ABIGAIL

“You’ve slept with him again!” Ursula half-shouted in their favourite pub.

“Can’t you keep it down?” Abigail covered her face with her hand, trying to prevent the curious bystanders from listening in to the rest of their conversation.

Ursula lowered her voice and leant in. “Was it as good as the first time?”

Unable to contain her blush, Abigail grumbled, “Better.”

“No!” Her best friend swatted her on the shoulder playfully. “You lucky bitch.”

“I wouldn’t call myself lucky. He’s a…” She searched for the right word as there was no way she could tell her friend that he was a vampire. “He’s got a lot of baggage.”

“Oh, a crazy ex?”

Abigail thought back to last night and the woman in the car park. She shuddered. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Well, don’t be discouraged. Just buy some pepper spray and if that lunatic gets too close—” She moved her hand in front of Abigail’s face in an attempt to portray spraying someone in the eyes.

“You make it sound so simple.”

Ursula rested her chin on her palm, making her gorgeous chocolate hair glide over her shoulders. Her twinkling green eyes studied Abigail for a lengthy second. “Isn’t it? We both have dated some shady characters in the past. You getting it on with a rich playboy with a sexy body is definitely a step up. And, of course, he’d have a skeleton in his closet, or a dozen. What did you expect? Men like him attract all sorts of weirdos.”

“Men like him are the weirdos,” Abigail corrected.

“Tomato, tomahto. Either way, if you like him, stick around and let things unfold naturally.” She sipped her beer, creating a foamy moustache around her upper lip. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Abigail’s hand in a vice grip. “Oh my, there is a freaking Greek god coming towards us.”

Abigail frowned and turned in her seat. Her heart nearly climbed out of her throat when she saw Glen striding towards them with a pleasant smile. Is my boss stalking me?

He stopped at their table. “Good evening, ladies.”

“What are you doing here, Mr Wilson?” Abigail asked, full of caution.

“You two know each other?” Ursula piped in.

Glen offered her his hand. “I am Glen Wilson, Abigail’s boss.”

“I thought her boss was a woman,” Ursula said, shaking his hand and shooting lasers out of her eyes at Abigail.

“He’s my boss’ boss,” Abigail replied and studied him. He was dressed in a sturdy black pea coat with a burgundy shirt and a pair of black jeans. His usually well-styled hair had become mussed by the wind outside, but that did not take away from his attractiveness in any way.

Ursula nearly jumped up and down in her seat. “Do sit with us.”

Abigail sighed and scooted to one side when he joined them around the small circular table. His broad shoulders brushed hers, so she had to lean away from him.

“How come you’re not out with your missus?” Ursula asked, clearly interested in the man’s private life right off the bat.

“I am presently single,” he replied, knotting his hands on the table.

“If only I wasn’t getting married soon,” Ursula muttered, shaking her head. “But, oh well, have to stay true to my fiancé who is probably destroying twelve-year-olds on some shooting game at home right now. Are you into computer games as well, Glen?”

He studied her face as if checking to see if she was serious. “No. I don’t have enough free time to indulge in gaming.”

“Then what do you do in your spare time?”

Abigail caught her friend’s hand. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to be interrogated all evening.”

Glen laughed. “It’s okay. I have nothing to hide about my life.”

She scowled at him. Which life would that be? The one where you’re sucking a woman’s life force out or the one where you work day and night as an Editor in Chief? “Right.”

Ursula looked between the two of them. “I think I need to pee. Feel free to unload your unspoken words while I’m gone.” She slid off her stool and walked to the back of the pub where the creaky wooden stairs led to the toilets upstairs.

“Why are you here?” Abigail demanded, lowering her voice.

“I was exploring the city and found you here. Don’t worry. I won’t be hitting on you anymore. You have made it perfectly clear last night what type of monster you prefer to bed.”

She pursed her lips. “You really came here by accident?”

“Why else would I be here?” He observed her face and let out a deep laugh. “I am not a desperate enough man to stalk women on their weekends, Abigail. I came in here by chance. I am staying at a hotel along the quay. The staff had suggested this place for my dinner. I can show you my room key if you’d like.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “It’s fine. I believe you. But”—she brought her voice to a whisper—“are you still using your incubus mojo on me? Because I find you somewhat attractive, and it’s bugging me.”

Glen struggled not to laugh out loud as he held on to his sides. “I can’t help it. Our pheromones are dispersed day and night. Only the elders have mastered a way to mask their presence entirely.”

“Ah, so you can’t help being a woman magnet?”

“No, I can’t. Sorry to disappoint you.”

She broke into a smile. “Alexander told me his version of how you two met. Want to share your side of the story?”

“It would bore you.”

“Let me decide that for myself.”

“As you wish,” he said, growing serious. “I believe it was five years ago when he was in the States. The company I worked for was being bought out by his, and I was asked to attend the meeting with the president. I am going to guess he’s already told you how monstrous it was of me to start dating one of his staff members.”

“You were dating?”

“Yes. I asked her out the second time I saw her. She had managed to make me laugh in under a minute which was not easy to achieve back then. So, we went on a few dates, and I unconsciously drained more energy from her than I should have.” He licked his lips and lowered his gaze to the table’s scratched surface. “When my kind relaxes too much around someone, our control slips as well. It was my fault she suffered.”

“Wait,” Abigail said, raising her hand. “She got sick because you enjoyed her company?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I took Alexander’s advice and created some distance between us. She deserved better than a monster who could suck her life away without her even noticing it.”

Abigail gave his hand a squeeze. “This whole supernatural thing is new to me, so I might not understand everything, but it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do it intentionally.”

“A mistake is a mistake.”

Small hands landed on Abigail’s shoulders, making her jump. She peered over her shoulder at a very pleased Ursula.

“Are you trying to scare the life out of me?” Abigail asked, breathing hard.

“Maybe a little.” Her friend grabbed her handbag. “I got a text from Greg. He wants to have a romantic night in with me, so I think I’ll pick up some chocolates and pizza on the way back.” She nudged Glen on the shoulder. “Bring her home safe for me.”

“It would be my pleasure,” he replied.

Abigail erupted from her seat. “There’s no need. I can walk to the bus stop.”

“Nonsense. I will drop you off. My car is parked at the hotel if you don’t mind taking a stroll with me first.”

Ursula patted her on the shoulder. “Go with the nice gentleman. I’ll call you tomorrow, and you can bitch to me about jury duty.”

“I completely forgot about that!” Abigail said, hugging her friend goodbye.

“Be glad I pay attention when you talk,” Ursula said, pulling away. “Take care, both of you.”

Once her friend left the pub, Abigail grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on. “Are you sure you want to give me a lift? I could take a bus ride home.”

“I’m positive.” He indicated for her to go first, and she weaved her way past the other tables to the exit.

The cold breeze outside managed to climb in and send an army of goosebumps up her legs. She shivered, wrapping her jacket closer to her as Glen led the way to his hotel. They arrived on the quay and headed along the pavement with the noises of a busy city bombarding her eardrums.

Glen frowned and briefly glanced over his shoulder as they strolled. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but before she could, he pulled her into the first alleyway on their left and grabbed hold of her wrist. A second later, he had her running with him without an explanation of any kind. She didn’t know how long they ran for, but her leg muscles were starting to ache.

Panting, she finally broke away from his steel grip. “What the hell?”

“Do you have any enemies among the hunters?” He looked around the corner of the building they were hiding behind. “You were being followed.”

“I’m sorry, what? Hunters?”

“I should have a word with Alexander. If he cares about you, he should assign someone to keep an eye on you. This city is overflowing with hunters for some reason.”

She grasped his coat’s sleeve. “Can we pretend for one minute that I don’t speak crazy?”

He took her hand and started striding ahead. “The hunters were created to kill my kind, vampires, werewolves, and the other supernatural creatures. Why they are tailing you is peculiar since you are human.”

She recalled the shooting at the airport’s car park and gasped. “I helped Alexander’s friend get away from them.”

“That is a good enough reason for them to come after you, yes.”

“Crap. What am I supposed to do?”

He stopped in his tracks. “You can’t return home, they may be waiting for you there. You can’t go to Alexander’s hideout either or it could endanger him.”

“What do you propose?”

“Stay at my place,” he suggested with a shrug, “until Alexander and I figure out what to do about your little problem.”

She yanked her hand out of his hold. “So, I’m supposed to trust you? What if you try something?”

Glen’s unwavering gaze made her calm down. He offered her his hand, patiently waiting for her. “I am not a man who enjoys lying to the people I like, Abigail. Hunters are not kind. If they get their hands on you, you may not survive the encounter. Are you willing to risk it and go home alone?”

“I really hate conundrums,” she mumbled under her breath.

“You don’t have to trust me. You can contact Alexander now, and he can meet us there. Would you agree to that?”

She nodded, and he smiled.

“Good. Now let’s hurry. They weren’t far behind.”