Claimed By The Lycan

by Kristen Middleton

  Vanessa.

  Our passion had been like no other and I would have given my life for hers, in a heartbeat, but in the end, it was me who’d actually destroyed her. Vanessa had not been able live with the fact that she’d loved a vampire. A monster. When she killed herself, she’d also killed a part of me. From that day forward, I stayed away from humans and only associated with other immortals when I needed sex. Although I’d managed to make it work, it was still a very hollow existence.

  When the song ended, the crowd erupted in applause. Forcing a smile, I glanced toward the bar again, but noticed the girl with the red hair was gone. Then something caught my eye, and I looked near the other side of the stage, and there she was, right below it, grinning up at me.

  Good God she was even more beautiful when she smiled….

  When I grinned back, she lowered her lashes and blushed. It was then that my senses went into overdrive. I could tell from the look in her eyes and the way that she was breathing that her body had released endorphins in response to my performance. I’d excited the hell out of this human girl, and based on her obvious innocence, she probably didn’t even realize it.

  A fire ignited in my stomach and my jeans grew tighter. In horror, I turned around and stared at Liam’s ugly mug, hoping it would be enough to kill my arousal. But, her face was all I could see in the back of my mind. Her delicate face, staring up at me with hunger.

  Shit.

  I’d never gotten excited onstage, and it had been years since I’d even allowed myself to think about a human girl in such a way. Now I had a raging boner.

  “You okay?” asked Sean.

  I didn’t answer. I was far from okay.

  “Dude, what’s up besides…” laughed Liam, nodding towards my zipper.

  “Give me your guitar,” I said to Jimmy, gritting my teeth.

  Grinning, he handed it over to me.

  I held it in front of my jeans and turned back to the audience.

  “Thank you, everyone!” I hollered, waving my hand and trying to avoid the human who’d gotten me so worked up. “Have a great night!” Then I walked off the back of the stage while security rushed to keep the fans from mauling me.

  “WOW, THAT WAS awesome,” said Susan as we walked back to the bar. “I still can’t believe that you wanted to fight our way over to the stage. I definitely wasn’t expecting that one.”

  “Neither was I,” I replied, still shocked myself. But, after he’d started to sing, something had come over me. Like a moth to a flame, I’d been drawn to Slade’s voice, wanting to get as near to it as I could. He’d swept me away with the lyrics, and the emotion in his words had touched me deeply. I could see why he had so many fans, especially female ones.

  “Did you see the way he stared at you?” remarked Susan. “The guy looked like he wanted to jump your bones!”

  My eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “He was hot for you. Even his eyes looked like they were on fire.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Actually, it was kind of weird how they glowed. I’m sure it was some kind of stage act with contact lenses or whatever.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, having noticed the same thing. Ethan’s eyes had glowed the same way, and again, I blamed it on the lighting.

  “Anyway, now I bet you can’t wait to meet him.” She smirked. “Hell, I bet he can’t wait to meet you. I mean, wow… the way he looked at you. I thought he was going to leap off of the stage, throw you over his shoulder, and carry you to his man-cave.”

  My stomach grew warm with that idea. “Shut up. He did not.”

  “He was definitely lusting after you. You should be thrilled.”

  “Slade wasn’t lusting after me,” I said, trying not to smile. I had to admit, the idea was making me tingle.

  She giggled. “You’re such a virgin.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’d have told me all the gritty details by now.”

  I blushed.

  She pointed. “And you wouldn’t be blushing.”

  “Whatever,” I said as we stopped back by the bar.

  “Hey,” said Brian, handing Susan her martini. “You forgot this. I saved it for you.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, winking at him.

  “We should go up to the V.I.P. now,” I said. “Before it gets too late. I really don’t want to stay here too long. I have a lot of studying to do tomorrow.”

  “Sure, but let me finish this first,” she said, stirring the martini.

  “I take it those Cosmopolitans are pretty strong?” I said, noticing how shiny her eyes were getting.

  Susan grinned. “They are, but they go down smooth.” She held out the glass. “Try some? Just a sip?”

  Not wanting her totally wasted by the time we met the band, I extended my hand. “Sure, I’ll help you.”

  She handed the glass to me. “They are so… yummy,” she said. Susan lowered her voice and gave me a lopsided grin. “Kind of like the bartender.”

  Chuckling, I gulped down most of the drink and then shivered. It was really strong.

  “Hey,” she pouted as I handed her the glass. “You hardly left me any.”

  “Sorry,” I replied, feeling my stomach get warm. I smiled as the heat spread to my cheeks. “I see what you mean. Those are damn good.”

  “Would either of you like another one?” asked Brian, handing an older guy next to us a bottle of beer.

  “No,” I said, grabbing my purse from the bar. “I think we’re going upstairs.”

  “But, we’ll be back,” said Susan, smiling at him flirtatiously.

  “Hey,” I asked, leaning toward Brian. “Just curious… you mentioned that you were working last night?”

  “Sure was. In fact, I’m here most nights until close.”

  Feeling more comfortable with him, especially now that the booze had loosened my tongue, I lowered my voice. “Did you see a blonde around my age here last night? About as tall as Susan with long hair and big blue eyes?”

  “Yeah, and even bigger boobs,” said Susan.

  Brian burst out laughing. “Sounds like half the girls who were here last night.”

  And tonight, I thought, looking around again.

  “What’s her name?” he asked, wiping the top of the black-marbled bar with a towel. “Maybe it will ring a bell.”

  “Melody Williams,” I said.

  His forehead wrinkled. “Hmm… Melody…. blonde hair and stacked, huh? Can’t say that I recognize the name, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t here. Last night was jam-packed.”

  “Oh, she was definitely here,” I replied. “Her friends, Veronica and Taylor, verified that.”

  He swung the towel over his shoulder and gave me a curious look. “So, why exactly are you looking for this chick?”

  “She’s my cousin and now she’s missing. She supposedly took off with some guy last night and hasn’t made it home yet.”

  Brian shrugged. “Maybe she’s still with the dude and just forgot about checking in.”

  Susan grinned wickedly. “Exactly. Maybe she’s just too busy gettin’ busy to think about anyone else right now.”

  He chuckled. “Exactly. Once they come up for air, you’ll hear from her, I’ll bet.”

  “I hope so,” I replied, still not too sure myself. No phone calls from Melody, well that was one thing, but the texting thing disturbed me. She was addicted to her keypad and should have texted somebody by now.

  Just then, my own cell phone began to vibrate. I pulled it out of my purse. “It’s my mom,” I said to Susan, staring down at the text. I sighed. “They still haven’t heard from Melody.”

  “Crap,” said Susan. “I was hoping that you were getting some good news.”

  “Me too. She says she’s staying with my aunt overnight,” I said as I began typing a message back, telling her that I was still out with Susan and would be home later.

  “Is your dad staying, too?” she asked. “Or is he going to start badgering the police to start looking
for her?”

  I shoved my phone back into my purse and zipped it up. “I’m sure they’re going to file a Missing Person’s Report. It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Melody’s friends saw her.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I know what Brian said and all,” she said as we stepped away from the bar. “But what if something seriously bad has happened to her?”

  “That’s why we’re here,” I said. “To see if anyone remembers seeing her, or the guy she left with. Melody kind of stands out in the crowd, you know? I would think someone would remember her.”

  “She definitely thrives on attention. So, um… are you going to ask the band if they know anything?”

  “Well, I’m going to try,” I replied as we took the stairs. “I mean I didn’t exactly come here to ‘ooh’ and ‘ah” over these guys. I’m here for answers.”

  “Ditto. Hey, maybe we should have asked Ethan? I didn’t even think about that.”

  “I did, but not until after he left. Unfortunately, it’s too late now.”

  “Shit,” she said, looking back toward the entrance. “We should have asked the coat-check girl. I didn’t even think about that!”

  “If it’s even the same one from last night.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  “We’ll do it on the way out.”

  “Good thinking. Hopefully Slade will remember something about her, too. I’m sure Melody made her way to the front of the stage to get his attention.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” I replied, picturing her making goo-goo eyes at him. After seeing and listening to him tonight, however, I couldn’t exactly blame her.

  When we reached the top, there were three rooms marked “V.I.P.” We stepped toward the one with two security guards.

  “Yeah, um… I think we’re supposed to give you this,” I said, holding up the card from Ethan.

  The taller of the two, Bill, a guy with a blond ponytail and goatee, took the card. “You say Ethan gave you this?”

  I nodded.

  “Yeah,” said Susan, her eyes big. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to stay long. Just want to meet the band and maybe get an autograph or two.”

  The other security guard, Mason, a dark-skinned man with soft brown eyes and a friendlier face, leaned over and looked at the card. He read it and then smiled at us. “Huh… well, I guess it’s your lucky night.”

  “It appears that way,” I replied, as Bill handed me back the card.

  “Or maybe not,” said Bill under his breath with a smirk.

  “What was that?” I asked, looking up at him. With his thick lips and beady eyes, he was far from attractive.

  Mason laughed. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous.”

  “Screw that,” said Bill. “I’m not jealous of those guys. I get all the chicks I want. I don’t need to be in a rock band for that.”

  “Whatever. I’ll escort you two inside,” said Mason, turning back to us. “There might be some crazy shit going on in the V.I.P.” He smiled wickedly. “And you lovely ladies might just need some protection from the animals in there.”

  I looked at Susan nervously, wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into. There were a lot of rumors about the club. Creepy ones.

  Mason looked at my face and burst out laughing. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. You look like you’re about ready to take off running.”

  I forced a smile. “No. I’m fine. I knew you were joking.”

  He tilted his head. “You still look a little apprehensive. Don’t be. Nothing bad will happen to you,” he grinned wickedly, “unless you want it to.”

  I glanced at Susan, who was also smiling.

  “Come on,” he said, stepping back so we could enter the lounge. “I’ll introduce you to Venom. I have a feeling they’re going to be happy when you two walk through the door.”

  “Really?” asked Susan.

  “Hell yeah. They love meeting their fans.”

  “We’re kind of new fans,” I said, hoping that nobody would ask me about the music or which song was my favorite.

  “That’s even better,” said Mason, walking us down the hallway. “The band just loves fresh meat.”

  I sighed. “Great.”

  WHEN WE STEPPED into the lounge, I had to admit, it was very classy.

  “Wow, now this is what I call a night club,” said Susan, beaming. “I just can’t believe it’s hidden away in a small town like Shore Lake. The owner must have spent a small fortune on this place.”

  “Only the best for Faye. She wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Mason.

  I thought the club below was impressive, but it was dull compared to the décor in this room.

  Obviously, I thought, looking around, if this was where they catered to the rich and famous, then it would have to be pretty extravagant.

  “Swanky, huh?” asked Susan, elbowing me.

  “Yeah, it’s nice,” I replied, raising my voice as another song began to play in the club.

  The lounge was extravagant and obviously catered to a higher-class customer. The room itself was dimly lit with a purplish hue. Curved leather sofas and black marbled tables lined the sides of the room, most of them already filled with hipsters, drinking and talking loudly over the music. In the back was a large crystal bar with two bartenders serving top-shelf liquor while scantily dressed servers, dressed in purple and black uniforms, walked around with plates of appetizers and drinks.

  “This way,” said Mason, leading us toward an area that overlooked the dance floor below. As we drew closer, I recognized the group playing cards around a table that looked like it had been sculpted out of amethyst. As we approached, the guys looked up from their game, eyeing us curiously. Everyone in the band appeared to be there, except Slade.

  “Mason, what’s up?” asked a guy, who I recognized as the drummer. He had shoulder-length blond hair and twinkling blue eyes.

  “Ethan sent them up. Fans of yours,” he replied and then turned to us. “I’m going to hand you off to these fellows now. Have fun, ladies.”

  “Uh, thanks,” I replied, feeling totally sober and awkward now that we were standing in front of the band.

  “Sounds good to me,” replied another guy at the table. He had brown eyes and dimples so deep that I couldn’t help but return his smile.

  “I’m Liam,” said the blonde guy, who reminded me a lot of Thor, which I knew Susan must have found thrilling. “So… you girls into poker?”

  “I’ve played before,” replied Susan, grinning stupidly at him. Obviously, my observation had been dead on.

  Liam, who towered over both of us, stood up and pulled over a couple of purple leather club chairs. “Here, sit down and we’ll deal you in. We aren’t playing for money or anything.”

  “That’s because you still owe me from last weekend,” said the guy with the dimples. “Cheap-ass.”

  “I don’t owe you shit,” replied Liam. “You’re dreaming.”

  “If I was dreaming, you’d have paid me,” he replied as Susan and I sat down.

  “Keep dreaming and maybe you’ll get your money,” chuckled Liam, taking a swig of his beer.

  Dimples laughed. “You’re such a dickhead.”

  Liam ignored him and turned back to us. “So, don’t be shy. What are your names?”

  “I’m Susan and that’s Chelsey,” she said, smiling nervously. Obviously she was a little star-struck. I myself was pleasantly surprised that these guys were so easy going.

  “What about you?” I asked, trying to relax.

  “We’re the guys your momma warned you about,” said Liam.

  We all laughed this time.

  “Seriously, though,” I said. “What are your names?”

  “Thought you were fans,” said Liam, shuffling the cards. He grinned. “Or are you just Slade fans?”

  “No. Actually, although we do enjoy your music, we came up here for something totally different,” I replied.

  “To play poker?” joked Liam
, staring at me with amusement. “Please tell me your favorite is ‘Strip’. I always pay up for that.”

  “No,” I replied, blushing. “Actually, we wanted to find out if any of you have seen my cousin. She’s missing.”

  There was a long silence and then the guy with the dimples leaned forward. “Missing? When did she go missing?”

  “Last night. I guess she came here to see your band in concert and then left with a guy. Nobody has seen or heard from her since.”

  “And you find that odd?” laughed Liam.

  “Exactly. She’s probably just pulling an all-nighter,” said another guy. He had short red hair and a goatee. Like the others, he was also very handsome. “I’m Sean, by the way. That’s Jimmy,” he pointed to the dimpled guy. “And that’s Bradan,” he said, nodding to a fourth guy who was texting someone on his cell phone.

  Bradan looked up and smiled. “Sorry, lass, I’m listening to you. Truly I am. Keep going.”

  I licked my lips. “Well, like I said, she’s missing, but I don’t think she’s pulling an ‘all-nighter’. She hasn’t contacted anyone, not even her friends, and Melody can’t live without texting.”

  Bradan held up his phone. “Like I said, sorry about this. I’m not normally this bad. It’s me ma. She won’t stop asking me to come home for the holidays.”

  I smiled at his accent. “So, are you the only one from Ireland?”

  “We all are,” said Liam, although he didn’t have an accent. “Except for Slade. He’s originally from Romania. He lost his accent eons ago.”

  I laughed. “So, I take it you’ve been in the U.S. for a while then?”

  “Yes,” said Jimmy with a glint in his eye. “Centuries, in fact. Interesting place.”

  “Wow, you sure age well,” teased Susan. “Let me guess… you’re really vampires and drink blood to stay young and virile?”

  The table went quiet.

  “Ha ha…” said Susan, shaking her head.