"Maybe you should cop a nap at the house," Dev said as he reached for two more cards.
Peltier House was adjacent to the bar. It was there that they could assume their animal forms without fear of discovery. The Peltiers had more alarm systems than Fort Knox and at least two members of the family were on guard at all times against any intruder, human or otherwise.
"It's all right," Vane said. He earned his keep and Fang's. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to accuse him of taking charity from the Bear clan, so he worked an average of ten hours a day, every day, for the Peltiers. "I told Nicolette I'd relieve Cherise at the bar tonight."
"Yeah," Rudy said as he took a drag on his cigarette, then adjusted his cards.
"Cherise is dying to go home early. Nick is going to take her to Antoine's for her birthday."
Vane had forgotten it was the human's birthday. For some reason, those were special to humans. Probably because they had so few of them.
Vane excused himself and headed toward the bar. He passed the tables where Wren, a rare white leopard Katagaria, was clearing them. Marvin the monkey (the only animal at Sanctuary that couldn't take human form) sat on the leopard's shoulder and held tight to Wren's blond hair.
Those two had a strange relationship. Much like Vane and Fang, Wren had come to the Peltiers as an exile. He kept to himself and seldom spoke to anyone other than Marvin. Even so, there was something lethal about the leopard's eyes that told everyone to leave him alone if they valued their lives.
Wren looked up at Vane as he passed the tables Wren was cleaning, but said nothing. "Hey, Vane!" Cherise Gautier said, her face beaming as she caught sight of him. She was a beautiful blond woman in her early forties. Her ever-ready smile and warm heart could win over just about anyone. "You okay, honey? You look tired."
It still amazed him just how intuitive Cherise was for a human. Vane lifted the back section of the bar's countertop and let himself into the serving area.
"I'm fine," he said, even though he didn't feel that way.
He felt as if something were missing. As if he should go back to Bride.
How stupid was that?
"You sure?" she asked.
He could sense her concern. And that made him extremely uncomfortable.
No one other than his brother and sister had ever given a damn about him.
Cherise was a strange human.
She flipped the white towel she'd been cleaning the bar with over her shoulder.
"You know, my son is your age"
Vane fought the urge to laugh at that. Nick Gautier was twenty-six in human years while Vane was four hundred and sixty. But of course, Cherise had no idea of Vane's true age. Any more than she knew her son was working for the Dark-Hunters, who were all immortal vampire slayers.
"And I know how you guys burn yourselves out. You need to take better care of yourself, sweetie. I swear you haven't had a day off since Mama hired you.
Why don't you take the night off for once and go have some fun?"
"It's all right," he said quietly as he took the towel from her shoulder. "I've got it. Besides, Rudy said it was your birthday."
She blew him a raspberry. "I'm too old for birthdays. I'd rather see you enjoy your youth while you still have it."
"Yeah," Kyle Peltier, the youngest of the bears, said as he joined them from the back room with a large rack of clean glasses. Just Nick's age, Kyle was barely out of puberty since Were-Hunters didn't mature until their twenties. "Why don't you enjoy the six seconds you have left of your youth, Vane?"
Vane flipped him off, then urged Cherise toward her purse. "Go home, Cherise."
"But"
"Go," Vane growled, "and have a good birthday."
She sighed, then patted him on the arm. "All right." She grabbed her sweater and purse from under the bar.
"I'll punch you out," Kyle said, lifting the bar counter for her so that she could step out.