darted underneath and then met mine again. “Why, yes. It’s really rather delicious though, you should try some.”
“Well, there’s a whole plate here. I could always try some of my, erm, companion’s. I’m sure he’d never notice if any was missing.”
There was a sudden thump and the gleaming cutlery on the table jumped and clattered. Aubrey’s head had clearly just connected with the underside of the wood. The waitress put her hand over her mouth and choked back what was apparently threatening to be quite a guffaw.
“I’ll just go back to the kitchen now,” she said, rather obviously, moving backwards while keeping a perhaps too attentive eye on Aubrey’s backside.
I leaned back in my chair as she left. This was suddenly proving a more entertaining breakfast than I could have possibly envisaged. I reached over and took a sip of my coffee. It was a darn sight better than the muck I’d had on the train. I closed my eyes momentarily in simple happiness as the woman left us in peace. What she thought was going on, I had absolutely no idea. I guessed I just had to be grateful that she wasn’t going to pry too closely into the reasons why Aubrey had decided to lurk under one of her pretty tables.
A hand grabbed my ankle. “Mack,” he hissed.
I ignored him and took another sip, watching my trackers who were still standing stiffly on the other side of the street and idly wondering whether it would be worth my while to try and give them the slip.
The hand tightened. “Mack!” Aubrey repeated.
“Mmm?” I eventually answered.
“Pass me my plate. I can eat from under here.”
“Well,” I drawled, “I could do that. But won’t our little group outside wonder why I’m chucking an entire plate of food under the table? I’ll have you know that I am generally thought of as having rather good table manners.” I grinned to myself. This was just too much fun.
“Mack,” he whined, “I’m hungry.”
“So stop acting like a weirdo and come out.”
“I can’t.” There was a plaintive note in his voice.
I began to dig into my breakfast, spearing a bite of bacon and chewing loudly. “Why not?”
“I’m a master fucking vampire that’s why not.”
“I hate to break it to you, Aubrey, but you’re not a vamp any longer. Now you’re just a strange little man who is hiding rather ineffectively under a table.” I took another bite, and deliberately moaned in pleasure. “This food is really very good, you know. You should try some.”
Aubrey groaned. “Mack…,”
“Mmmm?” From across the road I watched as Beltran edged closer to the mages to try to get a better a vantage point. The one nearest him shot him a filthy look and turned towards him, saying something that, by the expression on his face, wasn’t particularly nice.
“I can’t let anyone know what’s happened! I’ve got a reputation to maintain.” Aubrey’s fingers were beginning to dig uncomfortably into my skin.
“Aubrey,” I said, sighing, “sooner or later everyone is going to find out. It’s a done deal. You’re human.”
“Not if I can find someone to turn me back again.”
Now Lucy appeared to be getting involved. Her arms were tight by her sides as if she was afraid that she might launch into fisticuffs at any moment. The other mage was facing her, a snarl across his dark features.
“For that to happen,” I responded mildly, “you need to find someone to turn you back. A vamp. That means you need to tell someone that you’re no longer a creature of the night. Then everyone will know your secret anyway.”
“There are a few I can trust,” he huffed. “I just have to find a way to contact them without anyone else finding out.”
The mage on the right was reaching out towards Beltran with an extended index finger, pointing at him rudely. Lucy’s body language radiated the threat of potential violence in the way that only a shifter could.
“What if you find out that being a human isn’t so bad?”
“I don’t want to be a fucking human! I’m a vampire! Other vampires are afraid of me. You were afraid of me! Now you treat me no better than an animal. Give me some food!”
“You didn’t say the magic word.”
The mage next to Beltran had taken the rather foolish step of jabbing him in the chest with his finger.
“Mack…” Aubrey was starting to sound desperate.
“You do realise that I could just compel you to come out?”
“You wouldn’t that.” His voice drifted up towards me confidently.
“And