Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 176

Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 176 – “You must be awful stupid comin’ around these parts, girl-even with a Vampire at your side.” A loud voice snapped.

A woman came into view, emerging from where she blended in with the forest line. Her skin was as dark as the bark that covered each tree, but that was where the similarities ended. She swayed her round hips gracefully as she approached the bike, her full lips curled back in a fearless sneer. She stopped five feet away, standing on the dual yellow lines that split the road in two. The leather jacket she wore glittered under the moon, mirroring the light in her dark eyes.

For a single fleeting moment, I wondered if they were oblivious to who we were. The miniscule dash of hope fizzled out when the woman spoke a second time.

“And don’t expect me to call you Queen, you ain’t no friend of me or mines.”

Though I didn’t dare take my eyes off the Vampire, I could see in my peripherals that she wasn’t the only one venturing from the forest to stand in the road. In all, I counted four others. Two to our left and two to the right.

We were surrounded.

The humanoid shape at the far end of the road came closer, their features growing sharper with each heavy footstep they took. When I managed to make out two pale-blue eyes, a wide mouth, and a set of messy hair, I found myself stunned into silence.

“Go on, now. Take the helmets off so we can have ourselves a civilized conversation, yeah? You can shut off the bike too, won’t be needing that anytime soon.”

The homeless man that had been sitting outside of the gas station came to a stop beside the woman. He brought the can of beer in his hand to his lips and took along drink.

“Oh, thanks for the beer, by the way.” He said, ignoring the woman’s scowl.

Several seconds passed and Tristan hadn’t moved. His position turned defensive, and I could tell by the way he clenched his jaw that he had no intention on listening to them. I tapped his shoulder pointedly, once again wishing Vampire’s had the luxury, and curse, of a mind-link.

He must’ve understood well enough because a second later he cut the engine and removed the key from the ignition. The silence was deafening, but it was the eerie sense of foreboding that thickened the air and raised the humidity.

“Now that that’s done with, what the h**l kind of business you got in these parts?” The woman demanded.

Her eyes narrowed into small slivers, but I could still see the gleam dancing within them.

“Dina, just k**l em’ and be done with it.” The homeless man said.

He flashed me a grin that might’ve seemed apologetic if he hadn’t chosen to belch afterwards. The sound echoed across the pavement, sending the rancid scent of stale beer and sour breath in every direction. The woman at his side wrinkled her nose but didn’t tear her eyes away from Tristan and me.

The man shrugged indifferently. “Sorry, doll face. Buying me a beer won’t save ya,’ even if you are the Queen.”

His words stirred something deep within me, a feeling that unfurled in my chest like the blood-soaked petals of a freshly plucked rose. I slid off the back end of the bike, feeling the Vampire’s on either side of us stir. Tristan didn’t dare stop me, but instead followed my lead and lifted his leg over the bike before knocking the kickstand into place.