Savage Shifters Box Set, page 15
But yes, she really needed to find a way to distract herself from her lack of any connection here, and Jack’s invitation seemed like the best solution.
No way in hell she was going to miss it.
*****
The gallery they went to was owned by a man named Dean Williams III—also not human, also handsome as hell. So far, Dean’s and Jack’s kinds were all good-looking, so it must run in the genes. The place was locked and he obviously wasn’t there, but Jack’s spare key got them in, and Yeri started to admire the paintings on the walls before she remembered that she came here for a reason.
Immediately, she hurried to follow Jack, who was already headed towards the back portion of the small building. The back portion had a sign Off Limits made of wood and plastic. She slipped inside and stopped in front of a scattering of paintings, then turned to Jack.
“What’s this about?”
Jack handed her a folded paper, one she unfolded and quickly read. Normally, fairies like her didn’t know how to read, but years of blending in with other creatures had caught her up to date.
Now, she couldn’t imagine her life without reading.
“So this is it?” she asked. “I just need to go to the marketplace and wait for Dean’s instructions?”
“Yes,” Jack replied. “Pretty much.”
“Weird,” she said, not voicing out that they could have just easily held the meeting here. The specific instruction was to go to a specific bar, and she realized that the bar owner must be involved in the meeting, whatever this was going to be about.
Normally, fairies didn’t involve themselves with shifters and their missions, either, but she owed these particular shifters a favor for saving her life. She didn’t mind repaying it in her own way at all.
Taking a deep breath, Yeri shrugged her coat off and handed it to Jack. Her wing—only one—fluttered in place, almost like it was crying out a breath of relief at the fresh air. She watched as Jack took a coin out of his pocket, which he rubbed a few times.
The painting in front of her, depicting a crowded market with stalls, strings of lights and a clear, cloudy sky, gleamed.
Without further ado, Yeri stepped inside it and left SoHo.
Chapter 22
“Sir?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s closing time. That’ll be the last pitcher we’ll be serving you.”
It wasn’t closing time, and customers had the right to as many pitchers as they wanted. But Kasper Diether made an exception for this particular customer, considering he was a half-ogre, and ogres had the tendency of being just a little bit mean when drunk.
Okay, a lot mean.
This particular half-ogre was already looking greener than his usual green, and he was muttering in a mix of his language and some scattered, deep English. He wasn’t as big as the actual full ogres, who towered over everyone beyond belief, but he was pretty tall—and that was saying something, considering Kasper was already a tall guy.
The sight of the muttering amused Kasper enough to give the half-ogre one more glass before he walked off with the empty pitcher, handing it over to the long bar and letting the bartender take over.
There were a lot of customers tonight, and normally that would have made Kasper thrilled—more customers equaled more income, and he really could use all the income and savings that he could. The payment here was of golden coins and gems, which turned out to be very valuable in case he ever needed it to be valuable.
Like in SoHo, or any other part of the human world.
Not that he wanted to move there. If he was going to be honest, Kasper didn’t even want to stay in the marketplace—he wanted to stay in a forest area, where he could freely roam the greenery and not have a care in the world.
But this was home for now.
The night kept him sufficiently busy and involved, walking around and serving drinks when he usually was inside the long bar, polishing glasses and just observing the crowd. Kasper liked being busy, because it left him preoccupied and unable to think beyond the usual thoughts, like currency change, the hours and checking out who were most likely to cause trouble and who weren’t. But the not-so-usual thoughts still vibrated in his bones, and soon he was filled with the urge to shift into his animal form and just run around—get rid of the restlessness that was settling over more often than usual inside him now. He didn’t like it, because it left him discontented—and nothing killed the desire to live peacefully more than discontent.
He used to be able to open portals easily and slip into another world when he wanted a change, but that was before the incident made his access wonky. Now, if he opened a portal, he could jump anywhere without clue and get lost in lands for years without help. The only thing allowing him to open a portal properly was the magic of a certain creature, but that creature was still too busy exploring places she’d never been to before.
There was a rainstorm outside, one that was rare but definitely brought more customers trickling in until the place was full of noise and laughter that blended joyfully with each other. Here in the marketplace, it didn’t matter if you were different from each other—whether you were a shifter, a vampire, a fairy or a half-ogre, no one cared.
As long as you paid and didn’t cause trouble.
Colorful personalities often came here, and he was so used to it that it didn’t bother him anymore. Opening up a bar here, in the halfway point of all creatures’ homes, had been more of a way to pass the time in the beginning when he’d been stuck here. He was still stuck here whether he liked it or not, but now the bar was something of a home, and it was a cozy, thriving business where everyone who came in usually minded their own business.
“Kasper? At your right. Something’s brewing.”
Well, almost everyone.
Kasper nodded his head at his waitress, Irma, who was a shifter like him and could sense trouble more than anyone. When Irma slipped in the kitchen, Kasper glanced at the area she indicated, trying to deduce what she was talking about. He spotted some more shifters conversing in hushed tones, a beautiful redhead siren trying to find someone she could have sex with, and…
Ah.
There were some goblins, and they weren’t at all like those goblins in the fantasy movies Jack liked to show him so much. Generally, they were the same size, but weren’t as ugly as they were portrayed. They looked more like dwarves than anything, really, with pointed noises and ears, and sharp teeth that they often used for eating meat cooked and raw. Their eyes were beads of black that were usually wide, but could narrow down when they were feeling too much emotion.
Goblins were usually small and non-dangerous if they didn’t come in huge groups. There were three of them now, and normally that wouldn’t have alarmed Kasper. But two were staring at the siren, and the third was trying to be inconspicuous as he slipped something glinting out of his pocket…
The half-ogre stood up and started attacking, and the movement was so sudden that Kasper didn’t react right away. But he moved after the first few seconds, realizing the half-ogre had been looking as much as him and was now trying to save the siren—
It clicked. The siren had been trying to seduce the half-ogre, and now the half-ogre was mad that no sex was happening.
It was too weird to comprehend, but Kasper’s hands were on the half-ogre’s back, trying to pry him from the goblins, who now had the knife pointing in the half-ogre’s direction. The siren stood up and backed away, and Kasper opened his mouth to tell the other customers to back off so he could shift and finish this off for good.
The door opened—not just opened, but slammed so loudly in time with the booming thunder, rendering everyone frozen for a second or two as they all glanced in that direction. There was a figure standing there, shadowed by the dark, thin and golden and as petite as they came.
A wing fluttered and glittered against the lightning that followed.
Before Kasper could figure out what the hell Yeri was doing here, she stepped forward, her now-black hair sticking to her face and her human clothes a general mess of drenched material. Her light golden skin still had that same glow, and her emerald green eyes zoned in the direction of the ongoing fight, which slipped right out of Kasper’s hands and restarted all over again.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, and she stepped forward. He shook his head, but Yeri ignored the gesture and started walking over, ignoring the half-ogre and heading straight for the goblins. With one hand, she yanked the knife from the goblin’s hand, the action quick and subtle—almost, because the goblins noticed it and turned their angry eyes at her right away. They snarled and said something in their gnarly language, and it sounded like a threat that would get Yeri killed.
Shit.
The fairy opened her mouth, too.
Then she began talking to them in the same gnarly language, surprising everyone in that bar in silence.
The conversation was low at first, but it turned animated in a few seconds, with the goblins’ arms moving in time with their muttering, and Yeri pretty much doing the same. The angry expressions on their faces cleared into wariness, then cleared some more into grudging reluctance before they finally looked friendly enough for Kasper to breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to handle the other party of the fight, confident Yeri was safe with those troublemakers for now.
The half-ogre didn’t look angry. In fact, he wasn’t looking at the goblins at all, not anymore. He was staring straight at the siren, who had stopped moving backward and was now eyeing him like he was a piece of meat and she was hungry.
Very hungry.
He’d had willing sex with a siren before, back when he hadn’t had a woman in months and she’d been giving him the sexiest come-hither look there was—well, fine, the come-hither had originally been for his friend Jack, but it had transferred to him easily enough. The sex had been stupendously mind blowing, but there was no denying that the aftereffects that followed left much to be desired. He had never felt so tired in his life after, and that hadn’t been a very good idea, especially since they were on the run from enemies at that time.
He wasn’t sure he’d gladly take up a siren’s offer again, knowing what the price was, but he could easily see why anyone would be tempted. The half-ogre’s eyes glazed over as the siren stepped towards him, her hand trailing over his green-tinged chest before cupping what was beneath his pants.
The half-ogre’s gaze positively blurred, and the siren smirked and guided him towards the back exit.
Kasper sighed. Then he stepped forward and held out a hand to the bigger party.
“Pay up first, big guy.”
The half-ogre’s eyes narrowed considerably, and the siren smirked again. Kasper braced himself for a punch or any sign of more trouble, but none came as the half-ogre slipped some silver coins out of his pocket and handed it to Kasper. Kasper stepped aside right away, which was a good thing, because the creature was practically vibrating as he hurried with the siren, who was giggling now. Her melodious voice filled the air, and Kasper swore he heard some of his customers sigh.
There was a laugh beside him, one so grating to the ears. Then the goblins were sitting back down, hailing a waitress for more drinks and no longer threatening to kill anyone. That crisis averted, Kasper turned to Yeri—just in time before he was engulfed by a flutter of lemon-scented hair and warm body beneath the wet clothes. She was curvier than when he last felt her, which was a few months ago when they were running away from some demons and he was trying to protect her with his body. It was a rather pleasant surprise, and he felt himself grinning before he could stop it.
Then her wet clothes registered again, and he stepped back and gave her a dry look. The look was ignored as she headed straight for the long bar, her body vibrating with an energy that almost looked like excitement, but felt like something else.
Anticipation.
Why would she anticipate coming here?
Last he heard from Jack, Yeri enjoyed the human world so much that she had no plans of returning here anytime soon—or to her home, for that matter, which happened to be the land of the wood fairies and a pretty primitive place. Plus fairies didn’t have access to portals on their own, considering portal-creation originated from the shifters and some select witches, and the secret was still pretty well-kept save for a few trusted others.
Which meant Jack or someone else had helped her get here.
Which meant this was all planned.
Kasper braced himself, an odd feeling settling in his bones now.
Then he walked over to Yeri and decided that he’d rather find out sooner than later what this was all about.
Chapter 23
“Hi! Can I have a strong cup of brewed coffee? Please put in lots of sugar if you can. And cream! I’m really craving the marketplace cream, it’s so much richer than the ones in…well, in other places.”
Yeri was probably rambling, and the bartender’s half-amused, half-puzzled expression was proof that she really should shut up before she ended up revealing the whole portal and human world thing. Fairies like her weren’t even supposed to know, and now here she was, letting her excitement take over and make her babble too much.
To make up for it, Yeri beamed. Then she got even more excited when the bartender began making the drink she wanted.
“Sal, can you hold off on that? Let me get her something else.”
The words had Yeri scowling, then turning that scowl in the speaker’s direction. Kasper slid inside the long bar and easily stood in front of her, staring at her with pretty violet eyes.
He really was pretty, even for a guy—and it was a manly kind of pretty, the kind she knew most girls would probably be attracted to. That curly brown hair and tall, not-at-all-lanky stature held a rather pleasant appeal, and she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised, considering he was a shifter, too. She ignored all that physical appeal and focused on his gaze on her, which was curious and just a tad bit wary.
She kept scowling. “What are you going to make me?”
Kasper shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips as he started getting fruits and slicing them up, then blending them in a mechanical mixing device. She looked at the fruit concoction glumly, then back at him, because he wasn’t done staring at her.
“On the house,” he said, sliding the colorful glass in front of her. He bent down and disappeared from her view, then came back up a few seconds later with a blanket, which he tossed in her direction. Yeri caught it in surprise. “And while we’re at it, why did you get yourself all wet out there?”
She shrugged. Then Yeri stood up, stepped back and began to flutter her wing, letting the water drip before she shook her body, too. Water splattered everywhere, and a few customers groaned in response. She turned to grin at them, which shut them up.
See? Her smile worked on other creatures.
Something warm wrapped around her body, and Yeri looked up in surprise to find Kasper already there. She tightened the blanket around her and turned her smile towards him, remembering his question.
“I didn’t bring anything, and I didn’t know it would rain here. Besides, a little rain won’t hurt anyone.”
A smile slid on his face, which eventually turned into a grin. He shook his head in exasperation, and she returned to her seat and began to drink her juice.
A quiet silence settled over them, one that was pleasant and companionable. He still kept looking at her in that observant kind of way, and she was reminded of the times he did so in the past, too, when they were thrown together by accident.
She’d been trying to get home but had no access to a portal, hence she traveled by land and ended up in elf land, where creatures like her were considered enemies and had to be apprehended. While she was inside a net trap and trying to escape, three other creatures stumbled upon her—Jack and Kasper, and the human, Jillian, who’d insisted on freeing her up and being her protector since then. It had been the kindest gesture Yeri had ever received in her life, and she’d gone ahead and helped them out when an important painting was stolen from them. That had her and Kasper working side by side, becoming sort of friends, and relying on each other when demons got in the way and wanted their little group dead.
Kasper couldn’t open stable portals on his own, and up until now, she still didn’t know why. But when one of their members got kidnapped and they had to attempt a rescue mission, they discovered that Yeri had a little something in her that stabilized Kasper’s portal-opening ability—a spark, to say the least. It had been something they practiced on some more before she eventually lost interest, because exploring SoHo excited her more. As far as she was concerned, Kasper was also happy here.
At least, he seemed to be. She and Kasper were friends, yes, but she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that easygoing smile of his didn’t hide any secrets. He had too many of them, and she had a feeling he would be taking these secrets to his grave.
His easygoing smile spread across his lips now as he studied her.
“You look healthy,” he finally commented. “Have you been on a steady diet of dense trees?”
She scoffed. “Wood, when there’s so much delicious food in that world?” Realizing she was talking too loud, Yeri leaned forward and grinned. “Seriously, Kasper. Why haven’t you been visiting? We could have toured places together.”
He shot her a look. “I’ve been suspended, remember?”
Oh, right. He’d been suspended because they’d done the Jack-rescue-mission without consulting his elders—aka the big bad leaders of the shifter world, who had a say in every major decision they made. She supposed that suspension was done now, along with the ban they did on his bar.
“The real question, though,” he continued. “Is why you’re here? Last I heard, you’re having the time of your life in that place.”
Yeri shrugged. “I can’t really say, other than I’m bored and I’ve been invited to a meeting, which might lead to a mission. Jack brought me here before leaving, and well…I’m bored. So bored. I want another adventure.”
