Baron eyed the blazing sign of the local red neck bar. This was a perfect night to experiment or die. The sky was clear with brisk temperatures and intermittent wind.
Swallowing his rising fear, he braced his shoulders while his fingers clenched around the small device in the palm of his hand. The faint vibration from the gadget warmed his palm and eased his mind. Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he waited a second longer before moving. One step, then another, brought him closer to his goal.
A strong wind whipped around the corner, sending his cap flying toward the street. Long strands of mousy brown hair whipped wildly around his head. Patrons eager to escape the change in weather flowed around him as if he were a stone in the midst of a stream.
Interesting.
Grabbing the flapping panels of his jean jacket closer, he searched the parking lot. Senses on alert, he wondered if Adrian, a vampire hunter, and Lukian's accounts of the device were accurate.
They claimed the device blocked the presence of vampires. Was such a thing possible? Could he walk into the lion's den undetected? What if they'd built a counter device similar to the one he worked on? Could they ferret out his presence?
A tremor shot through his slight frame that had nothing to do with the elements and everything to do with his capture at the hands of his enemies.
Pulling the hood over his mop of long straight hair, indecision warred with his need to know if the device worked. He kicked a stone and watched it skip a few feet ahead. It stopped at the bottom step to the club, next to a pair of scuffed dark brown cowboy boots. An unfamiliar tingling raced through his system. Like a deer caught in headlights, he froze.
Hunter.
His stomach clenched. Suddenly absent of fluid, his mouth dried as the Hunter's gaze swept the parking lot. He'd swear an eerie light flashed from the giant's eyes, searing through everything in its path.
A metallic taste hit the back of Baron's throat as wintry cold gray eyes passed over him. The warm plastic in his palm pulsed. He released a swoosh of air as his natural enemy turned and walked through the heavy door.
To say he fully understood the risks of this experiment and its possible outcome was just proved untrue. What was he thinking coming to a hangout for vampire hunters?
It'd been years since he'd been in the presence of one of those killers. He had no idea they grew as tall and large as tree trunks.
No wonder Lukian, Leader of the Sentinels, was on edge. Hunters mirrored the speed, strength, and agility of Lukian's league of warriors. A simple vampire scientist like him, with no fighting skills, wouldn't rate as an appetizer to the mammoth who had just entered the bar.
On shaky legs, he inched backward a few steps. Mindful of the loud thumps from his chest, his gaze remained on the door until he reached the shadows of the parking area.
Exhaling a breath he'd been unaware he held, he turned and headed for his car. It was a quirk of his, to blend in the human world as thoroughly as possible to further his scientific research. Driving helped him achieve that goal. Besides, he enjoyed the feel of the supple leather seats and the ability to shape the atmosphere within the confines of the vehicle.
For a small man like himself, small comforts rated high on his list.
Romance novels and Hollywood had done his people a tremendous favor. Everyone thought vampires were these tall and handsomely compelling creatures. If that were the case, they'd stick out as cannon fodder for the Hunters. It was times like these Baron appreciated his nondescript appearance.
Average height, average weight, brown eyes and hair, and glasses that he didn't need, helped him blend in. People rarely gave him a second glance, which suited him fine.
Night sounds, music, and human conversation flew across his ears and mind as he neared his car. The dark husky scent of one voice stopped his forward momentum. Like a sieve, his ears filtered and rejected ever other sound until it zeroed in on the melodic cadence that held him enthralled.
Without thinking, he listened, eager to hear another syllable of the sound that touched off a spark inside him while moving closer to its location.
"Brina, I thought you were going to meet me here tonight," the voice said. He tried to identify the emotion behind the words, but having so little interaction with humans he remained clueless as he continued to listen.
"Yeah, like going out on a weeknight is something I do on a regular basis. I had to get a sitter and everything." Anger, but not true anger. There was no bite, no fire to the words from the woman as she spoke to someone on her phone.
Baron squeezed the device in his hand as an extra measure and walked closer to the car where the voice emanated from. The driver's door stood open. One bronzed, long, bare leg tapped impatiently on the ground. A splash of fabric covered a small portion of her well-toned thigh. The rest of her body lounged in the shadow of the car. Red polish gleamed from five tapered toes flashing from some sort of strapped heel.
If anyone had asked him before tonight if he had a thing for shoes or feet, he would have said, "Not even." However, the sight of her finely sculpted leg in high heels with red toenails just became a thing for him.
Grateful she couldn't detect him, he breathed deeply. The smell of peaches greeted his flaring nostrils, the scent teased his tongue, and for the first time in years, he hungered for something other than science.
"Heaven," he whispered, not ashamed to enjoy the fruits of his trespass. He stood beside her trunk, getting high off the sound of her voice and drinking in the sight of her leg. Who said the finer things in life weren't free?
****
Brushing past a woman and her small son, Simone rushed through the door before the closed sign appeared. She had been violently ill for the last week and was behind in her work. Her doctor claimed she had a 48-hour stomach virus.
Obviously, that was code for "we don't know what it is, so take these pills, they'll kill anything." There was nothing to do but rest and take the antibiotics. Even though she still felt a little off, she had to take a pill and keep going. The mortgage company wasn't interested in her health crisis. Bills had to be paid and her business required her attention. Looking back to make sure she hadn't dropped any of her files, she slammed into someone standing on the other side of the door.
" Oooph," she yelped as her arm and folders flew up. In an awkward attempt to catch herself, she grabbed hold of the nearest thing. Unfortunately, that happened to be someone's arm. Before she could yell out, a hand broke her fall, saving her from a hard fall onto the concrete floor that was now decorated with her research paperwork.
"Damn," she muttered, looking at the mess before she realized her rescuer still held her arm.
"Thank you," she added. Without looking at him, she bent to pick up her documents. It was useless to put them back in any type of order right now, so she shoved them into the files. Moments later, he surprised her by assisting her collect the papers from off the floor.
"I shoulda planned this better," she muttered, throwing papers into folders. "Allowed more time. But one thing happened after the other, and now I'm late." To make matters worse I'm talking aloud. Heat climbed up her neck and jaw as she offered a smile to her rescuer.
Standing, she realized they were close in height and he was cute in a down home kind of way. His brown hair was much longer than she usually liked, but it looked soft. Gold flecks dotted his brown eyes, and in the bright lighting they appeared to sparkle. She glanced at his firm lips. They were moving.
Simone groaned her embarrassment. She'd been checking him out while he'd been talking. Thank God, Brina and Tressie weren't here, they would never let her live it down. They'd swear they were right in saying she needed a man in the worse way.
"Is everything all right?" he asked, his tone curious. But what captured her attention was his accent. She tried to place it. She'd always had a thing for sounds, and cataloged faces by their sounds and scents. His voice reminded her of smoke and woods, sending a tingle to the midst of her belly. Caught up in her musings, she failed to see him move closer.
"Miss, I asked if everything was all right." His voice turned impatient, cold.
She shivered as he watched her through lowered lids.
Startled out of her reverie, she rushed to assure him. "What? Oh yeah, thanks. I, uh, was thinking about all the work of putting these files back together. That's all." Unable to believe her reaction to him, she offered a smile and watched him from the corner of her eye. Maybe it was the accent, but her opinion of him changed. Now he looked downright handsome. He wore brown corduroy pants and a brown tee. Nothing fancy, yet she was drawn closer. Inching forward, she breathed deeply.
He stepped back, mouth agape. A frown marred his face as he glared at her. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked in clipped tones.
The sound of his accent, deepened by his emotions, sent a giddy thrill through her. As his words penetrated, her face warmed as mortification set in. What was wrong with her? "Sorry about that. You sound familiar and I was trying to place your voice."
His right eyebrow arched. "By smelling me?"
Simone's cheeks burned. The condescension in his voice jerked her out of her trance and fueled her anger. There was no need for him to talk to her like that, she hadn't done anything wrong. Remembering she'd ran into him just a few minutes earlier, she amended her thought. She hadn't done anything wrong intentionally. Looking around to see if anyone had overheard his remark, she stood straight, placing the papers in the forgotten folder.
