Frost (Queens of Hell Book 1)

by Liza James

  I feel it the second I’m standing on top. Countless eyes darting my direction, as if they can all feel the anticipation burning in my blood. The energy spikes around me in tangible waves of eroticism and enticement. I don’t even know how I understand it, how I can distinguish these feelings so easily, but the excitement whirls in thick tension and propels me forward.

  I’m eager. Ready. And dying to let go of the disheartening weight my identity inevitably carries.

  My back arches against the chill of the pole and I drop my hands to my thighs as I begin dancing. My fingers trail over the edge of my panties, teasing them against my skin while I crouch down and roll my hips forward. Every wave of music is like a whip through my body, pulling and snapping through my frame while electrifying the energy surrounding me.

  Everything feels hotter, and when I dare to open my eyes, I realize my small platform is absolutely swallowed by the crowd of people around me. Couples are dancing together, and the simple sight of watching their bodies grind together turns me on. My lips fall open, and my eyes are glued to everyone basking in this ambiance, while my body and mind respond in a primal need for more.

  A smile pulls across my face and my eyes continue scanning the space of sexy, illicit endeavors. Aside from the dancing, I can vaguely make out small groupings of what seems to be sex, or kinky scenes playing out before me. I continue dancing, moving around the pole while intentionally taking in the sights around me. I try to rein in my own desire, forcing myself to focus enough to determine where I should explore once I’m finished up here.

  But it’s when I’m twisting and throwing my leg around the pole that something shifts in the atmosphere.

  In a single instant, everything turns cold. Ice. A freeze. A blast of something practically paralyzing rushes across my skin and snakes around my throat.

  I halt, immediately, as if my body already knows how to respond.

  As if it knows I need to stand still. A silent demand being spoken through my blood.

  What the fu—

  “Here, here, little kitty.” A high and playfully seductive voice suddenly cracks through the chaotic sound around me. But no one else hears her, and I’m shocked at the way she easily makes herself known only to me.

  My eyes fall, instantly, and I meet the bright smile of a girl with wild purple hair.

  Jesus Christ. She’s stunning.

  And I don’t even mean that in a strictly physical way. Even though that’s true as well. But this is different, it’s a life vibrating through her entire being, jumping in every lilt and swirl of her voice. She lifts a slender hand, her nails are long and sharp like little claws that match her hair. She’s beckoning me to climb down, and for a split moment, I pause, as if my body suddenly remembers it has its own free will.

  I’m quick to comply however, immediately crouching down and sliding my fingers into hers like I’m meant to be there. Silently, she smiles, arrogance and knowledge written all over her face. As soon as my feet hit the ground she tugs me against her, brushing her crimson stained lips over my ear as she whispers.

  “This isn’t the place for you, New Girl. What a dangerous little mistake you’ve made.” The words fall free of her mouth and lick over my skin. I’m fucking wet, and I can’t even begin to explain what that means. I’m seduced to step closer, feeling her warm skin against mine as if she carries the essence of life within her. And yet, I’m terrified all the same. My logical mind alerting and screaming and begging for me to heed her words.

  I’ve made a mistake.

  So, why can’t I pull free and turn around like I want to? Why can’t I run away from this moment, break free of her strong gaze and the intoxicating cherry brown eyes staring back at me?

  Something is wrong here, and I strangely don’t want to find a way free.

  Even though her words warn me away, her seductive and arrogant smile says otherwise. She knows I’ll stay, and my hands slip around her waist as she starts stepping backward. We move easily through the crowd, my eyes stuck on hers until they drift lower and over her body.

  She’s all slim curves. A narrow waist that flares out to gorgeous hips and a round ass. Her tits are high and spilling out over the baby pink harness she has strapped around her chest. Layered underneath is a black mesh long sleeve, and peeking out are the long and intricate tattoos decorating her skin. Swirls of black twist around her biceps and snake down her forearms. Long vines of leaves and beautifully detailed flowers mark her flesh as if she’s nature and life and energy all wrapped into one invigorating essence.

  “You like?” she asks as her hands leave my skin and lift over her head. She begins dancing, twirling in front of me as though she’s showing me every inch of her stunning tattoos. They’re everywhere, and my eyes bounce around her frame while I try taking her in.

  “Love.” I find myself murmuring under my breath. I swear she can’t hear it, but the little smile and giggle she releases tells me otherwise.

  “You’re going to be fun,” she replies, continuing the sultry yet sassy sway of her hips as she moves to the upbeat music. I want to move closer, but something holds me back a few inches as I begin dancing myself. There’s a space between us I want to swallow, but an invisible pull keeps us just barely apart. “Can’t come any closer, can you, sweet Skilla?”

  I pause, my brows furrowing together while my mind tries to replay what she just said. The alcohol sloshes through my blood but so does the intoxicating atmosphere around me. I feel a bit dizzy, but it comes with a taste of euphoria rather than fear and lack of control. “How did you know my name?”

  “I know a lot of things about you.” She giggles again and steps back, lifting a finger and urging me closer.

  I obey, and the second I step forward she throws her head back and laughs again. "Oh God, will you put up any sort of fight? Or are you the sweet, quiet girl I bet on in the beginning?”

  Halting again, I try forcing my feet back a step. I barely make it, and suddenly a rush of uncertainty flows through me.

  What in the fuck is happening right now? To my body? In my mind? Who is this girl and why does she think she knows me?

  She notices my back step and nods in what seems to be approval. “Good, good. You’ll need that fight if you’re to survive Lilith.” And then she laughs again, her hand flying up and covering her mouth as her eyes go wide and her eyebrows lift to the sky. “And Na’amie? God, she’ll rip you to shreds sweet kitty.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I bite out, keeping a sharp edge to my voice while I create my own persona. This is my new beginning; this is where I show these people who I want to be. Who I am.

  Not who I’ve been known as.

  Anger and frustration roll through me, and my skin shifts from this icy freeze to a sharp edge of fire. I’m warring between countless sensations, and before I can comprehend what’s happening, I realize she’s led us into a back hallway on the other side of the club.

  Red velvet lines the walls and floor around me, and the dim lights feel even darker as shadows begin swelling her body as we move. I want to stop and I’m able to slow my steps but that’s nearly impossible on its own. It suddenly feels like the air moves in thicker waves, like a blanket of snow slowly falling all around me. Fear begins slithering in my stomach, and all I can make out as I follow her are the bright bounces to her curls and those strangely glowing claws on tips of her fingers.

  “Where are you taking me?” I snap, wishing I could turn around and run away from her now. She was right, I should have never came here. But I’ll be damned if I go down without a fight.

  “Playing with our food, sister?” A new voice. One that’s poison to my ears. The lower tenor, filling the cold space with a terrifying edge. I can feel it everywhere, without seeing the newcomer at all. Somehow, this sound is indescribably different than the first, and my body feels the intrinsic need to twist away from it.

  I need to get out of her. Now.

  “You know I can’t ignore such a
treat.” Purple hair’s tone changes as well, into something dark and seductive. Her hands dart forward and wrap tightly around each of my forearms, yanking me toward her and submerged in complete darkness. Her claws scrape into my skin so deep I worry she’ll draw blood. But maybe that’s what she wants, and my heart rate spikes as a heavier fear builds in my chest.

  “Let go of me,” I grind out between clenched teeth, tugging on my arms as I try to pull away from her. Her hold doesn’t even budge, instead, it grows tighter, digging deeply into my flesh as I hiss at the pain. “Seriously, who the fuck do you think you are?”

  Suddenly, a new hand brushes against my skin. Strong fingers move across the front of my throat, slowly, intentionally, holding a power that completely freezes me in this moment.

  I’m paralyzed by both anticipation and panic. This hold grows tighter, just barely, and tugs me back against a slender chest while the other girl continues restricting my arms. Cold lips graze over my ear, and I can feel how tall this one is behind me. The energy in our space drops countless degrees in temperature. The heat of anger and frustration have been completely quenched by the frost of overwhelming power.

  “Afraid, little kitty?” The lower tenor slips into my ears and my head falls back before I have a chance to stop it. I inhale deeply, consumed by whatever toxicity she’s breathing into me. I’m trembling, and she knows it. I can feel my body shaking against hers. “Good.”

  This is wrong. Every hair on the back of my neck is standing straight. Alarms and red flags are sounding within me, screaming and shouting for me to get out of this as quickly as possible.

  And yet I cannot. I can’t. This new creature towering over my back is holding onto me with so much more than a single hand.

  I can’t explain what’s happening. I have no logical reasoning behind why it’s taking place like this. But it is, and while half of me wants to kick and fight and draw blood, the other half wants to surrender entirely to this dangerous death.

  I’ll disappear completely if it means doing it with this hand around my throat and those icy lips against my heated skin.

  In an instant, purple hair steps closer while the one behind closes me in completely. Both women have their hands on me somewhere, while the fingers around my throat keep me still. Lips, from the both of them move closer, drifting along my shoulder, my collar bone, my jaw line, without a single kiss or nip or bite.

  It’s like their inhaling my own energy, sucking me dry while I come apart between them. My heartbeat is thundering in my chest, my mind spiraling in all the countless ways I’m most likely going to die tonight.

  I should have never come to this side of the club. I knew strange things happened here.

  And yet I feel oddly at peace in the midst of my own chaotic fear….as if this is familiar. As if these hands were always meant to be on me. This energy was intended to intoxicate my own.

  “What are your names?” I finally breathe the words out on a desperate whisper, hoping they’ll at least give me this before slitting my throat.

  The one behind me halts her movements, her lips grazing over the bend in my neck while her thumb presses into my jaw. But purple hair is the first to answer, her tone just as playful and entertained as it was before. “I’m Aggie,” she chimes in, moving her face so that it’s directly in front of mine. I can’t see her clearly, but I can feel her eyes boring into me and I absently wonder if she can see perfectly in the darkness. “And this is my sister, Na’amah.”

  Na’amah.

  Unique. Cold. Distant. Those are the first words that spring to my mind when I hear the name.

  Things change when she mentions her sister, her tone falls into something a bit lower. The name alone holds a tangible power. I can feel it in the tension building between all of us, drowning me in the obvious strength behind the woman at my back. I feel her lips pull into a smile against my skin, and her free hand falls to my waist and slips over my lower stomach as she drags me back against her.

  “My sister likes you better with that braid you wore earlier,” Aggie whispers, sliding her hand around the back of my neck and into my hair. She wraps it around her fist, pulling it all to the side while she forces my head over. My neck is elongated and exposed for her sister, and I immediately feel her teeth drag along my flesh before she finally speaks again.

  I’m eager for it. Peculiarly, she’s the voice I want to hear.

  “I do,” she breathes out, finally letting those lips fall to my skin completely. Her kiss is anything but gentle. I’m making a consistent reckless decision allowing her to do this. I can’t fucking help it. “Something I can hold onto while I fuck your face and you’re on your knees.”

  What the hell is wrong with me? Jesus Christ. Her words are filthy and fucked up. But they slide along my skin and light little fires in my blood. My body responds instinctually as a shiver races down my spine. I wish I could stop it, control the disgusting ways my body is betraying me now. She doesn’t even know me, and while I’m used to vile language on the other side of the club, I’m taken aback by it coming from this stranger.

  But there’s something else. A stronger, compelling draw within me that forces me to stay. I can’t explain it properly, not in a way that truly makes sense. But suddenly, everything feels clearer inside of me. As if I can discern each individual beat of my heart, the actual temperature of my breath as it skates over my lips. Even the flow of my blood under my skin and in my veins.

  And it all draws me closer to the frightening being at my back.

  A cackle reverberates in front of me as Aggie throws her head back. She’s enjoying this far too much, and I wish more than anything I could turn around and see who the fuck is touching me. Aggie is like a flame, billowing and blazing around me, while Na’amah is a wild, uncontrollable storm at my back. She’s wind and ice, frost and freeze, building a wall of something that feels empty and terrifying while Aggie burns me alive. Both of them have practically opposite energies, and I don’t know how to escape this.

  But in that instant, something clicks, and I know what exactly to do in order to distract them.

  Play into it. This little game of cat and mouse. While they think they’ve got me cornered, I’ll show them how easily I can escape..

  That’s my forte as it is, right? Easily forgotten, quick to vanish. Now, I’m learning I can use that as my strength, rather than shrinking behind it as I have in the past.

  I press forward, pushing my forearms against Aggie’s chest willingly. She’s caught off guard for a split second, but holds her ground almost as quickly. She’s allowing me a bit of movement, so I lean closer, trusting the darkness to shield the clear uncertainty surely evident in my eyes. I brush my lips against her jaw, faking a smile while my fingers drag over her shoulder. I’m guessing as I move, but luck is finally on my side and she offers me more of her skin. Her head falls to the side and I kiss her, slipping my tongue out and down the curve of her neck.

  “Is this what you want?” I ask quietly, listening as she sucks in a breath and her fingers grip my waist. She pulls me tightly against her, and Na’amah is utterly silent while she moves with me. “Do you want to fuck me?” I continue, hoping that my brazen words are enough to surprise her so I can slip away. I doubt they want to hook up, this feels far more dangerous than that. “Or do you want me to fuck you?” Just as I prepare myself to dart to the side, I kiss her again, this time lifting to her lips in falsely confident move.

  Throw her off, jump to the side and out of their hold, make an absolute run for the fucking crowd. That’s the plan.

  But this was the biggest mistake I’ve made so far—putting my lips on her like this. Immediately, I’m drowning. In every single sense of the word. It feels like death, but the sweetest I could ever imagine. I can’t breathe, my skin is on fire, my hands desperate to touch her and fuck her and feel her.

  I want to be under her skin, inside her blood, shifting against her bones while she moans around me.

  Fighting the im
mediate urge to fully succumb, I attempt pulling away, but it’s weak at best and suddenly I’m shoving her forward until her back hits the wall behind her.

  Her head falls back and one of her hands tighten around the back of my neck, yanking me closer as I unravel against her. I’m wet, that slick heat between my thighs pounding in need and desire. I’m never this turned on, and I can’t explain for a single second why I need this so badly now.

  I slide my hand down the front of her chest and run my thumb over her stiff nipple, hearing her moan just slightly as I touch her. I can still feel Na’amah’s hands on my throat, her other holding me back just slightly as I continue touching her sister. I move my hand lower, determined to see just how wet she is now as well.

  But right as my fingers slip under the thin band of her panties, everything goes numb.

  My back suddenly slams against a hard surface, my head smashing the same space before falling forward. A shrill ringing sounds in my ears and I struggle to lift my hands in order to stifle the sound. “What the fu—” I manage to stutter, but everything comes into focus when a pair of bright, sharp blue eyes blaze in front of me.

  Ice blue. Bright. Fucking electric. If the color could be alive with movement and power, it would be.

  My mind shorts out, literally stalls in thoughts as I fall under her gaze. Her rosy lips are pulled back, revealing white teeth that surprisingly come to points on the edge. I try to focus on what that means, process what I’m seeing—but I can’t.

  Nothing inside of me is working, and all I can see is the creature in front of me. Tall, slender, narrow shoulders and sharp collar bones. She’s wearing a light blue crop top, ripped and distressed in certain places as it clings to her bronze skin. But it’s almost as if she’s glowing, her energy is alight, and revealing her in this darkness.

  I don’t even know how this is possible. It’s not. And yet I’m here, pinned against the wall, watching her small tits heave up and down with every angered breath. “That’s what you think? That she wants to fuck you? Or that she’d give any ounce of her energy in allowing you to fuck her?” She leans forward as she speaks, that whiskey smooth voice slicing my skin in embarrassment. “You’re pathetic. A human.” She laughs, leaning even closer as she brings her chest flush against mine. The ringing in my ears halts completely, and suddenly her hand wraps tightly around my throat as she forces my eyes up into hers. She’s fucking tall, and it’s now that I see her long white hair is pulled up into a bone straight ponytail, shaved closely on the sides in decorative patterns.