Chapter One
(POV: Thea)
I wake up slowly, as the early morning light is seeping through the sky-light. A dove perched on the window sill welcomes the new day. It fluffs its feathers as the morning sun starts to warm its body.
This is my new home. It’s lovely, peaceful, tastefully furnished and, most importantly, far away from Phobus. A chill goes through my body, and not the good kind. Not the kind I used to have for him.
Having him assault my thoughts this early is enough to set my whole day on its head. The longer I’m out here, the more it’s beginning to feel like I’ll never get far enough to escape him.
I get up, walk over to the closet opposite my bed and find that Audrey has packed my few belongings in neat piles. I must have been in a deep sleep, because I did not hear her come in.
She and Mother agreed that it would be best if as few people as possible knew exactly what I was. For all intents and purposes, I am just a care-free young lady, the new bartender in training. The daughter of an old friend who is doing a bit of traveling before deciding on her future.
“You look perfect,” Audrey says as I join her and Raiko downstairs. “But then, you’d look perfect if you wore a flower sack.”
“Thanks,” I mumble. It’s been a few weeks but I’m still not used to her mothering. Grateful, sure, but not used to it.
“Do you mind?” she asks, fidgeting with one of my braids hanging down by my waist.
I shake my head, no.
She loosens the one braid first and then the other one. She runs her fingers through my wavy hair, allowing it to fan out across my shoulders.
“There you go. Perfect. You have the silkiest, most beautiful hair, Thea. It is such a shame not to show it off,” she says as she pinches my cheeks. “You are even prettier than your mother was at this age. And you know, she was regarded as the most beautiful girl in all of Minnesota!”
“Stop it. No, I’m not.”
I’m not used to receiving compliments, besides those that come from my mother.
“No, you stop. Accept a compliment, for once in your life.” Audrey stands with her hands on her hips as if she’s scolding me, but the broad smile on her face gives her away.
“Raiko tells me he’s very pleased with the way you’ve picked up the ropes. He says you work very hard. But as long as you are enjoying the work, that is all that is important to me,” she says. “You know I don’t expect you to work at the Inn, right? You are free to go out and do anything else should you wish.”
“You’re too kind,” I reply. “But I don’t know where I’d go, honestly. I know nothing about this human world. This inn is all I know here.”
“Well, that’s why you should go exploring,” she says.
“I’m precisely where I want to be, thank you, Audrey. I honestly am enjoying the work. A lot. As long as Raiko thinks I’ve got the hang of it, that’s all that matters.”
“Good.” She claps her hands together. “I’m thrilled to hear you say that! We are very glad to have the extra pair of hands around here. Also, Thea, I sent your mother a message…”
My blood runs cold. “You- you what?”
“Now, please don’t be alarmed. The message is very cryptic. It is just a message shared between two friends, connecting as we’ve been doing for years.” She touches my arm reassuringly. “I know she’ll read between the lines. All I said was that I am very well, life is good and I’m still single. My status in that regard is not something we ever talk about because your mother knows what a sensitive topic that is for me and that’s why I know she will know that you’ve arrived safely.”
“Thank you, Audrey. But please can I ask that you don’t contact her again for a while? I am very worried about her. I don’t want her to be caught. Who knows if talking in code will help anything?”
“Now, now, there’s no need to worry. Just relax and know that you are safe and so is she. And hey, loosen up a bit. The humans won’t bite.” She winked. “You might even try your hand at a bit of flirting? There are quite a few handsome young men who have eyes for you. I’ve noticed some of my customers are coming in more frequently now, and I can only hazard a guess why that is?” She chuckles and walks towards the kitchen.
I am not good at flirting, and I don’t engage in it very often. But remembering Audrey’s advice, I figure I might as well give it a try. The next handsome man that comes into the bar, I ask him only questions about himself. Apparently, that is how easy it is to get the attention of a man.
“I believe this is for you?” Audrey says as she hands me a small wad of cash.
“What’s that for?” I ask.
“The gentleman left you a very generous tip. See what a bit of friendliness can achieve? Not to mention a bit of, dare I say, flirtation? It really can’t do any harm.”
She looks at Raiko, who is watching us. He always has his eyes on Audrey, so that was not surprising to me. Raiko winks at her, smiles, and raises the empty glass he is polishing. I wonder why humans are so fond of winking at each other? Maybe it’s a Minnesota thing?
“Don’t worry, Thea, Audrey will show you the ropes in flirting. Just follow her directions,” Raiko says.
The two of them laugh, but I feel sorry for him. I wonder how often he watches her flirt with other men, wishing it was him.
I pocket the money and rush back to the table to clean up. They can keep their money. It is not worth the embarrassment.
I barely look up when the door opens. But I stop what I am doing immediately when a specific scent hits my nostrils. Werewolves! For a moment I panic, but the smell is new. It isn’t Phobus.
“My favorite customers! Welcome back!” Audrey sings as she walks over to them. “Long time no see. Your table still has your name on it, as always. This way, gentlemen.”
I look up from the table where I am busy tidying up, and lock eyes with the man who has greeted Audrey. His dark hair curls around his ears and low into his neck. His long fringe is carelessly pushed back to the side. A single lock has escaped and curls towards his eyes.
His gorgeous mouth changes into a wicked smile as he lowers his head without taking his eyes off me. The color of those eyes piercing through me though... My own kind! Right here at the Inn!
These are obviously guests that Audrey prefers to serve herself. This suits me just fine. The tall, dark-haired wolf unnerves me. I decide to eavesdrop, and I am able to pick up random snippets of their conversation.
“Or before they were turned off by your nonsense!”
“You tell him Jasper!”
They are teasing each other about finding a girl to take home. I wish I could make myself invisible. I would rather stay away from wolves for a little while longer. I still don’t know who to trust.
“I see you have a delightful new bartender? Where did you find her?” he asks Audrey.
Shit. Did he sense I was one of them?
“It’s my distant niece, Thea, who has kindly agreed to lend a helping hand during the busy summer season,” Audrey responds casually, without missing a beat.
“And you’ve been hiding her all this time?”
“A friendly warning, Indra. This one’s not to be messed with. Agreed? You can have your pick around here. You’ve never had a shortage of willing participants, so lay off her. Agreed?” Audrey looks at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Am I allowed to introduce myself, at least?”
“Only if you promise to behave. In any case, I’m not worried about Thea. That one’s got a mature, well-balanced head on her shoulders and she will not fall for your charms. So, be my guest. Just tread lightly.”
“Alright, alright.” Indra says, raising his hands in surrender. “I get it. I will not harm your niece.” He stands up and my heart skips a beat as he makes his way over to me.
“Hi, I am Indra. And you are?” He says, flashing that gorgeous smile of his. My heart feels like it’s about to jump right out of my chest.
He knows what my name is. Audrey just told him? I don’t know what game he is playing, but I already think he is a bit of an idiot.
“Hello Indra, I’m Thea.” I extend my hand. We shake hands and I feel a pulse of electricity shoot up my arm as his strong fingers close over mine.
“Well, hello there, Thea. Welcome to our neck of the woods. How do you like it so far?”
He knows. He knows what I am. I can see it by the way he inhales the surrounding air. I pretend I don’t notice.
“It’s great. Haven’t been here all that long but so far so good. Can I get you something?”
“I think you know what it is I want to order?” he says, challenging me.
“Ginger Ale?”
He gives me a pleased look, a look of kindred recognition. Then he puts his finger to his lips, indicating silence, and smiles.
This is dangerous for me. I need to be careful. I break eye contact with him and turn away to prepare his drink.
While I pour his drink I can feel his eyes one me. There is an unusual tension in the air between us, a feeling that I don’t recognize. I cannot tell if I feel excited, or scared. I am also aware that both Audrey and Raiko have not yet taken their eyes off of us either.
“Can I have your number, Thea? Perhaps you’d like to come and meet the others sometime? I’m sure you would like to make new friends?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” I stammer. “I would like that, thank you.” I scribble my number on a napkin and slide it across the counter.
So, he isn’t interested in me at all.
That’s just fine with me. Besides, I wouldn’t mind meeting some new wolves. Maybe going for a night run or something.
“Not that it’s any of my business,” he says. “But what are you doing here? I mean, for real, what are you doing here?”
“You’re right. It’s none of your business.” I say, and smile confidently.
I have not made it this far to get myself into the same situation I was in before. I do not know how accepting they are of half-bloods and I am not prepared to find out.
“Alright, wrap it up kids, she has to get back to work,” Audrey interrupts us.
“I was just welcoming her to the area,” Indra responds, as he winks at me.
“Well, that can wait. She needs to reorganize the storeroom,” Audrey says as she ushers me away.
I did not know that I was supposed to be reorganizing the store room. It seems that Audrey is not too pleased with the idea of Indra and I getting to know each other. I can feel small butterflies in my stomach as she leads me away from him.
Not a moment later and I am alone in the storeroom, repacking shelves that are already perfectly packed. I wonder how long I will need to keep myself busy here before I can come back out again.
“This is ridiculous,” I whisper as I reach up, trying to get to a stack of napkins on the top shelf.
“I’d have to agree.”
I recognize his voice behind me and my heart starts to race. Before I can think of a response, he is close behind me. The heat from his body ushers effortlessly through the thin fabric of my dress and I break into a sweat.
Not from the warmth–from the knowledge that he can feel my entire body trembling.
His breath is hot and thick in my ear as he says, “Need some help?”
A muffled groan breaks from my lips. It’s all I can manage in the moment. I hate that I can’t hide the immediate effect he’s having on me.
This stranger and his proximity are doing all kinds of things to my body. Things I haven’t felt before. Except…
The heat that rises between my thighs reminds me of nights spent dreaming of Phobus. Nights when I thought my life was going to play out in a whole other way.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
Before my brain can register what’s happening, both my hands shoot behind me and clutch his shirt, holding him in place.
Indra sniggers under his breath. “I thought you didn’t need any help?”
“I- wait.” I push back into him, rubbing my ass against his crotch.
Now it’s his turn to groan.
The sound of his arousal reverberates through every inch of me, slicing through my very bones. It’s so fucking hot.
His hands come up to cover mine and gently remove them from his shirt. A spark of disappointment blooms in my chest, but is quickly extinguished when I realize those hands have no intention of ending this.
They snake around my waist, maddeningly slow, awakening something in the depths of my belly. Something that coils and twists and shoots straight down to my pussy.
God, this shouldn’t be happening. Audrey, Phobus, my mother… All the people I know would have a problem with this try to break into the haze of desire clouding my thoughts.
I know that I should turn around and stop him, but I don’t want to.
“Indra-”
“Shhh…”
His warm hands meet my thighs as he moves them up and under my dress, and all words I thought I had are lost. Gone forever. I’m certain I’ll never think another coherent thought for as long as I live.
He feels all the way up, past my stomach and places them gently on my breasts.
Uncontrollably, my head rolls back onto his shoulder. “Oh, God.”
“You’re so… soft.” Indra’s hot breath plays on my exposed neck, setting my skin alight.
He kneads my breasts over the flimsy barrier of the bra I’m wearing, and I curse the fact that it’s there. What would he feel like if I were wearing nothing at all?
“Don’t stop.” It comes out in a strangled moan.
I’m not even sure I mean it. Because of course he has to stop. This can’t happen. Not with Phobus-
“It’s just back here-” Audrey’s voice stops abruptly.
Indra’s hands fly off my body as he quickly reaches over my head to grab the napkins.
“Here you go,” he says, forcing a smile.
“Uh, thank- thanks for your help,” I mumble, my cheeks burning as I rush out of the storeroom, unable to meet Audrey’s eyes.
