Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires) by Donald Wigboldy Page A

of it off in a single swallow as she appeared anxious despite crossing her legs and trying to be at ease. Her gently kicking foot gave away her nervous energy.
    Peering at the half drained glass in her hand, the woman stated, “I’m going to need more of these.”
    “If you’re worried over what Nicola will say, then leave it up to me. I can smooth it over so that she’ll realize it isn’t your fault,” the man replied as her perfume came to him sweetly. It was almost too easy to read her thanks to the werewolf’s physiology.
    “It’s partly my fault. I’m attracted to you and that’s what caused me to bond on you,” Charlotte said with a shake of her head before draining the second half of her drink. “I knew that you were with Nicola, but I couldn’t help myself.”
    Her eyes told him that she was sorry, but the fact that she might be in love with him wasn’t necessarily what she apologized for now. While he had rarely been in love, he knew it from the other side of feeling sorry that he couldn’t love Vivian. His mentor had been his lover for a time, but Nick had never truly felt like he was in love with her, especially the way the movies told him he should be. Hollywood might over glamorize true love and exalt how someone should feel, but the voran had a feeling that what he had felt for Vivian was less true love than giving in to being with someone as uniquely alone as himself.
    Gesturing to the waitress standing near the far wall for another drink for Charlotte, he realized that his beer was almost gone as well. Before they received their order, the door to the inner lair opened. Nicola and one of the new additions to the coven, a young man named, Justin, entered through the door. A natural hostess, Nicola waved and greeted a few of those using the VIP section. Since they were here, it was likely that the vampiress would know them enough to be able to greet several by name. Though she seemed to be taking her time, Nicola’s eyes flicked to their table often.
    Taking a moment to tell Justin to go check out the main club, the blond haired girl maneuvered towards their table soon after. Nick noted her short, black leather skirt and top cut low with its base barely touching the top of the skirt. Her final touch was a small, black, leather jacket that was designed to only come halfway down her back and accessorized with her favorite black, high heeled boots. Like Charlotte, Nicola appeared ready to try to seduce any males who should dare look her way.
    Leaning over him, Nicola moved in for a kiss nearly sitting into his lap. As she pulled back, her face revealed that something wasn’t right. He noted her keen nose sniffing the air before her eyes found Charlotte and narrowed just barely avoiding true anger. “Why have you been kissing my boyfriend?”
    She hadn’t pulled any punches and, while Nicola could be tactful as the best politician, there was little in her now. Nick was about to respond when the waitress returned with their second order of drinks.
    Pointing towards the door the woman had entered through, Nick suggested, “This involves matters that others shouldn’t hear.”
    While personal lives wouldn’t be good to air in front of a crowd either, the vampiress understood that he meant more than that. The three stood and started towards the door, though Charlotte drained her new drink as she did for courage. A single werewolf was walking into the den of a house full of vampires. It was daunting at the best of times and her current condition wasn’t leading her inside with good news to tell.
    The door closed behind them and Charlotte took in her new surroundings. A large living room opened onto a kitchen using an island to separate the two spaces. With a dining room area designated by the long table there, the first three areas were hemmed in by a wall with doors on two levels. Open metal stairs led up on either side with the living room revealing all with a ceiling that raised over twenty