A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series)

Rune has been sitting at the bar, doing his best to be ignored, but I figure it's less suspicious to open up the introductions now than it is to wait for the guys to ask questions.

Joe and Frank size him up. Normally they'd make fun of a clean man with a handsome face, but Rune's obvious size and strength keep the jokes at bay. Plus, they take kindly to anyone who helped me out. "Oh yeah, you were here last night," Joe says. "Are you a, uh, you know, you a..."

My tired brain is about to answer, "a fae," but fortunately AJ steps in to save me from myself.

"He's a doctor. He and another doctor friend are passing through town, thinking of opening up a practice somewhere in Mass. Couldn't have timed their visit to Morgan's any better."

Solid work, AJ. She's clearly better than me at lying on the spot, which makes it even more important to have her around.

"Where's the other doctor friend?" Frank asks. "And wait, weren't there three guys here last night?"

I look down at Zev the wolf, wondering how to answer this question. He returns my gaze, and I get a very strange feeling sharing a look with a wolf who I know is not just a wolf.

"No, just the two guys that I remember," I answer, unwittingly locking Zev into wolf form whenever the bar is open.

"The other guy, Darius, he is..." I launch into this sentence before I have any idea of where it's headed, but the bar door swings open and finishes my story for me.

"He is here!"

Darius enters casually, giving me a slight nod and taking a seat by Rune. I watch the two lock eyes briefly and I'm positive they just linked brains, filling each other in on everything missed. When they finish their mind gossip, Darius turns to Joe and Frank, offering a forced smile.

"Do you gentlemen know Karl? I was speaking with him last night. He said he... had some lodging recommendations."

Joe and Frank start laughing immediately as I put my hand over my eyes. I've never seen someone so bad at lying to small town folk.

"Talking to Karl?" Joe says with a chuckle. "He must have been sleep talking, drunken fool."

"Of course we know Karl," Frank adds. "Grew up with his dad, our grandpas went to war together. Known his family for generations."

Joe nods, not going into his family history, even though I'm sure it's similar.

Rune and Darius share a knowing look and probably a little mental dialogue that I wish I could hear, despite my earlier insistence that they stay out of my head.

With Rain asleep in my arms and my own eyelids feeling like they're made of lead, I decide this is as good a chance as any to duck away for sleep. AJ's quick enough on her feet to answer questions, Rune can create an illusion if necessary, and as long as Darius doesn't lose his cool and rip someone's throat out, we should be fine.

I bid my goodnights and grab a candle as I head for the backdoor. Before I can leave, I sense the familiar feeling of another's words penetrating my mind.

I'm sorry to enter your thoughts and break my promise, Bernie, Darius says, but I want you to know the intruder is bound to the kitchen ceiling with unbreakable ropes. You'll be safe upstairs, but perhaps avoid that room. Zev will join you.

It's a fair warning, as I for sure would have shit myself if I walked into the kitchen and saw Karl magically roped to the ceiling.

I look back at Darius, who now has his eyes trained on the wolf. After a few seconds, Zev rises and clambers up the stairs. I turn back to Darius.

Thanks, I think, guessing at how telepathic communication works.

You're welcome, I hear in response.

I pat Joe on the shoulder, kiss AJ on the cheek, and head upstairs, baffled and amused at the state of my life.

My dreams are full of Rune. We're standing in the snow, but everything feels warm. His hands touch every inch of my skin, starting at my shoulders, stroking down my arms, then moving to my torso, rubbing my back at first, then turning me away from him so he can caress my stomach and breasts. I feel him pressed against me, and it's clear we both enjoy the feel of each other's skin.

"You're beautiful," he whispers in my ear, over and over. I'm in the state of sleep where I know this is a dream, and yet it's as vivid as any I've ever had. His breath tickles my ear, sending shivers down my spine and raising goosebumps on my sensitive flesh. When I turn back to face him, he's naked, his body chiseled and smooth. As I reach down for him, he puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Bernie," he says.

"Yes?" I reply, moving my face to his, eager to taste his lips.

"Bernie," he repeats, this time a little more forcefully.

"Bernie," he says a third time, and now the snow drifts away, the white glow morphing into a dim flicker, and I'm suddenly in my bedroom.

I bolt up, an immediate sense of panic overtaking me. Where's Rain? Who's dead? What now?

Rune sits in front of me, his presence providing an immediate calm.

"Shhh, you're all right. Rain's all right." It's as though he can read my thoughts, which, duh, he probably can. Yikes. How much of that dream was he privy to?

"What time is it?" I ask. "How long did I sleep? Where's everyone else?"

"It's morning," Rune says. "You finally got some quality rest. Unfortunately--"

The rest of his sentence is cut off when we hear AJ bounding up the stairs, two at a time like she's done since junior high.

When she enters the room, I see worry etched on her face.

"I don't see him out front. No sign of a car, either. He must have gone out the back."

"What? Who?" I'm still groggy and there are too many "he's" that she could be referring to.

A lot of my grogginess dissolves when Darius does his appearing act right next to AJ, nearly causing her to fall in surprise.

"Zev is trying to catch his scent in the woods," he says to Rune. "We saw no prints in the snow."

I'm still completely lost, but I think I've got a good guess.

"Karl?"

Darius says nothing, though the angry clench of his jaw speaks volumes. AJ just wrings her hands, confused and alarmed. Rune looks back to me, giving a slight nod. "He disappeared."

"What do you mean, disappeared? He just escaped? I thought Darius had--"

"I had," the vampire cuts me off forcefully, a little defensive. "And he disappeared. The ropes are all in place, unmoved, unbroken. A human can't escape those bonds."

In an instant, Zev the wolf appears at the top of the stairs, and in just as little time Zev in human form stands beside Darius. It happens far too quickly, and by the time I notice he's completely naked, he's already started slipping into a pair of pants. But not before I see everything.

"No scent, no tracks, no sounds," the half-naked werewolf says, his voice pulling my eyes up from his waistline to his mouth.

"Darius, what do you mean?" AJ asks. "He did escape those bonds, so what are you saying?"

"I can't be sure," Darius starts, choosing his words carefully. "But it appears that Karl spends his time in the company of witches."