All right. She could do this. It was just another undercover op. “Fine.” Handing him her beer, she unbuttoned her jacket and pulled it off.
Lucas whistled. “All right.”
She looked down at her pristine white silk shirt. “What?”
He grinned and set their beers down on a nearby table. “Give me a sec.” His thick fingers tucked into her ribs, and he tugged the shirt free of her skirt. Then he unbuttoned the bottom buttons and tied the silk with a firm knot. “There we go.”
She looked down. “I guess it isn’t too bad.”
“I’m not done.” He unbuttoned the first three top buttons.
“Hey—”
He held up a hand. “Trust me.” Then he stepped back, surveying her head to toe. “There we go. You’re ready for an MC party now.”
A statuesque redhead stumbled over and into him. “Lucas. Where have you been?”
He righted her. “Practicing my runway skills.” He winked at Nessa. She chuckled.
The redhead turned narrowed eyes her way. “Hi.”
“Hello,” Nessa said.
“Nessa, this is Angie. Angie, Nessa,” Lucas said, retrieving the bottles and handing Nessa’s back to her.
Angie had on tight black skinny jeans and a purple halter top. Her breasts spilled out the top, and she smelled like . . . beer. “That’s quite an accent.”
“I’m Irish,” Nessa said easily, looking for Bear. He was still across the room, leaning against the bar, his gaze solidly on her.
Angie followed her gaze. “Bear is back. Wonderful.” She leaned into Lucas, her hand caressing up his shirt. “Would you introduce my friend Sally to him? She had such a crush last year before he took off.”
Nessa’s hand tightened around her beer bottle. What did she care who Bear dated? Unless they decided to mate. Then she’d care. Except she didn’t want to care. She had a job to do.
Lucas took a long swig of his beer. “I think Bear is otherwise engaged.”
Angie pouted way-too-red lips. “He just got back. How could he have hooked up so quickly?”
Nessa only partially listened.
Bear tilted his head, ever so slightly, and crooked his finger for her to come to him.
Lucas chuckled. “Smooth.”
Nessa grinned at him. “Most women probably would troop right on over there.”
“They surely would,” Lucas agreed, his eyes twinkling.
Never, in her entire life, had Nessa Lansa been like most women. There was absolutely no reason to start now. “Angie? How do you feel about tequila shots?”
Angie pouted more. “I don’t know. I guess they’re okay.”
Nessa focused on her. “I’ve never tried one.”
Lucas motioned for a couple of younger-looking men who were pouring drinks. “We should change that.”
She looked back toward Bear and his now heated eyes. “I totally concur.”
* * *
Bear refused his tenth offer of a whiskey shot from yet another club prospect he didn’t recognize. After being in animal form for months, his system wasn’t prepared to get plastered. So he leaned against the bar, sipped his beer, and kept his eye on the club. His club.
And the woman.
Nessa surprised him. Normally Bear didn’t like surprises—at all. Yet watching her gracefully dance on the makeshift floor with her hair flying loose was a pleasure. He wasn’t the only male watching her, either. By his count, she’d been propositioned by at least ten men, if not fifteen, by this point.
Yet she just smiled or kept on dancing. She’d even managed to charm several of the hard-core women in the crowd. They usually kicked a newcomer out on her ass.
Not Nessa. No. She was suddenly best friends with everyone.
Why that gave him pause, he’d have to figure out later.
Her laugh rose through the music as Lucas twirled her wildly, somehow managing not to slam into anybody. Even on the four-inch heels, she moved like she didn’t have a care in the world. What had it been—at least fifteen hours in those shoes? Her feet had to be killing her, yet there was no sign of it. He could probably own her soul if he offered her a foot rub.
“Hey. You’re Bear.” A kid of about twenty sidled up to him. “Want a shot? There’s gold tequila.”
Bear turned toward the prospect. He had slicked-back brown hair, thick muscles, and old eyes. He was human. They didn’t take human prospects, and yet the kid wore a prospect badge. What had been going on in his absence? “Who are you?”
“Leroy Johnson.” The kid turned and watched Nessa. “Who’s the new bitch?”
Bear’s shoulders went back. “Motorcycle clubs have a lingo of their own. Some call women bitches, skanks, honeypots.”
“Yeah.” The kid grinned tobacco-stained teeth.
Bear pivoted and trapped the kid against the bar. “We don’t.”
“What?” The kid frowned and stood taller, his chest puffing out. At a closer look, his eyes were dilated and unfocused.
“I said, you call a woman a name like that again, and I’m gonna remove all your teeth and use them to tattoo your face.” Bear leaned into the kid, letting the bear in him show.
The kid didn’t back down. A couple of his buddies—ones Bear didn’t know—crowded close. “You’ve been gone a long time, old man.”
Old man? The kid didn’t have a clue. Bear might be over a hundred, but he looked thirty, tops. “Meaning what?” Bear rumbled, the alpha inside him stretching awake.
“Things have changed.” The kid shoved him.
Ah, hell. So much for a relaxed evening. Bear smiled. Then he set his beer down on the bar. “I don’t believe they have.” He grabbed the front of Leroy’s jacket, lifted, and easily threw him across a wide span, to fly right out the double doors and into the falling rain. Lucky for the kid they’d opened the doors to let out some of the heat.
Leroy fell hard on the wet pavement and bounced twice. With Bear’s animalistic hearing, he could make out at least two bones breaking. Sounded like a wrist and maybe a rib. That was odd—a rib at that angle. Bear shrugged.
Three human prospects moved in toward him, no doubt to defend their buddy. Damn it. Oh, he could take three humans, but he truly wasn’t at full strength. Not even close. His lower back ached just from throwing Leroy. “You can’t be serious,” he muttered.
The three kids straightened as Lucas appeared at Bear’s side. “Problem?” Lucas asked, his voice hard.
“He threw Leroy,” the first kid, still with acne, said.
“Leroy is lucky he still has legs,” Lucas shot back. “The last man who challenged Bear is still walking around muttering about butterflies and kumquats, after his beating. Are you mellowing, Bear?”
Bear bit back a smile. “No. Just trying to figure out why we have new prospects.” Who weren’t bear shifters.
Lucas’s jaw hardened. “Yeah. We should talk business tomorrow. For now, you assholes back off before Bear stops goofing around.”
The kids looked toward their buddy outside.
The acne-riddled kid nodded, his gaze not meeting Lucas’s. “Yeah. Fine.” He slapped his friend’s arm. “Let’s see if he’s okay.”
They moved past, the last kid gingerly contorting his body on the way by so he didn’t brush against Bear. Smart kid.
“Humans?” Bear muttered, turning to see Nessa toss back a shot with a human named Angie.
“Long story.” Lucas clapped him on the back. “We should have a business meeting tomorrow.”
Yeah, they should. Apparently, Bear needed to step up as alpha of the pack and president of the club . . . sooner rather than later. “The kid was on something.” So long as his members and guests didn’t hurt anybody, he didn’t care if they poisoned their own bodies.
The women finished the shots, and Angie stumbled through the crowd to fall against Lucas. “Hey, sexy. My new BFF Nessa just agreed to a threesome with you.”
Lucas coughed out, interest definitely crossing his face,
then disbelief. “Really?”
The hair on the back of Bear’s neck rose fast.
Nessa came into view, and he reached out to snag an arm around her waist. She laughed as he pulled her in. “You having fun?” he asked mildly.
She nodded, her wild hair tumbling. “I truly am. It’s a lovely party.”
Lovely. God, she was cute. “Letting your hair down a little?” Bear asked, trying to ignore his best friend checking out her breasts.
“Yes.” Her face was flushed and her eyes sparkling with fun. “I’ve been working too hard, Bear. Way too hard.”
The word hard made him exactly that. Quickly. “So Angie just mentioned that you’d be up for a threesome with Lucas.”
Nessa paused. Her head tilted to the side. “A threesome?”
“Yeah,” Angie said, pressing in. “It’s fun. You’re in for fun, right?”
Nessa arched one very fine eyebrow. “Well, I do appreciate fun.”
Bear stiffened. She was not saying what he thought she was saying. He couldn’t have been that wrong about her.
Nessa’s foot tapped to the music. “But a threesome with me would be a bad idea, and I certainly did not agree to participate in one.”
Bear tilted his head down to see amusement dancing in her deep eyes. “Why a bad idea?” He’d bite.
She sighed. “I’m too much woman for one man. Add in another woman? We’d kill the guy.” She gave a delicate snort.
Bear laughed, his tension dissipating.
Lucas hung his head. “So no threesome?”
“No,” Nessa said, partially turning in Bear’s arms to look at him. “You haven’t asked me to dance all night.”
“I’ve been watching you dance,” he said, liking the feel of her entirely too much.
Her lips twitched. “Have you enjoyed yourself ?”
“More than I have in a long time,” he said honestly. Who the hell was this woman? More important, why did she look guilty every time she seemed to let her guard down? “Unlike Lucas and his threesome hopes here, I’ve figured out a way to your heart.” More important, to her body.
“Indeed?” She snuggled even closer. “What’s the way?”
He leaned down, his mouth next to her ear. “A foot rub.”
She drew in a breath. “Oh my. You have figured me out.”
Bear grinned. “I know.”
She clasped his hand. “First, we dance.”
When a beautiful woman full of secrets asked a guy to dance, he danced. Even if he was a bear. Bear handed his beer off to Lucas without looking and let Nessa lead him toward what worked as the dance floor. He’d wanted to get his hands on her all night. “I’m leading,” he rumbled, turning her toward him.
She smiled. “Of course.”
The song was hard rock, the beat fierce. Yet he tucked an arm around her waist and drew her in, moving slowly.
She sighed and pressed her face against his chest, her body one smooth line of relaxation. He moved her, enjoying the feel of her against him.
“Are you having fun?” she asked, her voice dreamy.
“Yes and no,” he replied, his hand covering her entire lower back. “It’s good to see friends, but there are too many people here I don’t know.” Which was something he’d remedy soon. “I’m sure Lucas has his reasons, but I don’t like it.” He usually didn’t like being around people. Not really.
Bodies gyrated around them, creating a cocoon for the two of them. Maybe with her guard down, Bear could really get honest answers from her. “Who wants to kidnap you and why, Nessa?”
She stiffened slightly and then relaxed again. “I was a member of the Council of the Coven Nine. Anybody could be after me just for the information I may have picked up. We have enemies even in peacetime, you know.”
He inhaled her rose scent. “I have a simple life.”
She snuggled even closer. “Sure you do.”
Was that sarcasm? “Your point?”
Her lips were close to his collarbone. “You’re a bear shifter with dragon DNA. Your sister is on the Council, and your half brother leads a secret dragon nation on an undetectable island.”
“That’s their lives. Not mine.”
She leaned back and tilted her head. “Family is always part of our lives. Our struggles, hopes, and complications.”
He paused. There was more to what she was saying than he grasped. “Maybe.” Yet his life was a quiet one, with motorcycles, trees, and freedom. “I don’t do intrigue, baby.”
A veil drew down over her eyes. “Of course you don’t.” She pressed her cheek against him again, hiding those expressive eyes.
His instincts remained on full alert, even with the warm woman in his arms. Too much was happening around him, and he didn’t like being in the dark. At all. “How long will it take for me to heal completely?”
She breathed against him. “I donna’ know.” Her shoulders slumped. “I may not be able to mend all of the damage. Not without—”
“Mating,” he murmured, his breath stirring her hair. Mates often gained the skills of their partners, and if he mated her he might get her ability to heal—perhaps not other people but definitely himself. She’d possibly gain the ability to throw fire, which certainly seemed a needed skill considering bounty hunters were after her.
Yet he didn’t have the full story. His instincts told him that much, at least. As they moved, his feet started to ache. Then his legs. He sighed.
She lifted her head again. “You need rest.”
“I’m fine,” he said shortly.
She rolled her eyes. “I can sense your pain, tough guy. I’ve been inside your skin, you know?”
That was weird. “Did you see my soul?” he teased.
She didn’t smile. “What do you think you ripped apart?”
He couldn’t think of an answer. Was she serious? A ruckus flared up on the other side of the room, and he turned them, easily seeing over her head. “Shit.”
Angie had fallen against the bar, her body convulsing. A red flame rushed down her arm. Bear released Nessa and shoved his way over just as Lucas reached the woman.
“Get her to the back room,” Bear ordered tersely, trying to block the woman from view of the crowd with his body.
Nessa reached his side and gasped, looking down.
Another flame danced along Angie’s full lips. Red and purple streaks marred the whites of her eyes, which were wide open in pure panic.
Lucas grabbed her up and ran around the bar, shoving open the door to the back room. Nessa hurried behind him. Bear paused at the doorway and caught the attention of two of his lieutenants. “She’s fine. Too much to drink.” He motioned around. “Take care of things. Party is over.” Both bear shifters nodded. He paused. “Keep the music on.”
They might need to cover Angie’s screams as people left.
He shoved into the massive storage room and slammed the door. Shelves filled with alcohol and bar food lined all four walls. Lucas had set Angie down on the floor in the middle of the room, and her body was convulsing wildly, her fingers randomly shooting flames. Bear jumped out of the way of a stream of fire. “What the fuck? Apollo?” The only way a human could create flames was by taking too much of the drug.
Lucas knelt and pressed both of her shoulders to the floor, trying to hold her still. “Angie? How much did you take, darlin’?”
Angie struggled against him and let out a high-pitched scream.
Bear’s stomach rolled. The drug was burning her from the inside out. Why wasn’t the shit off the streets? The main distributor had been blown up.
Nessa crouched down and placed her hands on Angie’s upper chest.
“Wait a minute.” Bear leaned and grasped Nessa’s arm. “This is a drug that harms witches, too. Will this hurt you?” He wasn’t going to allow her to harm herself helping somebody who’d taken an illegal drug, probably knowing the risks. “Nessa?”
“Let me see how far gone she is,” Nessa said, her body stilling. She shut
her eyes.
Fire burst from Angie’s mouth, and Lucas sat back. The flames danced for a second on Nessa’s face and then disappeared.
Lucas gaped. “What the hell?”
Nessa breathed in and settled herself. “She took a lot.”
Angie whimpered. Her body jerked several times.
Nessa grimaced.
“That’s enough.” Bear tightened his hold on her arm.
She shook her head wildly, dislodging him. “No.”
Angie reared up and let out a scream of pure agony. Fire flashed from all her fingers, shooting across the room and lighting the alcohol-laden shelves on fire. A bottle dropped and shattered.
Vodka spread across the floor.
Almost in slow motion, a flame arced from a shelf to the liquid.
The wooden shelves ignited.
Chapter 6
Nessa kept her hands pressed against Angie’s chest, trying to push a healing balm around the woman’s burning internal organs. Fire crackled around the two of them, but she had to concentrate.
Apollo was made from a mineral called PK that harmed witches. Most witches used fire. So when humans took the drug, they created fire until they burned up. Using her knowledge of PK, Nessa tried to counter the drug. Water beat fire, so she imagined water and healing gel throughout Angie’s body.
The woman cried out, the sound full of pain.
“It’s okay,” Nessa whispered, looking up.
Bear had taken his shirt off and was trying to slap out the flames on the floor. The cotton instantly caught fire, and he dropped it, giving a snarl. Lucas shrugged out of his leather jacket and threw it at Bear while turning for the nearest shelf, where he shoved bottles away from the flames.
Smoke clouded the room.
“Open the door,” Bear ordered, pressing the leather coat onto the flames.
Lucas coughed and shoved open the door. Smoke followed him. He hustled out to the bar and returned with a bucket of ice to throw across the floor.
Bear finished extinguishing the flames.
Nessa breathed shallowly, keeping her head low. Black smoke spiraled up, trapped against the ceiling.
Angie convulsed again.
Nessa closed her eyes and pictured the interior of a human body. She usually couldn’t mess with human physiology, but the Apollo drug was created by altering planekite, which only harmed witches. Nessa was used to dealing with planekite poisoning, so, this once, she might have a chance to help a human. The smoke burned her lungs, but she couldn’t stop. The balm she’d created soothed Angie’s body, and Nessa felt the moment its protection kicked in.