Chaz (VLG #15)

Chapter Seven

Shoni tried hard not to stare. Chaz had come downstairs with only one of her bath towels wrapped around his waist. He’d had a bundle of clothing tucked under one arm. Not that it hid much of his perfect chest. The guy was ripped. She’d never seen anyone in that good shape up close and personal before. He was incredibly sexy.

Yawza baby , popped into her head. That was what her grandmother used to mutter every time she saw a super attractive man. She forced herself to blink and look away from the mega-sexy sight.

Shoni managed to accept the clothing he offered her and made it to the wall panel. She pushed against the right side of it and heard the click. Then, the secret access popped open half an inch. She backed up and pulled the panel open. It slid easily into the gap between the stackable machines and the wall with a gentle push.

“Is it safe to machine wash your duster?”

“My coat gets washed often. I rarely use professional cleaning services since they might ask why there’s blood on it. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to tear my wing seams open.”

“I just want to make sure I’m not going to destroy it.” She opened the bottom machine, shoving in his bundle of clothes. It wasn’t just his duster but his pants, underwear, and socks.

“Is that kind of hidden door common in human homes?”

Chaz’s husky voice had her startle. “Um, no. I saw something like it at a murder mystery show once. They’d built a secret closet room for the murderer to pop out from. I figured I could apply that to the original pantry closet for my stackable machines. There are a ton of cabinets already for food storage. I really wanted a washer and dryer inside my unit. It would have looked tacky if they were in clear view. The complex has a resident laundry room, but people can suck.” She closed the lid.

She slid out the folding ladder on the other side of the washer, popped it open, climbed up both steps, and reached the bottles she kept on top of the dryer. Chaz suddenly cupped her hips with his big hands. Shoni froze.

“What does a resident laundry room and people sucking have to do with each other?”

Don’t look at him , she silently chanted. Instead, she lowered herself down the ladder and focused on pouring liquid detergent into the tiny slide-out drawer on the top part of the washer, adding fabric softener next. “Um, until I bought this place, I lived in apartments. That means using a laundry room I had to share with a lot of other tenants.” She paused. “Some of my stuff got stolen if I didn’t take a book and stay with the machines I used.”

“Humans steal clothing while they are being washed? That seems strange.”

“Well, people can be strange. Or just freaky.”

“How do they know what they steal will fit them?”

She sealed the tiny detergent door. She went back up the ladder to place the softener on the top of the dryer. “Most of them are just perverts. You know, some guy who was into stealing women’s intimate apparel. That’s the stuff stolen from me. The police said it was probably someone in the building who saw me doing laundry. I was to call them if any men started getting spooky with me.”

His hold on her hips tightened. “Some male stole your underwear? Is that what you are saying?”

She slowly turned in Chaz’s hold. He allowed it, his big hands sliding against her waist as she faced him. The sad part was that it put her face level with his. He was that tall. It was impossible for her not to admire his good looks. He was really handsome. Long seconds passed.

Chaz slowly grinned. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“What?”

“Did a male steal your underwear?”

“Yes. At least four pairs and my favorite lace bra.”

His amusement faded. “Why?”

“Perverts do that. You know, guys who get off on doing nasty things with stolen undergarments.”

Chaz appeared confused.

“Whoever stole them probably used them as some kind of aid to, um… masturbate. The cop warned me to be alert because sometimes men like that will target a woman and they can become obsessive over. Like, dangerously so. After that, I moved to a new place. I was freaked out since it was a large complex. Every guy who looked or smiled at me became a suspect in my mind. I imagined them jacking off with my stuff.”

A soft, rumbling noise started coming from Chaz. Shoni’s gaze dropped to his chest, where she believed it originated. She lifted her hand without giving it thought, placing it on his hot, firm skin. There was no missing the slight vibration to accompany the sound that came from there. She lifted her gaze to his.

Chaz’s eyes were doing astounding things. His irises were changing, swirling from pale silver to thin flashes of bright blue, and the outer edges were darkening to near black. She couldn’t look away.

“Your police were never able to find out who did that?”

“No.”

“You could have been attacked.”

“I wasn’t. I moved.”

“Humans can be dangerous.”

“No shit. It’s why I stopped watching the news. Depressing and terrifying stuff is on there all day, every day.”

He seemed to study her eyes. “How many of your family members live nearby?”

“Ember is the closest. That’s my cousin you met. She’s about ten minutes away. The other cousins who came to my failed wedding are about an hour’s drive. My dad moved to Florida with my step-monster two years ago. Perri’s son lives twenty minutes from me, but I don’t count him as family. He’s more like a huge annoyance.”

“Does he bother you?”

“Not since I bought this place. I told him I have a roommate. I also might have lied by saying it was a man. He’s a jerk enough to confront women by showing up and demanding to see me. He’s too much of a coward to want to stand up to other men.”

“What about your mother? Where is she?”

“She died when I was twelve. She was in a car accident.”

“I’m sorry that you lost her. I know how much I miss my mother. You never fully recover from the death of a parent.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

He hesitated. “Vampires killed her.”

Her mouth dropped open, shocked.

“My father barely survived losing her. The bond between mates is very strong. My dad didn’t want to exist without her and stopped living. My brother and I refused to let him go.”

“Can I…” She sealed her lips, not wanting to upset him.

“Can you what?”

“Never mind. It was a bad question.”

“Go ahead.”

Shoni chewed on her bottom lip but then asked the question. “How did he stop living? Like, cut himself off from everyone?”

“He stopped eating, drinking, and moving. We were lucky he didn’t shell his body, but that was only because he knew it would put him in a form of stasis. Gargoyles can survive for a long time if they deeply shell. He wanted to die.”

“Stasis?”

“Think of it like hibernation. It can last from days to years.” He paused. “A deep shell means turning our bodies rock hard.”

She felt beyond shocked. “You can really do that?”

“Yes. I never deeply shell, but I could in an extreme situation. I know someone who was caught in a terrible snowstorm. He shelled to protect himself. Once the storm passed, other scouts found him and built a fire. The warmth he felt woke him.”

Shoni decided not to ask any more questions about that topic since it disturbed her. “I’m sorry that you lost your mom. I know it was tough on my dad when Mom died, but to be honest, they were planning on getting divorced. Dad doesn’t think I know, but Mom had sat down with me to give me the talk. She wanted me to prepare for him moving out, so it didn’t come as a surprise.”

He appeared a little stunned.

“Dad was gone a lot on business trips. Mom wanted to be with someone who was around more. She said they’d just grown apart.”

“That must have been difficult.”

“It was. My grandma on my mom’s side stepped in big time after the funeral, so I still had a mother figure. She sold her house in Alabama to move in with us until I turned eighteen. Then she bought a condo in a nice retirement community.” Tears filled her eyes. “We were super close. She died last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. She was the best.”

“I didn’t have a mother figure to step in after I lost my own. I did have my brother and father. We are extremely close.”

“You’re lucky. My dad was a workaholic I barely saw growing up. I don’t have any siblings. Just cousins. I’m only super close with Ember. Our mothers were sisters living close to each other, so when Grandma moved here, she babysat Ember, too. We were born five months apart, so we have a lot in common. Most of the family has moved away over the years. Only my dad and his wife were willing to fly in for my wedding.”

“She’s a terrible human.”

“I know. There was a time when I felt glad my dad had met Perri. He finally retired and didn’t know what to do with himself. She used to pretend to be wonderful and sweet. We didn’t even know about her son until a month after their wedding. Perri hid Mikey because he’s that horrible. I hated him right off the bat when he made dirty jokes about wanting to sleep with his sister and keeping it in the family. Huge yuck.”

“I already don’t like him.”

Shoni chuckled. “No one does. I think he’s the reason my dad decided to move to Florida. Perri had her son at their home all the time when they lived here. You didn’t get to meet him at that breakfast because he showed up at a family birthday event for another cousin four months ago, got drunk, and decided it would be a good idea to grope Ember’s ass.”

Chaz’s eyebrows drew up.

“She lost her shit. Ember’s red hair color matches her temper. She kicked off her shoes and beat him with them until the bouncers pulled her away. It was a good thing they were flats instead of stilettos or she might have done some serious damage. The jerk tried to have her arrested for assault. He’s such a wimp, but everyone told the police that Mikey started it. The judge did give him a restraining order, though. Mikey is terrified of Ember.”

“You look really happy about that.”

“Yes. Ember isn’t legally allowed within a hundred feet of Mikey. It works both ways. He can’t purposely go where he knows she’s going to be. That backfired on him big time since Ember was a part of my wedding party. It gave me the perfect excuse not to invite him. Perri bitched about it, but in the end, best friend cousin beats horrible stepbrother any day.”

Chaz nodded. “Understood. How old are you?’

She felt surprised by his question. “I just turned twenty-six.”

“Who is the older cousin? You or Ember?”

“Ember. We used to fight about it when we were kids. She’d tried to be the boss of me since she was born first. I argued that we were the same age for most of the year, which made us even.”

Her gaze darted to his chest again. His skin was really warm and firm. Shoni swallowed hard, her mind going to places that involved moving her hand, still touching him, to do a little exploring. Chaz was super sexy and almost impossible to resist.

He suddenly took a step back and released her hips. The movement was enough to put him out of her reach. Shoni felt a little disappointed but knew it was for the best. He wasn’t human. She wouldn’t even remember him soon if he’d told her the truth about having her memories messed with. One-night stands weren’t her thing.

Chaz turned away. “I should get dressed.”

“Okay.” It took effort not to mention that it was a shame he wanted to put clothing back on. He was a serious treat to her eyes.

“I need to update my twin, or he’ll come here looking for me.”

“Right.” Shoni climbed off the step stool, her gaze on his broad back. Wings had come out of there in that warehouse. Huge black ones. The wounds she’d seen earlier had healed a lot. The torn skin had knit back together and only showed a little redness. It was shocking since no human could do that. It was just another thing that emphasized him not being one.

Chaz quickly went upstairs. She faintly heard him going up and walking along the hallway. Shoni took some deep breaths to calm her horny body down. Chaz could make women want to do naughty things with him. Very naughty . She even lifted her hands and waved them at her face, fanning herself.

“ So hot ,” she mouthed. Then she remembered to start the washing cycle. Chaz was very distracting.

Chaz entered the bathroom to call Fray. The conversation needed to be private. His twin answered on the second ring.

“What the fuck took you so long to get back to me? Did you have to wipe out the entire pack or something? What happened?”

He closed the door and lowered his voice when he spoke. “Keith Folsom is dead, along with all but one of his many lead enforcers. He bred half a dozen sons with various bitches to give them the same position and strength in his pack. Once they reached maturity, the idiot felt smug that it would make him unstoppable.”

Fray was likely too stunned to react since he didn’t say a word.

“Keith has an adult son I allowed to live. Corlin was the only smart one of the bunch. I’m not certain he will be able to hold that hot mess of a pack together, but I put the terror of the clans into everyone there. They know what it will cost them if they go after Moe and his pack. I gave them a taste of death this morning. It’s not something they’re likely to forget.”

“Fuck,” Fray ground out. “That’s not surprising, though. Nothing I’ve heard about the Folsom pack was good or implied they’d be smart. How far out are you? I want all the details after you arrive.”

It was Chaz’s turn to go silent.

“Don’t tell me you’re hurt. We just took out Gargoyles. Lycans are child’s play compared. Unless they had a rocket launcher. Shit. Did they? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. There was a slight complication. I’m going to have to stick around here for a few days. Speaking of, I need to use a VampLycan’s skills before I leave. Just make sure you speak to them privately and make them promise not to tell anyone from Moe’s pack where I am and what I’m really doing here.”

“What happened? Spit it out,” his twin demanded.

“Keith had some humans watching me at the hotel. They grabbed an innocent one, brought her to the warehouse shortly after I got there, and she saw everything that went down.”

“What was the point of doing that? Are they insane?”

“They thought I’d do anything to protect the human’s life, including let them kill me. I’m telling you, that alpha was a fucking moron.”

“Damn. No problem. The VampLycans can erase what she must have seen. Is she freaking the hell out? You should bring her here.”

Chaz sighed, dropped the towel, and moved to his duffle bag. “I’m not bringing her there. Think, bro. We don’t want Moe to know I’m handling his enemies. It would be bad to show up with a human in tow. I’m staying at her home to make sure none of the pack comes after her. I won’t risk wiping Shoni’s mind until I’m sure she’s safe. I’d feel guilty as hell if they came to kill her anyway because they didn’t trust that I’ve taken care of her memories.”

“I think they’d quickly figure it out when she had no idea who they were or why they were there.”

“This pack is full of morons. It wasn’t just the alpha. They’d just kill her before investigating if they think of her as an existing threat.”

“They have to be a bit crazy if they grabbed a random human to try to use one against you.”

“The idiots thought Shoni was my mate.”

Long seconds ticked by. Fray was probably confused. His next question and the tone of voice he used confirmed that. “Why would they have come to that conclusion?”

“Their spies saw me kiss Shoni before I left the hotel to go meet up with the pack.”

Fray didn’t respond.

Chaz sighed. “Hang on.” He set the phone down, pulled on the sweatpants from his duffle bag, and then resumed his conversation. “What? Speak.”

“I thought you didn’t do humans. You say they are too fragile and all that bullshit.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Not really. You got laid. It’s been a stressful few days. Good for you. It’s bad that some human got pulled into that bullshit. The VampLycans are also sticking around for a few days, watching the humans they just mind-wiped to make certain their new embedded memories work. I’ll ask one of them to travel your way when they are done here. I’ll also make it clear not to mention they are meeting up with you to anyone in Moe’s pack.”

“Thanks. How did the breakfast with Moe and Lisa this morning go? Are they still upset that you’ll be taking their daughter back to Alaska when we leave?”

“It went better than your damn meet-up with the shithead pack you’ve dealt with. No blood was spilled, and bodies didn’t have to be disposed of. Moe mostly wanted to ask a lot of questions about what Len’s life would be like at the cliffs. I set him at ease.”

“Did Dad, Delbius, and the attack survivor leave for home yet?”

“Yes. They left yesterday shortly after you did. The three of them are on their last leg home, paying a bush pilot to fly them to the abandoned resort next to the VampLycan clans. Our neighbors will fix the pilot’s memory so he doesn’t know where he dropped them off. Dad is texting me regular updates since he knows Len is worried about May. That’s the pregnant human’s name. You should probably learn it since she’ll be living at the cliffs from now on. Dad said she’s not giving them any trouble.”

Chaz was relieved to hear that. “That’s good. I’m surprised a VampLycan didn’t travel with them in case May flipped out and needed one of them to keep her in line.”

“Len says May came from an abusive relationship she’s desperate to escape. Our clan can keep her and the youngling safe. I guess that’s motivation enough for her to give living with our kind a chance.”

“I guess so. What are you doing today?” Chaz dropped his travel kit back inside the duffle bag after he was done putting on deodorant. Then he removed his wallet from his discarded pants on the floor, putting it inside one of his hip sweatpants pockets.

“Len and Lisa are packing up the things from her cabin that she wants to have sent to Alaska. That way, we don’t have to lug her possessions with us during the trip home. I’m trying to stay out of their way until the barbeque tonight. What are you doing?”

“I just finished showering. Now I’m going to order some lunch.”

“I bet you’re starving after the energy you just expended killing assholes. That always works up a great appetite for me.”

Chaz had to agree. “Exactly.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring the human here? I can meet you before you reach town with one of the VampLycans to mess with her memory. She can’t tell Moe anything if we have her programmed not to say anything. Plus, no one from the Folsom pack can or will fuck with her if she’s out of their territory.”

It was tempting for Chaz to agree. His twin knew him too well, obviously guessing how he’d feel. Chaz really liked Moe’s pack; every time they visited, it was always a good time. The Lycans treated them more like family instead of outsiders they feared.

“Moe’s cooking pork ribs just for us. It’s his way of thanking us for protecting his pack while he wasn’t here to do it.” Fray lowered his voice. “Lisa is making that potato salad we like so much.”

“The motel burned down. There’s no way in hell I want to stay at the pack house right now. Especially with a human in tow under my protection. I sure can’t stay with you and Lenore while you’re still in the bonding stage. The VampLycans are staying at the pack house, too, right?”

“Yes.”

That killed the temptation for Chaz. Shoni would be uncomfortable around so many strangers, and his attention would be split between her and the others. “No, thanks. I’ll stay here where there’s an actual bed and some privacy.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“We don’t want to risk Moe figuring out what I was up to. Shoni might accidentally say something about where she lives. That information is something we can’t erase. He’d be suspicious that she comes from this area and that’s where we met. Our uncle would be furious if he realized we’d learned about the threat to his pack and took care of it.”

“That’s true,” Fray agreed. “He’d be worried it would make him appear weak in front of his pack if a GarLycan took care of the problem. I’m sure it’s bad enough already in Moe’s mind because we handled the Gargoyles.”

“Very true.”

“I think it helped big time because he was gone when they invaded his territory. Our uncle can use that as an excuse to feel better. Damn Lycans and their overblown pride. Keep me updated. I want daily calls, bro.”

“I can do that,” Chaz promised. “I’m hanging up now.” He did, pocketing his phone. It only took a few seconds to repack his duffle and lift it.

He entered the dark guest bedroom, his eyes instantly adjusting to see everything. The bed was big, a table containing a partially put-together puzzle sat under the covered window, and a stack of small boxes were piled on the chair next to it. Chaz dropped his duffle on the bed and approached.

The puzzle was a scenic one of a fantasy world with fairies. He smiled. The small stack of boxes were new puzzles that hadn’t been opened yet. Warm memories of his childhood surfaced. His mother used to buy puzzles. She’d called it family time. They had spent hours putting them together. Even his father had participated. He’d forgotten all about it until that moment.

Chaz raised his head, looking at the framed puzzles on a few of the walls. They were scenic ones with forest creatures and fairies. There were five of them hung around the room. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he was hungry. He spun around and left the bedroom, going downstairs to find Shoni sitting on her couch with the television on. She was watching a cooking show.

“What is close by that delivers fast?”

He must have startled Shoni since she jumped a little and gasped as she turned her head his way. Her deer-in-the-headlights look was cute.

“Um, pizza. They are right around the corner. Sometimes, on a windy day, I can smell food from there if I’m outside.”

He pulled his phone out of his sweatpants and searched for the place. It came up fast, and a quick check revealed it was as close as she’d said. “What do you want on your pizza?”

“I’m not picky, but I don’t like spicy food or anything fishy. Anchovies are gross.” She scrunched up her face.

He chuckled, deciding that was cute, too. “You pick. I’ll order two pizzas of my own, so one will be for you alone.” He scrolled the menu on the screen. “They have wings and pasta, too. I’m getting some wings. They have a party size. I’ll get the mild sauce ones.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to buy you groceries.”

Chaz looked up at her from his phone.

“You eat a lot, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m paying, so tell me what you want.”

“A regular crust small pizza with mushrooms and bacon, please. I have a few salad dressings in the fridge to use for dip sauces with your wings.”

“That sounds good.” He started placing the order on his phone. He appreciated that humans delivered food right to homes. They didn’t have that option at the cliffs. The clan had communal meals for unmated males twice a day, but they were served whatever the cooks made. Otherwise, he had to cook all his own meals. Chaz enjoyed the huge selection of foods that restaurants and fast-food places offered when he wasn’t at home.

“Do we need drinks?”

“I have bottled water and some flavored iced teas in my fridge.”

He liked both. “I’m good, then.” He finished placing the order and pocketed his phone. “They said it would be twenty minutes.”

“That was fast. How you ordered, I mean.”

“I have the app on my phone and keep it updated with my locations. I order a lot of delivery. I just don’t like to do that when I stay in hotels. It’s faster to just eat at whatever establishments they have near or inside their lobbies.”

She nodded, her gaze sliding over his bare chest. “I can see that you probably need to eat often since you obviously work out.”

He grinned. “I really don’t.”

She arched her eyebrows. “You’re super fit.”

“It comes naturally for me. That’s true for most Gargoyles and Lycans. Shifting forms uses most of our muscles. I don’t have a wolf form, but you’ve seen my wings and how I can shell my body. I guess that’s considered a workout.”

“I’m always having to watch my weight.”

That killed his good mood, remembering what he’d overheard her step-monster saying at breakfast earlier. “I think you look perfect.”

“My ass is too big, and I have love handles.”

“I don’t agree, but you could strip off your clothes to show me.”

Her cheeks pinkened. “You’re a tease.”

“That would imply I’m not being serious. You’re the one who refused to get in the shower with me.”

She turned her body where she sat, staring up at him. “Do you sleep with a lot of women?”

He almost snorted. “No.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Well, it’s true. I live in a place where there aren’t any single women who I’d touch.” He thought of Winalin, a full-blood, unmated Gargoyle female at the cliffs. She was ice-cold and known to be cruel. He wouldn’t wish her on someone he hated.

Renna and Galihia were beautiful women who didn’t look anything close to their true ages, but one was Lord Aveoth’s mother. The other was his great-aunt. They were both widows who’d lost their mates. As far as he knew, neither had lovers. Chaz wasn’t interested in them, either.

Shoni just stared at him. “I guess that’s the bad thing about living in a small town. Was that part true?”

“Yes. My home is in a remote part of Alaska. Humans don’t even live near where I do. That would make it impossible for my kind to fly. They’d see us.”

“Well, you’re not there now, so I bet women are throwing themselves at you.”

Chaz wasn’t going to mention the bar server from the evening before. He’d tossed her phone number in the trash. “Do you want the truth?”

“Yes, but it’s not like I’m going to remember any of this soon or be able to call you out if you lie to me.”

He moved, taking a seat on the odd piece of furniture she called a chaise lounge. The piece of furniture was comfortable with lots of padding. “I usually avoid sexual encounters with humans. You tempt me.”

“Right.” Shoni blushed more. “That’s only because you feel sorry for me. You got to meet my family, know that I was dumped on my wedding day, and I was dragged into the warehouse of horrors to witness what you do for a living.”

He leaned forward. That meant he nearly touched her where she sat on her compact couch. Her condo living room was small. “That’s not true, Shoni. You’ve impressed me more than I can say.”

“Because I’m not sobbing in a corner?”

Shoni always seemed to have a way to make him smile. “That’s part of it. You have handled all this better than I ever imagined a human could.”

“Tell me if I’m wrong, but you don’t sound as if your expectations were very high. Did other women lose their shit when they realized that you’re not human, and you had to deal with keeping them calm?”

“This is a first for me. We ask for VampLycans to do jobs most of the time if humans are going to be involved. That way, they are right there on hand to take mental control of them and erase their memories. I’m the one who walks away so they can deal with the fallout.”

“One of the VampLycans is coming here to make me forget, right?”

“Yes. It will be Garson, Tymber, or Yern. Those are the three currently staying with my uncle’s Lycan pack.”

“Do you know them?”

“Yes. Their two clans live close to mine, and we did a lot of flying over their territories not too long ago after a Vampire nest caused some problems. We watched for more invaders from the sky. Our scouts landed to speak with the VampLycans to give and get updates. Friendships developed.”

“Your life sounds fascinating.” She bit her lower lip, drawing his attention to it.

The urge to kiss Shoni struck Chaz, but he resisted. Their food would arrive soon, and he doubted she’d want him to make more advances. He’d already offered to shower with her and for him to give her an opinion about her nude body. She’d shot him down both times.

“I wouldn’t call it that. Fray and I are sent on assignments regularly, but it can become extremely boring when things are slow. My twin getting mated will mean I won’t be traveling anymore after we return to Alaska.”

“Why?”

“Brothers tend to partner up for assignments. Tymber and Yern are good examples of that. Those two brothers always work and travel together. I’ve done that with my twin since the first time we were sent from the cliffs. I can’t see going off on my own. There’s the option to partner with someone else, but I can’t think of one male I’d want to spend a lot of time with.”

“What will you do when you quit your job?”

He stared into her gray-blue eyes, seeing her curiosity. “I have no idea. I guess I could help train the younglings.”

“What’s a youngling?”

“That’s what we call our children. They need to learn how to transform their bodies to harden their skin, let out their wings, and use them.” He paused. “We’re trained in self-defense and how to fly at an early age. There’s even a sword master since we use blades most often in battle. Some of our males teach them how to read, about what the rest of the world is like, and school them on other species. Most GarLycans born are male. There aren’t a lot of females to become teachers. I suppose I could share stories of every assignment I’ve been sent on so the younglings know what to expect when it’s their turn to leave the cliffs.”

“Cliffs?”

Chaz was saved by someone ringing the doorbell. He rose to his feet. “That must be the food.” He unlocked the door and opened it. A young female stood there with a shirt and cap displaying the name of the pizza place. She didn’t look fully mature; she was probably still a teenager.

The youngling’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Chaz. The boxes in her outstretched arms started to shift downward. “Oh my god,” the teen gasped. “What the fuck is up with your eyes?”

He reached out, carefully taking the food before it hit the entryway floor. Panic filled him like a punch to the gut. All he could do was lower his head and look away, hoping she couldn’t see his eyes anymore. Shoni had distracted him so much that he’d completely forgotten he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses.

Shoni was suddenly there, her purse in hand. “Aren’t they amazing? We ordered contact lenses from an online site for a cosplay convention we’re going to next month. They make the coolest ones now. Mine look like flames in my eyes, but they haven’t shipped yet because they are on backorder until Tuesday. I’m jealous that he got to try his on today.”

“That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to go to one of those cons,” the girl gushed. “They look like a lot of fun.”

Shoni hip-checked him, bumping Chaz out of the way. “You should go, and they are. My boyfriend is going to be a cyborg, and I’m dressing up as a flaming woman. The wig I bought looks like fire. What’s the damage?”

“The food and tip were already paid for,” the delivery girl informed her.

Shoni pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Here’s some extra cash you might want to put away to go to a cosplay convention. They are the best.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” The girl sounded happy.

“Great. Have a good day!” Shoni shut and locked the door.

Chaz met her gaze.

“She bought it,” Shoni whispered. “Don’t you agree?”

“I hope so.”

“A lot of the cosplay outfits people make are amazing. I probably shouldn’t admit that I’ve gone to those conventions. Some of those costumes were so realistic you would swear they were aliens from space or creatures stepping right out of fantasy games.” Then she smiled. “I could totally see you roleplaying as a kickass cyborg since you have the buff body to pull that off.”

Her compliment set him at ease. “Why wouldn’t you want to admit to going to those events?”

“It’s just more proof that I’m a bit of a dork. Let’s eat. That smells wonderful.”

Chaz couldn’t agree more. The pizza and wings had his stomach growling. Part of him worried that the delivery girl might call the human police, but after they settled in at the bar, digging into the food, he relaxed. No one banged on the door demanding answers or explanations.

Shoni had saved him from having to kidnap that youngling until a VampLycan could erase the memory of seeing his eyes. It would have been a terrible thing to do. He felt grateful to her.