Alpha Trio: The Complete Collection (8 page)

Yet more proof that Cat was something else. After what she’d just seen, it was a miracle she wasn’t huddled in a blubbering ball behind the dumpster.

“He’s right though. They were definitely after you, Cat. Though damned if I know
why
,” Drei growled.

A soft, hesitant female voice answered. “There’s something... different about her. They want her for her blood.”

Cat gasped. All four of them spun on their heels. Grig did so with a pained grunt.

Cassandra stood in the club’s open back door, a half full black garbage back in one hand and a thin lipped scowl on her face. She looked as if she wished she hadn’t spoken up.

“Who the hell are you?” Em barked. “And how do you know anything about this? You’re a Mundane!”

She shrugged one shoulder, not meeting Em’s eyes. Her gaze met Drei’s briefly and then slid away, her lips quirking for the barest second. She turned around, tossing another quick glance over her shoulder. “Better bring him inside so we can flush that wound. Vamp venom is nasty business.”

“Cassandra,” Drei said softly, his voice firm. “How do you know any of this?”

Her green eyes lifted to his brown ones then, and held. “I’ve seen what vamp venom can do with my own eyes. As for the rest...” Her lips pressed so tightly together they went white. “I heard it.”

She spun and hurried back inside then, garbage forgotten. They had no choice but to follow her.

“So, you know her name huh?” Cat flashed him a cheeky grin. Drei rolled his eyes.

“Shut it, kitty Cat.”

*****

“If you wanted to get me undressed, sweetness, there were easier ways to go about it.” Grig winked at the redhead, but his face was pale and sweaty. His long hair hung around his face. Cat stood close to Grig’s side, wringing her hands, but otherwise still. Em rubbed her back with one hand, but his face was tense as well.

Drei almost smiled at his younger brother’s words. Cassandra did, though he noticed it didn’t reach her cool green eyes. “Have to make an impression, don’t I? I’ve seen the ladies hanging all over you every night.”

Grig chuckled, but it ended in a grunt as Cassandra prodded the shallow divot of his wound with long fingers. Her wide mouth turned down at the corners. Drei felt his heart do a lazy turn. Was Grig in more danger than they’d thought? And how the hell did Cassandra know about any of this? She was definitely human; there was no doubt about that.

“Cassandra,” Drei growled, uneasy and impatient. She winced at his tone and shoved the damp bar towel she’d been dabbing at Grig’s shoulder with into Drei’s hand.

“Give me a minute, Drei, okay? Let’s get your brother cleaned up and then,” the muscle in her jaw twitched, “I’ll explain everything.” The look on her face said she’d rather do anything but. Drei gave her a brief nod and pressed the towel to Grig’s shoulder. Grig hissed.

Drei watched as Cassandra moved purposefully behind the bar. She grabbed a bottle of top shelf vodka and a first aid kit, setting them both on the long wooden surface of the bar next to Grig. She met his gaze suddenly and jerked her head back toward her office.

“There are a couple of bottles – little glass bottles – in my office. Can you grab the one with
VN
on the label?”

He nodded, tossing her the bar rag and striding toward the office. Em was murmuring to Cat, comforting her. The human was clearly a little shaken. More by Grig’s injury than the fight, Drei thought. He could hardly blame her.

Cassandra’s office still held that slightly green fragrance that always clung to her. He realized why now... the row of corked green glass bottles lined up on the shelf behind her desk were all herbal tinctures. Who was this human woman?

He grabbed the bottle she’d indicated and was back at Grig’s side in a matter of steps. She plucked the small bottle from his hands with a short nod and then touched Grig’s pale cheek gently. “You ready for this? It’s going to sting like a motherfucker.”

“Get it over with.” Grig took a swig of the vodka and then shoved the bottle at Cassandra. She sloshed a healthy portion over Grig’s wounded shoulder, which was now almost purple. He and Em both had to grab the younger man as he nearly fell from the stool with a groan and a curse.

“Hold him up,” Cassandra ordered them, dabbing at the wound again quickly. Fresh blood was running freely from the scraped flesh and Grig was panting through gritted teeth. Cassandra twisted the top off the small glass bottle, but set aside the dropper.

Drei took tight hold of Grig’s upper arms as she upended the contents onto his brother’s wounded shoulder. The liquid was a greenish-brown color and slightly thick. It pooled in the long, shallow cut. Grig groaned.

Even as they watched, Drei saw some of the purple flush of Grig’s skin begin to fade back to red, and then that too began to return to his normal, tan shade. Cat’s lashes fluttered.

“Wow. What is that stuff?”

Cassandra handed Grig a clean towel to wipe his chest with and began cleaning up her impromptu triage supplies, leaving only the first aid kit on the bar. Though, watching as Grig’s Shifter healing finally started to kick in, Drei doubted they’d really need it.

“It’s just a tincture of vitex negundo. Otherwise known as the Chaste Tree.” Cassandra’s lips twitched. Drei felt a chuckle rumble in his chest as relief relaxed some of the stiffness in his shoulders.

“Surprised it worked on Grig then,” Em replied, amusement lightening his own gaze.

Grig swiped alcohol and some of the sticky herbal mixture out of his chest hair. “Screw all of you,” he grumbled. Cat giggled.

“Okay, but if it’s just some plant, how come it just worked like... like magic?” She waved her hand at Grig’s shoulder, which now just looked like normal, except for the long, thin scratch. It hadn’t healed completely, but clearly the venom was no longer working its way into Grig’s system.

Cassandra swiped a damp rag over the bar. “Shifters heal quicker than humans. Surely you’ve seen that with this one.” She arched an eyebrow and tipped her head toward Em.

“Okay,” Drei said, tired of waiting. “Now that we know my brother isn’t about to keel over on the spot, explain how the fuck you know all this shit, Cassandra.” It came out like an order. Cat shot him a frown. Em rolled his eyes. Even Grig snorted.

“Geez, she only just saved my life, Drei. Don’t cut her a bit of a break or anything.”

Cassandra met his eyes, her clear green gaze un-intimidated by his harsh tone. It made her even sexier. “I’m not one of your trainees, Andrei.”

“What the fuck?” Grig murmured. Em’s eyebrows practically touched his hairline. Cat stared back and forth between Drei and Cassandra, her brow furrowed.

“Will you explain? Please.” Drei gritted the words out. He had to know how this woman knew what she knew. The need only slightly edged out his increasing desire to press her against a wall and wrap her legs around his waist.

Cassandra’s eyebrows twitched. She sighed and took a swig from the vodka bottle herself. “I know because you’re not the only Shifters that spend time here. Lots of the recruits do too. Even some vamps.”

“And they’re talking out of school?” Em sounded like he was ready to round up whatever pups had been careless enough to be discussing Pack business out in fucking public, but Drei shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. Is it? Out there in the alley, you weren’t talking about some conversation you happened to overhear.”

Cassandra took another gulp of vodka and grimaced. “Not exactly.”

Grig rolled his shoulder, wincing only slightly at the movement. “I’m lost.”

“Me too,” Cat murmured, pressing into Em’s side. “Why do they want me? I’m just a human.”

“You’re more than that, baby.” Em brushed a kiss over her head. Cat squeezed his waist.

Cassandra’s fingers were white-knuckled around the neck of the vodka bottle. “You’re not just a human. Not a regular one, anyway. The one that got away, he’s tasted your blood. And it’s... different. That’s why he wants you. And, I’m guessing, why you were able to Mate with Em.”

“And you know that how?”

But Cat stamped her foot and spoke over Drei. “I am just a regular human. He must have the wrong blood. I was born to normal parents. I played field hockey in high school and had an experimental phase in college and there is nothing supernatural about me!”

Em waggled his eyebrows. “An experimental phase?” But Cat slapped her hand against his chest to quiet him.

“It’s not supernatural, Cat. It’s just... Other.” Cassandra chugged the last of the vodka. Grig had drunk more than half of the already opened bottle of premium liquor, but the tall redhead had put away quite a bit too. She sighed and set aside the empty bottle.

Drei opened his mouth to ask her again, but she held up a hand to him. “I know because I heard it. I wasn’t lying about that. I just didn’t hear it with my ears, that’s all.” She cast a tired smile in Cat’s direction. “Don’t sweat it, honey. If you’re Other, than I am too. At least you’re not alone.”

He’d been concentrating on trying to interpret her explanation of how she came by her knowledge, but her last words drew Drei’s speculation to a halt. There was an edge of bitterness and sadness in them that made his hands clench into fists. Cassandra had been alone. She knew what alone was.

“I don’t understand.” Cat’s voice was small. For the first time since he’d met the feisty Mundane reporter, she sounded genuinely scared to Drei. Em wrapped his arm around her and held her close.

“I’m not sure I do either.”

Cassandra leaned her long frame against the counter behind the bar, her porcelain skin flushed from the alcohol and her unease. “I don’t really either. I only know what I’ve heard.”

“You keep saying that.” Grig shook his head, clearly as lost as the rest of them. Cassandra’s shoulders tensed and she lifted her chin, as if she was about to plead her innocence to a crime but knew no one would believe her. She focused her bottle green gaze on Grig.

“You’ve got that line from The Princess Bride running around in your head now.” It was a statement, not a question. Drei frowned, but Grig blinked. Cassandra moved on to Em. “And you’re wondering how come the lab rats didn’t immediately detect whatever it was the vamps suspect about Cat’s blood. Which I don’t know the answer to. Because none of the vamps were thinking about.” She gritted her teeth. “Because I can read thoughts.”

Cat, Em, and Grig all began exclaiming and talking at once at Cassandra’s admission. But Drei just stared at her, an emotion washing over him that took him a moment to recognize. Embarrassment. Heat actually prickled in his cheeks. Had he ever blushed before in his life?

He didn’t doubt for a second that she was telling the truth. Which made him think about what she might have heard in his head. The answer was ‘a lot’. Every time he’d been in her vicinity since the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d been thinking about what he’d like to do to her body, and all the different ways he’d like to do it. Had she heard
all
of it?

Though she was still looking down, not meeting anyone’s eyes, Drei thought he saw the corner of her mouth twitch. He swallowed heavily. He didn’t feel bad, exactly. Just, exposed. Was that why she’d always taken so long to serve him? Was she pissed because of what he’d been thinking about?

Cassandra snorted. “No. Not exactly.”

Drei’s gaze flew to hers, colliding with the amused twinkle in her eyes. He gritted his teeth as fresh heat stung his cheeks. Grig frowned at Cassandra. “Not exactly what?” But then he followed her gaze to Drei, took in the flush on his brother’s cheeks, and started laughing. “What’s the blush for, big brother? Had a few thoughts –” And then Grig snapped his mouth shut, blood staining his own cheeks. He dropped his eyes to study the suddenly very interesting bar top. “Oh. Uh. Right. Sorry.”

He mumbled that in Cassandra’s direction. Drei felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to punch Grig in his pretty boy face.

“What are you apologizing for, asshole?”

Grig wouldn’t look at him. Drei growled. Cassandra shook her head, her silky red hair shifting across her bare shoulders. “You’re not just living in glass house, Andrei. You’re living in a glass
mansion
. Maybe, don’t throw stones.” She quirked a brow at him. Drei wondered if she knew that made him want to kiss her.

Her lips twitched. “As does apparently everything I do.”

“Yeah, well I’m not concerned with the size of my house,” he shot back. “I’m concerned with the size of his.” He jerked his thumb at Grig. Cassandra smiled, really smiled, and Drei wondered how quickly he could get her out of that tiny vest. Her nostrils flared and the smile faded, leaving her lips still ticked slightly upward.

“Just the one window, I swear.” She held up her fingers about an inch apart. “A very small window.”

“Can you two stop babbling so we can deal with the fact that fucking vampires are trying to kidnap my Mate?” Em shoved a hand through his hair.

“I hate to say this,” Grig grimaced, balling his ruined t-shirt into his hand, “But –”

“Oh goody,” Cassandra interrupted with a snicker, her eyes on Drei. “I get to meet your mom?”

*****