Chapter 1

I drovethrough the gate of Blur's employee parking lot and glanced at the back entrance. Despite barricading myself in the upstairs office less than twenty-four hours ago, I wasn't nervous about returning to work. Work was normal, and normal was good. Necessary even. Just like the party tray of gourmet cupcakes buckled into the seat beside me.

Doc, Blur's manager, exited the building as I was removing my precious cargo. With his typical meticulously brushed-back hair and trimmed beard, I could almost believe Blur hadn't been attacked last night and it was business as usual. Only the smudge of dirt on his sleeve gave away the fact that he was pitching in to help repair the damage caused by the vampire-thralled people.

"Need a hand, Everly?" he asked.

The box wasn't heavy, and I could easily manage on my own, but I knew Doc liked to help. Plus, the cupcakes were for my coworkers. I'd already eaten mine earlier while with Cross.

"Sure," I said, straightening.

Doc's light blue gaze swept over my face, and I thought I saw a hint of a frown when I handed off the box. I didn't question it. After all, I'd just spent the morning chatting with a vampire and was now walking into a den of werewolves. Both had good noses and didn't like smelling one another.

"How's everything going inside?" I asked as I locked my aging compact car.

"Good. Almost cleaned. Shepard was thinking of opening tonight to see how many patrons show up."

I held the employee door open for Doc. "I can't imagine people not showing up. How many times have you had to tell the people in line we weren't taking any more patrons because it got too late?"

"That was before the attack," he said, pausing so I could stow my purse in my locker.

"The attack"had been approximately thirty minutes of heart-pounding terror when humans under vampire compulsion had stormed Blur and attacked anyone in sight. Vena and I had escaped unscathed, thanks to Shepard's sturdy office desk and Vena's quick thinking.

"Word spreads fast when it involves vampires," Doc continued. "Shepard thinks the humans will stay clear of this place for a while."

Had we not found Miles, Vena's brother, tied to a chair several hours ago and learned that vampires were the reason for his kidnapping, I could have told myself that vampires weren't a problem, too. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option anymore. Unlike the rest of humanity, I now knew the truth.

"I'm betting my fellow humans line up even faster. Right now, Blur is like a daytime drama. People will want to gawk and talk about what happened. It doesn't matter if coming here is dangerous or not."

"Humans lack common sense," Doc said, not unkindly.

Since I lived with Vena and had to deal with her common sense glitches daily, I grinned at his comment and followed him through the door to the main bar.

"Oh, I think we have common sense. We just choose not to listen to it too often," I said as I looked around.

What had been a complete disaster the night before wasn't so horrible now.

The floor that Pam, one of the waitstaff, had coated with soda spray the night before looked recently mopped. The tables were already cleared and cleaned, and Gunner, one of Shepard's youngest crew members who did whatever was needed, was sweeping up broken glass from the top right section while Shepard mopped the lower section.

"Wow, you made fast progress," I said. "And I think I brought too many cupcakes. Where's everyone else?"

"Out patrolling," Doc said as he set the box on the bar. "And you can never have too many sweets."

I held a hand over my heart. "You're speaking my love language, Doc."

He grinned. The silver streaking his temples didn't detract from his muscled build or good looks; it added to them.

"Stop flirting with Everly and clean up the glass behind the bar," Shepard said. I glanced at him and saw he'd abandoned his mop and was headed our way.

"On it," Doc said with a knowing smirk.

I felt him leave my side, but I didn't look. I was too focused on Shepard. He moved with a grace that didn't quite match his muscled size. That was only part of what made women stop and stare, though. The other part was the gorgeous mane of dark blonde hair that framed his face and accentuated his intense light grey gaze. His stubborn, chiseled chin was currently dipped low as he studied me.

"You were downtown for a while. Problem with your phone?" he asked.

I shook my head as he reached me.

"Just a problem with my sweet tooth. There was a bakery nearby." I arched a brow at him. "Which you know from watching on that tracking app, right?"

He grinned a little, which completely changed how he looked. Boyish and handsome and definitely not someone I should be looking at for too long.

Turning, I flipped back the lid on the box Doc had deposited on the bar.

"I brought some for everyone. They're addictively good."

When Shepard stepped close to me, I thought he would take a cupcake, but instead, he frowned as he studied my face. His gaze lingered on my forehead.

"Why do you smell like vampire?" he asked.

Since I'd been with Cross less than an hour ago, I didn't doubt Shepard could smell him. However, I wasn't about to admit our meeting to Shepard.

"It must be from the same vampire this morning." Which was true since Cross had been there when we'd found Miles as well.

Shepard leaned in, his dark blonde hair wisping against mine as he softly inhaled. "You're right. It's the same vampire."

Shepard placed a kiss on my forehead. "Don't worry, Everly. We're going to clean out the vampires. Help is already on its way."

He straightened away from me as my heart stuttered from the kiss. It wasn't the first time he'd done it, but I still wasn't used to it.

Resisting the urge to clear my throat or fidget, I focused on his words.

"Help?" I asked. "What kind of help?" I couldn't imagine anyone who would want to deal with creatures that could kill and compel.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Just expect to see new faces here soon. If you have any concerns, let me know." He reached over, moving closer for a moment as he grabbed a cupcake. "Thank you for these."

"No problem. What should I clean?"

Shepard glanced around the bar area and then over to the seating sections. "How about working in the VIP section? It wasn't hit as hard as the rest of the bar, but I want attention to detail, and I trust that you'll do it best."

With a nod, I grabbed cleaning supplies on my way to the second floor. Other than a few overturned chairs, questionable liquid on the glass wall overlooking the main club, and a few broken liquor bottles at the VIP bar, it wasn't too bad. I knew I'd have it back to perfection in an hour or two.

As I worked, I periodically checked my phone, making sure I didn't miss any calls or messages from Vena or Miles. Since one of Blur's bouncers was watching over Miles, I wasn't too concerned about him leaving and getting into trouble. But I still feared the effects of him being fed on by vampires. And Vena…well, I was always worried about her, especially since she was supposed to be hiding the disgusting scrotum map and titleless book.

It only took an hour to restore the VIP section. Once I finished, I sat in a chair and opened the tracking app on my phone.

Vena was still at her parents' house–a source of research information for treasure hunts. I hated it when she stayed there too long.

"Tracking Vena?" Shepard asked.

I tipped my head back, looking up at him as he peered down at my phone.

A smile played on his lips. "Worried about her?"

"Always."

He gave a knowing nod. "I can help keep an eye on her as well." He sat down next to me and held out his phone. "Put her on my tracking app."

Vena would hate if Shepard was tracking her, too, but after what happened to Miles, I was afraid Vena would have the same fate or worse, especially with her treasure hunting.

I entered her ID into Shepard's phone and sent her a text, warning her that she was going to get a notification and it was for Shepard. As I'd anticipated, she had something to say about it.

Vena: No. I do not need a watchdog.

Me: Please play nice with your boss.

Vena: You play nice enough for the both of us.

Me: Don't make me pull the parental card.

Vena: You wouldn't… *wow emoji*

"Do I even want to know what you're texting back and forth?" Shepard asked dryly.

"I'm trying to get her to accept your request to track her. She's being a little stubborn."

"Tell her there's a five-hundred-dollar sign-on bonus and another one hundred monthly to keep it active."

I glanced up at him. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed that you know her well enough to know money would sway her or offended that you think money can get you your way?"

His smile melted my insides a little.

"I'm smart enough to know money motivates some people and only use it when I'm trying to protect those I care about."

"Good answer," I said, typing out the text.

He glanced down at his phone and chuckled.

"She's accepted me. Talk her into accepting Anchor, too."

"You mean in the app, right?"

Shepard's gaze lost some of its humor. "There are worse things than saying yes to a wolf, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's not what I meant," I said quickly. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with werewolves. I think they're great and nice. I haven't met one yet who isn't amazingly good-looking."

Someone downstairs barked out a laugh, and I felt my face flush.

"What I did mean," I continued, "is that I don't want Anchor's heart bruised by Vena. She's flirty and fun and not ready to be serious yet. I've already warned her, and I've told her to cut it out. I love her, but Vena is like a wrecking ball. She comes in hard and fast, and sometimes people get hurt."

Shepard reached out to brush a thumb over the fading cut on my cheek.

"She doesn't sound like a good friend."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. Once she's set her loyalty, there's no shaking it. She doesn't just jump two feet into her own trouble but mine as well. She has saved me more times than I can count. And not because she was the one who got me into trouble. At least, not the majority of those saves. Vena is my no-questions-asked yes-man. She'll bring the shovel and a chair for me to sit on while she cleans up my mistakes."

"So she's the person you trust most in this world?"

"Absolutely."

"I see. I'll warn Anchor as well then…unless you'd rather have someone else stay at your house until we have the vampire infestation cleaned up."

"No. Anchor's great," I said quickly.

His distractibility, when it came to Vena, would come in handy since Cross had no plans to stay away. Especially not when I had over two million dollars of his money in my bank account, and he still needed my help to find somewhere to live.

"Good," Shepard said. "Anchor will be there tonight, then."

"How long do you think the vampire infestation will take to clean up? I'm not hinting you should rush or anything. I'm just wondering if Vena and I should maybe condense into one room so Anchor can have his own." I wasn't actually thinking anything of the sort. I just wanted to know how long Anchor was going to be staying with us.

"Anchor stays on the couch. It should only take a few weeks. Definitely not worth the effort of moving all your things."

I nodded and looked around the VIP section one last time to make sure I didn't miss anything.

"Do you want me to let Vena know we're working tonight?" I asked.

"If you're sure you're up for it. I was thinking of opening the doors at seven."

Seven was much later than usual, but a short shift during prime hours didn't sound like a bad thing.

"See you at seven, then."

I sent Vena a quick text and went down to the main bar where I looked at the empty cupcake box.

Buzz winked at me as he cleaned a glass. "Don't worry. We shared."

"As in three for me and one for everyone else kind of sharing?"

He chuckled. "You would have heard fighting if any of us tried that. Thanks for the cupcakes, Everly."

I waved goodbye and went to collect my things.

At home, I saw a familiar truck sitting at the curb behind Miles' car and waved to Tank. He nodded and watched me let myself into the house.

I didn't exactly mind the extra eyes on me. Not after what had happened to Miles.

Dropping my things on the couch, I checked the message from Vena saying she was on her way back and then sent Miles a text.

Me: Did you eat? Have you sent your proof of life pictures to Vena?

Miles: Yes and yes. I ordered a pizza and tried to invite my guard in. He declined the invite and my offer to have a slice.

Me: Sierra drugged Gunther. I'm betting they're going to be careful about taking pizza and booze from strangers for a while.

Yet, as I typed that last message, I realized they'd had no problem eating the cupcakes I'd brought. Even after smelling vampire on me.

Miles: Geez. Now I feel twice as bad. I'll have to find a way to pay them back. Let me know if you have any ideas.

I went to the kitchen and started making two sandwiches.

Vena arrived just as I was settling in to watch the latest episode of The Other House that had aired last night.

"How'd everything go at your parents'?" I asked.

She placed a pile of leather-bound books on the coffee table next to our sandwiches. She kicked back on the couch and snagged a plate.

"Good. The map and book are in a spot Miles will never find. And I brought back a few books for research."

Mid-bite, I choked. "Research? Vena, I swear you better mean research for an upcoming university class and not treasure hunting."

"I already told you I'd pick up a few books for Miles to keep him entertained and out of trouble." When I narrowed my eyes at her, she added, "Safe books. I will even go through them first to make sure they won't trigger him. Everything will be fine."

Her attempt to soothe only made me more nervous, even though I knew Miles would never be okay without something to research.

"What books did you get?"

"Information on vampires. I want to know a little more about them myself."

"Because Miles was fed on?"

She nodded. "And the compelling aspect. We should know these things anyway, given our recent encounters, don't you agree?"

I knew she was talking about Cross.

"Let's not poke our noses where they don't belong," I said, not wanting to throw any shade on Cross. He had done nothing but help us. Yes, he was considered a dangerous supernatural, but so was Shepard, and I trusted him. "Let's just watch The Other House and relax until we go to work."

"Shepard's really opening already?"

I nodded as I chewed the last of my sandwich. "Blur wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just needed cleaning and a few repairs."

Vena flipped through the book. "I was hoping for more time off."

"I doubt there will be a huge crowd. Some of our regulars will be too afraid to come."

"What about the nosey people who want to see the crime scene?"

"As long as they tip well, I don't care." I nudged her. "I'm starting the show."

Vena glanced up at the TV for a second before her gaze returned to the book. She flipped through the pages and tsked. "Isn't there a glossary in this thing? Do they expect me to read it from front to back to get the information I'm looking for?"

"I don't know, but it looks like there is going to be drama in the house," I said, watching as the show teased an upcoming fight scene. "I normally don't like fighting, but they're all glistening and muscle-bulging."

Vena peeked up from the book and was entranced by a shirt being ripped from the hottie. "Damn," she breathed, book forgotten.

I smiled, knowing "research" was no longer a priority. While I did want to find answers regarding any side effects from a vampire feeding, Vena and I could use a little mindless entertainment for an hour. We deserved that much, at least.

Unfortunately, the hour flew by, and my escape from reality ended on a cliffhanger.

"I hate when they do that," I said, taking our plates to the kitchen.

"It's so you are eager for the next episode."

"I'd be eager either way," I said. "The guys in this season are mouthwatering."

"Anchor is that mouthwatering. He'd make great babies."

"Stop," I warned.

"Anchor's not even here to hear me," Vena said.

Perhaps watching The Other House wasn't the best idea before a shift. It was hard enough getting her to curb her hormones around Anchor without the added pre-shift eye candy.

"I asked Shepard how long he thought we'd have Anchor on our couch," I said as I put our dishes in the sink. "He thought a few weeks."

"You won't hear any complaints from me," Vena said.

"You're forgetting what having them around means. No getting into trouble."

She groaned. "You mean no hunting."

"Probably."

"So we need the vampires gone and Anchor, that delicious hunk of puppy chow, off our couch. Good thing I have some light reading to help that along." I heard the books thump down on the dining room table and shook my head.

"Good thing," I echoed.

I used the spare time before work to research and write up a spin on a cannoli cupcake I wanted to try making before we both had to change for work and head in early.

Buzz was waiting by the back door when we pulled into the employee parking.

"Shepard called everyone in," he said as we got out of the car. "There's already a line in front."

A meow from under the dumpster drew my attention, and I squatted down in my pencil skirt to look at the black cat.

"It didn't go home yet?" I asked as I peered at the familiar cat.

"If it's a stray, that might be its home," Buzz said.

It did that weird one-eye-at-a-time blink that cats managed, and I straightened to glance at Vena.

"We should call animal control," she said. "If it's not fixed, you're going to have a whole lot more cats."

"I'll tell Shepard," Buzz said, holding the door open for us. "The thing smells like vampire, though. Probably some feeder's pet, considering last night. We're hoping someone will come to claim it."

"Ah," Vena said.

That was it. Just "ah."

Meanwhile, my insides were doing an "ew" squeal and flail. The feeders who'd been at Juicy and the people who'd attacked Blur last night hadn't exactly been in their right minds.

"I really hope no one comes," I said as we headed to our lockers to store our things.

"Even if someone does, we have nothing to worry about, Ev. Not here. Not with this staff."

We left the employee area, and I spotted Shepard leaning against the sink with his arms crossed.

"Vena's right," he said. "What happened last night won't happen again. You have my word. We'll have extra security around the bar by nine." He pushed away from the sink and clasped my arms, his thumbs brushing over the sleeves of my white button-up.

"But if anything feels off, tell me. I'm here for you." He glanced at Vena. "Both of you."

She nodded and waited until he walked out of the kitchen to give me an exaggerated wink and the sign for a blow job.

Griz, the head chef, caught Vena in mid-stroke and smirked. Normally a stoic man in his kitchen domain, his brown eyes twinkled with amusement.

"What is wrong with you?" I said, smacking her arm. "You need treatment."

"Spa treatment? I wouldn't mind a happy-ending massage from a certain someone."

"More like electrotherapy treatment. Take it down a notch."

She grinned unrepentantly as we made our way through the main bar and upstairs to the employee meeting room. Pam gave us a nervous smile when she entered.

"Next time, I'm hiding like you two did. Buzz said it took Shepard an hour of mopping to get the soda off the floor."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "Shepard's not mad. Buzz just likes teasing."

Thomas proved me right when he came in with a serving tray and a grin.

"Check it out. Buzz got my serving tray engraved."

He flipped it over to show us the words, "Would you like another round?"

"Get it?" he asked.

"Buzz isn't as funny as he thinks he is," Vena said.

Adrian was the last one to join us before Shepard entered.

"Thank you all for keeping level heads last night. Because of you, all the customers got out without any injuries, and there was no major damage to Blur. I appreciate everyone agreeing to come in tonight for a fast re-opening."

"What about Sierra?" Thomas asked. "Did she no-show again?"

While Vena, the werewolves, and I knew Sierra had been mind-controlled by a vampire into kidnapping Miles, no one else did.

Shepard shook his head. "She's a little rattled and needs some time off. She should be back in a month, hopefully."

"Drama queen sympathy move," Thomas muttered under his breath.

Shepard ignored him and swung his gaze to Vena. "That means you're on your own tonight if you're up for it."

"Absolutely."

"Good. Then you're stage left lower. Everly can take stage left upper so she's close if you need anything. Adrian, lower right. Pam, upper right. Thomas, you're on VIP.

"I have some friends coming in from out of town later. They're going to help out for a bit just to make sure we don't have any repeats of last night. I'll introduce everyone after we close. Any questions?"

We all shook our heads.

"All right. Let's have a good night."