“Excuse me.” I pushed past the tall, lean guy smoking a cigarette and leaning against a gaslit streetlamp on the corner of the alley entrance. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over me, like being kissed by emptiness.

Back off, fucking grim.

“Did you get that hex broken?” asked the grim, his dark eyes resting on me as he took a drag of his cigarette.

“Not yet,” I said over my shoulder before I realized I’d never actually told him I needed a hex broken that day I met him.

Moving on, the morose feeling slipped away. Apparently, the vampires had hired a grim reaper to help with business. Made sense. Their emo aura could make the right kind of human more susceptible to the pleasures in their dungeon. If I hadn’t had that epiphany about my own loneliness a few blocks back, I’d blame it on the grim. But I couldn’t. The truth was that for the first time, I wasn’t content by myself. I yearned for her.

Speeding the last few blocks, I slowed down and exhaled a shaky breath when I caught sight of the Cauldron, the strumming of a guitar coming from inside. Hauling open the door, I eased inside. The place was pretty packed, the booths and tables filled. There were a few empty stools at the bar, so I pulled up to one and straddled it, trying to find Evie in the crowd. My foot was tapping, my knee bobbing like crazy as I frantically searched for her.

“What can I get you?”

I jumped. JJ stood in front of me, scowling with both his hands braced on the bar.

“Whatever you’ve got on draft.”

“Imported or domestic?”

“I don’t care.”

He left to pour my beer. I kept scanning the room, panic starting to take over. I needed to see her or I was going to lose my mind.

JJ plunked the frosty mug down. “You looking for Evie?”

“Is she working tonight?” I tried to sound casual, but I’m pretty sure I sounded as desperate as I felt.

Right when I asked the question, Evie darted out of the swinging door leading to the kitchen, carrying a tray stacked with food. I swear, a rush of adrenaline and relief shot through me so fast my limbs went limp. I set my beer back on the bar and rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans.

“Hey.” JJ jolted my attention back to him and his crossed arms. “I need to know what your intentions are with Evie.”

I almost laughed but realized he was serious. I arched a brow and bit my lip to keep from telling him what Evie and I did was none of his business.

He leaned closer, a hand on the bar. “If you’re planning on fucking and forgetting her, I need you to know that werewolf or not, I’ll kick your ass.”

Yeah, right.

The guy was packing a lot of muscle and carried himself in a way that said it wasn’t all just for show.

I shook my head. “That’s not my plan.”

“Then what is your plan?”

I chuckled and drank a gulp of beer. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I can tell you it in no way includes hurting Evie.”

“Alright then.” He held out his big paw for me to shake. “Then I’m JJ. It’s nice to meet you.”

I shook it, somehow happy that Evie had this big brotherly guy looking out for her. “Mateo.”

“I know.” He nodded over my shoulder.

Right as I turned, Evie popped up beside me, a tilted smile quirking one side of her mouth. I had the craziest urge to lean in and kiss her.

“Hey! I didn’t expect to see you till tomorrow.” She set her tray on the bar, and JJ took it back to the kitchen. There wasn’t even a hint of awkwardness or embarrassment coming from Evie for what happened last time.

“I just needed… I mean…”

What did I mean? Think, think, think. Shit, I hadn’t thought of what I’d tell her exactly. I just needed to be near her, to see her, drink in her pretty eyes, her prettier smile. Holy hell, I was staring at her mouth again. Stop! Fuck, what did I say?

“I wanted to come by and sort of look at you, I mean, see you. Hang out with you.” That was the stupidest fucking string of words I’d ever put together.

She laughed. My heart soared. “You just couldn’t live without me, could you?”

You have no fucking idea.

I shook my head, smiling down at her and so goddamn happy right now I might burst into song. She didn’t hate me. Somehow, she didn’t hate me. Unable to resist, I reached up and coasted my fingers around her slim wrist then down to her hand. With a quick squeeze, I said, “It’s so good to see you.”

I must’ve looked like a sad, heartsick teenager, but I couldn’t help it. She wore a pink T-shirt with Princess Leia holding a blaster that said Don’t mess with a Princess. She was too adorable for words.

She huffed out a breath on a sweet smile. “Listen, I’ve only got an hour left on my shift, then I can hang with you a while.”

“Cool.” I let her go, which took every ounce of my being, then she wound back to her tables.

Turning around backward on my stool, I watched her shamelessly. I loved the way she smiled and laughed with customers. I loved watching the way her customers were drawn to her when she spoke. I couldn’t blame them. She was magnetic. Fun, flirty, beautiful, hypnotizing. I was so far gone, and I hadn’t even noticed how it happened. When had this started?

One second, I was thinking friends was good, then I thought maybe more than friends could work, and now I was sure I couldn’t go a day without her in my life. I wanted her, not just as my lover or my friend, but as my one and only.

She chatted with a brunette, making some kind of gestures with her hand as she told a story, then they both tossed their heads back in laughter. My gaze sharpened on the soft curve of her throat. God, I had it so bad. I wouldn’t overwhelm her tonight, though. Not so soon after that nightmare in the haunted house. But I could reassure her I was back to normal and Alpha was well-contained. I could hopefully touch her a little more and feed my need for her sweet scent and soft intimacy.

I’d vaguely heard a guitarist strumming an instrumental piece in the backdrop, but then I heard a familiar voice speak into the microphone from the small stage in the corner.

“Hope you like my rendition of ‘Black Hole Sun.’ Here goes.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I whispered to myself, staring at my cousin Nico on stage. “What the hell?”

I watched him sing a rather haunting, slower version of the nineties favorite, drained my beer, then headed up toward the stage. He caught my gaze halfway there, smirking at me with a nod. Funny, I hadn’t sensed another werewolf in the vicinity when I came in. Apparently, I was so obsessed with Evie, I hadn’t even noticed. Of course, the magic electrifying the air from her, Violet, and Jules in the kitchen sort of nullified my awareness of him. Until now.

He strummed the last riff as I finally reached him. I hadn’t seen him since Christmas three years ago in San Antonio, not since he’d wandered away from home for a while.

He leaned toward the mic. “Ten minute break, and I’ll be right back.”

A tall-top of ladies not far from the stage whined. But then he gave them his signature wink and grin, and I swear they nearly fainted. He removed the guitar to step down then wrapped me in a brotherly hug with a slap on the back.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” I asked, not in anger but in actual shock.

“Good to see you too, bro.” He scratched the scruff at his chin.

I shook my head in disbelief, grinning at this crazy bastard. “It’s great to see you, Nico. But I thought you were still in Austin.”

His small smile gave away nothing. “I wanted a change of scenery.”

“So, New Orleans?”

“Why not? All you ever do is brag about it being the best place on earth.”

His gaze trailed behind me back to the table of ladies. When I looked over, I noticed Violet serving them another round of fruity cocktails. Violet shot a death-glare at Nico, then moved on with a sharp sway of her hips.

“You know her?” I asked, a little dumbfounded.

“Not really.” He laughed, which could’ve meant anything for Nico. Like, they’d hooked up one night and he knew her intimately, or he’d passed her on the street and trailed her here to do some hunting. He was a likeable guy but hard to read, keeping all his outer emotions friendly and easygoing. That way, you never really knew what he was thinking.

“You know she’s a witch, right?”

His gaze was on her again, hotter than before. “I know.”

Wanting to steer him away from eye-fucking Violet, I grumbled, “I still can’t believe you’re here in New Orleans and you didn’t even give me a goddamn call.”

He shrugged. “I figured I’d find you.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A little while.”

That was so fucking Nico. If I didn’t know he was born with Spanish blood in his veins, the same as mine, I’d swear he was a nomad. He roamed wherever he wanted, and life just seemed easy for him. Still, there was a heavier glint in his eyes when he cast them toward Evie’s sister.

“You gonna tell me how you know Violet?”

That got his attention. He snapped back to me. “How do you know her?” There was a threatening growl in his voice, which I know he hadn’t intended to reveal, and a possessive glint in his eyes.

I actually tossed my head back and laughed. “What is this? I mean, how?”

His dark, assessing gaze kept trained on me. I raised my hands in surrender. “Trust me. I have no designs on her. But her sister…” I nodded toward Evie who was bouncing from table to table, her ponytail swinging. “I definitely have designs on her.”

And yeah, I heard the throaty sound of my own wolf in my voice when I staked my claim. I might not have done it for real with Evie yet, but I sure as hell needed this werewolf in the room to know, blood relative or not.

His easy smirk was back. “She’s a pretty one.”

Back off. She’s ours.