Authors: Trina M Lee
I surveyed the mess of vampire remains. That wasn’t much of a cleanup. A good vacuum would get the job done. However, that was the least of my concerns. A woman lay dead on the floor of the nightclub I’d sworn to change. So far, things were not going my way. Now, I had to listen to Arys gloat about being right.
He sauntered over to me with a grace possessed only by vampires that had lived for centuries. His sexy, bedroom-messy, raven black hair shone deep blue beneath the dim lighting. The fang-revealing grin he wore irritated me as much as it enticed.
“Go ahead and say it.” I threw both hands in the air and glared. “I know you want to. Have at it.”
His chuckle stroked me deep inside, and our power sparked when he grasped my upraised hands in his, lacing our fingers together. Leaning close enough to brush his lips against mine, he murmured, “I told you so.”
I couldn’t help the way my power instantly mingled with his. We were bound by blood, so it would always be this way. Though I’d recently gained more control over my abilities, Arys could always strip me of it with the right touch, look or careful whisper.
“Since you’re enjoying this so much, you can clean up the body.” I flashed him a smirk of my own and pulled away before the flame burning between us could grow into a blazing inferno.
“I got him.” Shaz stepped up beside me with a bleeding gash below his eye. I hadn’t noticed it in the chaos. “Pretty easy take down.”
I gently touched his face, trying to get a better look at his superficial wound. It looked worse than it was. I couldn’t resist letting my pinky finger slide through the blood that ran in a single rivulet down his cheek. He watched as I brought it close, smelling his powerful werewolf blood. I would have tasted it, but Arys intercepted the motion.
Gripping my wrist tightly, he brought my hand to his mouth and slowly licked Shaz’ blood from my little finger. His tongue was warm and inviting as he stroked it along my flesh. My breath caught, and I was flush with unbidden desire. Arys’ gaze was intent on Shaz, watching for his reaction.
“You are such a dick.” Shaz shoved past us, purposely shouldering Arys as he went.
Arys just laughed. He liked to get under Shaz’ skin, and Shaz made it far too easy for him.
“Don’t start with him tonight,” I warned. “If you haven’t noticed, I have enough to deal with here without you playing with him. One of these days, he’s going to lose it on you, and then you’re on your own.”
Arys’ smile vanished, but the mischievous glint in his eyes remained. “I wish he would.”
“Oh, you do not.” I shook my head, exasperated.
Arys’ fun with Shaz stemmed from their intense dislike for one another.
They’d gone from fist fights to stubborn acceptance.
A
ménage à trois
that
resulted in a bite and even a kiss between the two of them had reminded Shaz of what he hated about Arys: everything. Of course, that had a lot to do with Shaz’ resentment that he’d enjoyed the bite of the vampire he despised.
“Look, just leave Shaz alone. Help me clean up, and you can rub my total failure in my face later.”
I turned away from Arys. People packed the dance floor as if nothing had disrupted them. Newcomers made their way through the lobby into the main part of the club. I had to get this body moved.
Arys swept past me, lifting her easily in his arms and retreating through the rear exit. I caught his eye and nodded my thanks. Ok, so things weren’t going as planned, but they could be worse. Right?
Chapter Two
Voicemail … again. I didn’t bother leaving a message. I wondered if Kale wasn’t actively avoiding my calls. Foreboding gripped my insides and left me ice-cold. I didn’t generally worry about him – if anyone could take care of himself, it was Kale – but something was different this time, all wrong.
Taking a deep breath, I kicked a rock across the parking lot. It was the only sound other than the muffled noise from inside. I needed some air. Escaping outside alone did little to restore my sanity. The Wicked Kiss was one hell of a pain in my ass.
I stared at the back entrance, a plain metal door that led into the back hall where the creepy little rooms were. Vampires brought their meals, er, willing victims in there for a little frisky fun, and Lord knows what else, during a feed. Too many victims had entered those rooms as humans but left as vampires. Taking over The Kiss stopped that, but it hadn’t done much to curb the rest of the mindless chaos.
I didn’t want to go back in there. Couldn’t someone else do it? That someone was refusing to answer his damn phone. With a snarl and a few choice curse words, I yanked the door open and re-entered the nightclub from hell.
I hurried down the back hall, resisting the urge to break into a full-out run. The hall was heavy with the energy oozing from the occupied rooms. The delicious sexual energy, occasionally tinged with fear, drew me like a moth to a flame. Months ago, I would have drooled like a starved dog scenting fresh meat. I had more control than that now, but it still teased my hunger.
A pained whimper caught my attention. It wasn’t unusual to hear cries and shrieks back here. Still, I checked it out. I listened closely, and when I heard a man’s voice moan, “More,” I was out of there. Clearly, he wasn’t fighting for his life.
I jerked back from the door, wishing I would shudder or feel disgust. But, I’d known the intoxicating and powerful bite of a vampire or two, so all I felt was an unbidden rush of pleasure as my pulse raced.
My hate for the place resurfaced, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Re-emerging into the club area, that feeling only grew. For the most part, things were back to normal. The dead body was gone, and patrons were drinking and dancing as if nothing had happened.
Arys leaned against the bar, grinning from ear to ear. A woman with bright pink hair sipped a beer and smiled up at him. Oh please. For a vampire that frowned upon the willing victim scenario, he sure was eating up his wannabe victim’s attention.
With a scowl, I bypassed the line at the bar and tapped my fingernails on the counter. “Jack Daniels on the rocks.”
Without a word the bartender, Josh, slid a glass to me with more than one shot. I thanked him and moved where I could watch everyone. A long swig of the strong whiskey was heavenly. I tried to abstain from booze at The Kiss, but tonight had pushed me past the point of caring. I needed this drink.
I was done. Whatever else happened tonight wasn’t my concern, and I wasn’t going to do a damn thing about it. The whole damned place could burn down for all I cared.
Jez sidled up to me with a knowing look. “Not worth the trouble, is it?”
“Not even close.”
The whiskey burned its way down my throat. A warm tingle started in my stomach and grew to encompass my whole body. That’s the stuff.
I glanced in Arys’ direction, annoyed at myself for the ugly envy that picked at me. It didn’t bother me that he flirted shamelessly with some random human female. It bothered me that he was letting her throw herself at him, knowing she was hoping to end up in one of those back rooms with him.
“She’s just food.” Jez followed my gaze to where Arys and his new fan were chatting up a storm. “You know that’s all he’s thinking. She’s drooling over his damn fine body, and he’s thinking about bleeding her.”
“I know. I think that’s the problem. I know how Arys works. I just don’t want to see him in action. Not in here.”
Everything about Arys screamed sex, so I didn’t blame any woman for drooling over him. I couldn’t even blame him for taking advantage of it; the man literally fed off it. Now, because of our bond, so did I. Still,
I was a little raw from seeing Arys and his sire with a victim.
“I tried Kale again.” I steered the conversation in a new direction. I didn’t want to focus on Arys being … well … Arys. “He isn’t answering. I’m starting to think he’s avoiding me.”
“He hasn’t been answering my calls, either.” Jez shrugged. “I don’t want to over-analyze this, but I have a sick feeling in my gut.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“I’m going to take off. I think I’ll stop by the office and see if he’s there. Try not to lose your mind. In fact, maybe you should take off, too. You look like you’re ready to snap.”
I mustered a smile. “Thanks. I might just do that. Let me know if you talk to Kale.”
I watched Jez’ leopard-golden head disappear out the door. She was right. Why did I bother keeping watch here? It obviously didn’t stop people from getting killed, and it drove me crazy. There were other things I could be doing, should be doing, like hunting down the scum that were slaughtering innocents in cold blood.
I could feel Arys’ eyes on me. The sudden heavy weight that made me feel like I was in the spotlight. Stubbornly, I wanted to resist the urge to turn and meet his midnight gaze, but I couldn’t. I turned to find him standing near the bar alone. The girl with the pink hair was in the lineup for a drink, talking on her cell phone.
Arys crooked his finger and beckoned me over. The sly smile and sexy wink that accompanied the gesture made me weak in the knees. Damn him. Arrogant, deadly and oh so fine, I hated that I couldn’t resist him.
I sauntered over to him, ditching my empty glass at a nearby table on the way. “Being here makes me want to hurt people.”
“You’re speaking my language.” Arys slid an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “What about her?” He indicated the pink haired woman. “Me and you. She could be ours. Do you want her?”
I wasn’t surprised that he wanted her, but I was surprised that he wanted me to join him. Both vampire and werewolf power flowed through my veins, so tearing her throat out was in my nature.
Instead, I swallowed hard and shook my head.
“No. She’s all yours. I can’t stop you from killing, but I can’t let you do it here.”
He raised a dark brow as if he wasn’t sure if I was serious. “No problem. No killing here. Just as well. This place is for amateurs.” He reached to grasp a strand of my black-tipped blond hair, twirling it around his finger. “Hey, are you okay?”
I found genuine concern in his eyes, and I stroked a finger down the side of his face. “I’m fine, just ready for this night to be over.”
A soft kiss had me melting in his embrace. The silver ring in his bottom lip was cold against my tongue. His cologne teased me; everything about him set me on fire. After being involved for almost a year, every touch gave me butterflies as if it were the very first.
Dipping his finger below the waist of my jeans, Arys tugged on my g-string and murmured, “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to tag team that one with me? Last chance.”
I laughed and slapped him playfully. “Cut it out.”
“But, she’s totally asking for it. How can you resist? How can you expect me to resist?”
“I don’t expect you to. Just use a little … discretion.”
His chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. He grabbed me tightly and nuzzled my neck, grazing my skin with his fangs. The jolt of energy that shot straight to my groin caused me to gasp.
“I can feel it inside you.” His whispered words came hot against my skin. “The pent-up aggression. The need to unleash and feed that hunger. Your wolf is frustrated.”
I sighed and leaned into him. He wasn’t wrong. I should know better than to let the wolf get frisky. It could affect Arys in a pretty ugly way due to our bond. “I’ll be fine. I just need to go home and relax.”
“You need to stop living in denial. This place is no good for you. You should let Kale deal with it. This isn’t your world.”
“It is now.” I studied Arys closely, curious. “This isn’t your world either. You hate it here. So, what’s with all the recent visits?”
Arys shrugged and let his gaze wander around the bar. “Well, you’re here. Where else would I be?”
“No, really. I know you, Arys. You’ve been in here a lot lately. That’s not like you. What’s up?” This was the fourth night in a row that he’d appeared in The Kiss, and I was getting suspicious.
I felt the shift in him as his energy grew defensive. His eyes were still scanning the building, and I began to grow uneasy. What the hell was he hiding from me?
I glanced around, nervous at what I was sensing from Arys. The crowd was starting to thin as most of the vampires lured victims to a more secluded place. Two vampires in a corner booth had a young woman between them. One of them fed from her wrist while the other kissed her deeply. A lone witch at a different table oozed black energy that made my skin crawl. Otherwise, nothing struck me as out-of-place.