"Happy birthday Mya!" I fell back a step in surprise, blinking at the sudden bright light in the tiny two-bedroom apartment I shared with Becca. She launched herself at me, causing me to stumble backward even more with an awkward laugh as I returned her embrace, my gaze wandering the room. She'd invited at least twenty people to what, knowing her, was an impromptu surprise party. "How's it feel to be of a legal drinking age finally?"

"About the same as it felt not to be," I laughed, letting her go and adjusting the strap of my bag. "I'm going to go set my stuff down. Be right back." I stepped away, through the crowd, and she didn't stop me. A few people offered up their own best wishes as I went by and I mumbled my thanks until I reached the sanctity of my room and shut the door, allowing myself the pleasure of quiet solitude for a few minutes before I knew I'd have to go back out.

She meant well, I reminded myself with a sigh. Becca was a social butterfly, and she always tried her best to draw me into her circle. Most of the people tonight were people from college or from our waitressing job near campus. She'd have invited mainly people we both knew to make it easier for me.

Moving to set my bag on my desk, I flipped on my light and looked wistfully towards the window. As the music began pumping through the door, I told myself she wouldn't even notice. The door reopened and Becca slipped into the room, ending any further thoughts of escape.

"Were you surprised?"

I smiled at her brushing my hair back behind my ear. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here."

She pouted, widening her big brown eyes at me and leaning back against the door. "Mya, you just turned twenty-one, you graduate in less than a month, and you've been working so hard; let's have some fun tonight, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Just let me change."

Becca clapped her hands, nodding her head excitedly. "Dress cute! Maybe You'll meet a cute guy."

I changed into a pair of jeans and a halter top, checking my hair quickly in the mirror before stepping back out into the fray. Becca was laughing and dancing, completely at ease in the center of it all. Taking another assessing look around, there were only about four faces I didn't recognize. That wasn't so bad.

"Hey Mya, I heard you were graduating at the end of this month; a whole year early."

I turned to find Marcus, an education major, much like Becca, smiling at me. "Yeah, I've been cramming in some summer classes every year to be able to pull it off. Assuming I pass these last few classes, it'll all pay off. How are you feeling about finals?"

He laughed, taking a swig of his beer. "I'm student teaching next semester if everything goes my way. Finals shouldn't be too bad for me. I've been doing well so far."

"That's really great! Becca loved her student teaching experience. Did she tell you about the love letter one of her students gave her on her last day?"

As I'd expected, that elicited a surprised laugh and an emphatic no. Beyond that, it didn't take much encouragement to send him off to Becca for a full story. I made my progress slowly toward the kitchen to grab a beer, stopping constantly to be pulled into one conversation after another. It wasn't as though I couldn't have conversations...I just didn't want to have them.

"You sure seem to be popular."

I looked to my left to find a blonde man smiling charmingly at me. One of the four, it would seem. Looking around the room, I offered a small laugh and shook my head. "These are all Becca's friends."

He smiled, his green eyes alight with humor. "She's very...personable. I'm Zeke, by the way," he stuck his hand out for me to shake. "Happy birthday. Sorry to crash your party. Becca mentioned it today but didn't say it was a birthday, or I would've at least brought a gift."

"How do you know my roommate?" I asked.

"We met downtown the other night and hit it off."

I nodded in acknowledgment as I began scanning the room for a nice quiet place to hide, feeling him watch me all the while. He was clearly someone who loved women. "Well, it was nice to meet you. Thanks for coming."

His hand on my arm stopped me before I could move more than a step away, and I half turned back toward him, quirking a brow in question. "You look a bit overwhelmed in here. Why don't we step outside for some air?"

I just barely stifled a snort. "Oh, I'm fine. Besides, I just got here and Becca would kill me."
His charming smile twisted into a confused frown before he seemed to remember himself and leaned closer, smile back in place as he stared back into my eyes intently. "Mya, you really want some fresh air. Come with me."
I stared at him for a minute before slowly pulling my arm away. "No," I said slowly, "I really don't." He didn't stop me again as I walked away, shaking my head in bewilderment at the audacity of the guy, but I felt his eyes on me for the rest of the night.

***

"They're taking out smaller covens and individuals right now, but I suspect it's only a matter of time before we need to start worrying about attacks on a larger scale. We're trying to gather more intel, but our usual informants aren't being as lucrative as we'd like. We need to prepare ourselves."

I looked down at my watch irritably for what seemed like the twentieth time in as many minutes as I listened to Godfrey's report. He'd been saying the same thing for the past two months and I was getting tired of the lack of results. "Push harder," I told him coolly. "I don't have to tell you the importance of being well informed. We can only be so prepared. Elizabeth, what's the word from Zeke? We should be focusing our efforts on bringing in the smaller covens and all independent parties. Has there been any progress on that front?"

"Zeke has been MIA for the past three days," she replied uneasily, not meeting my gaze as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No one's heard from him."

"What do you mean MIA?" I snapped, eyes flashing as I bared my teeth. "Everyone was given explicit orders to remain within reach."

"He went out on a hunt the other night and never checked back in."

Clenching the arms of my seat, I ground my teeth and struggled to keep myself in check, though every part of me itched to put my hands around someone's throat. "Find. Him."

There was a series of nods and, 'yes sir's as I stood up, needing to be done. To be anywhere but in a room full of incompetent morons. "Get out." No one wasted any time fleeing from my presence and I pulled out my phone, dialing the number of Andrea, Zeke's twin sister. She answered on the first ring.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is he?" She was silent long enough for me to realize she was more than well aware of her brother's whereabouts. "Tell me where he is, Andrea, or I'll consider you an accomplice in his incompetence."

"He's been tracking a girl."

"A girl?" I asked, irritation lacing my words. "A human girl?"

"He believes so."

"Believes so?" I snapped. "What does that mean?"

"He said she's different. She couldn't be influenced, and he couldn't see into her mind."

Irritation instantly turned to surprise. "She's immune to our influence?"

"It seems so," Andrea confirmed. "He wanted to gather more information before bringing it to you."

"Send me his location."

***

"Mya, they just set another table in your section. It's that same cute guy from yesterday; you know...that blonde?" Hailey leaned back against the hostess stand and fanned herself dramatically. "Have you slipped him your number yet?"

Struggling not to roll my eyes, I looked towards my section and momentarily allowed a scowl to set into place when I found Zeke seated contently at a small table for two, all by himself and smiling at me from across the room. Just what the hell was Becca thinking when she invited this guy to my birthday party the other night? I swear, he kept popping up like a bad habit. "Couldn't you give him to someone else?" I asked pleadingly as I turned back toward her. "I'm swamped as it is."

She shrugged unapologetically, looking down at the layout in front of her. "He asked for you specifically. Plus, it's just the one guy; you'll be fine."

I swallowed a groan, "Fine."

"And hey!" she called as I walked away, causing me to glance back over my shoulder. "If you're not into him, slip him my number," she winked. "I'll console him."

My face twisted into disgust, and I feigned being sick before sucking in a breath and heading off in his direction; may as well get it over with. "Welcome to Blue Ivory," I said in a sweet voice as I stepped up to the table of my blossoming stalker. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Hey Mya," he said, his smile widening as he leaned forward onto the table and focused all of his charm my way. "What a surprise to see you here."

Customer service was my job, I reminded myself. This was my job and I needed to be professional. I kept the smile glued forcefully on my face. "Can't be that surprising since you specifically asked for me." Not exactly the polite response I'd been shooting for, but oh well.

He didn't seem deterred in the least. "I'll have a gin."

"Can I see some ID?"

His smile widened, "Is that really necessary?" He was doing that weird thing with his eyes again where his stare grew more intense, and he leaned even further towards me.

"Yes," I deadpanned.

"Water is fine for now," he sighed, leaning back in his seat watching me as though I were some sort of complicated puzzle.

"Zeke."

I had the immense pleasure of watching the charm melt into surprise and a sliver of fear at the sound of a deep, authoritative voice saying his name and I turned a bit too eagerly to find my blessed savior. I forgot how to breathe. I found myself face to face with either a fallen angel or an ancient god. The man standing in front of me had eyes the color of granite, hair black as the deepest pit and he stood at least a head taller than my 5'5" stature. I instantly understood the term 'cruel beauty' as I struggled to regain my composure.

"Cassian," Zeke greeted tersely from behind me. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Cassian. It suited him. He still hadn't bothered to notice my presence, but I wasn't complaining, seeing as I was still trying to pick my jaw up from off the floor. He didn't bother to wait for an invitation from Zeke as he pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. "Andrea sent me your location."

Zeke scowled at that bit of information, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Traitorous bitch."

More than ready to get away from these two men and on with my night, I cleared my throat, smiling sweetly. "Can I get you anything to drink, sir?"

"Whiskey." He didn't even bother to look in my direction.

I swallowed the sliver of annoyance at the lack of respect and gave a short nod. "I'll be right back with those drinks for you."

"Didn't ask for his ID," Zeke complained just loud enough for me to catch as I walked away.

***

"Where's the girl?" I didn't have the time or the patience to make small talk as I sat across from Zeke. "And why didn't you call me immediately?"

Zeke scowled and nodded his head off to the left. "It's our waitress; Amya Marquardt. I wanted to make sure it was something worth your time before bringing it to your attention."

"The last time there was someone like that—"

"I know," he said, cutting me off with a scowl. "Why do you think I'm here?"

I looked off in the direction that he'd indicated, but I hadn't bothered to spare the girl who took my order a glance, and I had utterly no clue which one it could be so I just turned my attention back to him. "What have you found out?"

"Not much," he said with a shrug. "She's got no family to speak of; grandfather died of a heart attack when she was sixteen and she ended up finishing out high school living with Matthew and Jenny Johnson, as well as their three kids; Matthew Jr., Rebecca, and Chelsea. Before that, her father died of a drug overdose two years after she was born and her mother in a car accident three years later."

"Any affiliations with any packs?"

He shook his head, tapping his fingers impatiently against the table, staring off in the direction she'd gone. "Not that I've found so far. She seems pretty reclusive. Even human, I had women fighting over me; she won't even bat an eye in my direction."

I almost could've laughed at the frustration in his voice. Zeke was well known for his open enjoyment of women. Her spurning his advancements was more than likely the true reason he'd kept this to himself for the last few days.

The girl in question appeared suddenly at our table before any more could be said, her dirty blonde hair pulled back into a chaotic and sloppily pulled-together bun behind her head. "Here you are, sorry for the wait," she said, sliding the whiskey towards me and straightening up to pull out a notepad, her eyes sliding toward me with obvious curiosity and a surprising lack of unease. I couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at me without feeling intimidated, but all I could see in those hazel eyes was a hesitant interest. "Have you both decided on what we can get for you?"

"When do you get off, Mya? Come out with us," I could hear just how heavily he was trying to influence her as Zeke leaned over the table, trying to catch her gaze with his typical charming smile.

I watched with interest as anger and irritation flashed through her eyes and her smile became even more forced as she turned her attention to him. "Thanks, but no. I've got finals I really need to be studying for."

I decided to try myself, though I made no effort to infuse any sort of charm into my words. Touching her elbow to gain her attention, I heard the sharp intake of breath as she leaned immediately away from my touch, though the dilation of her pupils told me she was affected by me at the very least. "Let your hair down."

***

I frowned back at Cassian, perturbed by the electric shock I'd felt at his touch and annoyed by his words. Just what the hell was he trying to do, making such a weird request? "Unfortunately, it's restaurant policy that all servers keep their hair up out of their face, sir. Added to that, I prefer it as it is. Do you both need a little more time to decide?"

"We'll both take the six-ounce filet," Zeke informed me, straightening back up in his seat and shooting his friend a look. "Rare. The standard sides are fine."

"Alright," I said, smiling once more, feeling more and more uneasy under both of their scrutiny. "I'll just go get this into the kitchen and we'll have it out for you before you know it."

"My god," Christy moaned, bumping hips with me with a wink as I handed my ticket over to the kitchen. "How did you get so lucky? Those guys are gorgeous."

I rolled my eyes as I turned away, grabbing a few refills for one of my other tables. "I wouldn't call it luck. The blonde's some guy Becca met at a club; she invited him to my birthday party. He showed up here last night too. I don't know what his problem is."

She laughed and elbowed me good-naturedly in the side. "Poor Mya! The audacity of some insanely hot guy taking an interest in her."

I shot her a sharp look as I walked away. "If he were ugly, you'd scrunch your nose and call him a stalker. Talk about double standards." She shrugged and didn't bother to reply as we both went our separate ways; the place was busy tonight, but it was already nearly time for the kitchen to close and at least half of my tables were about ready for their checks. With luck, I'd able to get back home by midnight.

I kept my distance from their table for the next twenty minutes, which may not have been ideal as their server, but I was willing to risk my tip if it meant not having to feel like a science experiment on display. I'd managed to close out and wipe down a quarter of my tables before their food was ready, and then I had to forgo my avoidance as I brought out their plates. "Here you go," I said sweetly as I moved to set their food down. "Be careful, the plates are just a bit hot. Is there anything else I can get you? Refills, or some steak sauce?"

"Your number."

I heard Lucas choke on a laugh as he wiped down a table to the left of us and he shot Zeke an empathetic smile. "Miss Mya here is our resident Ice Queen, sir," he said, still laughing as he moved over to wrap a companionable arm around my waist and offered me a wink, which only elicited an icy glare, furthering his claim. "You'd have better luck convincing a pig to fly."

"Don't touch her."

I was surprised by the words as well as the violent undertones, turning my attention towards Cassian in alarm even as I felt Lucas drop his arm and step away as if I were on fire. "Yes sir."

I furrowed my brows, looking at the three men in confused agitation. I didn't know just what the hell was going on, but I was far from okay with it. I didn't bother attempting to feign a smile as I took a step back. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'll come back and check in with you in just a few minutes." This night could not end soon enough.