TobyI paced the length of the bar.
Tap shot me an annoyed glance. "You're scaring away my patrons."
"Seriously?" I fanned my arm around the busy room. Not a single customer was paying me an ounce of attention. "Friend, you're driving me nuts." The troll scowled at me. "Where is she?" I exclaimed.
"Soleil will be here when she's done. Do you think she can just walk into the Jag and tell your girlfriend to pucker up?"
"That would be nice."
"You and I both know it wouldn't go over well. Go home. I'll send her your way when she gets back. It could be hours." His bushy brows furrowed.
"I doubt my pack will be very excited about a valkyrie showing up."
"You're the alpha. Tell them to get over it."
My skin bristled at the thought. "I'm not a traditional alpha, Tap. I'd think you'd know that by now."
"You mean you're not your father."
A low growl escaped my throat.
"See? That's exactly what you meant."
"Right. I'm not a traditional alpha. I don't treat my guys like dirt or the women like objects." The wolf inside me clawed to get out and attack something. Being that it was so close to the full moon, turning was possible but it would wreak havoc physically. I pushed him down.
"You can still tell your pack to chill when Soleil arrives. They're doing pretty well with that vampire in your home."
Tap arched a brow. I nodded, but didn't want to mention that I had used the alpha card to convince some of them to relax. Anyone following me knew I was against the ancient werewolf- vampire animosity. Hatred, really. Too many wars had been fought, too many lives lost. It was pointless. Any werewolf who followed me had to agree to act in peace toward all other supernaturals.
"They are doing okay with her, right?" Tap asked, breaking my thoughts.
"Yeah, no one would dare cross either Jet or me." Ziamara was the lone vampire living in my home because she was Jet's wife. They'd met under my watch, years earlier when I'd been training Jet.
"So, they'll be fine with Soleil."
"An angel of death is of a slightly different caliber than a vampire."
"How so?" I asked.
"I'm pretty sure our blood isn't toxic to valkyries." "Fine. Sit down and have a drink. Just stop your bloody
pacing."
"Oh, all right. You win."
Tap wandered over to the liquor. "What do you want?" "Surprise me." I pressed my face against my palms and shook my head. What would Soleil learn about Victoria? If she couldn't remember me, what else had she forgotten? And along the same lines, how much would the valkyrie be able to read if Victoria herself didn't know the answers? A glass hit the counter next to my elbow.
"Try that," Tap grunted.
I glanced up to see the same rainbow drink Soleil had ordered earlier. "What is that?"
"I said try it." He folded his arms.
It bubbled and seemed to shine with glitter. "Seems a little girly for me."
"Wuss," Tap muttered. I grabbed the glass and swallowed the drink in one gulp. It tasted of citrus and other fruits, and practically fizzled and popped in my mouth. The sensations continued down my throat and into my stomach.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
It left me with a strange mixture of relaxation and energy. I wasn't as worried as I'd been, nor did I feel like pacing—I was ready to run a marathon.
"You wanna head home, and I'll send the valkyrie after you?"
I wiped my mouth. "Yeah, sure."
Half of Tap's mouth curved up. "Glad to hear it. See you later."
"Have you been to my house?"
"The old Moonhaven mansion."
I nodded. We just called it Moonhaven, though that wasn't an important detail. As long as he could point Soleil there. "Thanks, Tap."
"Hope she remembers you."
"Me, too." I ran my fingers through my hair, hoping Soleil found something we could work with, and rose from the stool.
Someone bumped into me. "Hey, watch it."
I turned to see a vampire baring his fangs at me.
"Put those away," I told him. "My blood could kill you." He jumped toward me, hissing. "I have a silver blade in
my pocket, pal. That could kill you." He shoved my shoulder. "I don't allow fighting in here," Tap said. "You wanna
hang out at the Faeble, you get along with everyone." The vampire's eyes turned red as he glared at Tap. "I
could take you, shorty."
"You think so, huh?" Tap came around the bar and held up a fist toward the vampire. "Ever fought a troll?" "Always wanted to." He lunged for Tap. I grabbed his shoulders and threw him across the room.
"Play by the rules or go home."
He rubbed his head and looked at his palm. "I'm bleeding. You two are going to pay." He ran toward us.
Several others from around the room jumped up from their tables and surrounded the vampire. He was outnumbered by about a dozen angry supernaturals.
"You mess with Tap, you mess with all of us," said a siren. "Use your song on him," said a water faerie.
"Or I could send him to Valhalla." Soleil stepped around
the group and glared at the vampire. Her wings spread open and her eyes turned black.
The vampire stumbled back, his pale skin now white as a sheet. "You're... you're..."
A smile spread across her face. "A valkyrie, yes. They don't like vampires in Valhalla."
He scrambled away, but Soleil blocked him with a wing, sending him to the ground. The vampire pulled himself up with a barstool. "I'm leaving, okay?"
Soleil shook her head, her eyes still deathly black. "What?" the vampire squeaked.
"You owe Tap an apology for coming into his place of
business and insulting him." "I-I..."
She stepped closer to him. "He opens up the Faeble to all supernaturals—even the occasional pet human. All he asks is that everyone put aside their differences and get along. Is that really so much to ask of those he serves?"
The vampire gulped and shook his head. He turned to Tap. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. My friends, they told me to come in here and stand my ground against a werewolf. We- we could smell him from the woods. I was just turned a couple weeks ago, so I don't know all the rules."
Soleil put her hands on her hips. "Then I suggest you learn them. Around here, we stick together."
Tap stepped near the trembling vampire. "Wars have been started from less. If that's what you want—"
"No. I'm sorry. I'll j-just leave."
"Maybe you should."
The vampire ran past the group, stumbling over his own feet. Several others laughed and shook their heads.
"Stupid newbie," muttered the siren and went back to his seat.
Soleil's eyes turned back to green. They seemed a much more vibrant shade than when I'd spoken with her earlier. "Sometimes it pays to be an angel of death." She winked at Tap.
"I could've taken him," Tap huffed and headed back his place behind the counter.
"Oh, I know," Soleil practically sang. She grinned at me.
"Did you find Victoria?" I asked, ready to get down to business.
Her expression sobered. "Yeah. You want to go somewhere more private to talk?"
My heart plummeted. "Bad news?"
"Well..."
I turned to Tap. "Any of your private rooms available?" He gestured down the hallway. "Take your pick." "Lead the way, sailor," Soleil said.
"Sailor?" I asked.
She shrugged.
I went down the hall and into the first available room. "What did you find out?" I closed the door behind us. Soleil and I sat across the table from each other. She
stared at me with her deep green eyes. I couldn't pull my attention away from them. The color was mesmerizing. That was probably one way she lured her prey.
"Her memory has been wiped—"
"Permanently?" I exclaimed.
"I wouldn't know, but I couldn't access what she didn't
know. So there's that. Make of it what you will. But I was still able to pick up plenty for us to work with."
The room seemed to spin around me. "What did you find out?"
"She can't access any memories before she came here, and she suspects it has something to do with the jaguars, but has no idea they're shifters. In fact, it appears she has no idea about the supernatural world at all."
My mouth dropped. "But that wouldn't keep her from turning on the full moon."
"No, but being spelled would."
"Spelled? You mean by a witch?"
"I don't know of anyone else who casts spells."
"The curse can be broken with a spell?" I slunk into the
chair.
"Seems to be." Soleil smacked her lips. "Spells always
leave a foul taste in my mouth. Bleh."
"Tell me everything. Don't leave anything out." I sat up
straight and stared at her.
"She feels a connection with you—"
"I knew it. I could see it in her eyes."
Soleil frowned. "It's not much, though. She doubts her
own feelings."
My shoulders slumped. "Oh."
"But if I were you, I'd go after her. Make it so she can't
doubt. Whatever you two had together, it was strong enough to leave remnants despite that spell. She can't remember her family or anything else about her past, but she does remember you."
"What, exactly?"
Light pink colored her cheeks. "This is where drinking people's essence gets uncomfortable. I experience their memories and feelings as though they were my own."
"Meaning?"
"Though she hasn't gotten close to you, she knows you smell good, feel nice, and are a great kisser. Every time she looks at you, those memories bubble to the surface."
My pulse raced. "That's something I can work with. If I brush my hand against hers, she might remember more. I can find the cologne I used to wear—"
"Aftershave. She liked the way it smelled with your soap." "That's right," I whispered.
"But there's something you need to know." Her tone shot
fear through to my very core. "What?"
"She seems to be building a relationship with one of the young jaguars."
"Why?"
"He keeps taking her to the Jag. I've never seen anywhere nicer, outside of a castle. I can't blame the girl. I'd start to fall for someone who took me there, too."
"No wonder she wasn't impressed with me buying her lunch today at the cafeteria."
Soleil put her hand on mine. "She's confused. Feels alone. Don't take it personally."
"Is there a way to get her memories back?"
"If I were you, I'd find a witch and try to get to the bottom of the spell. I'd also try to spend as much time with her as possible. Tutor her or something, but don't sit around while that young leader woos her."
"He's a leader?"
She nodded. "Next in line to be their version of an alpha."
"Why are the jaguars interested in her? They view werewolves as bottom feeders. Trailer trash. Algae in the pool of life."
"They like her." Soleil shrugged. "She's a daughter of an alpha. Maybe they don't have one in the jaguar world. Jags have to marry by a certain age, or they can't be alpha, right?"
"I wouldn't know. How close is the guy who's pursuing her?"
"No idea, sorry."
I rubbed my aching neck. "None of this makes sense." "She's back from the dead and remembers your sexy
kisses. Use that to your advantage."
"I'm her professor!"
"What's more important? The love of your life or a job? If you really need money—"
"I don't. It's just to blend in with the humans. They already whisper about us because we live on private property in the middle of the woods. You wouldn't believe some of the rumors going around."
"Then don't worry about getting fired. Once Victoria remembers you, you guys can go anywhere. You can even just stay in the woods."
"And we need to act fast. Her body's going to start to deteriorate if she doesn't shift soon."
"Maybe the spell protects her from that. But I'd be more worried about the jaguar. He's probably close to the age of marrying."
"So?"
"He could be banished from his place in his family if he doesn't marry in time—and he definitely has his sights on Victoria."
My nostrils flared. "If he marries her, he won't live to see his next day."