Bad Moon Rising

Frowning, Fang turned to see what had set him off. His gaze focused on Aimee who was wearing a tight string tank top and a pair of cutoff shorts that were way too short.

“Oh, hell no,” he said before he could even think not to. “You’re not working in that.”

Cherif agreed. “Hear, hear! Get your ass back upstairs and change before Maman or Papa sees you.”

She gave them all a go-to-hell glower. “Were you people born on the sun? It’s stifling hot in here and unlike you losers, I’m the one who has to run orders back and forth.”

Fang scoffed. “Then be glad we’re not putting you in a parka.”

She narrowed her gaze at him. “You got no authority over me, wolf.” She raked her brother with a curled lip. “You even less so.”

Cherif pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m calling Maman. Right now.”

She hissed at him. “I hate you. I swear one day, I’m going to poison your food.” Then she turned her fury to Fang. “And I’m not talking to you for the rest of the night.”

That was fine by him so long as she covered herself up. He wasn’t about to have her walk around like that with the body she had. They already had enough trouble keeping men and animal hands off her.

Cherif held his beer bottle up toward Fang. “Here’s to you, my brother.”

Laughing, Fang held his up to tap the bottom of the bottles together in a salute of solidarity against public female fashions that only looked good on a woman you didn’t have a relationship with.

“Hey, Fang, you got a visitor.”

He frowned at Dev’s voice in his earpiece. “Vane or Fury?”

“Neither.”

Fang set his bottle down as he frowned. The only other person he could think of would be Thorn, but Thorn didn’t usually come in the front door.

His breath caught as a searing pain cut through his shoulder where Thorn’s mark was.

What the hell?

Trying not to show the pain, he sca

Dressed in a light linen suit and with his hair immaculately combed, he looked as out of place here as Fang would on a billionaire’s fancy boat.

Pulling the earpiece out and turning it off, Fang met him in the middle of the bar. “What are you doing here?”

Before Varyk could answer, Sasha was there, looking like he was staring at a ghost.

“You survived?”

Varyk’s gaze went to him slowly. Unlike Sasha, his features were completely blank. “Betrayer.” There was enough venom in that one word to supply an army of cobras.

Sasha let out a deep, vicious growl. “I betrayed no one.”

By Varyk’s face it was obvious he didn’t believe a word of it. “And yet you survived while the rest of us were hunted into the ground.”

“For a dead man, you look awfully hale.”

“There’s more irony in that statement than you realize, punk. Now get out of my face before I decide killing you is more important to me than Savitar’s bullshit laws.”

Sasha started away, then stopped. “Lera made her decision based solely on my age.”

“And my brother was younger than you and still he was slaughtered. Get out of my presence, Sasha, or lose your life.”

Sasha left.

Fang didn’t speak until the wolf was gone. “What is up with you two?”

Varyk, obviously one who didn’t like to elaborate, shrugged it off. “Forgotten history. You, however, are my present.”

“Oh, goody. Do I have to wear a bow?”

His face unamused, Varyk pulled out a scrap of cloth. “Recognize the scent?”

Fang caught the whiff even before he put it to his nose. The stench was unmistakable and it made him see red. “Misery.”

He nodded. “She broke out. I can’t find her. I’ve alerted Wynter and now I’m letting you know. I’m sure she’s in someone else’s body. The question is… whose. Keep your eyes open since she has a hard-on for you. We’re hoping she makes contact or screws up so that we can find her and send her back to where she belongs.”

“I’ll be watching for her.”

Varyk inclined his head before he turned and left the bar. Fang put his headphone back on and switched it on just as Varyk paused at the door where Dev was standing.

“I feel the need for a bearskin rug.”

Dev scoffed. “Fu

“Watch your back, bear.”

“You better watch your front. I want to see your face when I take you down.”

Varyk flipped him off on his way out the door.

Fang shook his head.

Dev pressed his earpiece in deeper. “What did he want with you, Fang?”

“Nothing. Just wolf business.”

Even at this distance, he could see Dev’s glare. Ignoring it, Fang went back to the bar where Aimee had returned. Now dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, she still made him hard.

But at least he couldn’t complain about this outfit. “Much better.”

Snatching her tray up from the counter, she snarled at him, “Shut up, wolf.”

“Ouch,” Cherif said as she stalked off.

Fang would have gone after her, but he couldn’t with half her family watching them. Instead, he projected his thoughts to Aimee. “Tell you what? I’m going to head over to that table of college girls who’ve been eyeing me all night like I’m the last piece of steak in New Orleans, and talk to that little redhead. What do you think?”

Aimee looked at the table and stiffened. “I’ll gouge out your eyes.”

“Then why are you mad at me about you?”

She had the decency to look a bit sheepish as she wiped down a table. “Because it’s different.”

“I don’t think so.”

She stuck her tongue out at him before she went to take an order.

Fang laughed.

Aimee tried to ignore Fang as she went about her job. They were a little shorthanded tonight, which was why she was down here instead of upstairs reading. Matt had called in sick and Tara was acting strange. Aimee watched her even now as she mixed up orders, which was completely out of character for her.

Aimee went over to her as she headed back to the kitchen with a plate of fried chicken. “Is something wrong, girl?”

Tara shook her head. “I’m just tired and these people are being jerks. Have I ever said how much I hate the living?”

Aimee snorted. “About as much as I do most days.”

“I know. It’s just…” She paused to look at the bar where the men were gathered. “Fang is creeping me out.”

Aimee couldn’t have been more stu

Tara nodded. “I don’t like the way he watches me.”

“Fang?” Aimee repeated, unable to believe this discussion. Was the girl out of her mind?

Drugs… definitely drugs.

“Yes, Fang.” Tara shivered. “His eyes are always on me. Like he’s going to attack or something.”

Aimee scowled as she looked back at Fang, who had his back to them while he talked to Colt. He didn’t seem to have any care or interest in them at all. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, right. You know he had a girl upstairs last night.”

Aimee’s stomach hit the ground at what Tara was implying. Her brothers had built a soundproof room that in theory was a place to put someone who was having trouble with their powers while out here in public view. In reality, it’d turned into a place where any of her skanky unmated brothers could make time with whatever woman caught his eye. “In the closet?”

“Yeah. I heard them.”

For a moment, Aimee hesitated. Then she refused to believe it. Fang wasn’t some man-whore like Dev. Besides, he’d been with her after everyone had gone to bed last night and she could attest to the fact that he was wound up tight and in need of a “hand” from her.

Stepping away from Tara, she used her powers to contact him. “Hey, sexy? You been bugging Tara?”

“Who’s Tara?”

“The waitress behind me.”