He sighed, looked up at the SUV and waited for it to pull back enough to allow him to exit his car. His hand reached for his phone to hit the speed dial. “This is Bridger. I lost ‘em. But I can at least confirm that Lorelei isn’t a vampire.”
* * *
Lorelei walked against the wind, her coat whipping around her legs until she had it secured once more. She couldn’t know whether or not the vampires knew where Alex lived. If they did, however, they likely employed mortal surveillance during the daytime. The spells erected by Molly and Onyx would turn attention away from their apartment, but not the whole building. That meant people staking out the exits, probably a car ready to follow Alex as he left… and that meant distractions were in order.
She would have preferred more solid information, but for now she had to run on educated guesses-both about her enemies and her friends.
Nothing in Amber’s conversation with Alex hinted at any particular agenda on her part. Lorelei observed the whole thing, having never left the apartment in the first place. She held to the corners and the shadows as her lover and their guests got themselves together, unnoticed by all thanks to her supernatural talents. Even Onyx, who had already demonstrated that she could see through Lorelei’s illusions, seemed to detect nothing. As she suspected, neither of the witches were exactly morning people. Either Onyx had the best poker face Lorelei had ever seen, or she simply didn’t have her mystic “eyes” open before breakfast.
She waited through their morning shamblings and chatter. She listened for clues from Amber, who ultimately dropped none. And then she stayed ahead of them as they all left in Molly’s car to ensure a clean getaway-at least from whomever the vampires might have watching.
The other faction probably had someone watching, too.
Lorelei strode down the block, glancing around for a convenient setting. With the city’s obsession with convenient, overpriced coffee, it was just a matter of finding a shop with the right amount of customers. She found a likely spot, turned and looked around at the street with a welcoming smile for anyone who might still be watching her, and went inside.
Minutes later, as she sat at a tall table with a paper mug in her hand, her gamble paid off. The leather and denim ensembles on the two newcomers contrasted sharply with the hipsters and casual wear of the rest of the coffee shop’s customers, but in Seattle such contrasts were often the norm. They revealed themselves less by their clothes and more by their posture and body language. Few people entered a room and took subtle sniffs in more than one direction.
She waited and observed. That two of them would appear surprised her, though on reflection she knew it shouldn’t have. They operated in packs as often as loners. The man was tall, well-muscled and serious. His companion, a pretty if rugged blonde, gave every indication of following his lead.
They took in their surroundings, turned toward Lorelei and approached her without a word or glance at one another. The succubus waited. “I apologize,” she said mildly, gesturing to the other side of her small, round table. “I have only the one empty chair.”
The tall man sat in it, staring daggers at Lorelei while she smiled back at him with obvious interest in her eyes. His companion looked around and spotted a nearby table where a man sat facing a chair that held a friend’s jacket. The blonde took the jacket off the chair and put it on the table before picking up the chair, daring him to object with her eyes. He risked no protest as she placed the chair at Lorelei’s table and sat in it.
“You allowed us to see you,” the man said, his voice deep and gravelly. “You obviously wish to talk. We will wait for one other first.”
“I have time to wait.” Lorelei smiled charmingly, leaning forward a little as she asked, “Would I have escaped you if I’d wanted otherwise?”
“No. You reek of him.”
“Naturally. I have claimed him. What do I call you?”
The blonde put her hand over his before he answered. Lorelei noted it with a raised eyebrow. Her smile did not diminish as she leaned back once more, sweeping her hair back with a hand. As she intended, the male’s eyes never left her. “We will wait for one other,” the man repeated.
Even Lorelei’s mild disappointment came out with a sultry look. “Very well.”
They didn’t wait long. Lorelei recognized the werewolf by her confident posture and her purposeful stride as soon as she walked into the shop. Such short hair was well out of the ordinary; most werewolves let it grow out, rather than buzzing it down so close to the scalp. Then again, her kind could grow a full head of hair in days. Perhaps she had something to fix.
The woman looked over the shop much as her packmates did before coming over to the table. The blonde relinquished her chair without a word and quickly found another one, giving an instant clue as to the pecking order.
“You are the demon,” the newcomer said.
“I am Lorelei. Are you Diana? We only saw one another in passing, and under terrible circumstances.” Receiving a nod of confirmation, Lorelei then glanced to the male once more. “And you?”
Diana held up one hand. “Has she spoken to you or tried anything?” she asked the man beside her.
He shook his head slowly. “She only asked our names. I did not allow more.”
Lorelei pursed her lips with mild amusement. “You gave orders not to speak with me,” she surmised.
“I know what you are,” said Diana.
“Do you worry I might seduce your male right here in the coffee shop?” asked Lorelei. “Ah. Yes, you considered it. You ensured he would not come alone,” she said, nodding toward the blonde, “and you arrived as quickly as you could. Perhaps you believe I’ll throw some demonic enchantment over him? All magic is inhibited by the presence of many mortal witnesses, Diana. Mine as well as that which enables your shifting forms.”
The blonde scowled. “Demons lie.”
“That we do. And worse. Just like your kind. Again, what should I call you? Feel free to lie about your names. I won’t hold it against you.”
“I’m Jared,” said the male. “This is Sally.”
“Excellent. Can I get you anything?”
“Alex,” said Diana flatly.
“Straight to the point, then,” Lorelei nodded. “You want him. I have claimed him. You know that he is protected.”
“The angel surprised us,” Diana conceded, “but we tasted her sweet flesh. My pack would be happy for more. Another clash would not go so well for her.”
Lorelei glanced to Jared. “Tell me, how many of your pack have you lost in this endeavor already?”
“Seven,” he answered.
“Jared,” said Diana.
Lorelei’s attention turned back to her. “Is Alex worth that? Is he worth more?”
“You tell me,” said Diana, her eyes narrowing. “What do you want for him?”
“You wish to bargain?” Lorelei laughed.
“I am a practical woman.”
“You are most plainly not,” the succubus replied, still quite amused.
“I suspect you aren’t as strong as the angel,” said Diana. “You are an obstacle. I will remove you one way or the other. In the end, I will win.”
“No, Diana, you won’t,” said Lorelei, still entirely at ease despite Diana’s intensity. “You have already lost the endgame, or you wouldn’t be here now. Neither I, nor the angel nor Alex make any difference in that.”
Diana’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid I don’t take your meaning.”
“I know how all this turns out for you. I’ve met the demon that created the first of your kind. You’re Hell’s stray pets, set loose to sow chaos in the neighbor’s yard.”
Silence fell between the two. Lorelei saw the tiniest crack in Diana’s façade of self-assurance. She decided to widen it.
“You were born a normal girl, Diana. I imagine you had a family, but at some point you did something more than a little naughty. Something vile. Hit and run accident, perhaps? Knowing abandonment of a friend in dire jeopardy? Or maybe you skipped straight to murder, but it was surely someone who didn’t deserve it.“ She saw a blink, but didn’t acknowledge it. “The particulars are of no concern to me. They’re not my business. But you know the details.