He shook his head a few more times and then groaned. “Naked chick. In my bed.” He brought me back to the task at hand and I sighed dramatically. I didn’t like doing his dirty work, but sometimes it was fun.
“Did you give her a fake name?” That was what he usually did. He said it was to distance himself from them, but I honestly didn’t understand. It was his thing, though, not mine. He just flashed me a big smile in answer. I honestly thought he enjoyed making me do this shit. That was why he always hid out in my room. Briggs would let her cry on his shoulder as he told her the truth. Palmer would make her breakfast and send her on her way after calling a cab to come get her. Stone would carry Novak out of his room and throw him back on his own bed with his naked issue.
Me? Well, I had my own way of dealing with his shit. I wasn’t fast enough to catch Novak and use Stone’s method. I also wasn’t nice enough to handle it the way Briggs and Palmer would. Which, in a nutshell, was why he came to me. Every. Fucking. Time.
“Let me get the naked girl out of your bed so you can at least put some fucking clothes on. Later, after I’ve slept for a few hours, we can make some plans to go out tonight. Sounds like we all need a good night out.” I strode out of my room as Novak started muttering to himself. Probably talking to his dick, that was my educated guess. I swear, we needed to buy that vampire a chastity cage.
Novak
Saturday Morning
I listened to Vaughn through the bedroom walls while I scolded myself. I’d probably already met my mate and was just too drunk to notice. We’d all said it before. I seriously needed to slow down on the drinking before I really fucked my life up. We’d all said that, too. What if I had already met my mate? No. I would’ve known if I had. I hadn’t met her yet, but I thought I may know who she was. If I was right, though... Man, it was gonna get a little weird around here. Total mindfuck of the interesting variety.
Vaughn’s room was on the other side of mine, so it wasn’t too hard to hear him while he put on another one of his best performances. Academy Awards, here comes Vaughn Winter. He happened to be great at running them out. It was one of the reasons why I always came to his room when it didn’t work my way. I mean, that and he made it so funny to listen to. I almost felt bad for the chick in my room, but then I remembered that I asked her to leave and she refused.
“What are you doing in my bedroom?” he demanded in a voice that reminded me of a war general ending a tirade. I could picture him with his eyebrows drawn over his cold blue eyes, looking totally offended while staring at the naked human woman in my bed.
He wouldn’t even glance at her fake tits, or notice that she used lip fillers, or that she had gray contacts to hide her naturally brown eyes. He didn’t give a shit about her or her feelings.
That was the other reason why I hid in his room when I couldn’t get the bitch to leave. I didn’t use that word lightly when describing a woman. It was just... she refused to leave.
Slapping my forehead, I dragged my hand down my face in a rare moment of self-flagellation. I was such an idiot. I knew better than to sleep with humans. That shit always fucking happened, and it blew up in my face every time. Fuck me. I had to stop thinking with my dick.
A human woman. I scoffed at myself. That was where I fucked up. They couldn't tell that I wasn’t like them, unless I was hungry or showed my powers to get a fright out of someone. I didn’t even feed off of them. I was a bit of a blood snob. The chick in my bed, especially, had no self preservation. I bet if she knew that I was a vampire, she’d beg me to turn her. No fucking thanks.
“I didn’t... I didn’t know this was your room. Where is Noah? He’s the reason I’m here.” She simpered, probably batting her fake eyelashes at Vaughn. She was as fake as the nut I busted last night. I should’ve left her at that shitty wanna-be vampire bar instead of bringing her home. To our actual home. I knew better.
“I don’t know who the fuck Noah is. I'm gonna be nice and give you five minutes to collect your shit and get out of my apartment before I call the police and ask them to come pick you up for breaking and entering.” I couldn’t help the snort that came out. He was so full of shit. I used a fake name every single time I brought someone home. He kicked them out with the exact same act when I couldn’t get them to leave. He had the routine perfected at this point. This happened more often than I’d care to admit.
“Okay, okay. No need for the cops. He had a key, I think. He said it was his place. I didn’t know! Just... just let me grab my clothes and I’ll be gone.” Oh, she was frantic now. Vaughn could be a dick when he needed to be. I bet he was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her with those icy, emotionless eyes.
He should’ve kicked that she-wolf, Anna, out when Briggs brought her home. We’d all told him to leave her alone and look at what happened. Eight months wasted on her when he could’ve been looking for his mate. She was cheating on him for six of those months. Until Stone caught her shacking up with some businessman in Atlanta, when she was supposed to be on a girls’ trip with her sister. That was a long story for another day.
Stone had a lovely interrogation with the guy after he video-called Briggs so he could see her with him. Briggs had been camping for the last six weeks. It was his code for running through the woods and killing whatever was in his path. He had more shit to sort out before finding his mate than I did. I had a feeling we’d be meeting her soon, though, so he needed to pull his head out of his ass. He was a good guy, don’t get me wrong. He just picked the shittiest women to fall for.
After a few moments I heard the front door slam, and then I knew Nikki, or Jasmine... or was it Kara? Whichever. It didn’t matter... The bitch was finally gone. Thank the Devil. I mean the fae. Yes, thank the fae. Just don’t say “thank you” to the fae.
Vaughn opened his bedroom door and sighed. “Your room is yours again. Now get out so I can take a nap.” He was grouchy, but he had a fuck load of shit on his plate. AND he found his mate? Nahhh, that’s crazy. I believed him, though. I knew all about that pulling in his chest. I wouldn’t tell him. Not yet. He needed to know that his feelings were his own.
The mate bond pulled you together. It would drive you insane with the need to protect. It wouldn’t make you lust after or fall in love with your mate. Those feelings were all your own. The instant attraction was the same that you’d feel if you had seen a hot chick at the bar; however, the potential mate bond did intensify the feelings that are already there. Or so I’d been told.
“With pleasure.” I mock-saluted him. “I’m going to head out for a bit. Do you need anything?” I wasn’t going anywhere except straight to Palmer to sort all this shit out. I wondered if he thought the same thing I did.
“No, but be back by ten tonight so we can go out. I was thinking about seeing if I could get us all into the club I went to last night, but I don't know if that would be wise. The woman I think is my mate is the part owner with her dad or something,” he declared while shaking his head. He took off his shoes and then threw himself onto his bed. I slid the curtains closed on his window and tossed his shoes in his closet while I waited for him. I was such a good friend. He would hate that I didn’t line them up properly, but whatever. I wasn’t the OCD one.