by Dannika Dark
Fed up, Wyatt walked over and took the bottle away. “What are you doing that for? You’re going to kill it.”
“I think that’s the point she’s trying to make,” I said. “What’s the big deal?”
“Easy for you to say, Vampy. But the rest of us have to eat.”
Gem winked. “For ten dollars, you can buy a pack of donuts.”
He set the bottle on the island and stormed out. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m all booked up on crazy.”
“I’ll see if Viktor can have a talk with her,” Gem yelled through the doorway. Then she turned to me and shrugged. “Not that it’ll make a difference. Viktor doesn’t like all the junk food either.”
“But ice cream?”
Her eyes lit up when she looked over at Kira. “Maybe we should get her to try some. I bet she just threw away anything she didn’t recognize.”
Kira went about her business as if we weren’t in the room. After securing an apron around her dress, she reached in a cabinet and pulled out several pans.
Gem appeared at my side and lowered her voice. “Have you ever seen anyone so happy cooking?”
“It’s unnatural. Maybe she’s a demon.”
“Wyatt certainly thinks so.” Gem rocked on her heels and laughed brightly. “Once she gets used to things around here, I’m going to see if I can get her to speak in her native tongue. I pored over my books on ancient European Breed languages and found nothing remotely similar to what Viktor was speaking. So far, she hasn’t said a peep. It’s impossible to learn a language when I can’t hear it, and Viktor doesn’t want to help. Sometimes I can pick up the etymology of a word, and that helps give me a comparative. He’s probably afraid I’ll figure it out. God forbid the poor woman might want someone to talk to.”
“How the hell do you remember all those words?”
“Everything my Relic ancestors learned about language passed on to me. If I were able to have children, whatever new language I learned would pass on to them. I think it’s wired in our head to build on our knowledge, because I can’t shake the insatiable need to pick apart words.”
“We need to show her how to use the computer so she can order groceries online for pickup. Did you see all the beans Shepherd bought the other day? Nobody needs that many beans unless they want to build a bomb.”
“Speak of the devil.”
Shepherd’s musky scent announced his arrival as he moved into the kitchen, sweat dripping from his head, his torso glistening.
“She already mopped,” Gem quipped.
“Thought I heard yelling in here,” he said, out of breath.
I glanced down at his black workout pants and bare feet. “That was Wyatt. He’s having a conniption because all the sugar in the house is now in the trash.”
“All of it?”
Gem sauntered by him. “Every last cookie. Guess this means we’ll be putting money into that evil little vending machine after all.”
“I got that covered,” he grumbled.
I folded my arms, curious if he’d tossed it out a window. “What do you mean by that?”
Shepherd wiped his face on a dish towel. “I stole the master key last night and switched out the prices. If he wants something, he’s going to pay like the rest of us.”
Gem whirled around. “Wait a second. That would have been funny yesterday, but now we’re all in the same boat. How high did you raise them?”
Shepherd half turned. “I didn’t know we were having a sugar exodus. Maybe it’s time for everyone to detox.”
I jumped when a pan hit the floor.
Kira stared at Shepherd with a wide-eyed and terrified look. Shepherd was intimidating as hell, especially after a workout when he walked around with all his muscles bulging. Her energy sharpened like needles against my skin.
Shepherd casually bent down to pick up the pan. As soon as he touched it, he froze.
Then his eyes flicked up to hers.
Kira bolted past him and fled out of the room.
“She’s not very chummy, is she?” Gem said absently, staring at her silver nail polish.
With his back to us, Shepherd stared at the cookware in his hands. My eyes skated up to the tattoo on the base of his neck, and I wondered if the Celtic knot had any special meaning. It was simplistic compared to the elaborate design on his right arm of a phoenix, which wrapped around from his chest to his back. Lately Shepherd had been wearing long sleeves because of the chilly weather, so maybe she was startled by her first look at all his scars. Either that or Kira had never seen a man without his shirt on, but I was certain that even a farm girl from Bulgaria had seen that much.
Shepherd flung the pan at the sink so abruptly that Gem stumbled backward into the kitchen island. He stalked out of the room, his energy flaring against my skin.
I dropped my arms to my sides. “It doesn’t seem like everyone in this house has their shit together.”
“Shep hasn’t been himself lately. Not since he killed that Cristo guy. Maybe I’ll challenge him to some rock climbing. He always wins since I have short legs and no patience.” She bounced out of the room like a girl on a mission. Gem was an optimistic soul—more than I’d ever understand.
“Ready?”
I dragged my gaze up at Christian, whose eyes slid down to my tight pants and silver-studded boots. I swung my hips and met him halfway. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough to admire your arse in those tight leathers.”
“They feel nice. Maybe I should work them into my wardrobe.”
When he rubbed his hand down my hip and grabbed my ass, I didn’t stand a chance of making it past the door.
“If you’re searching for weapons, all you’re gonna find are my black panties.”
“Sweetheart, that’s not fair,” he growled, pulling me against him.
His mouth was on mine, and he tasted like dark, velvety wine. Every stroke of his tongue sent a lick of fire down to my core, and the restrained way he kept squeezing my ass was getting me wet. I loved the scruff on his face—loved running my fingers through it and tugging on his whiskers while I nibbled on his lip. I took advantage of the moment, trusting that his Vampire ears were listening for anyone who might be heading in our direction.
I broke the kiss, my finger stroking the pulsing vein on his neck. “You’re going to ruin my makeup, Mr. Poe.”
“Aye. And you’re going to ruin me.” Christian encircled my waist with his arms and held me close. Sometimes I forgot how good it felt to just be held. “You smell delicious,” he murmured.
“I’m not wearing anything.”
“That’s why you smell delicious.”
I nestled my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around him. “Any luck with buying my daddy’s truck?”
“I left a message. He hasn’t called back.”
“I’m worried.”
“Maybe he’s on a fecking cruise.”
“Or lying unconscious at the foot of his porch.”
“That’s not your problem anymore. You promised to let go of the past.”
I leaned back to look him in the eye. “Since you scrubbed his memory of our visit, he won’t remember you. Can you drive by his house later to ask about his truck? Just tell him you found his address by doing a reverse phone number search on the internet. Maybe that’s why he’s ignoring his phone. If someone else bought it, find out where he lives. I’ll pay him whatever.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Then I’ll chew on his neck until he changes his mind.”
Christian chuckled darkly. “You don’t see the parallel, do you?”
“Of what?”
“Your da is like our Vampire selling the goods, and you’re the hungry buyer.”
“You see what a desperate person is willing to pay for something they want?” I stepped back and wiped my chin for lipstick smudges. “If nothing happens soon, I’m going to reply to his message. We’ve been at this long enough that he should hav
e taken the bait by now. Maybe I was wrong and he doesn’t care about special orders.”
Christian tilted my chin up with the crook of his finger. “No, but I do. You be careful out there tonight. You’ll be attracting all sorts in those leathers.”
“I’ll stay on the dance floor if you think that’s the safest place.” I could barely contain the amusement in my voice. On our previous visit, I’d danced to some booty-popping stripper song with a man who had octopus arms. Usually Christian stayed in the shadows or in another room, but that was the closest he’d come to blowing his cover, and I enjoyed every second of it.
“You don’t think this outfit is a bit much?” he asked. “What about the long skirt we talked about? This is hardly submissive.”
“If our guy is scouring occult websites where humans fantasize about the undead, the last person they’d expect to show up is a demure wallflower.”
He kissed my bare shoulder.
“I have something for you,” I said. Butterflies fluttered around my middle.
Christian traced his finger down my neck. “Mmm. Indeed you do.”
I reached in my pocket and palmed the object. “It only seems fair to give you something in return for the necklace.”
He lowered his gaze to my hand. My fingers opened like a budding flower, revealing a ring. The silver band had intricate details in the shoulder and mounting, but the real focal point was the hypnotic oval stone in the center. It drew you in like a deep pool of water under a midnight moon.
“It’s onyx,” I said. “It reminded me of your eyes.”
He gave me a guarded look. “You bought me a ring?”
“It-It’s not a wedding ring,” I heard myself say. My God, could this get any more awkward? I’d never given a man a gift before, and nothing seemed sufficient to match the value of my ruby necklace. “Sorry it’s not worth millions.”
He collected the ring between two fingers and held it up to the light.
“It’s not even new,” I admitted. I genuinely couldn’t read his impassive expression, but I wasn’t exactly selling the ring by admitting it was secondhand. “If you don’t like it—”
“It’s a fine ring. I’ll treasure it.” The ring slid down his middle finger, and he pushed it to the base. It couldn’t have been a better fit, and he clenched his hand in a fist and admired it.
“I’m glad you like it. I had to trade a good pair of shoes for the stone.”
His eyes flicked up. “Where did you get this?”
“The Bricks.”
“Underground?” he said tersely. “You went there alone?”
“I don’t need a nanny any more than you do. I went to that abandoned area and down into the tunnels. I didn’t run into any trouble. Wore a hood, took a few things for bartering, and kept my eyes to the ground—just like you told me to do. I got it from the old man who sold us the magic rocks. I remembered how he had some nice stones, and he let me pick out one for the setting. So I guess it’s sort of new.”
“Is there something wrong with going to a jewelry store?”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” I nudged his arm. “Come on. I have some new sexy pants to break in.”
Christian led me through the doorway. “Try not to kill anyone with your atrocious dance moves.”
I hooked my arm in his. “I never make promises I can’t keep.”
Chapter 11
I elbowed past a few women in the dingy bathroom of High Jinx to claim one of the mirrors. After two hours of dancing, I’d smudged my black eyeliner. So I did a quick fix to play up my eyes and look like less of a raccoon in heat. Just in case our black marketeer was skulking in the shadows, I’d made a concerted effort to look everyone in the eye. There was always a possibility our Vampire had other human clubs he shopped in, but since he’d mentioned this one in particular, I had a feeling he was comfortable here.
I hadn’t seen Boomer—the lumberjack with the wraparound sunglasses—since that night. So far, he was my top suspect. I just needed to bump into him again to confirm my suspicions were right on the money.
My ruby necklace sparkled beneath the lights. It didn’t take long to realize that most people couldn’t tell a real stone from a fake. Every so often I thought about the value and had an urge to clutch it, but the sentiment behind it meant more to me than the cost. After touching up my eyeliner, I dropped the pencil into my clutch and checked myself out in the mirror. Thanks to the dank club, my hair’s natural wave was in full effect. I mashed my blood-red lips together and instinctively reached to check my weapons, suddenly remembering I wasn’t armed.
Another reason I’d brought my eyeliner pencil. I wasn’t certain that it was made from the type of wood that worked as an impalement weapon on a Vampire, but it was the only thing I could put in my clutch that wouldn’t raise suspicion if I ran into him and he searched my bag.
Assuming I’d ever meet this mystery trafficker.
All of this was dredging up bad memories of when I was turned. I thought I’d had a choice, but my maker duped me. Just like everyone else brought into the Breed world illegally.
“I love those pants,” one girl said, leaning back to get a better look. “They make your ass look great.”
“I’d be happy to give them to you.”
She quirked a thin eyebrow. “Honey, I don’t swing that way.”
I gave her a mechanical smile and left the bathroom. Blending in was a bitch. I knew humans—understood them, having recently been one. But even in my human life, clubs like this were never my scene. Hell, I wasn’t sure exactly what my scene ever was. I’d hardly had a chance to live before turning at twenty-five. But even then, I usually liked to hang back in a quiet corner. Now I had to be front and center, and the attention made me uncomfortable.
I strutted over to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. It burned deliciously on the ride down to my empty stomach, so I ordered another. Hours of mingling, and all I had to show for it was a headache and sweaty thighs.
I hadn’t noticed Christian next to me until he reached for a beer that the bartender set down. I recognized the onyx ring and glimpsed him in the mirror, but he kept his head down and moved out of sight.
Casually turning to face the open room, I propped my elbows on the bar behind me and scanned the crowd. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted a familiar leather-clad lumberjack.
Boomer was unmistakable—like spotting Bigfoot in Munchkinland. His bushy beard tapered at the bottom, and I bet he hadn’t washed his stringy brown hair in ten years. Yet he somehow managed to attract the ladies. No sign of Denise, but another pretty girl was in his thrall. Boomer’s long sleeves weren’t uncommon in winter, but why the leather gloves? This club was a sauna, so why not tuck those in his back pockets? They weren’t the fingerless kind either.
When he shifted his eyes toward a long-legged woman walking by, I could barely look away. The wraparounds covered some of his face, and I wasn’t sure if I could identify a Vampire by his cheeks alone. Probably not. Vampire skin was one of those features you noticed up close with more real estate showing. When Vamps are made, their skin pigment returns to a rejuvenated state like that of a newborn. It has a flawless quality bereft of wrinkles and sun damage. On a twenty-year-old, no one would notice. But men over thirty stood out, and this guy was easily pushing forty-five.
Had he done something to poor little Denise? Best-case scenario, he was just another dickhead, and she’d learned a lesson about finding Mr. Right in a club. Hopefully she was at home with a carton of ice cream, sulking over her failure. Better that than the alternative.
Most everyone in the Breed world had a unique alias. But if Boomer was carrying ID, there was no way I was getting my hands on it. Not with that metal chain on his belt loop attached to the wallet in his back pocket. Maybe if I seduced him and got his pants off, but the odds of that happening were slim to not a chance in hell.
I stood beneath a bright light, and when he looked my way, I steered my attention to a group o
f drunken girls getting up to leave. Boomer needed to see my mismatched eyes. I didn’t want to make him uneasy by staring at him, so I watched the crowd around him. When I was confident he’d seen me, I coolly turned around and knocked back a shot of tequila, making sure to shift my ass in those leathers. My body tingled delightfully, and I pretended to be checking my phone as most humans did obsessively.
“Hey, Simone.”
I almost didn’t recognize my fake name. A familiar face claimed the empty spot to my left. “Hey, Chase. So we meet again.”
We’d run into each other a couple of times, but we only nodded at each other in passing. I smiled at his leather pants as I took a seat on the stool beside him. He looked like he belonged in them, whereas I looked like I only took mine out of the closet on special sex occasions.
“No drink?” I asked.
He jerked his head to the woman behind him. “In about a minute. I bet she doesn’t finish it.”
“You don’t get grossed out by drinking from someone else’s glass? You might get the superdeluxe avian flu cooties.”
An imperceptible smile touched his lips as he rubbed one of his black ear studs. “I’ve already got cooties.”
“What happens if you meet a nice girl who wants you to buy her a drink?”
He leaned in. “A nice girl doesn’t expect anything.”
“Except chivalry.”
“Didn’t you get the memo? That died centuries ago.”
I laughed and put my phone back in my clutch. Talking to Chase gave me a little reprieve from the madness of being a social girl. I peered over my shoulder, and when I saw Boomer look my way, I jerked my head back to Chase, whose thin-lipped smile implied he wanted to say something.
But he didn’t. And thank God for that. He probably thought I was checking out Boomer and was judging my taste in men.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
I waved my hand. “Nah. I thought the club scene would be a lot of fun, but maybe it’s better when you have friends.”
“Well, you got me, right?” He bit his thumbnail for a second before resting his elbow on the bar. “You’re a cool chick. Where are all your cool-chick friends?”
