Charming (A Seven World Novel) (8 page)

“He’s almost finished,” Kat said in a breathy voice.

Prince snapped his head back to look and then quickly stood up. The woman’s eyes were glued to him, and he bowed slightly, holding the elevator door open for Kat while giving her a punishing glance.

She sauntered out and petted the little dog on the head as they passed. The old woman unabashedly gawked at them, and it amused Kat how easily humans were offended by such trivial innuendoes.

Her back straightened like an arrow when Prince placed his hand against the curve of her spine.

“You’re mischievous, Kat.”

“Don’t try to pretend that wasn’t funny,” she said, pointing back at the elevators. “There’s nothing better in life than someone getting the wrong idea. Didn’t you ever watch
Three’s Company
? Oh wait, you don’t watch television. See what you’re missing?”

He veered her toward the right. “I’ll drive.”

Kat took one look at his Audi and chortled. Prince was definitely not a low-end-model kind of guy. “Yeah, we’re not going to stand out
at all
. So where are we going to meet contestant number one?”

“His apartment.”

She stopped in front of his car and looked up at him, the sun shining in her eyes. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Coffee shops and bars are always safer bets, especially with guys who are into flesh trading. What if he has a myriad of helpers in there ready to pounce and put me up for sale?”

Prince rested his hands on her shoulders, giving her a pensive stare. “Then I’ll protect you.”

His words penetrated down to her feet, giving her the kind of reassurance and feeling of being protected that only an alpha could.

Kat bit into the end of her pickle, the crunch tearing through the awkward silence. “Like last night? You almost crushed me to death. Although watching you flip over that table was a little gallant and raised a few hairs on my arms. Do you carry a weapon?”

“
I
am the weapon.”

Kat sucked on the tip of the pickle and then smiled. “Good answer, Charming. Are you going to open the car door for me like a gentleman, or would you rather watch me slide over the hood and climb in through the window? Either way, I’m good.”

He spun on his heel and rounded the car. Kat followed close behind, her grin widening. Not many men looked as good going as they did coming, but Prince had a masculine swagger she couldn’t ignore. She wondered if he was kidding about being the weapon, but men his age didn’t crack jokes very often. Either way, remarks like that made her want to figure him out.

Prince gingerly lifted the handle of the door, and she tossed the remainder of her pickle on the curb and got in.

“No one should be that good-looking,” she mused quietly, watching him walk around the front of the car. His seemingly innocuous gaze made her warm all over, and his eyes were predatory, humbling her with centuries of experience. That man was like a walking powder keg.

When Prince got in and shut the door, he gave her a cursory glance. “Why didn’t you toss out that garment?”

“This?” she asked, tugging on the flannel threads. “I kind of like it. It keeps everything concealed better, and I don’t just mean my breasts.”

“Are you armed?”

She reclined the seat back a few inches and stretched her legs. “I
am
the weapon,” she replied with a playful smirk. “What’s good to eat around this town?”

He started the car and merged into traffic. “I know a few restaurants that will find us a space quickly.”

Kat pulled down her visor to shield her eyes from the blinding sun reflecting off a mirrored building. “No, thanks. I like grab-and-go food. So… how many Breeds live in Austin? I’ve never really gone out and immersed myself in the local culture. Nadia says she loves it here because of the eclectic atmosphere, but it’s all new to me.”

“We have more Shifters than most cities,” he began. “Here you have the best of both worlds: plenty of land for packs to purchase and close to a big city. Many young humans are drawn to the live music, barbecue, and nightlife; it’s a place where differences are celebrated. Naturally, we blend in.”

She flipped one of the shoelaces around where she’d crossed her foot over her knee. “Swell. My kind of town. Packs or rogues?”

He pulled a pair of mirrored sunglasses out and slipped them on. “An abundance of each. Enough to keep the Council busy.”

Kat squinted from the bright sun. The used-car lots and Mexican restaurants alongside the road drew her attention away, as did the man on the unicycle. Every so often they’d pass a homeless man lying in the grass, or someone holding up a sign advertising gold exchange.

“Do you consort with other Breeds much?” Prince asked.

Kat wondered about that statement. What he
really
wanted to know was what kind of men were in her dating pool. Mating outside your Breed was frowned upon, although most dated other Breeds once or twice out of curiosity. To be honest, Kat didn’t have an interest in dating men who weren’t Shifters. Most Chitahs didn’t like her dangerous profession and were always trying to defend her honor. Sweet, but a little embarrassing for a bounty hunter. Vampires were another story. They had the ability to charm people into doing things with a form of hypnotism, so Kat didn’t trust Vamps as far as she could throw them. She’d dated a Mage once, and he was a decent guy, but the sex was too weird since he couldn’t touch her. They’d get charged up with energy during sex, making their hands deadly weapons—except with another Mage. Kat really didn’t want to explore the world of electrocution by sex, so she took them off the menu.

It’s not that her lovers had been bad, but few met her needs and most of the time she could have placed bets on when the sex was going to happen. Kat lived a spontaneous life, so planned sex had zero appeal. And it’s not like they had an itinerary, but after splurging on an expensive dinner and telling her about nine hundred times how sexy she was, intercourse was always an expectation.

Not that Kat had much sex.

Maybe that’s why she kept gawking at Prince like a woman whose ovaries had just come out of hibernation and were about to implode. Her stupid wolf had a thing for alpha males, and she had scented him right from the start. Her inner tail was wagging, so Kat needed to pull it together before she mounted him at the next red light. The one thing that steered her alpha hormones in the other direction was knowing that Prince was one of those planners who strategically placed rose petals on the floor, creating a trail to his private chambers.

A trail Nadia would soon follow.

“Well?” he pressed.

She’d forgotten the question.

“I was asking if you associate with other Breeds,” he reminded her.

She scratched her cheek and watched a little boy in the car in front of them stick out his tongue. “It depends.”

“On?”

“If they’re dickheads. I’m not sure what exactly you want to know, since you’re pretty good about beating around the bush.”

“I dislike that idiom.”

She snapped her gaze at him. “Well, I dislike euphemisms.
Associate with other Breeds?
Why don’t you say what you really mean? Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I’ve dated non-Shifters.”

“You’re an alpha wolf,” he ground out. “Your standards should be higher. You could have your selection of any Packmaster you desired.”

She snorted and stretched her legs. “Yeah, they’re just beating down my door to put their claim on a bounty hunter who sometimes forgets to shave and likes to watch TV all day. I’m a real collector’s item.”

“These are traits you can change.”

“My tummy’s all aflutter at your compliment. Look, I’m not changing who I am,” she bit out, sitting up straight in her seat. “Oh, wow. There’s a taco stand! Let’s hit that on the way back.” Kat twisted around in her seat and stared through the back windshield at the little shack on the left side of the road. “And they sell quesadillas. Put that intersection to memory.”

Kat faced forward, and the silence that followed turned into an awkward moment. “What?”

He looked sideways at her with his brown eye. “You’re unpredictable. I never know what you’ll say or do next.”

“Thanks,” she replied sincerely. Kat didn’t dwell on hidden meanings.

“Are you upset with me?”

She felt bad for a minute because he was serious. Kat sometimes had an abrasive personality, but she didn’t like to hold grudges. “We had a disagreement. That’s all.”

He pulled the car up to an urban apartment building—the kind with indoor elevators and no balconies. When Kat got out, she could feel the heat rising from the concrete, telling her it was going to be a scorcher.

A few tufts of cottonwood floated in the air, and she rubbed her nose. “What do we do if it’s not Vlad?”

“We decline his offer for lemonade?”

She patted his arm, holding his bicep long enough to sigh inwardly at how strong he felt. “You’re funny, Charming. I
knew
there was a sense of humor hiding in there. Stick with me long enough and you might crack a smile.”

When they reached the main door to the building, Prince paused and traced a finger over his eyebrow. Kat watched his reflection in the glass, wondering why he was hesitant about going in. Probably having second thoughts.

“I don’t think this is him,” she said, adjusting her white tank top and then rolling up her sleeves.

“What makes you say that?” he asked as they moved through the doors.

Her voice reverberated off the beige walls of the first floor. “I know a few things about Vlad that aren’t in the records—unsavory things you don’t want to know about.” She smoothed her hand along the walls, studying how close together the apartments were. “These are tight living quarters. Too many people can hear what he’s up to. I can’t believe they don’t even lock the main doors.
Anyone
could walk in.”

“This is it,” he said quietly.

Kat glanced down the hall to make sure they had privacy. “Go ahead and knock; I’ll hang back.”

Prince cleared his throat and rapped his knuckles against the door. Kat went into ready mode, her heart ticking fast as she prepared for anything. Footsteps reached the other side of the door and then fell silent as he was probably looking through the peephole. She stepped out of sight and left Prince standing with his back to the door so Vlad wouldn’t recognize him.

The door opened a crack. “Yeah?” a husky voice said.

In a motion too fast to track, Prince shoved the door open.

Kat rushed inside and looked at a short man in blue pajama bottoms who was backing away from them. The apartment smelled like brownies, and her mouth instantly watered.

“What’s this about?” the bald man asked in a shaky voice.

Kat glanced at the window behind him in the living room and realized why he’d chosen to live on the first floor. A large man emerged from the shadows and approached them, one who was twice her size. His eyes were thin slivers and he looked like a man who had spent time in a boxing ring. Not just because of his build, but his nose was crooked and face misshapen. As he moved into the light, her eyes drifted down to the ominous tattoo across his chest of a warrior holding a battle-axe above his head, blood on the tip of the blade, and riding a black horse with eyes like the devil.

Prince shoved the smaller man against the wall. “I have it on good authority that you’re selling young girls. Consider this your warning. I’m one of the most powerful Packmasters in this territory, and the torturous things I could inflict on your body would frighten your ancestors. Heed my warning, coward. If you so much as jaywalk across the street, I’m coming for you.”

“Yeah?” he countered in a wavering voice. “Tell that to my friend.”

“Not a bad idea,” Kat suggested, watching Mr. Scary Tattoo with bated breath.

Prince wrenched open a closet door and shoved the pajama man in, then dragged a heavy table in front of the closed door.

“I got it,” Kat said with cool confidence, strutting toward the tatted man. She was reaching for her dagger when Prince caught her arm.

“Let me handle this.”

She peered over her shoulder. “I’ll subdue him while you make besties with the little guy.”

A look of irritation flashed in his eyes. “I’ll not have you fight this man in my stead.”