“One minute, Jackal.” I pulled her farther away from his hearing. Reason grabbed my hips and swayed to the heavy beat of the music. “Ah, Reason, you’re making me nervous.” Reason stopped dancing, giving me a playful pout. “Are you really going after Jackal?”
She waved at someone before staring at me. “No. I was fucking with him. He’s hot and all, but I don’t need to work that hard to get laid.” She twirled her hair, staring at him. “But the sex with him would no doubt be fucking amazing.”
“Say no to shifters, okay?” I grabbed her hand, diverting her stare away from Jackal. Clearly the men of the Alfero pack were sending everyone I knew, including me, into some crazy lustful ‘I want to fuck a shifter today!’ frenzy.
“Really? You’re casting judgment on me?” Reason rolled her eyes. “And don’t think I didn’t see you dry-humping Ryker in the middle of the dance floor.”
“It wasn’t dry-humping. It was foreplay,” I commented when something caught my eye. Ryker was holding court like a rock star as women gyrated suggestively, giving him his own private strip show. As if he felt my glare, he turned and winked at me cockily.
“So how is it going with the Alpha?” Reason whispered in my ear.
Reluctantly, I broke eye contact with him, staring at her. “Horrible.” I sighed heavily. “The man is a walking vibrator.”
“Have you thought that he could be the one?”
I scoffed. “Oh, he’s the one all right. The one capable of making me lose my damn mind.”
“I’m serious.”
I shrugged. “So am I. I gave up on that dream months ago. There is no “Bringer of Death” who’s going to save the day.” Like a moth to a flame, my eyes drifted back to Ryker and a woman who had finagled herself into Ryker’s booth, all the while flashing her canines and fake boobs in his face. Ryker stared at her with disinterest, but before I knew what I was doing, I walked away from Reason and through the sea of patrons like a woman on a mission. My steps faltered at the sight of a naked woman facing against a wall, hanging from shackled wrists. A tall, muscular man stood behind her with a look of pure joy on his face. With a whooshing sound, he smacked the woman’s ass.
Holy shit! I shook my head and walked away, pushing at people as I bulldozed through the crowd to Ryker.
“I’m your girl, baby!” the woman told Ryker, with an intensely sensual look.
“Sorry, girlie. I belong to him,” I blurted like a nut. “I mean, this one is mine. So up you go and get to stepping.” I gestured for her to rise and exit left.
The woman gave me a hard stare, and even though she had the appearance of a woman who wanted to bite, chew, stab, and choke me, I didn’t flinch.
The woman ignored me and stared at Ryker. “So… does she belong to you, shifter?”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed on me before pulling me onto his lap. He stroked the underside of my breast, his thumb rubbing the nipple. I felt the flare of heat between my legs, but I was having none of it. “Oh no you don’t.” I yanked on his hand with no success.
“Now, don’t be rude. The vampire asked a question. Do you belong to me?” he murmured.
I froze, realizing his words of possession excited me. I wanted so badly to belong to him.
“Let’s see, shall we?” he commented.
With a peeved sigh, I tilted my head up.
Grabbing the back of my head, he brushed my lips teasingly, like he was discovering me for the first time. He took the kiss deeper, opening my lips with his own, coaxing me into responding. Under his slow assault, my mouth softened. Still deeper, he invaded my mouth, taking sweet possession. My fingers tightened around his hand, so he tightened his fingers around my breast. Heat kissed my pussy, and when he sucked my tongue into his mouth, I moaned, feeling dizzy from lust. He brushed another kiss over my mouth before saying, “Yes. She does belong to me.”
He stared at me with an unwavering intensity as I licked my lips, still tasting him all over them. “Damn. That was a fucking good kiss, Alpha.”
The woman looked at us, perturbed. “Lucky her,” she spouted before sliding out of the booth and walking away.
My heart raced. Shit. What the hell did I do? I tried to scramble off his lap, but he placed a hand on my thigh and gently squeezed. I looked up at him, noticing his face had softened. God, this man was killing me inside. Every facet of him intrigued me, worried me, and made me want him even more.
I grabbed his glass of scotch, taking a nervous sip. My mind was racing on a strategy to exit left before I got myself further down the rabbit hole.
Ryker glanced over at Jackal and Rip, then back at me. “So, darling, what are you going to do now? Slink off and pretend this never happened?”
I nearly choked on the scotch. What the hell? “Whatever do you mean, Wolfie?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “I saw vamp girl bothering you, and I came to help. It was community service.”
“Community service, huh?” Ryker inquired in an authoritative tone.
“Exactly.” I felt my voice escalate.
Ryker wrapped a hand around my wrist. His eyes locked on mine in a heated stare before his fell to my lips.
Damn, why did I want this man so badly?
Our connection was broken by someone clearing their throat. It was the man who greeted us at the door. “Mr. Orlov is ready to meet with you.”
I glanced over at the man, trying to pull my hand away, but Ryker guided my palm onto his thigh. My eyes snapped back to him. “We’ll be there in a minute,” he responded without breaking our eye contact. I swallowed anxiously when I felt the soft slide of our connection grounding me to him. It was as if my physical touch against his thigh ramped up our strange connection. This was dangerous. All I could think about was him and how my feelings for him were spiralling out of control.
Is this physical attraction or something else?
I couldn’t tell anymore, and it scared the living shit out of me. My thoughts were interrupted by Rip’s voice. “Uh, Ryker. We really should go if we want this meeting to happen.”
Ryker pushed me to my feet, wrapping an arm around me as my knees buckled. He ran his hand down my ass, squeezing each cheek before slowly pulling down my dress.
“To be continued,” he murmured, still stroking my ass.
My back stiffened as I tried to move away. “There is no ‘to be continued.’”
Without saying another word, he efficiently ushered me through the club and into the darkened lobby. The farther we walked, the more the lighting changed, growing ominous. At the end of the passageway was a fire exit and to our right were open double doors leading into a dimly lit room. My eyes instantly went to Vivica, who was whispering urgently to Orlov but stopped with eyes snapping toward us with interest. Two men nearby flanked her sides, closing ranks.
Orlov looked at Ryker frigidly before bowing his head slightly, never taking his eyes off mine. “How lovely to see you again, Light.” He offered me his hand.
I smiled. Oskar Orlov, Reason’s father, was as debonair as usual. His perfectly styled hair accentuated his handsome good looks and lithe muscular body. I stepped forward to take his hand. Ryker wrapped an arm around me, tucking me into his side. I shot him an annoyed glare. “What?”
Ryker gave me a stern look. “No,” he dictated. Jackal and Rip moved protectively behind me.
I stared at him, knowing I had a couple of choices. Make a scene or respect his authority in front of Orlov and Vivica. I knew how important the power structure was among Others, so I opted to give him a pass in the presence of company. The minute we stepped out of this room, I was going to set some things straight with the Alpha.
Orlov turned a hard stare on Ryker. “It seems Alpha does not trust me with you.”
A tired sigh escaped my lips. Any minute now, they were going to whip out their penises and start marking their territory.
Heads snapped toward the door when Reason burst into the room like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. Orlov looked at her with warm eyes, opening his arms. “Ah, there’s my little girl.”
Reason stepped into his arms. “Cut it out. I’m not little. I’m twenty-three.”
He smiled indulgently. “A mere baby for a vampire, yes?”
Reason pulled back, frowning at him. “Never mind that, Dad. Why did you tell Stefan I was coming here tonight?”
Orlov frowned, baring his canines. “Because it’s time to get familiar with your future consort.”
Reason snorted. “Which is never going to happen. So you can stop meddling in my love life, Father.”
Vivica cleared her throat loudly. “Orlov? Please, not this again. She refuses to accept him, so leave it alone.” She smiled at Reason. “How about a little acknowledgement of your aunt?” She moved forward and the two men held her back, looking at Ryker, Rip, and Jackal menacingly. “Stop it.” She swatted them. “What’s wrong with you? You know Ryker.”
One of the men jabbered, “It’s the other two we're worried about.”
My eyes widened at the drama unfolding.
Vivica winked at me. “Consorts. Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them.” She looked at them pointedly before pushing past them and walking over to Reason to hug her. “You’re working too hard, darling. You need to come to Redemption more often. You're due for a sound paddling. And I have the perfect Dominant who will break your ridiculous dry spell.”
Jackal growled with displeasure.
Vivica looked at him with interest, then back at Reason. “Is the wolf-shifter yours?”
Reason’s shoulders stiffened. “Nope. He’s not interested in vampires.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” she drawled.
Orlov looked at Jackal with aversion. “He should be so lucky to be in your presence. He’s a wolf-shifter. You’re a blueblood vampire. He’s not worth your time.”
Ryker widened his stance, staring menacingly at Orlov. “I’m going to forgive your insolence because I don’t feel like getting my clothes dirty by kicking your ass.”
Orlov’s enforcers stepped forward at the same time Jackal and Rip stepped forward. Everyone around me stiffened and an uncomfortable hush fell upon us. I placed a gentle hand on Ryker’s arm. “Can we do this without getting blood all over my designer dress?”
Ryker tilted his head as he considered me before nodding at Jackal and Rip. They stepped back. Reason gave her father an exasperated glare. He nodded stiffly to his enforcers. They stepped back also.
“I don’t have time for this!” Orlov elucidated with an air of arrogance.
“Make time,” Ryker drawled, his low tone emanating anger. “We have business we need to deal with.”
“There is no ‘we,’ shifter. My second-in-command has been slaughtered by your kind. And we are now on the verge of a vampire-shifter war.” Orlov tilted his head. “I agreed to this meeting only to appease my curiosity.” Vivica scoffed. “And because Vivica asked me to hear you out.”
I didn’t like this at all. My hand went instinctively to Ryker’s back. I could feel the muscles bunched. He was pissed, but his face remained calm. The air stilled. “We both know a war will not be good for any of us. Our numbers are already thin. We can’t afford to lose any more vampires or shifters.”
Orlov frowned. “And what do you plan to do to avoid the inevitable bearer of the Sword of Souls?”
“I don’t have time for bullshit, Orlov,” Ryker told him with a tick in his jaw. “You and I know your clan is in disarray. If it wasn’t, Dimitri wouldn’t be meeting Houston and Noah behind your back.”
They stared at each other tensely. The silence went on for so long I forced myself not to shift anxiously.
“There are issues I’m currently resolving.” His voice held an edge of rage, yet his demeanor was controlled.
“So we agree Dimitri, Houston, and the two shifters’ deaths were not a coincidence,” Ryker responded curtly. “Something’s going on. And if we don’t figure out what, we’re not going to survive the week. Someone’s trying to send our world spiraling toward war. Now I need you to tell me what you know about the Shadows.”
Orlov considered Ryker for a second. “They’re a group of filthy warlocks who have been buying up property in Manhattan,” he spat out. “I thought nothing of it until some of their members starting visiting my clubs, asking a lot of detailed questions.”
I posed quietly but inside I was seething.
“Questions about what?” Ryker inquired in an authoritative tone.
“About the peace treaty negotiations,” Orlov responded curtly.
“Do you know anything regarding the recent chatter about humans looking for Other organs?”
Orlov shrugged. “Yes. But you and I know it’s not as simple as taking our organs or blood and becoming a shifter or vampire. If that were the case, we all would be extinct by now. Once our organs leave our bodies, it dies.”
“What if they figured out how to bypass that?” Ryker asked.
Vivica laughed. “Impossible.”
“Not anymore,” Jackal commented. “I have it from a good source the Shadows have figured out how to harvest Other organs. It won’t make the organ recipient an Other, but it will significantly extend their life. It’s like the Holy Grail, the equivalent of a fountain of youth for humans.”
Vivica stared, dumbfounded. “They’ll hunt Others like animals.”
“They’ve already started,” Ryker stated dryly. “Now the Shadows are everyone’s problem.” He stared at Orlov pointedly.
“Apparently,” Orlov replied. “Let me call my contacts. They can help us.”
My mind was reeling. I didn’t know how much I should reveal about my link to the Shadows. What would Ryker do? I pulled out my cell discreetly, texting “911” to Mom, and wiped the sweat glistening on my forehead.
Ryker wrapped his arm around me. “Is everything all right?”
Damn his shifter senses. He probably smelled the anxiousness seeping out from my pores. I didn’t want to lie. I knew telling him the truth would open a whole can of whip ass I wasn’t prepared to deal with. “I… uh… well…” My eyebrows rose as I slightly stepped away. “Shit… maybe we should…” I sighed when my cell rang. “Sorry, I need to take this.” My eyes darted toward the door, and I half-stepped toward it. Ryker grabbed my wrist.
“Are you sure everything is all right?” he hissed.
I looked pointedly at his hand. “Yup… pretty sure…” He reluctantly released me, nodding at Rip to go with me “No. I need a minute to take this call in private. I’ll stay right outside this room. I promise.” I sighed with relief when Ryker reluctantly conceded. I walked out of the room, letting the darkness of the passageway shroud me. “Hey, Mom?” I whispered. The cell crackled. “Great.” I looked at the door warily before creeping farther down the passageway. “Mom?”