I seem to be on a roll today! Second update! I really hope you all like this! :) Do let me know!
7.
"Uhm. Luca?" Ben bent down, looking at me with an amused look on his face.
"Tripped." I mumbled.
"What?"
"I tripped! Get back up!" I hissed, pushing at him. Ben chuckled, but he got up and looked over the room.
"No one has noticed you." He said lowly, peaking down at me with a crooked smile.
"No and I would like to keep it that way." I hissed.
"Hi there." A deep voice said and I flinched, barely daring to look up. Luckily the voice was speaking to Ben and hadn't spotted me.
"Hello sir! What can I get you." Ben said with a smile, grabbing a glass of the shelf above him.
"I'm looking for Luca St. Michael." The deep voice rumbled and I felt sick. Literally sick to my stomach.
"Uhm. She's…not here." Ben said unsure, shifting his weight.
"Really? That's weird. 'Cause I can smell her." The voice rumbled cocky and before I knew it a sharp, strong face was staring down at me from over the counter. His teeth glinted in the lights and his ponytail hung over his shoulder.
"Hello there, little strange one." Erik Manny said with a menacing voice. I scrambled backwards and stood up, pressing my back against the counter against the wall.
"What do you want." I said, my own were-free hackles were raised.
"Now is that a way to talk to a guest? I just want a word with you. About your new friends." Erik's eyes flashed with golden lightning and his grin was crooked and cold.
"What, Ben here? He's not much to talk about really." I said, trying to act clueless. Erik chuckled a cold laugh, shaking his head as if he was talking to a small child.
"No my dear. Your other friends." He said, putting weight behind 'other'. How the hell can news travel this fast in this town?
"Why don't you have a seat sir and I'll be right with you." I said, smiling as sweetly as I possibly could. Erik gave me a light nod before walking back to the table by the pool table. The four others were watching me closely.
"Shit. Shit shit." I mumbled lowly to myself and scrambled with a few bottles I almost knocked over.
"What's going on Luca? Who are those guys?" Ben whispered concerned.
"Trouble. That's what they are." I mumbled, feeling my hands shiver.
"Should I go get Billy?" Ben asked, his back going rigid.
"No!" I hissed. "Hell no, don't get Billy. Don't even tell Billy. I got this." I said, looking serious at him.
"'Key. But…call me if you need me." Ben said and I nodded quickly. I filled a mug with beer, arranged five glasses on a tray and took a deep breath before walking slowly towards the five weres. Erik, Liam, the panther William and two younger weres, Anton and Lawrence. Now Lawrence should be the panther. He was an African-American and he surely had to disappear when he was outside at night. His eyes glowed in a lighter version of Erik's auburn eyes and his head was completely shaven. He was long and lean, looking like an Egyptian God. Anton on the other hand look like an adolescent boy, with red, short cut hair and what looked like a fuck-you attitude.
"Beer on the house." I said, putting the mug down and placing out the glasses. Everyone was staring at me and the two closest to me wrinkled their noses, as if I smelled bad. I knew for a fact that I didn't. My coconut-scented body lotion cost me more money than my wallet liked, but it was worth it!
"What the fuck are you." Liam grumbled and leaned away. His eyes were narrow and he wrinkled his nose.
"Excuse me?" I said insulted.
"Ignore my son. He has no manners. What he's trying to say is that your scent is…unpleasant." I turned and looked at Erik. He too was slightly leaning away but in a bit more polite manner than Liam was.
"Really. Well, I took a shower this morning, put on my favorite lotion and a sweet scented perfume, so I don't know what your problem is, but I'm pretty sure it's located in your noses." I said grumpily. Danger or no danger, I wouldn't take being insulted like that. Erik stared emotionless back at me, while William, the panther chuckled amused.
"Now now. Don't be like that." Erik said smoothly.
"All we wanna know is where your new friends are."
"I take it you're talking about vampires." I said with a tight voice, feeling anger pushing adrenaline through my body. Erik smiled and nodded slowly.
"If you're not able to track down a bunch of vampires in this town then you have a bigger problem than I can fix, mister."
"Oh you got me wrong missy. I would like to know where they spend their daytime hours." Erik's voice was a low hiss now, but the crooked smirk was still on his lips.
"How the hell would I know." I grumbled.
"Well if you don't know, then you will find out for us." Erik's eyes were piercing.
"I don't work for you people." I hissed, leaning closer.
"Ah. We'll see about that." Erik's smirk gave me chills and he turned away, putting an end to the conversation. I walked slowly back to the bar, anything to keep them from seeing my fear.
I made an effort ignoring the five weres. They were staring at me and when they weren't staring at me they were talking with hushed voices amongst themselves. About two hours later they left and I felt myself breathing out.
"Jeezes, girlfriend, what the hell was that all about! The tension just aired out as they left!" Ben was staring big-eyed at me and now he was drawing attention from Ilsa and Annie who had started an hour after me.
"What? I don't know Ben! And I'm not your girlfriend so stop acting like you have a right to know my every move!" I snapped at him before tossing the cloth in the sink and walking angrily out to the back hallway. I stomped back and forth, rubbing my neck and trying to calm my breathing. I was scared shitless and angry. How was I supposed to find anything out when the weres already had their eyes on me? I locked myself in the bathroom, I moistened my hands with cold water and rubbed the back of my neck, looking at myself in the mirror. This was by far the biggest tangle I had ever been in and I hadn't even done anything myself to end up in it. I guess I could blame Sookie. Or whatever ability I had that I didn't know of that attracted vampires.
"Okay pull yourself together, Luca St. Michael. You got a job to do and right now that job is serving drinks at the bar. You can't afford getting fired so suck it up and move!" I said to myself through clenched teeth and straightened my top. Walking back out to the bar I felt way better. This was not going to break me.
"Want me to walk you home? I can walk you home, it's no problem." Ben looked like a sorry puppy as I gathered my bag from Billy's drawer.
"No Ben its okay, I'm fine, I'm sorry I snapped at you and you don't have to worry. I'll be fine!" I said, chuckling lightly.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked for the tenth time.
"Oh my God! Ben! Yes!" I laughed and patted him on the arm.
"Go home Ben." I blew him a playful kiss before I headed out the front door. It was 2 in the morning and the moon was just a thin sliver of its former self. I tucked my arms around myself and silently wishing Franklin could've shown up!
I hadn't walked a block before my entire back tingled furiously.
"Are you more willing to talk now kitten?" A purring, deep voice said and I came to a dead halt as Lawrence and Anton stepped out in to the dim light in front of me.
"So Erik sent you to do his dirty-work?" I asked, annoyed over my shaking voice. Lawrence grinned at me, his pearly white teeth almost glowing.
"Oh no we are here all on our own. We grew tired of your little game, so we figured we could use our own persuasive abilities." The ridiculously tall Lawrence took a step closer while Anton moved back and forth around him, nervous ticks and all.
"Yeah, we'll get ya." He said with a husky voice.
"Like hell you will." I snapped and tried to make a run for it across the street. I barely managed to get off the curb before Lawrence grabbed my arms from behind and yanked me back in the shade of the streetlamp. That was all he could do. He suddenly roared in anger and pain and I felt an insane heat where his hands were. A strange hissing noise seemed to erupt from his hands and he let go of me, stumbling backwards, roaring and screaming. His eyes rolled back and he almost collapsed as his back hit the wall. And then I saw his hands. They were smoking! He was holding them out and I could see red and black blisters bursting in his palms and soon blood was trickling out of the open wounds.
"What the fuck?" Anton screamed and stared at his pack mates hands. I covered my mouth with my hands and stumbled back. The smell of melting flesh would never leave my memory.
"What the fuck are you!" Anton screamed and launched at me. I screamed in fear and ducked but soon realized I had no need. A black shadow came flying from behind me and knocked Anton over. Now he was screaming for his life. Franklin was standing over him, fangs out and in full murder-mode.
"Change, you piece of scum." He roared and without being able to control his fear Anton's body rippled and the wolf burst through his skin. His ginger fur was already staining with blood before he had finished and the wolf whimpered and tried to snap at Franklin. Franklin liked a good hunt. He let the wolf scramble around on to his feet and as he made a dash for it Franklin grabbed his hind legs and threw him in to the wall. Lawrence was still half slumping, half sitting against the walls, staring at his blistering, bleeding hands, pain obviously fogging his mind. Anton smashing in to the wall next to him snapped him out of it and he changed in a second. His wolf was just as black as his human shape and he literally disappeared against the black wall. His yellow eyes glowed and a low growl escaped his curled back lips. Franklin was too busy ripping in to Anton to notice the ready-to-launch wolf and I did the only thing I could think of. I ran and jumped on the wolf's back, grabbing him by the corners of his mouth, pressing my hands against his fur and pressing my fingers against the skin on the inside of his mouth. The pain was instant. Smoke rose from his mouth as the skin both on the inside and on the outside started hissing furiously. The wolf whimpered loudly, shaking his head and trying to shake me off. I pressed my legs tightly against his side and held on, pulling back on his mouth so he wouldn't be able to bite me. His whimpering became screams and he fell over. My leg got caught between the heavy wolf and the ground and I screamed angrily. The wolf managed to pull free and I felt pieces of skin being left between my fingers as he scrambled away, limping, whimpering and howling. I looked over, seeing Franklin hovering over what remained of Anton's body.
"Franklin…!" I moaned and he instantly snapped his head up. His mouth was smeared with blood. He was next to me in a flash.
"My love, I am sorry I did not get to you sooner." He said apologetically. I shook my head, biting my lip in pain.
"You need to get me to Eric, right now." I moaned, grabbing my injured leg. Franklin pouted, looking upset like I had just told him to fuck off.
"You prefer Eric?" He asked. I glared at him.
"Franklin! Something happened with those weres and I need to talk to Eric!" I screamed and Franklin flinched, his eyes flashed. I should be more careful. This was a vampire after all. I reached out my hand and touched his arm.
"Franklin, please, I need you." I said more softly this time. Luckily that was all it took. Franklin kissed my hand and gently gathered my up in his arms and ran, with a speed only a vampire could.