The Necromancer's Seduction (22 page)

Just what was going on between those two? Before I could prod Jax about his feelings
for Kara, Ewan returned, a small frown on his lips.

“Everything all right?” I asked, swaying towards him.

His frown grew. “What did you give her, Ly?”

“Nothing she didn’t ask for,” he answered, his smile returning.

I couldn’t help the nervous giggle that sprang from my lips. Oh brother, now I sounded
like a high school lush.

“Maybe you should lay off the drink for a bit,” Ewan said to me.

“Maybe you shouldn’t tell me what to do.” I pointed at his chest and spun on my stool
to face Jax, who stifled a laugh. I tapped my foot on the stool, ignoring Ewan. He
grabbed my arm and pulled me off, almost causing me to spill my drink. He leaned close
to my ear as he tugged me across the dance floor. “That wasn’t very nice. I might
have to spank you.”

“I dare you.” My tone carried too much of a challenge, I realized too late.

His eyes flashed at me, and his smile was wicked. I guess it wasn’t such a good idea
to dare a demon. I swallowed.

“Where are we going?” I yelled. My body rubbed against the sweaty bodies on the dance
floor.

When we reached the other side of the club, Ewan dragged me into a dark corner and
gathered me against him roughly, bruising me with his kiss. I gave in to the alcohol,
the gyrations of the music, the electricity that coursed through my veins at his touch.
I almost thought he was going to rip off my dress, wanted him to, but he pulled away,
steadying himself with one hand perched on the wall behind me. I ran a finger down
his neck.

“Sometimes, places like this are too much stimulation. We feel things differently
than you, more deeply.” He narrowed his eyes. “What was the deal with Lysander?”

“Oh, nothing, harmless flirtation.” I nipped his chin with my teeth.

“Flirting with a vampire is never harmless,” he said, his voice tinged with steel.
“Nor is making a demon jealous.” He raked his hand over my ass and squeezed me against
him.

“You were jealous? Lysander said he won’t bite unless I ask him to.” Damn alcohol.
What was in that drink?

“He did? What the hell were you guys talking about?” His lips formed a grimace.

I hesitated before answering, not sure I could trust my inebriated tongue. “Nothing.
Jax insinuating crap . . . Lysander . . .” I didn’t know what I was trying to say
anymore. The thump, thump of the music and Ewan’s hand on my ass weren’t helping.

“Lysander what?” He bit my ear lobe.

“Lysander nothing. Christ. I’m here with you, aren’t I? I made a choice.”

“I’m not so sure. I come back from scouting around and find you half drunk, giggling
like a school girl, making goo-goo eyes at my vampire buddy. Not to mention the fact
that you, as far as I know, still have your fuck-buddy Steve.” His voice had turned
into a growl.

“I was not making goo-goo eyes.” I tried to push at his chest, but the wall pressing
on my back prevented me from putting any distance between us.

“Tell me, what’s your choice?” he said against my neck as he moved his hand under
my dress and along my thigh until he tugged at the lace of my panties to run his fingers
along my slick folds.

“Ewan . . .” I gasped.

“Mmmm, I’m waiting.”

Arrogant bastard. He knew my answer, but he just had to win this little power play.
My breath hitched when he pinched my clit, then slipped a finger inside me. Thank
God he’d chosen a particularly dark corner. My back arched, scraping the wall. Fuck
it. I had bigger battles to contend with.

“I broke things off with Steve.”

I felt his lips curve against my neck. He withdrew his finger, making small circles
on the way out, leaving me sorely unsatisfied.

“I don’t know what you want from me, from us,” I said.

“Isn’t it obvious?” His eyes were wide.

“The sex is obvious.”

“Really? Just the sex? I’ve done nothing to demonstrate my feelings for you?” He looked
up at the ceiling, the lines in his face tense. “Shit, Ruby, you make me crazy, you
know that?” he said through his teeth.

The steam that coursed through me dissipated. He’d deserved some of the crazy for
not telling me the truth about Cael, but he’d endured all my emotional lashings over
the last week as I tried to navigate the changes in my life. Breaking things off with
Steve had left a burr of irritation inside me, an expectation of a reciprocal action
from Ewan. But what? A declaration? It was my decision to break things off with Steve.
Ewan hadn’t asked me.

Which irritated me more.

He took a deep breath, his chin atop my head. “I’m glad you ended things with Steve.
I wanted . . . thought it important for you to make that decision on your own.”

Okay. I think I just fell halfway down the slope in love. “It’s not like Steve and
I were in a serious relationship or anything,” I said.

He met my eyes. “I’m not sharing you with anyone—serious or not.” His lips were drawn
tight. I understood. I felt the same way, remembering Fiona’s hand running up his
arm. Yuck.

“But I can’t force you to make those decisions.” He rubbed his forehead. “Dominic,
the owner of the club and vampire kingpin, wants to meet you.”

“Why?”

“It’s a courtesy call. I’m afraid there’s no getting out of it without stirring the
waters. Look, it’s a game to maintain the balance of power. Vampires like playing
games.”

“Demons don’t?” I teased.

“I don’t play games, not about important stuff. It’s a pissing match. I have to show
him I’m not challenging his authority in his club and give him his chance to strut
his power in front of me. He’s pissed we left him out of the Adam business.”

“You and Lysander seem like you’re good friends.”

“Lysander could give a shit about the politics.” He gritted his teeth. “But Dominic
resents the influence demons have attained in this realm.”

Vampires have carved out their existence on the fringes of society due to their nocturnal
nature, which suits some of them. Others, and I suspect Dominic included, resent the
demons’ integration into human society and their ability to shift into positions of
influence. I never understood the extent of that resentment, until now.

“I’ll meet Dominic. I’m not afraid of him,” I said.

“He wants to assess if you pose a threat to him. Seems everyone has grown interested
in the necromancer who raised a supernatural revenant.” Concern filled his expression.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to drag you into this after everything that happened. I’m
starting to think coming here was a bad idea.”

“Meeting a vampire is not going to drag me into anything.”

“I wish I could be sure of that.”

“Why did you ask Jax to come here tonight?”

“I don’t trust vampires.”

“Even Lysander?”

He grinned wryly. “Aside from the fact that he can’t resist beautiful women, Lysander’s
solid.”

“Do you think the vampires are involved with the murders?”

“I’m not sure. Cael is a pawn, a dangerous one. A vampire could be using him, though
it’s more likely a demon, but the vamps will use the situation to gain an advantage
over us.”

“Do you think it’s Malthus?”

He regarded me for a few moments, as if unsure himself. “Malthus knows more then he’s
letting on, and I know you’re angry with him, but I don’t think he’s behind Cael.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because of your grandmother. Someone else is controlling Cael.”

“Or was controlling.”

He raised a brow.

“Cael was desperate in the bowling alley. After I made Brandon into a revenant, Cael
commanded his zombies to kill me, get rid of the competition, he said. I think he
acted alone in killing Brandon, to prove his worth, maybe.”

Ewan nodded. “He’s expendable. Why keep the inferior necro when a better one has shown
herself?”

“If this person or demon assumes I’ll help him, he’s wrong.”

“Our enemy isn’t assuming.”

I frowned at the certainty in his voice, at the implication the big baddie might be
able to coerce me somehow.

We walked down a hall that extended past the club’s bathrooms where a very large vampire
guarded an elevator. He peered at Ewan over his shades and pressed a button to call
the elevator. I smiled at the burly vamp, but he was having none of it. He continued
to survey the hall behind us. Ewan squeezed my hand.

The elevator arrived and deposited us on the top of the building, which was decked
out in an opulence characteristic of a Vegas penthouse. The deck spanned the entire
rooftop with a large swimming pool fed by a waterfall and a gas fireplace in the center.
A grassy area surrounded the pool and ended at a bar. Vampires lounged in the pool
or on the sofas scattered in the dark corners of the deck, but only one vampire commanded
my attention.

An invisible wave hit me and caught me in its riptide, dragging me toward the vampire
standing on the other side of the deck, talking on his cell phone. He looked like
a businessman straight out of
GQ
magazine. Although occupied with his conversation, he smiled broadly at us, but his
eyes reflected a hunger I was desperate to appease, as if I had an itch that I needed
to scratch again and again and again. My legs took charge, moving me toward the vampire,
but a firm hand on my arm stopped me. I turned and narrowed my eyes at Ewan.

He ignored my look. All I could think about was reaching the vampire, who I knew was
Dominic, but Ewan tightened his grip on my arm. I pulled, bending my knees with the
effort.

“He has you in his thrall,” he whispered close to my ear. “Call on your power.” He
gripped tighter, hurting my arm. “Do it.”

“Let go of me,” I said, surprised at the cold authority in my tone. He loosened his
grip, and I snatched my arm back and marched past the swimming pool where Dominic
stood, regarding me with his smooth, almost plaster-like, face framed by platinum
blond hair cropped close to his head.

“Hello, Ruby,” said Dominic. “Can I get you anything?” His voice was a silky touch
that caressed my face. I licked my lips.

“Lysander made me a drink that I didn’t get to finish,” I said, noting the slight
tremble of my lips.

“We’ll get you another one.” He motioned to a woman in a slinky black dress, who slowly
removed her neck from one of the vamps. The vamp gave her neck one last lick to wipe
the blood and puncture wound away before she retreated to the elevator.

“Ewan, thank you for bringing Ruby to me.”

Ewan tilted his head, his mouth bearing a smile that held daggers behind his lips.

Dominic ignored him and said to me, “I’ve been wanting to know how you managed to
reanimate two supernaturals, especially a werewolf. I don’t think anyone ever thought
that was possible.”

I gave myself a mental shake, wanting to please Dominic, but feeling cramped, claustrophobic
all of a sudden. “How . . .?” I said, not completely sure what question I was trying
to ask.

“How do I know? News like that travels fast.” Dominic stretched out on one of the
nearby lounge chairs. “Some supernaturals are demanding accountability for the crimes
being committed against them. The wolves.”

“Ruby was forced to raise the were against her will.” Ewan took a measured pause.
“You know we have a rogue necro.” His words were clipped but cool. Anger simmered
in his eyes.

I know those eyes. Amber and gold. My head buzzed, and the hunger gnawed at me again.
I returned my attention to Dominic.

His black gaze drilled into me. “Of course I know Ruby is not at fault. There are
others who think the demons are behind this, using Ruby to control other supernaturals.”

“Are you making accusations, Dominic?” Ewan’s voice sliced through the air.

My power stirred within me, provoked by Ewan’s reaction to Dominic. I closed my eyes
and inhaled deeply, pulling on it, letting it cut into the haze that had filled my
mind since we arrived. The other vamps ceased their side conversations and looked
on, their eyes gleaming in anticipation of the struggle between the vampire and demon.
Ewan and Dominic stared at each other, assessing the other’s boundaries and power.
Pissing match.

“Of course I’m not making accusations. I’m just telling you what I hear,” Dominic
said. The other vamps returned to their sanguine pleasures, deciding the fireworks
had fizzed out for now.

I clutched the chair next to me when the floor veered slightly. Ewan reached out to
me, and I saw him clearly for the first time since coming up here. I sat on the chair.
The waitress returned with my drink, and I took a sip, the taste evoking brief thoughts
of Lysander. I peeked up at Dominic, and he appeared sharp and in focus, no longer
blurred by the fascination of his thrall.

Dominic’s expression tightened when he perceived he’d lost control over me. He dropped
the pretenses. “How did you raise Brandon?”