Alain snorted. "You know, to most people, that would be a joke. But around here..."
He had a point. Dev probably shouldn't kid about such a likely scenario. "Not very busy, huh?"
"You missed the lunch crowd. We were actually shorthanded."
"Why didn't you call up for help?"
Alain shrugged nonchalantly. "You guys were up too late dealing with the demon mess. Didn't want to disturb y'all. We handled it without too much of a tragedy."
"You didn't eat any of the tourists, did you?"
Alain grunted. "Nah, but Aimee probably would have had she been here."
Dev smiled as he thought about how cranky his sister could be when people were difficult. Aimee definitely had her moments. "Then it's a good thing you let her sleep."
"Absolutely." Alain looked down at the motorcycle helmet in Dev's hand. "You riding?"
"No. I'm standing."
Alain made a sound of supreme annoyance. "You know what I meant."
"Yeah." Dev put his helmet under his arm. "Feeling restless. Thought it might take the edge off."
Alain gave him a wicked grin. "I know something else that could take the edge off."
Dev snorted. "Yeah, well, I ain't had none of that in a while neither." He wasn't about to tell even his brother where he'd spent the morning. The less people knew about that, the better off he'd be.
"I noticed you haven't been mauling the babes who come in here like you used to. You feeling okay?"
"Not dead yet." But wishing he was, rather than to stand here longing for something he couldn't have.
Dev inclined his head to his brother. "See you in a little while." Without another word, he headed out the back door to where they kept their motorcycles stashed. His was a sleek 2007 black, silver, and red Suzuki GSX-R 600. Furiously fast, dangerous, and curvaceous...
Just like he preferred his women.
But the truth was, the gixxer wasn't what he really wanted to be riding. He'd much prefer something tall and blond who walked like she owned the world.
Don't go there, Bear.
If only he could stop his thoughts that easily. Damn, what was it with Sam that he couldn't stay focused on anything else? He started his bike, then pulled the helmet on while it warmed up. His adrenaline pumping, he gunned it out of the lot and headed into the street with no real destination in mind. He just needed to be away from people and animals for a while.
He went screaming down I-10 at over a hundred miles an hour--a suicide pace for a human. It wasn't really smart for a shapeshifter either. And in the end, it didn't do anything to settle his mood. He still felt like he was on edge.
After an hour, he found himself down on St. Charles Ave. Some of the most beautiful homes in New Orleans were located here, but it was one in particular that drew him to this street.
Sam would probably kill him if she knew he was outside her black wrought-iron gate like some lunatic stalker. He'd be the first one to admit it was creepy. He damn sure wouldn't like anyone doing it to him.
Yet here he sat like some lovesick teen hoping to catch a glimpse of his latest crush.
I seriously need help.
Maybe Grace Alexander would be able to fit him into her client list. She was a psychologist who catered to the preternatural crowd, surely she could help him.
Bear, there ain't no help for you. You're pathetic. Chasing after a woman who threw you out of her bed...
He wasn't going to argue that.
Dev shut the shield on his helmet, intending to head home. But as he reached for the throttle, a weird sensation went down his spine.