Blood red love by Dripping Creativity
50

Vidar watched Charlie as she worked. She was good at what she did and had a smile on her face that looked genuine. The only reason he knew it wasn't, was because he had seen her genuine smile and it was even more brilliant and warm than her work smile. She laughed when the customer made a joke. She listened to their small talk when she had the time and she had memorised the regulars' orders. Vidar knew why she earned as good as she did. She made everyone of the people she served feel seen; it was as she was their friend for the time they were seated in her section. He was proud of himself that he hadn't growled or threatened a single one of her customers. Vidar knew he could be a possessive dick. But he knew she was just doing her job, and he didn't want to put her in an awkward situation. Instead, he leaned back in his booth and watched her and did some work on his phone. Caine texted him, wanting a meeting. Vidar told him to come to 'The red lady'. It was a public place, but both he and Caine spoke more than one language most now living had never heard. It took his friend less than ten minutes to arrive. He took a seat opposite of Vidar. Charlie saw Cain and smiled and waved at him. Caine looked surprised and nodded at her. It made Vidar smile. The smile got bigger when Charlie placed a coke down in front of Caine without being asked. She greeted him and gave Vidar a kiss on the cheek and then she moved on to her next table. Cane was just staring at his coke.

"So?" Vidar asked. Caine shifted back into work mode and looked at Vidar.

“There is no chance a human was anywhere near ‘La petite cuisine”,” he told Vidar. “Even after the mutts left, the men of the clan were covering the area. There is no way they would have missed a human, or an outsider of any kind,” he added. "The fucking bullet didn't fire itself," Vidar demanded.

"No. there are only two alternatives. You are not going to like them.”

"I'm not a fucking flower, tell me."

"Either one of the other clan members' men pulled the trigger." Vidar shook his head. No, that would not have been the case. "Or some of the men turned a blind eye and let a stranger walk in and pull the trigger," Caine told him. "Fuck," Vidar exclaimed. Either way, it meant their clan wasn't safe. He didn't want to believe it, but with Charlie's life at stake, he didn't have the luxury to be sentimental about it. "Start to look into them, begin with the fucker Millard," he told Caine. Caine nodded.

"What about Charlie? Who will be her shadow?" Caine asked, glancing at her. Vidar watched her as well. She seemed relaxed, and she worked.

"She won't leave my side until this fucking mess is sorted. She will be moving in with me this weekend," he told Caine.

"Let me know when it's done. I'll take her old place off the security list," Caine said. Vidar nodded. Charlie walked over to them and stood next to Vidar. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes," both Vidar and Caine answered at the same time.

"Sure, that wasn't suspicious at all," she told them, and laughed. "My break is coming up. I was thinking we could get something to eat from the kitchen. Lilly is off today, but Leo is almost as good."

"That sounds good," Vidar agreed and put his arm around her legs. He enjoyed being able to mark his territory. Everyone else might look at Charlie, wishing they would get a chance with her. But he was the one she had chosen.

"You will join us?" It was only a half question directed at Caine. Caine looked at Vidar and Vidar gave him a small nod. He appreciated his friend checking with him. But Caine was family, or as close to family as you could come without blood ties.

"I would love to," Caine told her.

"Great, what would everyone like?" she asked. Both Vidar and Caine asked for the cheeseburger with fries. "I'll be right back," she told them and tried to walk away. She was stopped by Vidar's arm around her legs. She looked at his arm and then at him. He just smiled at her. She rolled her eyes, but smiled as she bent down and gave him a kiss. He let her legs go, and she shook her head as she was walking away. When Vidar turned around, Caine was studying him.

"You have changed," Caine said. Vidar raised an eyebrow. "It's not bad, it's just different. I think it suits you," Caine added. Vidar had to chuckle.

"I think you are right, friend. Charlie has changed me, she has brought back some of the wonder into my life. I can't even remember the last time I felt wonder about the world." Caine nodded. It didn't take long for Charlie to return with three glasses of coke and then with their food. Vidar got up and let her slide to the inner seat of the booth and sat back down on the outer one. The three of them ate and talked. Charlie even managed to draw Caine into the conversation and got him to answer her questions in full sentences.

"This has been fun, but my break is almost over," Charlie told them. Vidar was standing up to let her out when the door to the bar opened and Vidar could scent werewolf. As they were in public, he couldn't growl, which annoyed him. Caine had also scented them and he got up and stood in between Vidar and Charlie, blocking Charlie from getting out of the booth. Burt and two of his werewolves walked into the bar and he discreetly scented the air and turned towards Vidar. Vidar saw him plaster a fake smile on his face as he walked up to him.

"Vidar, I'm here to see Charlie," Burt said.

"That won't be happening,” Vidar told him.

"Why not? I can clearly tell she is here."

"I'm not letting her anyway near you at the moment," Vidar insisted.

“Ah, you are referring to the incident last night, I assume? Your men must have informed you by now that it wasn't a werewolf who pulled that trigger. We had already packed up and were heading home when it happened," Burt said. “But it is what I would like to speak to Charlie about. Is there someplace a little more private?” Vidar had a surging need to kill the mut in front of him. He could already tell what Burt was going to tell Charlie. He was going to use what happened last night to convince her she wasn't safe among the vampires. That she should come and live with the wolves? If he so much as tried to do it, Vidar would not be responsible for his actions, or for the cleanup that needed to be done once he was finished with Burt.

"Move your fat ass, Caine, or I will stab it with a fork," they heard Charlie hiss. Both Burt and Vidar turned toward Caine. He stood like a statue while Charlie tried to get out from behind him. Vidar sighed. He knew she wouldn't give up. He nodded to Caine and Caine took a step to the side, letting Charlie pass him. “Sorry, you don't have a fat ass, Caine. It's quite lovely," Charlie said and patted her shadow on the arm. She then walked up to Vidar and Burt and sized them up. "Backroom, now!" Burt looked at Charlie as she stomped off. Vidar chuckled and followed her alongside Caine. He looked over his shoulder at Burt.

"And you were worried about me. She is far more dangerous when she is in a foul mood," he told the man. All three men followed Charlie and Caine shut the door to the back room to give them privacy. Burt was about to open his mouth when Charlie glared at him.

"If you are going to tell me I'm safer with the werewolves than with the vampires because of yesterday, you can go home without a word," she told him and Vidar, who had been intent on killing the dog moments ago, just smiled and watched. Both he and Caine kept close to Charlie, but they both knew who was running this show.

"Charlie, I don't think you realise how dangerous the situation is," Burt objected.

“Stop treating me like I'm some air headed damsel in distress. I have a fully functioning brain that I can use to deduce things with. Vidar got shot yesterday because he took a bullet that was meant for me. How could I not know how serious this is?" she hissed. "I know the danger. But I also know Vidar will do anything to keep me safe. He and I are imprinted. Who else is more motivated to make sure I am safe? I trust him and Caine fully when it comes to keeping me safe. I will not abandon my clan, not now and not in the future,” she told him. Vidar felt the pride surge into him like a tidal wave. Charlie was amazing in so many ways. “Now you need to leave. You are keeping me from work and have already caused one scene today. What is it with people barging in here, making a scene, and causing me to look bad at my place of work?" Burt looked like he wanted to say something more, but Caine stepped up to him.

"It's time for you to take your men and leave," Caine said. Vidar had walked up to Charlie and taken her hand. He placed a kiss on it.

"You are amazing," he told her.

"I'm pissed," she said. It almost sounded like a growl. It was the cutest sound Vidar had ever heard.

"That only makes you more amazing," he told her.