here she is . Cal smiled, watching Morgan head for the west bar. Good .
He resisted the urge to hurry downstairs, preferring to study her. She seemed to be less tense, sauntering instead of shoving her way through the early arrivals.
Just before taking a seat on a barstool, Morgan looked up and smiled. His grin widened, though he knew she couldn’t see him through the mirrored surface. Yet she had looked directly at him. Amused, Cal waited until she’d ordered a drink before leaving his suite. Noise filtered up the stairway, bringing another smile to his face.
Chanteloup had been an experiment, and quite a successful one. The location had been chosen for its proximity to the base, where they had an underground complex as their main headquarters.
He’d never believed in full secrecy, preferring to make contact with key people and build connections. Explaining the situation and providing proof had always worked, resulting in a worldwide network that had held firm for centuries. As a result, the war against the vampires wasn’t fought solely by Weres. His people had the backing of the governments of nearly every country in existence.
The vampires had romance writers and movie producers.
Cal snorted, leaving the stairs and walking around the front of the bar to sit beside Morgan. “Hey, darlin’.”
“Your DJ’s killing it tonight. Feel like dancing with me?” She polished off the beer she had, obviously expecting a positive response.
He was happy to give her one. “Sure.”
They hit the dancefloor to “Gasoline and Matches”. No passivity in Morgan this evening; she followed his lead into a quick Two-Step, laughing when he spun her. They danced through two other songs, and then “So Hott” began to boom out.
Morgan’s eyes were fairly blazing halfway through, as she ground her ass against him. One arm was up, her hand draped around the back of his neck, her other hand on his thigh. She turned her head and tilted it back in invitation.
Cal’s hands were flat across her stomach, to keep her against him, and he dipped his head to kiss her. When the song ended, he swept her off her feet and walked back to the bar. “Break time.”
With a husky laugh, she wound her arms around his neck. “Sure.”
Not a hint of her usual attitude had appeared, and Cal couldn’t keep from wondering why. Morgan seemed happy and relaxed, which he was completely enjoying. He hoped the change was because of him, and the night before. It could be. He was the Fount, and his people—the wolves—often displayed happiness when spending time in close quarters with him, especially when he was in an approving mood. Depositing her on a stool, he waved a bartender down and ordered two beers.
“No whiskey tonight?” Morgan propped her right elbow on the bar top, resting her chin in her hand while watching his face.
“I like to save it for later in the evening.” He ran his fingers down her back, feeling her shiver in response. “Any reason you left in such a hurry this morning?”
Morgan surprised him with a candid answer. “Habit. Guy in the shower has always been my signal to leave. I’ve been working as an escort and hooker for years.”
Cal almost said “I know,” but instead, curious how much she might reveal, simply nodded. “I see.”
The faint smile she’d been wearing had faded. “I want a new life, and now, with this,” she indicated herself, and presumably, her Awakening, with a low wave of her hand, “I think I don’t have much choice about getting one.”
Their beers were delivered, and he pushed hers over. “Nearly everyone has to start over when it happens.”
Morgan took a long swallow of her beer before meeting his eyes. “Do you think less of me now that you know I’m a whore?”
“You were one,” he corrected with a shake of his head. “People do what they have to for survival. That’s not the worst path you could’ve chosen.”
She leaned closer, and Cal followed suit. “I don’t