78: The Den

The whole ride over to the bar, I rub and tug my sweaty fingers together. Nothing good ever came out of coming here. Fights and too much false superiority. Nothing like a drunk werewolf telling another drunk werewolf that they were higher rank than them. What’s mine is mine when it comes to werewolves, except for alphas and their prized second. Then everything is theirs.

The hair on the back of my neck and all the bones in my body ache as we pull into the packed parking lot. What had I been expecting? No one to be here?

Caleb stays close as we cross the gravel lot. The music is so loud that I’m sure it fills the air for several blocks unlike Young & Restless. Proves how much more smarter witches are. The smell is the worst, second is the fact that werewolves fill it.

My mind goes blank and my legs seem to have forgotten how to walk, because I need Caleb to pull me along, leading the way. He leads us straight to a booth that’s hidden in a corner. He knows me so well or he knows to keep me out of spying eyes.

My own eyes scan the space, searching for the biggest bad. Marcus. He would throw a fit and a scene if he saw Caleb and I together, especially here of all places. I don't know how long he’s been pressuring Caleb to find his mate, or even travel the world to find her. He hates me that much. But my eyes land on someone worse than Marcus.

A death grip clenches onto my heart, tightening my chest to the point breathing hurts. Everything hurts. Why am I overreacting like this? Gabriel and I are not together, so it shouldn’t be a big deal that he’s here with Brooklyn. I’m here with Caleb, so…

“Drinks.” Caleb says oblivious to my newfound terror.

“Yes.” I say so quickly that I startle him. As he gets up to head to the bar, I mutter, “something strong, very strong.”

As he leaves, my eyes stay on Gabriel like some obsessed, crazy stalker, but I can’t get myself to look away. He sits confidently across from four werewolves chatting about something. And then there’s Brooklyn who has her arms intertwined around Gabriel’s, giggling like an idiot.

I wish I could enchant my ears to eavesdrop on what they’re saying, but Caleb deserves my full attention. So I watch, I watch Gabriel wave his hand between Brooklyn and the wolves, smile on his face. Brooklyn on the other hand, her smile falters, but she does exceptionally well as she covers it up. She buries her face in his neck...whispering something?

Caleb comes marching up with two drinks in his hand, blocking Gabriel and Brooklyn from my line of sight. He doesn’t even put the glass down onto the table before I grab it and chug half the contents before I have to take a breath.

“Are you that nervous being here?” He asks, completely oblivious. “You know I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Too late for that, I grumble to myself before the tables turn and I’m filled with guilt. Here I am pissed about Gabriel two timing me while I’m here with someone I know appreciates me. It’s not like I didn’t already know that he’s juggling relationships. I caught him red handed once already.

But I can’t tell Caleb any of that. “I am a witch in a werewolf bar. Not to mention there are so many of your pack members here to tattle to Marcus. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” And that’s the truth. A truth that has been argued between us multiple times. A truth he already knows.

“They’ll get used to it, because-” My phone cuts off his words.

I scramble to retrieve it from my back pocket. What the actual fuck. Question after question ramble off in my head. How the hell is Gabriel calling me? When did he get my number? How did his number get his in my phone? How did I not notice it? I quickly press a side button to silence it.

I try to peer around Caleb and the dozens of werewolves that suddenly block my line of sight to Gabriel.

“Everything okay? Who is it?” Caleb asks leaning closer, hand reaching out to touch mine.

“No one.” I violently shake my head and sneak the phone under the table. “No one.” I grab my glass with my free hand and down the rest of the contents.

My phone rings again and I slam the glass down onto the tabletop. It gets me a few glares. Wolves eyeballing the witch that can’t hold her temper or her alcohol. I look at my phone against my better judgement. Gabriel’s name in bright letters stare back at me. Shit.

“It must be important.” Caleb says, still oblivious. “Are you dodging Gretchen or Monty for me?”

“No...it’s...Avalos.” I throw a name out there quickly. “You know how he can be. I’m just gonna step out and see what he wants, because he’ll keep calling all night if I don’t answer it.” I roll my eyes as I slip out of the booth and make a dash for the door.

Another truth...half truth.

I stand in the middle of the dirt parking lot, back to the bar and answer the phone, except I can’t get my voice to work. It takes a couple of tries of my throat constricting, mouth opening, before one single word comes out, “hello.” Not the initial response I wanted to say, but at least I say something.

“What are you doing at a werewolf bar, Hazel?” His voice is so smooth and tempting as he questions me.

“I’m not at a werewolf bar.” I slap my forehead after I say the words. How stupid am I? He must’ve seen me.

“No? Let me ask you again. What are you,” there’s a pause and when he continues his voice doesn’t come through the phone, it comes from right behind me, “doing at a werewolf bar?”

I spin around to find him a few steps behind me. “I could ask you the same.” I snap back putting the blame on him instead of me.

“Business. Like I told you.” Oh, he’s all about honesty, is he?

“Business with werewolves and your stalker girlfriend.” Of course, in my anger, I take the low road. It’s like a big neon sign pointing right to what’s really under my skin. Brooklyn.

“She’s not-”

“Not my girlfriend.” I cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard it before. You know when you lie right to my face, it reminds me how much I hate vampires.” I don’t know why I’m so upset over this. It’s that stupid familiarity playing with me, giving me feelings that I really don’t have.

I suppress a rush of laughter. I can’t possibly love Gabriel.

“Brooklyn isn’t here, because I want her to be. It’s business, Phillip’s business, Phillip’s request. His hand slides through his shaggy hair, “God damn it, Hazel. You’re not making this easy.”

“Me?!” I’m confused at his words, maybe it’s the alcohol going to my head. I’m not making this easy? He’s the one fucking this up. And vampire business? I could care less about vampire business, especially when it has something to do with Phillip. That name alone makes my skin crawl. Phillip, as in the biggest and baddest vampire around is the last person I would associate myself with.

Some call him the king of vampires...so,does that make Gabriel a prince?

I throw my hands up in the air, over this entire conversation. I’m smart enough to know when to walk away and I do just that. I stomp my way back inside more than arm's length away from him. But the drink I chugged is definitely going straight to my head and I stumble on the gravel. Before I fall onto my knees, Gabriel has me by my elbow, yanking me upright.

“Have you been drinking or did that filthy mutt put something in your drink?”

“That filthy mutt loves me more than you.” Oh, shit. What the did I just say?

The air around us suddenly gets heavy, it almost vibrates as he glares at me with those golden eyes. His hand tightens on my arm and I wince from the pressure, unable to wiggle free. “That werewolf doesn’t love you like I do.”

I sober up right real quick and I spit out an incantation that sends Gabriel reeling backwards, eyes narrowed in confusion and shame. “Don’t you for a second say fancy words to me.” I shout at him.

Lies, all lies. He’s playing me. I’m just a new toy for him to fawn over. He doesn’t truly mean any of this. He’s just looking for blood.

Our eyes snap to the front door of the bar as it slams open. Gabriel’s grip loosens and I take the opportunity to put some space between us as Brooklyn comes nearly running out, fists clenched, shouting, “Gabriel, you son of a bitch.”

She nearly trips more than a handful of times in her high heels as she titters on the rocky gravel before she reaches us. Her eyes flash to me, full of disgust, but her beef is with Gabriel. “You need to go back in there and tell them that you were just joking.”

“I wasn’t though. Phillip and I talked this over many times. I expressed how his bargain would likely be accepted if we offered something to them and what’s better than his prized witch.”

“You fucking asshole.” Her hand soars through the air and slaps the side of Gabriel’s face with a loud smack.

He rubs at his cheek as if it hurt, but we all know it didn’t. “You know you deserve it.” he whispers. Louder he says, “I made the rules very clear. They’re not to kill you, so they’ll just do with you whatever it is that dogs do with new toys. With your attitude, you’ll be back at the manor in three days tops.” He blows off her fear.

She looks as if she’s ready to run, but Gabriel stops her with simple enough words, words that send a shiver down her spine. “You don’t want to disappoint Phillip, do you?”
Brooklyn bites her tongue, but not for long. Those four wolves that Gabriel was talking to about business come strutting out of the bar. They prowl up to us, eyes gleaming with victory. Two of them stand before Gabriel, while one approaches Brooklyn and one circles me.

I become rigid as I hear him inhale deeply right behind my head. “I didn’t know you had another offering.” His fingers slide through my hair and I instinctively slap his hands away, which gets me a growl in return.

“This one is mine.” Gabriel says through clenched teeth. His hands snakes out, latching onto me, jerking me to his side.

One of the two that had approached Gabriel, takes a step forward. “I thought we were partners, working together. What is ours is yours and what is yours is ours.”

“Your business lies with Phillip and what is Phillip’s is yours, but what is mine is mine.” Gabriel flashes him a toothy grin. “You can bring it up with Phillip if you must, but I assure you he will say the same thing. As his second, I am entitled to things that no one else can have. I’m sure that concept resonates with you wolves.”

“Leave the vampire with his witch.” The self made leader orders as he turns his back to us.

The one that’s circling me pushes his luck and runs his nose incredibly close to me, his mouth nearly touches my neck. His whisper lingers in my ear, “maybe next time.”
The one that went straight to Brooklyn sweeps her off her feet and throws her over his shoulder. “The boys are gonna love you,” he chimes as he follows the others to their vehicle.

Gabriel watches with a sly smile and I watch in horror as they stash her inside a large truck, her screaming and swearing the entire way. It’s only once the truck leaves that Gabriel turns to me. “Do you believe that she’s not my girlfriend now?” He pulls me closer to him, I can feel the coolness the emits off him creep over me. “I mean what kind of boyfriend would I be if I handed my girl over to wolves?”

The heavy pounding thumps of heart quickly changes as his hand skims the side of my cheek. The useless organ slows to the point I’m even sure it’s beating anymore. No one has had so much power over me.

I struggle with fighting it or giving in, giving in to a vampire.