Growling in that unique way that only a shapeshifting bear could, Remi continued to try and throw them off so that he could reach the woman, who still hadn’t moved.
In fact, the Daimon yawned. Then checked her watch and manicure as if the entire event left her bored out of her mind. “Can I go in now? You two have him leashed, right?”
Fang’s jaw dropped at her nonchalant tone. “You know, Medea, given what happened the last time a bunch of you showed up here, you’ve got a lot of nerve.”
“’Course I do. It’s what makes me the bad guy. And I’m told my half brother’s upstairs, playing poker with your little brother. So if you don’t mind…” She headed inside as if she didn’t have a bar full of shapeshifters who’d love to make her their late-night snack.
Remi continued to curse them both. “They killed Maman and Papa! How could you let her waltz into our bar like that?”
Dev kept his brother in place with his forearm across Remi’s throat. “Because if you harm one hair on her head, we’ll lose our sanctuary license again. Think of your nieces and nephews and the danger you’d be putting them in!”
The last time they’d lost their license, Sanctuary had been razed and they’d lost their parents and several good friends.
Remi’s gaze fell to Fang, and Dev knew that had finally reached through his brother’s temporary insanity and need for blood vengeance. Their sister—Fang’s wife—had just given birth to a son and daughter. And Dev’s own wife was pregnant after having given up her immortality so that they could start a family of their own. Last thing any of them wanted was to risk enemies crashing the gate and burning Sanctuary to the ground.
Again.
Above all, they had to maintain their limani standing so that no shapeshifter or demon could war here. They’d all lost too much during the last battle that had shattered their family. Now, they had even more to lose.
Finally, the fire went out in Remi’s eyes as he stopped struggling against them.
“We good?”
Remi nodded.
Releasing him, Dev stepped back to eye Fang. “So what idiot put hothead on the door tonight?”
Fang cast him a disgruntled glare. “I be said idiot. Thank you very much. Thought he was you. Could one of your bastards cut your hair so that I can tell you apart?”
Dev rolled his eyes. Then pointed to the double bow-and-arrow tattoo on his biceps. “I do have one mark that distinguishes me from the other idiots I’m blood related to, you know?”
Fang scoffed while Remi started for the door.
“Hey, hey!” Dev caught his arm. “What’cha thinking, punkin?”
“That Maman should have eaten you when you were whelped. Or at least before you were weaned.”
Dev snorted. “You can’t go in there and start a fight with her. Need I remind you there’s a shit-ton of human tourists in that bar and Max is a bit preoccupied tonight with his dragonswan. That boy ain’t been up for air in days, so we can’t count on him to help us out with mind-wiping the humans in the event they see something they shouldn’t.”
Remi’s nose twitched in that way that said he was hell-bent for blood. “Can’t his brother mind-wipe them, then?”
Good question. Falcyn might have the same powers as Max. Then again, he might not. Even if he did, there was no guarantee he’d use them, as helping others wasn’t exactly the surly dragon’s priority. “No idea. You want to ask Falcyn?” That shapeshifting bastard was the only creature alive with a worse attitude than Remi.
Unless you counted the former Dark-Hunter Zarek. Though to be honest, Dev would run Falcyn up against Z any day. Thrice on Sundays.
Proof to the point? Remi backed down immediately at the thought of speaking to Falcyn, and that was something his brother never did.
“I’m going to go watch her,” Remi grumbled before he headed inside.
Dev growled low in the back of his throat as he met Fang’s irritated smirk. “I know. Dev, go watch your brother.”
“And find me someone else to guard the door.”
“Where’s your ear p…” Dev’s voice trailed off as he remembered that one of Aimee’s favorite things was to nibble Fang’s ears in the back room when no one else was around. Disgusted with the thought of his baby sister touching anything male in a sexual way, he grimaced. “Never mind. I’ll grab Cherif. You can’t miss him. He’s the one who looks like me, but isn’t.”
“That could also be Quinn.”
“Don’t remind me.” It was hell to be one of four identical quads. Only Aimee and the Dark-Hunter Acheron had ever been able to tell them apart.
And Dev’s wife, Sam. She’d never once confused him with his brothers, which was one of many reasons he loved her.
“Double time, Bear!” Fang snapped. “Don’t need your brother starting some shit while we’ve got humans around to witness it!”
Letting out a bear growl in his throat, Dev went to find Remi before the bear really did eat the Daimon, and start another war they didn’t need to fight.
*
Medea screwed her face up at all the humans in the dark, noisy bar as they swayed to the music of the house band of shapeshifters they’d ironically named The Howlers. Gah, how she hated them all. Though to be honest, it would be quite a feast for her should she choose to indulge, not that she needed their blood to feed—unlike the others of her kind.
For her, it was just fun payback.…
More tempted than she ought to be, she forced herself to ignore all the throats that would be so easy to rip open and searched for her half brother’s familiar face. Though she and Urian were technically enemies who fought on opposite sides of this war, he was still one of the few people she considered her friend.
Right now, she had dire news he needed to hear.
“Hey, baby! You looking for me?”
Medea curled her lip at the cheesy come-on line. Worse? The filthy human stank of cheap alcohol and some cologne he must have bought off a clearance drugstore aisle. “Out of my way.”
“Ah, now, why you want to do me like that, baby? Be nice and stay for a bit.” He put a rough grip on her arm to hold her by his side.
Laughing, she bit her lip seductively. “Sugar, you have no idea what I really want to do with you.…”
His eyebrows shot north. “Oh yeah?”
“Ummm-hmmm.” She stepped into his arms as she dreamed of gutting him on the floor.
An instant later, he was snatched back and shaken like a dog would do to its favorite toy. “Take a hike.”
The human started to attack, until he caught sight of the man who’d grabbed him. That took every bit of bluster out of him, and he quickly dashed away.
Not that Medea blamed him. This Were-Hunter was huge, even by their inhuman standards. Tall. Well muscled. His caramel skin would make any woman’s mouth water. And to her instant horror, she wasn’t immune to his charms.