meet Lisa first, as she was still on watch. She was tall, slender, and radiated sex and danger, even in the simple black slacks and turtleneck she was wearing. Her blond hair was left loose, cornflower blue eyes heavily lidded with boredom as she lounged in the foyer, idly paging through a romance novel.
She returned Mouse’s wave, not looking up from her book when the two came out. Mouse wrote down the name on the pad, gesturing so Analie got the idea. This was the same girl who had put heavy moves on Christoph right in front of Mouse on his first day with the vampires.
'Wow.' Analie raised her eyebrows. Lisa was like a movie vampire—beautiful but probably willing and able to tear someone apart. Analie’s unease didn’t diminish much with Lisa, even with finally having a face for the name.
Analie nodded to Mouse. She wanted to find someone else.
Mouse approached Lisa, who didn’t seem terribly pleased to have her reading time interrupted. After Mouse made a few gestures, Lisa shrugged and hooked a thumb at the apartment.
“She hasn’t come out yet, so unless she spent the day with someone, she’s still inside. Go ahead and take a look.”
Mouse nodded, then gestured Analie follow her inside one of the apartments nearest the foyer. Clarisse was at the kitchen table studying some papers. She glanced up when they came in, offering a welcoming smile.
“Evenin’, ladies. Wha’ can I do for ye?”
Like Lisa, Clarisse was far more attractive than she had any right to be. However, like Mouse, she was short, curvy, and far less intimidating. Her pale skin had a scattering of freckles—which was distinctly un-vampire-y—and her heart-shaped face was framed by thick, riotous black curls that trailed all the way to her hips. She looked about as scary as a kitten with those deep dimples and Easter-grass-green eyes.
Analie was much more comfortable with Clarisse. Not only did she look a lot less threatening than Analie had imagined, her manner was amiable. If she’d been in Goliath, every unattached male would be courting her.
“Everyone here is really super pretty,” Analie blurted. ‘Way to go.’ She held up her hands. “I mean, I can see you now, so it’s sort of a surprise. It’s really awesome to finally see you.”
Clarisse was confused at first. Mouse went into a spate of signing, and soon Clarisse’s expression cleared. She was rather amused with the situation—and Analie’s outburst. “I see. So Mouse is showin’ ye all of us so ye know which one of us is which, eh? Do ye mind if I tag along?”
“Nah, not at all. That’d be awesome!” Analie exclaimed. “I really want to see Angus. Like, really-really-really want to see Angus. He sounds a lot like Barry, this high-rank in Goliath, only Barry doesn’t have an accent. I wish you guys could meet my pack. I’d introduce you to all the cool people.”
She was babbling, but that was only to be expected. She was dancing on the spot again, eager to get going.
Mouse and Clarisse exchanged amused looks. Clarisse led the way, gesturing for the others to follow her.
Ken was on his way out when they were passing by, giving a nod to the ladies as he straightened his lapel and tie. On his way to work and dressed to kill, as always. Clarisse barely paid him a glance, despite the blond vampire’s devastatingly good looks.
They were so intent on finding Angus, neither Mouse nor Clarisse remembered to tell Analie who they just passed.
Analie turned as they walked, staring after Ken. In no way was he mate material (wouldn’t last five minutes in a fight), but he was certainly nice to look at. Analie sniffed in his direction. The nuances she was used to using to identify the vampires no longer registered without her Were senses. She turned and hurried after Mouse and Clarisse.
It occurred to her belatedly that, even without her heightened senses, the guy smelled almost as good as he looked.
“Bide a moment. Angus is probably still in bed, ye ken.”
Code for: more than likely naked, and if they valued their eyesight, they’d best let her tell him to throw something on before they waltzed in.
Clarisse went straight inside Angus’s apartment, not bothering to knock. Mouse didn’t seem perturbed when Angus’s gravelly voice shook the walls a minute later, roaring at Clarisse to “get the fook out” of his room.
Clarisse came bouncing out, looking mightily pleased with herself.
“He’ll be out in a moment. Ye can wait in the living