Monthly Bonus # 4 - Promise of Forever - Nat Spring Scenario (Patreon)

The Seagull’s Cry isn’t my usual haunt. It’s further from my apartment than Laycott’s Bar and Grill, so convenience of location wins out when I do get the chance to head out.

Unfortunately, I’m not exactly able to take in the smoky atmosphere and surprisingly good live music playing like a lulling ambient tune as it fills the entirety of the dark wood-panelled space.

“Can you see our target?” Ava asks through the earpiece.

As subtly as I’m able, I turn away from where I’m waiting at a standing table, my untouched drink gathering condensation before me. A quick sweep of the space reveals nothing but the other drinkers who have been in here for the last two hours—and, of course, Nat.

Nat—as much as she is trying to blend in by slouching in a chair at one of the tables—stands out no matter where she is. Her hair is knotted back into a bun at the base of her neck, a couple of loose waves caressing her cheek bones, and her deep eyes gleam in the warm orange light as though wishing to highlight the most attractive woman in the room.

My heart trips over its own beat at the sight of her.

Suddenly my drink isn’t the only one sweating.

“Agent?” Ava prompts.

Nat flashes her gaze to me in concern when I don’t answer, and I quickly turn away before getting even more hypnotized by her.

“Uh, no. No movement. No target.” I rest my forearms against the table and sigh. “Are you sure the Agency got their intel right on this one? We’ve been here for hours. There’s been no sign of her.”

“[Name] is right,” Nat adds. She covers her mouth with her glass to disguise as she talks. “At some point we’re going to have to call it—”

Both of us flash our gazes up as the door to the pub opens and our target stalks inside. Though her steps make the agility of her gait obvious, she slouches as she walks to disguise it.

I turn back to my drink. “There she is.”

“Just as the Agency intel predicted,” Ava states smugly.

I ignore the tone. “So what now?”

“Someone is going to have to get her attention. If she has the card on her, it should be easy to take it if she doesn’t know it’s coming,” Mason suggests.

“What makes you think it will be easy?” Nat asks.

“Mason’s right for once,” Felix interrupts. “Look—she’s only wearing a t-shirt and jeans.” I glance over my shoulder to our target now sat on a stool at the bar. The others, back at the warehouse but tapped into the security camera feed, are obviously getting a very clear stream. “There’s no bulge in her pockets either, which means no wallet. Definitely has the card slipped in a pocket if she has it.”

I switch my focus to Nat and purse my lips. “You up for some distraction?”

She smiles, sending my stomach into a whirl of butterflies. “I’m afraid it might be on you this time. Pickpocketing isn’t my forte, but she’s a supernatural. She’ll be far more distracted by the scent of you than she will me.”

“My blood? Are you saying I’m not distracting enough without it?” I joke.

“Considering I haven’t been able to focus on anyone but you all evening, I believe you know just how distracting you are,” she purrs.

I lick at my lips to cover a smile.

“So I’m afraid this one is on you,” she continues.

A groan escapes me. “Don’t suppose we can flip a coin for it?”

“Nat’s right. You’ll do as distraction,” Ava argues, taking away my sliver of hope at getting out of this.

I groan again and push myself away from the table. “Fine.” Dragging my heels towards the bar, I sidle up near to our target and order a drink. The bartender side eyes the full glass still sitting at my table but shrugs and starts pouring me another anyway.

“It’s quiet here tonight,” I announce, looking over at the target. She’s tall, toned, and incredibly dreamy—quintessential supernatural then. She’s just not the tall, toned, and dreamy supernatural who has so easily stolen my heart.

The target glances at me with barely a flash of interest. “Is it?” she drools, going back to scanning her phone.

“I’m guessing you don’t come here often then?” I ask.

There’s multiple groans through my earpiece—and a quiet chuckle from Nat—before Felix says, “Hardly an original line there, [Name].”

I do my best to school the wince from my expression as I form a smile.

The supernatural glances at me but just shrugs.

This is going to take something a little more persuasive.

“Here you go,” the bartender says, placing my drink down. Rolling up my sleeve, I reach out, making sure to expose my bare wrist as much as possible.

As I stretch past the target, I see her nostrils flare and her eyes darken.

…Now that definitely piqued her interest.

I take my drink and am about to move away, turning on the spot to see Nat watching carefully from her table. The target’s hand lands gently on my arm before I can take another step, and I see Nat tense to the point her glass almost fractures in her grip.

I shake my head at her, force a smile, and twist back around.

The target’s pupils have dilated until the black almost covers the iris of her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so dismissive.” She removes her hand and spreads it out to the empty stool beside her. “I’d love to hear more about this town from a local. Are you local? Do you have much family here?”

“Wow, she’s not exactly subtle, is she?” Felix comments. “’Are you from here? Can I kill you easily without anyone missing you?’”

I try not to let those comments affect me as I take the offered seat. “I am local, yeah. My mother lives here too, as well as my friends.”

Disappointment lingers at the edge of the target’s smile. “Ah, I see. Do you enjoy living here?” She angles in closer in what seems like interest, but I notice the way her gaze flickers constantly to the pulse jumping in my neck.

As we make small talk, Nat’s presence falls over me from behind, and I try not to let my focus be distracted as she passes us by, standing at the bar behind the target.

She orders a drink, her hand moving in a flash of motion to the supernatural’s pocket.

But not quite quick enough.

The supernatural frowns as she obviously feels the flicker of movement.

Instinct grips me, and I reach out to rest a hand on the target’s thigh and let out a small chuckle. “It’s so rare to see a stranger in this town. Tell me, what is it you do? You seem so mysterious.”

A snort sounds down the earpiece. “Smooth,” Mason compliments.

But I barely notice the comment, or the target’s reply, as I see Nat bite at her lip, her gaze fixated on my touch on the supernatural’s leg.

“Did you get it, Nat?” Ava asks through the earpiece.

There’s no response.

“Nat?” Ava barks.

The tall vampire jerks back into motion and gives the camera above the bar a small nod.

I relax in relief as I focus once more on the target.

“…it’s an exciting life, for those who can handle it,” she’s finishes the sentence I wasn’t listening to.

“Isn’t that great,” I mutter, nodding as I smile, keeping my wrist well on show for her as I rest my chin in my palm.

Her hand snakes across the bar close to my arm. “How about we get out of here, and you give me a private tour of the town?” Her smile is as enticing as water after the desert, and I feel sorry for any human caught in its spell.

I’m about to give my very negative reply to that suggestion when another voice interrupts.

“Hello.” The greeting spills from Nat’s sultry smile like velvet, enrobing me in its rich tone and offering a promise of everything I desire.

One word. That’s all it took.

…I really have fallen in deep for her.

I swallow down the thought. “Hi.”

“Do you mind?” the supernatural snaps, standing from the stool but only reaching shoulder height with Nat. “We were talking.”

“Not about anything as stimulating as I could offer, I’m sure,” Nat replies, staring past our target straight to me as gold glimmers in her deep gaze while pushing her fingers through her hair and tousling it.

I almost melt off of my stool.

“Are you serious?” the target bites with a deepening frown.

Nat’s sizzling gaze hardens on the supernatural as she slices her focus to her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“They called me mysterious,” the target announces, smiling back at me tightly before refocusing on Nat again. “I’m not losing this one.”

I swirl my drink in my glass and take a sip as I watch the show.

“Lose it?” Nat pushes a step into the supernatural’s space, forcing the target to stumble and retake her seat, Nat bearing the tips of sharp canines in the barest slash of a smile. “You can’t lose something you never had.”

She leans back and casts an examining eye over the target before glancing at me, keeping the pretense of not knowing me pretty well considering the tension prickling between the two. “Your mystery woman can offer you twenty minutes of something fun. That’s all.”

I rub at my chin in faux-thought before smiling. “What can you offer?”

She slides in closer, resting a hand on the bar so that she can lean in achingly slow, her breath a hot whisper as she murmurs in my ear, “I offer you forever.”

The target scoffs and flings her hands into the air. “You’re not seriously going to fall for that, are you?”

I shrug at her. “Yeah. I totally am.” Sliding from my seat, I slip my hand into Nat’s offered one and walk away side by side with her.

Behind us, the supernatural splutters and groans, but eventually settles as we make it to the exit.

As we leave the bar and our successful mission behind us, Nat reveals the key card we’ve been searching for days to find. She smiles brightly at me, and I chuckle as we lean in closer together.

“We make quite the team,” she announces.

“Next time, I’d prefer a mission where I don’t have to play bait.” I sag. “Again.”

“Then you’ll have to stop being so tempting,” she replies, her fingers tracing down the arch of my back and making me shiver all the way to my toes. “Though I think that’s an impossibility.”

“Smooth talker,” I murmur through a smile, hoping she very much keeps her promise of forever.

(Mishka is still having internet issues so she's sorry for the late post and sent it to me to post instead so you definitely all got it today)