Mikey didn't follow him, even when he looked back and called. He waved his hand and told him to give him a minute. When James glanced at the alpha, his eyes were awash with pity.

James scowled. "Keep looking at me like that and I will kill you."

Ella scraped her hands down her face.

Mikey remained calm and sat on the stool next to James. "If she thinks you are nice to werewolves I should at least find out if that is true."

James cringed at his tone of voice. It was the same light voice that people always talk to children or those who are grieving in. "Don't start believing that I care what you and your mutts think."

"James!" Ella went towards Mikey with her hand out, intent on apologising for what he had said.

Mikey shook his head. "I don't want to fight with you."

"Yet." James waved the barman over again, got another drink and waited until he left to continue. "But you will once you get friendly with the local wolves."

Mikey's brows drew together. "The local wolves?" He looked at Ella. "Aren't you a member of the pack that lives here."

Ella's breath hitched and she cast her eyes to the floor. "I am, or I was. My father didn't approve of my relationship choices. I haven't tried to reach out to him through the pack link since."

James knew that when werewolves were in their wolf form they could read each other's minds. They didn't have to, and from what James had gathered over the years it was frowned on, but they could. He had considered asking Ella to use this link to find her traitorous pack. But on further consideration he had thought better of it.

"That's a shame," Mikey said, "no wolf should be left without a pack. I don't know what I would do without mine."

"Keep talking to me and you might find out." James was pleased when he saw Mikey bristle at these words. The wolf had been calm up to this point and his composure was driving James mad.

Mikey took a few breaths. "Like I said, I don't want to fight you."

James raised his eyebrow. "You would lose if you did."

Mikey started to reply when a newcomer interrupted him.

"Hey, you're one of them Morris kids aren't you?"

The man's voice was slurred, and James could smell cheap vodka seeping through his skin. He didn't sound threatening.

"Yea." James looked over his shoulder at the man. He had a ponytail and wore cowboy boots. James snickered.

"I just wanted to say sorry bout your father." The man smiled.

Ella held her breath.

"That's great. you should look for an apology from whoever sold you those boots." James smirked. The sudden sound of Mikey choking on his beer made James jump. He glanced over to see the alpha smiling against the top of his bottle and trying to stifle a laugh.

The ponytail guy looked between the two of them and shuffled from one foot to the other. "Sure...um....anyway..."

James waved his hand at him. "Thanks for thinking of me."

The man took this as a hint to go and James gave him credit for being so perceptive.

Mikey let a laugh burst out an he leaned over the bar. "You have a mean sense of humour vampire."

James glared at him. "You didn't seem to mind, werewolf." He put extra venom behind the final word.

Mikey sobered and glanced at James. "Lets just pretend for a while that I don't turn into a wolf and you don't drink blood."

James flashed his fangs. "But I do love drinking blood."

He watched Mikey considering, then turning his face away from James. He scratched his knuckle against his stubble and sighed. James could see the frustration in the way he held his shoulders a touch too high and how his jaw was clenched rigid. But he couldn't feel the same hatred coming off him that he usually got from wolves. Most wolves would be so infuriated with his presence that he would feel a real heat coming off their bodies as they fought the instinct to change. Most of them would growl slightly when they spoke to him, and that was if they took the time to bother speaking and didn't just decide to try and kill him.

James narrowed his eyes at the back of Mikey's head. When Mikey turned to face him again, James glared.

"I won't be fooled by you acting all nice," James said, "I know wolves and I know that the local ones must have met you already."

"They didn't say anything about you and Ella."

"They didn't say anything about the local vampires at all?" James took another gulp.

Mikey picked at the bar with his nail. "They said there was one family but that the leader was gone so they weren't much of a threat."

The glass creaked under the pressure of James's hand. Not much of a threat? Like his father was the only one who was powerful and needed to be feared. Like James wasn't just as impressive. He pushed his teeth together until they hurt. A snide remark was building in his throat when Ella spoke up.

"They didn't mention me at all?" Her voice was soft.

James looked at her. Her eyes were shiny, and she watched Mikey without blinking.

Mikey shuffled. "No. The leader of the pack didn't mention having a daughter."

Ella whimpered and put her hand over her mouth. She turned away from the boys. Mikey looked pained, leaning towards her as if to offer comfort by his mere presence.

James stood up and pulled her against his chest. "Its okay. You don't need them."

Ella pushed him away. "Of course, you would say that." She could hardly speak past her coming tears.

"Ella, its fine. I am here." James reached for her again.

"That's the problem isn't it! I had you with me and not them. Now they hate me."

James took a step back. "It isn't my fault that they hate you." He felt someone's hand brush his arm and heard them mutter something about staying calm, but he pulled away.

"Not your fault? You are the one that flirted and dazzled!" Ella shook hard enough to make the tears on her face quiver.

"Forgive me then for being nice to you. In future I will slaughter every wolf I lay my eyes on."

"That's just what you do anyway! That's why you have that fireplace decorated with tortured wolves and that's why you got your friends killed and left me all alone!"

James's skin tingled and his arm muscles clenched until they hurt. "I didn't kill them, your father did. And don't worry I will make him pay for that." Ella gawked at him before turning and fleeing towards the back of the room. She looked about for a bit, saw the bathroom sign and went towards the ladies.

James couldn't think straight. How dare she. He had taken her in even after all that her pack had done. He had resisted the urge to drag her along with him while he butchered the wolves who had taken Orlando and strung him up, set fire to him, and the sound of those screams would be with him forever and his father was right he didn't know what he was doing, he would get them all killed before he achieved a thing but he couldn't stop because Morris's don't let things go...

"That was rough."

James blinked out of his thoughts and looked around at Mikey. He was smiling gently, and his hand hovered beside James's arm, as if he was preparing to catch him if he ran.

James made a point of sitting one stool away from Mikey. "She will come back."

Mikey glanced between the bathrooms and James. He looked doubtful and this amused James. If only he knew that neither of them had a choice but to stay together.

"Still, she said some awful things."

"Thanks for that observation." James sneered.

Mikey leaned back in the stool, making it moan under his weight. "I am trying to be nice here. I don't let the opinions of other wolves tell me what to think of people,"

"Are vampires really people?" James remarked.

Mikey continued unfazed. "Most vampires I have seen would have never let a wolf speak to them like that, let alone dated one. So, I am giving you the benefit of the doubt."

"What is that supposed to mean?" James had a headache starting behind his eyes.

"It means that we don't have to rescue Ella or kill you."

James laughed. "You still think you can."

Mikey shook his head and thudded off the stool and onto his feet. "Goodbye James. I hope we don't meet again."

As Mikey walked away James made a mental note to do his best to make sure they didn't.