Page 31 of Bound

“I’ll keep my distance. You just keep your head in the game.”

“Will River’s powers even work on a vamp?”

“I’ve… seen him do it. Hurts like hell. For him and the leech.” He faced me, eyes hard. “Don’t worry about us. Just stay focused on what you need to do.”

Up on stage, Hayden tore into a wild guitar riff. The crowd roared. Strobe lights played across West Caldwell’s features. His ash-brown hair had been swept up off his face and spiked tantalizingly at the ends. In a retro Daisies tee and dark jeans that looked like he’d been poured into them, he looked hot enough to jump. And kill me now, but was that eyeliner?

“You look fucking hot,” I said in a low voice.

He closed his eyes. “I think we demonstrated very well the other night that I absolutely cannot focus when you say things like that.”

“Come over later. We’ll see how distracting I can be.”

His eyes flared gold. I reached up to trace his cheek and his lips parted ever so slightly. Blood roared in my ears, the room seeming to shrink until it was just the two of us and the pounding pulse of the music. Caldwell stared back at me like we were the only two people in the club, eyes the color of salted caramels locked on my mouth like he wanted me to kiss away every stupid excuse he’d made over the past two days for why this thing between us couldn’t work.

“Topher,” he warned as I leaned in, pressing my forehead to his.

“Tell me no,” I said hoarsely. We were a heartbeat apart, his breath feathering over my lips. “Tell me to stop."

“You know I won’t,” he whispered, eyes half-lidded. “You know I don’t want you to.”

I stifled a groan, one born of a year of pent-up need and endless frustration, of night after shameful night spent relieving myself to thoughts I knew I shouldn’t be having, anything to try to scrape the image of West Caldwell from the back of my skull. Needing once, just once, for it to be enough.

I leaned in, lips softly capturing his. Caldwell tilted his mouth up into the kiss, a quiet little groan escaping when my tongue flicked over his bottom lip. God, he was perfect.

“Well. This is an interesting development.”

We sprang apart. Phoenix Richards stood a few feet away, watching us curiously.

“Thought River had you up front,” Caldwell said over the end of Hayden’s guitar riff. The crowd went wild. Inwardly I seethed, imagining ten different ways my wolf could use the Beta of the North Austin pack’s liver as a chew toy.

“I don’t take orders from River. Besides, it’s dead up there. And I love the Daisies.”

I bared my teeth. Neither of them noticed.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh lighten up. I’m kidding. August texted. He was worried you might need backup. Anything yet?”

I’d kill him.

The song finished, the crowd roaring in a thunderous round of applause. My wolf was on edge, sensing something was off in the room even as I struggled to define any clear threat. Or maybe I was just pissed off that once again, Caldwell’s jerk ex had managed to show up at the most inconvenient time and rather than calling him out, Caldwell was shooting me a warning look like I was about to get locked in his pantry again for werewolf time out. Except without the Pringles this time.

But I knew I wasn’t imagining it. There was a taste in the air, like the bitter scent of sulfur that stung your nose just after striking a match. Something was about to happen. I just couldn’t put my finger on what.

When I glowered, West slipped his fingers easily into mine. “Thanks. Nothing so far. They may not show.”

Phoenix’s eyes never left the stage. “Maddox Blake has been meeting with representatives from the South Austin pack. With all the increased chatter recently about crackdowns and raids against suspected paranormal communities, more packs are talking about alliances, maybe even unifying.”

“Smart move. Brody’s been reaching out to surrounding packs as well, seeing how we can offer support.” A beat. “The Council rarely grants exemptions allowing packs to merge, though.”

That was the understatement of the year. Packs were restricted in size, particularly in the urban areas where too many shifters congregating in one place would attract unwanted attention. Not to mention that too many Alpha personalities vying for pack position tended to result in constant fighting and body counts.

“The Council can only fight a war on so many fronts.”

Slinging her guitar over one shoulder, Hayden stepped up to the mic, looking like a total badass in black leather with hot pink streaks in her hair.

“Hey, Austin,” she called. “What’d you think of that last set? Wicked hot, am I right?”

“You okay?” Phoenix shouted as a roar erupted from the crowd, and it was then that I noticed Caldwell rubbing his temples. “You look like hell.”