Unfortunately, he had a feeling he’d need to make a stand. It was the shifter way. Better to do it around friends.
“So Nessa is hellbent on proving she’s the better cook, huh?” Jess asked as he drove. “What brought that on?”
He grinned. “She probably needs a distraction—or an outlet. I’m happy to oblige. I’ll make her rue the day.”
“And you’re not even doing it as a distraction—you’re just a horribly competitive jerk.”
He laughed at that, parking in the back lot of the bar. “Correct.”
Back in the day, he would’ve entered the back way, keeping his head down and slipping into a spot in the corner. Now, though, he didn’t want anyone thinking he was getting preferential treatment as the alpha’s brother. Even as a visiting alpha.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, the possessiveness in him pumping up in intensity. She veered toward him a little, demurely, tucking into him like it was the only place she’d ever think of being. His power pulsed at that.
Two guys stood outside the door, off to the side. One held a vape, the smoke earthy and sweet, and the other had a traditional cigarette. They both looked his way, one giving him a stare while the other did a double take.
Austin vaguely recognized them, though both carried more weight than when he’d last seen them.
Back in the day, the guy with the beard had struggled to grow any whiskers at all. Both dropped their gazes immediately and shuffled a little farther out of the way.
“King’s Head Tavern,” Jess read as they stepped through the door. “Kingsley’s bar, then?”
“Yup. He’s never been subtle about his purchases.”
The interior had a pub-like feel, with worn wooden barstools, side booths, and a long tabletop that acted as a second bar surface, positioned about five feet away from the bar top. Two posts ran up from the long table top on either side, both covered with various stickers people had brought in over the years. The floor was clean and polished but looked worn, just like the cream walls boasting a variety of sports pictures. It had looked this way since the grand opening some eighteen years ago, always giving off a rustic, neighborhood pub feel. Kingsley knew how to run a business. Austin needed to clean his bar up and affect this style. Then maybe Tristan would stop complaining about sticking to the seats.
“I’m still learning things from Kingsley,” Austin murmured, spotting Niamh and Phil at the back corner of the bar, each bent over their drink of choice. Brochan sat on Niamh’s other side, and Austin was surprised to see some of his people standing or sitting behind them, drinking their beers with hard faces and alert eyes. Brochan had called in more backup, and all but two were shifters. Jasper and Ulric hated missing a night out.
People looked Austin’s way as he moved through the bar, many gazes sticking to him, although some flicked to Jess. Postures bent, though, and bodies shuffled to the sides, giving Austin space.
“Destiny doesn’t still live in this territory, right?” Jess whispered, still pushed into the shelter of his body. It would make her look weaker while making him appear mighty. He knew her gargoyle must be feeling that. She was making a sacrifice for him.
Unfortunately, she was also making herself bait.
“No, she’s long gone,” he replied, not mentioning the other women he’d known in this place. He hadn’t dated hardly at all, but he also hadn’t said no to women sharing his bed. He wasn’t a saint.
Most of those women would’ve moved on by now, thankfully, finding steady partners and many
settling down with kids. They wouldn’t be out here trying to make trouble.
Niamh
“UH-OH,” Niamh said softly as Austin Steele and Jessie made their way toward her.
The barman, who didn’t speak much and wouldn’t offer his name for some reason, moved away after depositing a drink. Niamh’s gaze swept the patrons, catching a few guys near the wall puffing up like muppets, taking offense with Austin Steele for some reason or another. Maybe just because Austin Steele was a big guy who was currently acting like he owned the place. One hard look from him, though, would stop an altercation.
That wasn’t what had Niamh’s attention.
“What?” Phil bristled. “What is it?”
“Keep yer hair on, would ya?” she replied. “Ye’ll ruin all the fun.”
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Ulric asked, stepping behind Niamh. “This isn’t going to go well.”