by Jeff Hale
On the far right wall, there was a large glass window, the bottom of which was some six feet from the floor. The window itself looked to about five feet high and ten feet long. There was a door in the same wall, a few feet from the window, with a short set up steps leading up to it. I could see DJ equipment through the window, but no one in the booth. Above us, the ceiling was much much lower, a second floor that only took up about a third of one side of the room. It was the VIP lounge, although my one trip to the Flame before had never put us in it. To our immediate right was a large door. The door bore a simple plaque that read: Lucien—Owner. Aerick walked up to it and knocked. A voice called out, telling Aerick that the door was open, and Aerick turned the handle, holding it open so Nina and I could precede him.
A slight man sat at a desk in the middle of the room, his silver hair long and pulled back at the nape, his eyes dark as night. There was a strange scent to the room, to the man. I smelled decay, that ever so cloying fragrance of rotting flesh and vegetation, but equally as strong, I smelled earth; earth after a fresh rain, with new sprouts coming from the ground, trees blooming sweetly, new life to continue the cycle.
The desk was ancient and made of gold, with markings on it that I thought might be Mayan, Aztec, or Incan. The walls of the room seemed to be made of natural wood, and when I say natural, I mean the wood was still on the trunk. The carpeting in here was flame orange. Tropical birds flew crazily overhead. It was warm in the room, very warm.
Lucien looked up from the paperwork he was doing. His suit was black, with a brilliant red shirt and a buttery yellow tie. A small white cockatiel came to rest on the desk edge, pecking at the pen he had laid down, and he gently sent it on its way. “I see you’re back, Aerick! Did you get what you went for?”
Aerick pulled me forward and I ducked my head, embarrassed. Here I was, still somewhat dirty and bloody, wearing pajamas, and standing before a person who radiated so much freaking power even I could sense it. I wasn’t sure exactly what Lucien was, but I knew he wasn’t human. Far from it.
“Katelyn, meet Lucien,” Aerick said by way of short introduction.
“Katelyn, welcome to my club, you’re welcome here for as long as you like. You as well, my favorite DJ.” He smiled at Nina then focused his attention on me. “My dear, no need to feel uncomfortable, I don’t bite at all,” Lucien said, warmth emanating from his voice.
I raised my eyes to meet his and saw a small jolt of surprise in them. He looked from me to Aerick, then back to me. “Interesting.”
“Baba Yaga sent vampires after her,” Aerick told him flatly.
I just blinked at Aerick. “Baba Yaga?”
“Yeah, Russian witch—”
I just nodded. I had a strong interest in anthropology so I knew of a lot of different mythologies. “Yeah, Iron Hag, chicken legs on her hut, but… she’s real?”
“Very,” Aerick said. “She sent a demon after me, tried to kill me. She didn’t want me to help Merlin destroy the Barrier.”
“Merlin?” I bit at my lip. “Merlin’s real too?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy though. And the Barrier, well, I’ll go into it more later, but long and short—”
“No, no, I got that part. My History teacher explained it all.” I waved a hand.
“Your… History teacher?” Aerick looked confused.
“Yeah, she’s a… fae. She… changed when that Barrier thing went poof and she told us what was going on. So you think this Baba Yaga was trying to have me killed?”
Lucien’s left brow went up and he gave me a speculative look. “Can you think of any reason she would send her minions after this lovely young girl?” he asked Aerick.
“To get at me,” Aerick answered, glancing sideways at me. “She had to have found out that I…” he swallowed hard, “that I have some feelings for Kat and she must have figured that killing Kat might send me into a destructive spiral like… like Serena’s death did.” He took a deep breath and forced it out through his nose.
“You’re sure that’s the only reason?” Lucien was still looking at me.
“Has to be. I doubt Kat’s ever done anything to piss Baba Yaga off personally,” Aerick said.
“Katelyn? Can you think of any other reason these vampires might want you dead?” Lucien asked me.
I shook my head. “No, none. I hadn’t even seen one, other than a friend of mine, until one attacked me at the party Nina came up to deejay for. They killed that vampire and—”
“Waitaminute, they? Who is they?” Aerick asked, frowning at me.
“Matt, and Darien, and Alex.”
He shook his head, prompting me with a lift of his eyes to elaborate.
I sighed. “Well, Darien is a werewolf and Alex is… well I don’t know what Alex turns into but he’s another shifter, and Matt is a vampire but they said something about he used to be a shifter?”
“A rakshasa, a shifter-vampire hybrid, they’re not very common,” Lucien said, folding his hands under his chin and resting his elbows on his desk.
“Don’t forget to mention that Darien has this obsessive possessive stalking thing going on for you,” Nina put in, earning a glare from me. “Sorry, Kat, but the guy has got it bad for you.”
“What in hell have you gotten yourself into this last month, Kat?” Aerick shook his head, giving me a reproving look. “Baba Yaga’s trying to kill you, a werewolf’s stalking you? And you’ve managed to become a werelynx yourself?”
“Well, that last bit kind of goes with the whole werewolf thing considering it’s because of Darien, sorta, that I’m a werecat now.” I smiled ruefully.
“Did he attack you?” Aerick’s nostrils flared and little flames began to dance in his eyes.
“No! No. Someone else attacked us, I got his blood in my mouth, and, well, here I am. Darien just, well, I guess he claimed me for his mate. I’m just not ready for that kind of commitment yet.”
Lucien gave me a shrewd glance. “Sounds like this Darien must be an Alpha… and a little bit of blood shouldn’t have done anything, Katelyn. You must have had shifter genetics already.”
“Yeah, what they called a wilder.” I felt Nina touch my hand and I flashed her a smile. I wasn’t going to mention to anyone that she was one as well; that was her secret to keep or share. Speaking of secrets. I focused my eyes on Aerick. “So how long have you been… whatever you are?”
“A few years. I’m a Sentinel, a strong magic user. I work… worked… for an organization that policed other magic users.”
“That’s why you ran out during Prom?”
He nodded. “I was going after that demon I mentioned.”
I glanced at Nina. “And you already knew about him?”
She just nodded.
“I’m guessing she already knew about you, too,” Aerick stated, giving Nina a hard look. “And just what in hell were you doing out last night anyway?”
Shame burned my cheeks, my eyes closing as I saw Cody’s face again. “I was on a date,” I said tersely.
“A date? With your werewolf?”
I shook my head, swallowing hard to keep the tears at bay. “No, a human boy.”
The look he gave me made me feel like I was an imbecile. “A human? But you’re not human, Kat, why would you endanger—”
“Just drop it, Rick, okay? I know how stupid it was, believe me, I know.”
“But, Kat, I thought you were smarter than that, what you were think—”
“I know, Rick! Please! Leave off, okay?” The tears won, starting to make their way silently down my cheeks again.
“I don’t think you do—”
“Aerick?” Nina put her hand out to stop him. “Leave her alone.” The look she gave me was one of pity. “They killed him?” She didn’t really ask me, she stated it, but I gave a jerky nod in confirmation.
“Killed who?” Aerick asked, still feeling some of his righteous anger over my thoughtless actions.
I noted that Lucien was watching the three of us av
idly, but didn’t seem to feel he needed to interrupt.
“Cody,” Nina said the word softly.
“Who the hell is Cody?” Aerick demanded.
“The human she had the date with.”
Aerick’s eyes fixed on mine, saw the tears that ran heedlessly, and frowned. I was pretty sure he got the picture, so I didn’t bother to explain further.
“Look, we’re all tired,” I said, sniffling, not wanting to pursue the line of thought any further, “some of us are filthy, I dunno, is there any place we can rest, clean up?”
“Certainly, my dear,” Lucien spoke up. “Aerick, why don’t you take the girls to the guest rooms? I’ll speak more with you later?”
Aerick gave Lucien a nod. “Thanks, Lucien.” Then he opened the door and we headed out of the office, me wiping frantically at my face to dry it.
“You two go ahead,” Nina said. “I’m going to check on the booth and call Dave to let him know what happened.” She pulled away and headed for the DJ room. I knew she was a well-known DJ here in Vegas, and from Lucien’s comment, she must have worked for him quite a bit.
Aerick steered me through the mostly empty club, towards a set of tall crimson curtains. As they fell into place behind us, the music was abruptly cut off. We were now in another part of the club, but this part was a restaurant with several dining tables. Aerick made for an alcove on the front wall near the entrance. There was a set of stairs at the far end.
The stairs went up and opened into a long, comfortably lit hallway. The walls were paneled in a soft blue, with oak paneling descending from about the three foot mark to the hardwood floor. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling at regular intervals, and there were other doors leading off the hallway, both sides, that I could see. Some of the doors had markings on them, some were plain.
Aerick led me to one and opened the door, gesturing for me to precede him inside. I stepped through the door and into a large living area, completely furnished with couch and chairs and a huge entertainment center. Old scrolls in wooden cases hung on the walls, as well as various medieval weaponry. On one wall was a door and an archway that led into what looked like it might be a workout room, and to the left was another archway through which I could see a bed and a couple more chairs.
“This room is huge!” I exclaimed, looking around me and realizing there had been well over a dozen doors off that long hallway. “How do all these rooms fit in the building?”
“They don’t. Each one is in its own dimensional space, and conforms to the owner, so while they all have their similarities… a bedroom, living room, bathroom… they’ll all be furnished differently, different colors, that sort of thing,” he explained. “Speaking of bathrooms, it’s through that door if you want a shower.” He pointed to a door off the living room.
Dimensional pockets? And I had thought just being a shifter was strange enough. The world was turning out to be way more interesting than I had thought.
The bathroom was quite large. A small hot tub bath was in one corner, while a four man shower with clear glass doors took up the opposite corner. A marble counter top with two basins sunk into it lined part of the wall that had the door in it, while a small walled off area with an open door suggested a private toilet. The room was all done in silver and gold, with gold towels and wash cloths folded neatly on a rack between the shower and tub. A plush bathrobe hung on one wall.
I took a long shower, washing my hair several times with the shampoo and conditioner that sat on the little shelves, and scrubbing my body free of all the dirt and dried blood. I tried not to think of last night, of how I had gotten the dirt and blood, blocking it from my mind. Once I was done, I dried off and wrapped myself in the robe, loathe to put the dirty pajamas back on.
I finally emerged from the bathroom, only to find that Aerick had dozed off on the couch while waiting. His head was leaned back on the armrest, dark hair fanned around his head, mouth slightly open. His features were softer in sleep, yet still just as breathtaking. He and Darien were both equally good looking, but in different ways; Darien with his bronzed skin, black hair and sharply defined cheekbones and nose while Aerick had the lighter European look to him, despite the dark-brown hair, with the typical Slavic features.
Thinking of Darien made me sigh in frustration. For some reason I actually missed that arrogant, domineering man, yet at the same time it was taking all my willpower to not lean down and kiss the sleep softened lips of the man in front of me.
It seemed that I was discovering that I had no problem with desiring different guys at the same time, and I was starting to question my own morality because it seemed to be getting stretched unbearably thin… and it bothered me that it really didn’t seem to bother me.
A yawn escaped me and I felt a sudden fatigue hit me. I glanced in the other room, to the inviting bed, and though I knew I needed to call my mother, I didn’t see an apparent phone, and what was a couple more hours anyway?
I gave the sleeping Aerick one last longing glance, then shuffled my way to the bed in the other room. There was a picture on the nightstand, a blonde girl, but I was too tired to give it more than just a cursory glance. I climbed onto the bed and curled up into a little ball, face pressed against my knees. I was asleep within seconds.
I woke screaming, jumbled visions of leering pale faces and Cody’s dead, staring eyes still in my brain, the cat padding close under the surface of my skin. I felt warmth against my back, an arm over my left side, and fingers were brushing softly against my face, a voice murmuring soothing sounds in my ear. It was Aerick.
“Ssh, Kat, ssh, it’s okay,” he whispered in my ear.
Despite feeling calm again, I could feel tears threaten. I turned in his arms, burying my face in his chest, letting the tears loose to soak the cloth of his shirt, my hands between us. He wrapped his arms around me, rubbing his hands against my back in a way meant to comfort.
“I’m here,” he said softly.
I clung to him, letting the tears run their course and doing my best to not wipe my nose on his shirt. I took in the smell of him again, a balm to my nerves, and the cat stretched under my skin, relaxing, but not going away, like she was waiting for something.
I moved my head, starting to tell him thank you, and my lips brushed the bare skin near his collarbone, just above the neckline of his shirt. He stilled against me, as though movement might cause me to strike, and I licked my lips, tasting the salt from his skin. That was a mistake.
My tongue darted out, almost of its own volition, tasting the line of his collarbone in one long, slow movement. I heard a noise escape his lips, a sharp intake of breath. I rolled Aerick onto his back, straddling his hips, my fingers curling into the material of his shirt and pulling it over his head. My bathrobe gaped open at the front but I didn’t care. I felt somewhat feverish, like my skin was hot from the inside, and I stared at him, breathing hard.
“Your eyes… they’re so dark now… like the sea at night,” he breathed. He raised a hand towards my face, his fingertips a light caress where they touched my skin beside my right eye. “And your skin feels like it’s burning.”
I gripped his hand with my right hand, sliding it across my face until it was over my mouth. I exhaled lightly into his cupped hand, feeling him shiver, then ran the tip of my tongue across his palm. A small moan escaped his lips and I felt him stir beneath me.
“Kat.” His voice was rough. “I can’t do this.”
I pressed my lips against his palm before letting his hand loose. “Why not?” I traced an idle pattern on his chest with my fingernail, feeling him tremble under me.
He stared up at me and I could see the indecision in his eyes. He wrapped a hand around my wrist, stopping the movement, although he left my hand where it was. “I don’t do casual, Kat.”
I rocked my hips against him and he closed his eyes, his grip on my wrist tightening. “Define… casual,” I told him, my voice low, one corner of my mouth curled up in a half smile.
H
e opened his eyes and looked directly into mine. “I only sleep with someone if I’m in a relationship with them, Kat.”
I could see the desire in his eyes, but he made no move to act on it. The cat inside me was getting impatient. I leaned down, pressing my lips to his chest before running a trail up to his neck with my tongue. I heard him take a shuddering breath, and then he gave a yank on my wrist, pulling me up so that my face was mere inches from his.
“I’m all for doing what you want, Kat,” he whispered harshly, his free hand reaching out to the side and I heard the sound of the nightstand drawer open. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him slide the framed photo into the drawer, then shut it, his fingers giving the drawer front a brief caress before coming back to me. “I just want you to know what it means if we do.”
“That I’ll be yours?” I whispered the question. It wasn’t something I was opposed to; I had wanted to be his since I had first seen him way back in October.
“Yes.”
The cat gave a little roar of triumph in my head and my mouth latched onto his, feeding at his lips as though I was starving. Fire and heat shot into my groin and a little moan came from my throat. This was the first time Aerick and I had ever kissed and it felt just as good as it did with Darien, maybe even more so. He wrapped a hand in my hair, holding me there for the longest time before finally pulling my head back so that he could look at me. His lips were swollen and his blue eyes were bright with passion. He pushed the bathrobe the rest of the way down my arms, staring at my breasts in a way that almost made me self-conscious, before exploring them with his hands. His touch burned through me, eliciting small noises from me, and I reached behind me to caress him roughly through his jeans. I felt him harden under my touch, straining the denim.
“Ah, god, Kat, what are you doing to me?” he asked, his voice ragged.
“You’re mine now, remember?” My voice was breathy. “Do you have a problem with that?”
