Page 42 of Vampire Visions

Sloane split away from the group at the top of the stairs, bee-lining to the over-crowded bar. York glanced at us before following her, and for the first time ever, I heard his voice in my head. “I’m going to stop her from buying one of everything. What do you guys want to drink?”

I stopped dead in my tracks, along with Vaughn, Stone, and Palmer. The four of us turned to face York in unison, but the druid wasn’t looking at us. Novak laughed, sliding into a chair in the far front corner where Jack had been leading us. We arranged ourselves in the chairs to make sure Sloane and Novak would sit where they could be seen over the railing from below.

“Neat, huh? That’s a new trick,” the vampire informed us, amusement making his golden eyes dance. “I can’t do it with you guys, yet, but York and I figured it out this morning. I can project his thoughts.” Novak was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and I had to admit, I was pretty proud of him.

“Yeah, neat. Just what I wanted… three pervs in my head instead of one.” I grunted at Vaughn’s sarcastic reply.

“She gets in yer head, too?” Palmer asked him.

“She can get in anyone’s head with enough time and concentration, but she doesn’t. Privacy, she calls it,” Jack air-quoted and rolled his eyes, then he nudged Palmer’s shoulder. “Look.” Extending his right hand out, he pointed at Sloane and York. “I told you it’d only take a couple days. She never could stay mad at him.”

I couldn’t see her face, but her body language said she wasn’t mad at all. She seemed happy. Her head was propped on his shoulder as she waited for the bartender to finish making a cocktail. York bent his head, whispering something to her. The woman on the other side of York smiled at them as they laughed.

What really bothered me, though, was when I noticed the strange male staring at Sloane from across the mezzanine while he leaned against the wall. When he pushed off the wall, he stalked toward her with the same predatory intensity that Novak had when he was focused on something. A low growl slipped past my lips before I could stop it.

The way he approached her gave us his back and full view of York and Sloane’s facial expressions when they turned around. York’s face was neutral, but Sloane had a tight, polite smile on her lips that didn’t meet her eyes. The male in question spoke to her, ignoring York completely. Sloane shook her head, her brows pulled low over her eyes. He said something else, reaching up to grab her jaw and Jack whispered, “Uh-oh.”

I jumped up from my chair, weaving my way through the sparse crowd between us. Sloane’s face went blank for a few seconds, and the male’s ears lifted, indicating a smile on his face. I was about to lose my shit when Sloane jerked herself away from his grasp, throwing her head back with a raunchous laugh. I stepped behind him just in time to hear her wheeze out words around her hysterics, “Did you think that would work on me again? I’m too old to play your games, Gideon.”

York gently moved Sloane behind his mass, and then he fucking snapped. I’d never seen the druid act out his rage like this. Grabbing the male, Gideon, by his jaw in the same fashion he’d held Sloane — with much more force — York pulled him closer. “Did you just try to spell my mate?” His voice was as sharp as broken glass. He had always been the calmest of our group when we went out. York didn’t get in fights unless he had to. He’d been the one who would drag me away from them.

Gideon floundered for an answer, but York was having none of it. In one quick motion, York moved his hand from the bastard’s jaw to the back of his head and smashed his face into the bar top. “Let me explain to you how this works,” he growled, holding Gideon down. “If you disrespect my mate again, I’ll kill you here,” he stabbed his finger at the surface of the bar, “and now. Do not fuck with her.”

York let go of Gideon, taking a step back, and that dumbass cocked his hand intending to hit York. Sloane slid around York’s side, catching the punch mid-swing with her left hand. Her right hand slammed into his throat, squeezing hard enough to lighten the skin of her knuckles.

I heard the crack of bones from his hand still in her grip, and he made a pained sound. “Easy, Barbie,” I whispered in her ear, running my hand over her shoulder and down her arm.

She let go of his hand, but only lessened her grip on his throat enough for him to speak. I had hoped that he may apologize, but his next words made claws lengthen from her red nails, piercing his flesh. “Fucking whore,” he choked out, hatred clear in his voice. “Kade will kill you when she finds out you’re in her territory.”

I started to pry her fingers away from Gideon’s throat, but she released him with a low chuckle. “Run along, Gideon. Tell the bitch I’m here. I’m honestly hoping that you’ll be the little messenger boy.” The roguish smirk she gave him was enough to make me recall the stories I’d heard about her before we met. “You have until Sunday to get out of my territory before I slap you with the same treason charge that Kadence is going to get.” Sloane leaned closer to look into his eyes as she murmured her promise. “The self-proclaimed queen is going to meet her fucking maker.”

Sloane sauntered off after that, not giving him a chance to respond. I gave the asshole an unamused look. “Word of advice? Don’t let your mouth write checks that your hands can’t cash. I can assure you that the outcome won’t be good.”

When York and I made it back to the table, Sloane was all smiles. It was like that altercation had never happened, but then… I guess that the plan had been for her to be noticed. And judging by the stares she’d received? That definitely happened.

The next two or three hours passed us by, loudly but uneventfully. We’d talked and laughed, making quite the scene for all the eyes watching us. The guys decided to take Sloane’s advice and enjoy some illegal blackjack in the back room downstairs. That left Jack, Grim, Sloane, and myself sitting upstairs before Jack wandered off as well. He said he saw a friend, and I didn’t quite understand when Sloane and Grim chortled at him. “What’s so funny about that?”

Grim shrugged nonchalantly. “He’s going to go hit on that group of mages.” He pointed to a table in the far corner, and I watched, confused, as Jack approached the females.

“Uhm,” I started, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. “I thought he was gay. Aren’t you guys…” I didn’t even know how to finish.

Sloane tilted her head from side to side, but it was Grim who answered. “I’m bi. Jack is, well… Jack is Jack. I’d call him bi, leaning more toward males than females, but he would argue with that assumption. He self-identifies as gay, though he does partake in a female every now and then. He says he has a very specific type of female that he can occasionally be attracted to, whereas his type in males is a bit more broad. It’s called homoflexible, but again, he would argue with you.”

“I haven’t a fucking clue what that actually means,” I told Grim truthfully. He just grinned at me.

“Basically, Jack enjoys being a cunt tease.” Sloane laughed. “He never really does anything but flirt shamelessly, and somehow those women always think he’s going home with them. He hasn’t had a female partner in a few years.” She shook her head as we watched him across the bar. He was laying the charm on thick, making all the girls around him giggle. “As long as blow jobs are never brought up, they won’t even notice he’s gay. They’ll overlook all the signs. When they are the subject on the table? He’ll argue their ears off about how he gives the best blow job in the country.”

“It’s the same thing every time we go out, but it’s fun to watch,” Grim commented.

Sloane rolled her eyes at him, but they sparkled mischievously. She nudged my shoulder and pointed. “See the platinum blonde on his left? She’s wondering why she’s not the center of his attention. The redhead in the center of their group is suspicious.”

“Are you snooping in their thoughts?” I asked, moving my arm around her shoulders as we spectated Jack’s game.

“Of course. How else will we tell him what he needs to work on?” Grim scoffed at me before winking playfully.

Sloane continued, unperturbed by my comment. “The brunette with glasses is confused about why he’s paying her so much attention. She thinks he should be flirting with Platinum. The brunette without glasses thinks she’s the prettiest in the group. She’s thinking that she’s got the best body, less baggage, more experience. Her thoughts are great.”

Grim laughed. “Tell him to ignore her, and that he has to slip the word anal into the conversation.”