Friends With The Monsters

by Albany Walker

  Calix’s eyelids lower slowly, and a grin lifts one side of his lips. My heart starts beating a little faster. He sure doesn’t look like he thinks I stink. I can feel Grim’s heat on my back and Calix’s against my chest. Well, if this isn’t just any girl’s fantasy. My nipples tighten in my bra. Grim didn’t want to give me what I needed, but I bet Calix would be willing. I wonder if Grim would be up for watching. I mean, it’s the least he could do, right? He’s the one that got me all excited and then backed off.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Gunnar shouts. I can feel his heavy footfalls as he nears us.

  “Uh-oh, Kitten caught us,” I mock whisper. A new idea begins to form in my mind, and this one has some merit. All three of them—hell, I don’t even need any of them to touch me. If they all just stood around and watched me get myself off, that might be fun, too.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, knock it off,” Gunnar snarls.

  “Make me.” I meet his gaze and say the words slowly.

  Gunnar’s face scrunches up and he drags in a deep inhale, his body expanding along with it. If he thinks this hulking out thing is scary, he better go peddle his wares elsewhere. I think it’s kinda hot.

  “You know I like the beast look, right? It really works for you.” I step out from between Grim and Calix, not because Gunnar told me to, but because I am ready. I’m starting to realize that these boys are nothing but teases. Two, or rather four, can play at that game.

  “I’m going hunting,” I announce, and slip right past Gunnar while he’s busy staring down Grim and Calix.

  Chapter 17

  I quickly lose myself in the crowd. I know I don’t have a lot of time before one—or all three—comes to find me. I said I was going hunting, but I didn’t mention what I was hunting. My intention was to find a suitable man or woman to show those guys I can scratch an itch anytime, but now that I’m away from them, I have no desire to look for another warm body. Stupid, stupid head: it seems as if it’s decided I need one of them to satiate me.

  I scan the crowd in the VIP lounge, looking for that icky feeling I got from the witch, but I just sense the run of the mill sins that always plague this place. I don’t even have the desire to feed.

  A flash of light catches my eye, and I see the door to the lounge open. Vanessa is leading a small group of people into the section. As soon as I spot them, I feel the stench of their magic.

  A foul taste fills my mouth, but I work hard to keep my expression unbothered as I make my way over to the bar. I recognize the man holding the door so the group can enter. He was the guy who interrupted Gunnar and me in his office a few nights ago. He steps into the lounge as the last of the group comes through the door.

  The space was packed before, but now it feels beyond overcrowded. Two men make their way over to a large conversation area with a couple of couches and chairs. One leans into the partiers already seated there and speaks. When the man leans back, the people look around, seeming a little bewildered, but they all start to rise and abandon their seats.

  Vanessa and her group make their way over and the crowd parts for them. I face the bar. “May I have a bottle of water, please?”

  “You got it,” a good-looking guy behind the bar replies quickly. Before I can drag a twenty out of my bra—these pants don’t leave room for pockets—Calix places a bill on the bar right next to my left elbow.

  I know it’s him by the way he feels. Everyone else in this place is tarnished, but somehow it makes his purity shine even brighter.

  “Anything for you?” the bartender asks with a chin jerk.

  “Nothing, just hers.” Calix pushes the money closer to the man.

  I lick my lips before cracking the lid on my drink. I know Grim is close, too. My stupid fucking body is somehow tuned in to his as well. I spin on the stool, using my boots on the bottom riser. Lifting the bottle to my lips, I whisper, “They feel like the oily guy,” then take a sip, covering my mouth.

  I watch the entire VIP lounge, but keep an eye on the group. Gunnar is speaking to the man that interrupted us, but he’s not being very subtle about keeping an eye on our small group. Every time I glance past him, he’s looking at us.

  “He’s not very stealthy,” I mutter, making a big deal about looking over the crowd.

  “We don’t really need stealth, Damiana. What we need are answers.” Calix leans his arm behind me on the bar.

  “Well, if they’re up to shady shit, and they realize we’re on to them, it could foil our plans.” I look up at him and smile like I’m really just flirting with Calix.

  He grins down at me. “Foil our plans for what—world domination?” I can tell he’s teasing me and my excitement.

  “No, but if they’re hurting my friends, I’m going to stop them.” Who’s to say they wouldn’t go after Uncle or Theius the next time they need a boost of magic.

  Grim bumps into my side. I look over and see a tall redhead sidled up a little too close to him for comfort. Without thinking, I reach across Grim’s body, place my hand on her hip, and shove her away. “Mine.”

  The redhead gapes at me, her pretty mouth hanging open as if she can’t believe my audacity. “Move along.” I shoo her with my fingers and wrap my arm around Grim’s back, tugging him closer. Grim turns so the front of his body is flush to my side. I give his butt a nice little pat as a reward. There’s no way I’m going to let someone else touch him. They don’t know it yet—hell, I’m not even sure when I decided it—but some part of me did choose all three of them as mine.

  I wrap my other arm around Calix just for good measure. I don’t need anyone getting any ideas.

  “Comfortable, queenie?” Calix asks. I give his ass a pinch in response. “Don’t distract me. I’m working.” He bursts out laughing, attracting way more attention than we need. Vanessa even looks over at our group, and her brow furrows.

  “Great.” I scowl.

  “What’s wrong, bad blood?” Calix’s hand goes to my shoulder near Grim.

  “No. I’ve just never liked her. Now I know why,” I theorize, but it’s probably just an excuse. Even if she weren’t a witch, I still wouldn’t like her.

  “She’s the head of the coven,” Grim comments, as if he’s answering his own question.

  “Shush,” I warn, and look around. We’re still drawing some attention. It would probably be hard not to, with two gorgeous guys and a woman between them. I bet they’re wondering what we look like when we fuck, importing our faces into the countless pornos they watch. I know I’m doing a little imagining myself.

  Grim would be under me, tied to the bed so he couldn’t escape. Calix would be behind me. A little double dipping sounds so damn good right now.

  “Should we go over and introduce ourselves?” Calix interrupts my thoughts. I glower at him and the thought of speaking with her.

  Not one to back down, I stand up, but I need to set some ground rules. I grab hold of Grim’s chin and pull him down so I can see that he’s looking in my eyes. His mouth parts just slightly, and I feel the breath of hot air that escapes. “You may not like it, but I refuse to share you.” Grim licks his lips in response.

  I turn to face Calix. “Same goes for you. Don’t do anything that will piss me off,” I warn him. He seems way flirtier than Grim, and watching him flirt might just send me over the edge. Not to mention, who knows what would happen to me if I ate a witch’s soul, nasty thing that it is.

  “Come on.” I take a step and pause. Grim hits my back. I like that he’s staying so close. I spin on my heel. “Are we pretending we don’t know Gunnar? I don’t know the plan.”

  “Let’s let him decide.” Calix places his hand on my back, urging me forward.

  When I turn around, I suck in my already flat stomach and smooth my hand over my hair.

  “Back again so soon?” Vanessa grates through a fake smile as we approach. “And you brought friends.” She doesn’t hide her lecherous stare as she gives Grim and Calix each a good once over. “And you are
?” She leans forward just a bit, but it allows the low cut of her loose fitting top to dip even farther, exposing her nipple. If I can see it, I know the guys can, too. I grit my teeth.

  Taking one step back so I’m between the two men she’s asking about, I loop my arms through each of theirs.

  “Cal,” Calix says, his voice coming out flat and disinterested. Vanessa gives Grim a moment to respond, and when he doesn’t, her nostrils flare a bit.

  “I do hope you’re enjoying my club. If there’s anything you ever need…” She lets the sentence linger before turning her full focus on Grim.

  Vanessa leans a little lower and winks. “Strong silent type. I like it.”

  “Don’t,” Grim tells her.

  Vanessa’s brow wrinkles, and after a few awkward seconds, she lets out a little giggle like it’s some sort of joke. “Why don’t you guys join us?” Vanessa offers, and with a wave of her hand, a small spot on one of the sofas opens up. I can’t believe she’s inviting us to sit with her, especially after Grim just gave her such an icy reception.

  Grim steps forward, taking me with him. I let my arm slide out of Calix’s elbow, so as not to drag him with us, too. Grim quickly releases my arm and takes hold of my waist, turning me so I’m standing directly in front of him, then he pulls me snugly against his body. Wrapping his arm around my stomach, he lowers us to the couch with me on his lap, as if he’s done it a thousand times. I get a little thrill, liking the way he can so easily control my body.

  Calix saunters over and sits on the arm of the sofa, before reaching for my hand and laying it over his thigh. The visual is effective; Vanessa’s eyebrows rise slightly.

  Gunnar steps over, his stance wide as he peruses everyone. Is this the coven? It can’t be all of them—the man from the other day isn’t here.

  “Have you met Drott?” Vanessa lifts her hand toward Gunnar but keeps her eyes on me.

  “Drott?” I question, peering up at Gunnar.

  “We’re acquainted,” Gunnar replies, ignoring the fact that she introduced him under a different name. Vanessa’s eyes narrow, but she doesn’t say anything. “I need to speak with you.” Gunnar focuses on the bitchy witch.

  “I’m entertaining. It can wait.”

  “No, it can’t.” Gunnar’s voice raises a little at Vanessa’s denial.

  I lift my hand to cover the smile forming on my lips. She’s about to get in trouble. “Surely, it can’t be that important.” Vanessa clicks her tongue at Gunnar.

  “I would say a dead Troll in the alley is very fucking important.” The veins in Gunnar’s neck start to thicken and the sockets around his eyes darken.

  The thin lines around Vanessa’s mouth tighten until her lips are pulled back in a sneer. She lurches to a stand, her two beefy bodyguards rising with her. “What are you talking about?” Her words are just a little slower than her reaction. She isn’t surprised. But she is madder than a wet cat. I squeeze Calix’s thigh. He remains completely calm.

  “A Troll?” I look at Gunnar, but he’s watching Vanessa.

  “He means one of the homeless who live under the bridge,” one of the women near the back chimes in.

  I look over my shoulder to find her. “You can’t be serious,” I say as a chuckle escapes me. The woman looks around for someone to back her up. I would know she was lying, even if I didn’t sense it.

  “They’re Charmed, you idiot,” Vanessa hisses.

  The woman lowers her head and examines her hands. “I thought I was helping. I know we aren’t supposed to talk about these things outside the wards.”

  The man next to her places his hand on her shoulder in comfort. “We were all new once,” he soothes, while giving her a little shake. She musters up a small smile in gratitude, but looks down right away when he removes his hand.

  I shift, and Grim tightens his hold on me, forcing my body to hold still. I examine the woman and her aura, the black smudges around her feet are faint. Quickly, before anyone can leave, I look at them all, gauging which of them is the dirtiest, since they’re the ones who will have the answers.

  Surprisingly, the man who comforted her has the most muck on his aura. It’s condensed over his hands and chest, while heavy globs are littered around his feet. It looks like it would be weighing him down. He rises quickly, heading for Vanessa.

  “Let me up,” I mutter under my breath to Grim. His arm tightens for the briefest second before he releases me. I step right into the man’s path. “Hey, that was really cool of you.” I bat my eyelashes at him.

  His brow furrows, and he looks around like he can’t believe I’m talking to him, then he peers at Grim and Calix out of the corner of his eye. “Oh, yeah, well, like I said, everyone makes mistakes.”

  “You seem to know what you’re doing.” I bite the corner of my bottom lip. “What’s your name?”

  “Joe, Joe Bishop. You’re Damiana.” I preen a little, pretending to be happy he knows my name.

  “That’s me. See you around, Joe.”

  Joe’s head goes up and down, then shakes from left to right. Poor dude doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. “Yeah, okay.”

  When I look away from Joe, Gunnar and Vanessa are having a hushed conversation, but it looks heated, if Gunnar’s demeanor is any indication.

  “What do you think will happen next?” I lean over near Calix, excited that I’m in on the drama. This is way more exciting than what I’m used to.

  “I think we should head back.” Calix is watching Gunnar.

  “What? But it’s just getting good. Vanessa is about to be in a shit-ton of trouble, I know it. I don’t want to miss that.” I can’t believe he wants to leave now!

  “Look around you, Damiana.” This comes from Grim. I do as he asks and note all the witches around me and their sooty auras.

  “Okay?” I prompt, I’m not sure what I’m missing, but it must be something. Grim locks his arm around my waist again and starts to move us backwards, like he’s keeping me hostage. Kinky—I think I could do the whole Stockholm thing with him.

  In my ear, he mutters, “None of them have any real power, but their souls are corrupted. There’s something else going on here.”

  I watch Joe and the others like him. Grim is right. I sense the filth on them, but that’s it. They just feel like humans, soul-sick humans, except Vanessa. Her aura isn’t nearly as smudged as the others, yet something about her sets my teeth on edge. I want to knock her down a few pegs.

  There’s still too much that I don’t know, that I don’t understand. Before I realize it, we’re back in the ladies’ bathroom. Grim is towing me backwards into the small stall. “I could walk, you know. You don’t have to kidnap me.” Grim’s arm loosens and I almost regret reminding him I’m a willing captive.

  Calix stuffs himself into the tiny stall with us. “Oh my God. Work, girl!” I hear someone smack their lips together.

  I can’t resist the challenge. With the sweetest smile I can muster, I start to moan. “Oh wow, both of you? But I’m not that type of girl.” Then I burst out laughing. “Just kidding! Who wants my ass?” Calix lets out a loud snort then covers his mouth with his hand. His eyes gleam down at me with a naughty twinkle.

  Calix moans next, then smacks his hands together while he lets out a man whimper. “Do it again, mistress.”

  “Would you two shut up?” Grim demands, his voice dark, and it reminds me of when he told me to keep quiet. I fight to turn around, elbowing Calix and Grim in the process. When I’m done, I’m staring up at Grim. I expected to find his face placid, but his jaw is hard, and his eyes are narrowed on me. He’s straddling the toilet so there’s enough room in here for all three of us.

  I run my fingers up the inside of his thigh, watching as he squirms the tiniest bit, and heat starts to build in his eyes. “Don’t like to play?” I finally ask, when I reach the button on the top of Grim’s jeans. I let the nail of my pointer finger drag over the skin of his lower stomach.

  “I need to concentrate.” I watch
as Grim’s face smooths out, and the tic in his jaw softens.

  “Fine.” I roll my eyes. The small cubical gets hot fast, and I’m not just talking about my body heating up because I’m pressed between two hot men like the cream in a doughnut. I blow my hair off my cheek. “Stop breathing so much. It’s hot as balls in here.”

  “Hold on to her, Nemean,” Grim orders, as his arms come up around me. I wrap my arms around Grim’s back and lay my head on his chest, just so I have something to do with my hands. Calix fuses himself to my back and grabs a hold of my hips tightly.

  “I thought you could only take one at a time?” Calix questions, as a cool waft of air circles around me.

  “I never said that.” Grim steps back as soon as we’re in my kitchen. I miss his heat immediately.

  “Asshole,” Calix mutters without any real anger.

  “Why did you want to leave?” I hop up on the counter and let my feet dangle. My boots feel heavy, so I bend down and loosen the laces, letting them fall to the floor with a thump.

  “I think that coven leader has found a way to siphon magic from her coven without taking the price on her soul. There’s no way she could remain the leader of such a large group and not show the evidence of her magic use.” Grim answers.

  “What do you mean? How can you tell?” Calix makes his way to the fridge and grabs a carton of orange juice. He doesn’t even bother with a glass. He chugs it directly from the jug.

  “You’re right,” I tell Grim, thinking about all the times I’ve been close to Vanessa. Something about her always repelled me, but I was never really sure what it was. Almost everyone in the group today felt slimy but her. Yet there’s something about her I don’t like. I don’t feel threatened by her, but I do feel something. “You can’t see their souls, auras?” I focus on Calix.