoy watching you eat. I haven’t had a meal in over a century.”
I hummed, picking up my wine glass and drinking deeply from it.
“So, tell me Adara, are you going to avoid looking at me all night? Or should I just tell them to kill your father now?”
Tensing in my seat, I moved my gaze from the crowd and slowly to where Remington sat. “Better?”
“Much. Now it’s a proper date.”
“This isn’t a date,” I snapped, my eyes narrowing.
Remington laughed, just as the waitress came back. If it was any consolation, the waitress seemed a bit flushed by the sound of it as I was. Trying to bide my time and keep myself busy, I worked on my steak, cutting it into tiny pieces and then popping them into my mouth just as Remington tried to ask me anything.
Once I was down to the end of my meal, I tossed my utensils down and wiped my mouth. “There, done. Now, where’s my dad?”
“Now, now. We haven’t had desert.” He started to call for the waitress again, but then Draq moved to Remington’s side to whisper into his ear. Remington stilled and then straightened in his seat, his eyes becoming cool. “Tell me, Adara. When were you going to inform me that this was a group outing?”
I froze, confusion on my face. “What?”
“Do not play coy, it doesn’t suit you,” Remington growled a warning. “That twat of a hunter is watching us from the front booth.”
My eyes moved to where he said immediately. When they locked onto Alec’s blue ones, I frowned hard. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.