Taste For Blood: Pour (Nephil-Vamp Series Book 2)

by Jenna Bernel

  "Should I come by later?" he asked with optimism in his voice, but I shook my head, virtually shutting it down.

  "No, I really need a full night's sleep tonight," I said, looking up at him as he pursed his lips in disappointment.

  "Okay, I understand. Sweet dreams," he said, sweeping back a strand of my wig with the tip of his finger. Bending down, he kissed my cheekbone and slowly dragged his finger past my ear and down the length of my bare back, sending a seductively tantalizing shiver throughout my entire body. When he straightened up, he gave me a sexy grin before reaching past me to open the front door. I swear, the whole party went dead silent as they stared at us, looking flabbergasted. We could never end all of those false rumors now, but I didn't care anymore. Evan had never touched any girlfriend as seductively, yet sweetly, and in such an adoring way as he just touched me. He was openly showing everyone that I meant much more to him than just some seedy, secret side dish, and showing me as well.

  "’Night," I choked out, still reeling from his public display, but my reaction only widened his grin.

  "’Night," he said, squeezing my hand until our fingers were forced apart by our distance. He stood there, waiting to make sure I reached my car before closing the door and returning to the party.

  I opened the car door and quickly hopped in since it was thirty-five degrees outside and I was practically wearing a swimsuit. I hated the lingering smell of Alec, after the night I got dunked in the lake and wore his sweatshirt home. I turned the ignition to get the heat going before opening the glove box and grabbing the colored contacts container I stashed in there. After experimenting with them over the years, subsequent to my being turned, I kept trying to cover my amethyst irises because they made me feel like even more of a freak. My mom said it was a crime against nature to camouflage my beautiful eyes, and she forbade me to wear them, but I still retained a few pairs. I unsealed the package of green contacts, which contrasted nicely with my natural purple hue and made them look like a brownish hazel color: nice and nondescript.

  I pulled down my eyelid, looking in the rearview mirror before I inserted the lens.

  "Boo."

  I screamed with surprise, my stomach lurching into my throat, when Alec’s face appeared in the rearview mirror. My heart pounded furiously in my chest, and I even dropped the contact case, spilling its solution all over the center console.

  "What the hell are you doing?! You scared the crap out of me!" I said angrily, still trying to catch my breath.

  "Trick or treat," he said arrogantly and I shot him a dirty look.

  "Shouldn't you be in the city on a mission?" I asked, now worried something went wrong.

  "Shouldn't you be at the party and not a thorn in my side tonight?" he countered, clasping his hands behind his head. Even through his dress shirt, I could see the tightly woven ropes of muscular definition.

  "What? I have a headache, I was going to bed," I said defensively.

  "Pha!" He laughed like he didn't believe me for a second. "Why don't you just tell me what you're up to now, so I can get back to work?" he said, leaning back to get comfortable. He seemed like he was anticipating a farfetched story that could never be true. I turned in my seat, picking up the contacts before they were irreparably ruined, and popped them into my eyes. I reversed the car and slowly began down the driveway, rolling down the window to push the entrance gate's button. It smoothly glided open, allowing me to exit Dale's palatial family estate.

  "Good, you can drop me at my car. I'm already running behind because of your incessant need to control everything; when in fact, you have control over nothing." Alec’s words sliced harshly through the air, and I could see he was clearly pissed at me for not letting it go.

  "I'll drive us; I insist," I said, accelerating faster.

  "Fine! Drop me off for all I care; you're not getting into the club without a token anyway," Alec said, holding his token up for me to see.

  "I don't need a token because Vampire Daniella is not going to The Basement tonight. Vampire Alec is going into The Basement and taking his blood whore, Dee, with him," I said, flitting my eyes in the rearview mirror and giving him a little smirk. He sat up, unclasping his hands, only to pull them down his face. He was stretching his skin like he intended to peel it off as he groaned.

  "No! Absolutely, no," he grumbled into his hands.

  "Yes! Definitely, yes," I argued, pushing the gas pedal to the floor to get us there as soon as humanly possible.

  Chapter 18: The Other Entrance

  Alec and I arrived at the club after almost an hour of straight arguing. I told him I was going in one way or another, and he finally caved, but only as long as I swore we did it on his terms. He already had his plan all mapped out so I agreed to step back and allow him to execute it. The way I saw it, I could be an asset to him. He planned on Trancing a blood whore with instructions to help lure his true target into a back room. Why not use a blood whore who wouldn't be drunk and high, and who could actually understand what he was trying to accomplish so he could get the job done? Me!

  I rubbed my hands on my arms as I walked to the club’s front entrance, solo, trying to shield myself from the wind. I searched for the non-descript door to the underground human club. They always set it up in coordination with The Basement gatherings, using it as a part of their front, like they were the Vamp Mafia. That gave them plenty of candidates to choose from, like some twisted, sample menu. I felt my nerves shooting through me like an electrical circuit at the thought of putting myself on that platter tonight. I hadn't been back here since turning Henry, and I had certainly never played the role of an innocent and naïve blood whore. I smoothed out the wig, making sure it was on straight before turning the corner of the building. That was where I spotted the black door with a sliding peephole window.

  I walked up to it and tapped lightly on the frame, using a weak girl’s strength. The opaque window forcibly slid open and I could already hear the music playing in the background. A pair of eyes appeared to examine me and I could tell he was vampire by more than just his scent. My own rose water perfume was safely concealed in my non-vamp form, and would not be gaining me any access tonight. I popped out one of my hips and put my hand up to the peephole, giving him a cute little wave and hello as he scanned his eyes over me.

  My gold-sequined top looked like it came straight out of the seventies. It was fastened by two thin strings at the neck and back, the sparkling material draping down to barely cover my chest, while leaving my back and most of my stomach completely exposed to the elements. My spiky, leather boots went all the way to mid-thigh, and my short, black skirt came just barely high enough at the waist to cover up my vamp ten-pointed star on the inside of my hip. I knew in this outfit I'd be just what they were looking for and the vamp grinned with approval, practically biting me with his eyes.

  He shut the wooden peephole and I heard a series of locks grinding open on the other side. The door swung open and I stepped through. As soon as I turned to him, a dark green glow washed over my face. I appeared dazed and expressionless, pretending his Trance was taking hold of me.

  "Upstairs to the club and nowhere else unless escorted away. You wander, you die," he warned and I nodded absently, obeying his command. The green glow fell from my face and I blinked several times, acting like I was emerging from his Trance. I smiled and giggled like I didn't know what just happened and started up the stairs. I could feel him watching me climb the steps, and I was sure at this angle, in my short skirt, he probably got a nice shot of my black, lacey underwear. I fought the urge to call on my blood, spring out my fangs, and hiss at him.

  The music grew louder as I climbed up the steps and strobe lights flashed upward like lightning bolts. When I got to the top, two more vamps were standing at either side of the staircase. The both glanced sideways at me, unmoving from there Secret Service-like stance, and indicated I'd been previously radioed in and approved. I walked past them down the hall, following the music. A short distance late
r, the room opened up into a huge dance floor with a twenty-foot ceiling. I could feel the heat of dancing bodies washing over me. It was dark except for the disco ball and strobes that illuminated everyone with flashes and vibrating blips.

  I aimed for the bar area, wedging in beside a few other girls who were waving bills around to try and get the bartender’s attention. I pulled out a crisp twenty from my purse to follow suit, just as a guy approached me, his eyes raking over my outfit. He wore a collared shirt and had spikey hair that stuck out in all directions from the gel. He dipped down to my ear and put his hand on the small of my bare back.

  "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked in my ear, coming unnecessarily close before pulling away to smile at me and I almost laughed. He was exactly the kind of guy that Eli couldn't stand at the club.

  "Sure," I shrugged, unclasping my purse and putting the bill back inside. He tipped the bottleneck of his beer at the bartender to call him over. After another minute or two of waiting, it was finally our turn.

  "I’ll have a Jack and Coke, and she'll have…" He trailed off, looking back at me to yell my order.

  "Two shots of tequila," I replied loudly.

  His face lit up like he just realized he’d picked the right girl to hit on tonight. "Make that four," he added and the bartender got to work.

  "You like to party, huh?" he said with a glint in his eyes.

  "You have no idea…" I answered with a grin, grabbing the first shot glass off the bar and clanking it with his before chugging it, and contorting my face at the sour taste. He laughed, moving his eyes over me like he already had me in his bed. We downed the other shot and he took his Jack and Coke from the bar before slapping some money on the counter.

  "You wanna dance?" he asked and I nodded. Chugging the rest of his drink, he put the glass down and took my hand. Dragging me through the crowd, with the lights flashing over us, we dove in further to the center of the swaying mass of bodies.

  His eyes were already getting foggy from too much alcohol in less than two minutes. He was looking off balance as we moved to the rhythm of the heavy beat and the music. I tried to relax my eyes and copy his intoxicated expression, since the alcohol did nothing to my system, no matter which form I was in. He brought his hands to my waist, moving his palms up my sides as he pulled me in closer. I tried not to cringe. Trying to act like the kind of girl who would let this drunken douchebag paw all over me was probably the most challenging part of my mission. I wrapped my hand over his neck and pulled him toward me, "Ready for another round?" I yelled in his ear so he could hear me over the music.

  "Yeah," he said, eager to get me drunk as quickly as possible so he could take me home with him sooner rather than later.

  "I'll go get us some more shots; don't go anywhere," he said before releasing his hold on my hips. I obediently shook my head like I wasn't planning on it. He stood and watched for a moment as if to make sure I'd stay put before he disappeared into the crowd and back to the bar.

  I closed my eyes, raising my arms over my head as I moved my hips, slowly dipping back and forth to the music, while hoping this part would be over soon. I felt a hand sliding across my waist, leaving a trail of heat in its path and sending a hum of buzzing currents through me, awakening my senses. He pressed into my back, swaying with me, appearing as if he just read my mind. Alec's sweet sea water cologne was like a breath of fresh air in this hot, sticky mosh pit. We moved together, with my backside pressing harder against him as we dipped. A pool of heat started to fill in my stomach and I realized my role as "his" tonight could take us down a very dangerous path that had nothing to do with our mission.

  I turned to face him and he didn't miss a beat. Grabbing my hips, he pulled me up against him until our legs tangled together. When my eyes met his, I had to hold back a gasp. The light flecks of golden light that usually glittered in his oceanic eyes were completely burnt out. His pupils were partially dilated, making the black depths look like dangerously deep abysses. I now understood what he meant by going full vamp and having to stay focused. Any blood whore would cower at his seductively dangerous power, and want nothing more than to be taken by him, and in any which way he wanted. I never saw a vamp with so much instinctual and alluring lust pour out of him. My stomach squeezed with nervousness because I found myself so drawn to it, with no acting required. He looked at me, tracing his hands up my back and making my heart pound faster as I was involuntarily sucked further into his enticingly hot power.

  "Surprised?" he asked in a gravelly voice that was so alluring, it made my nerve endings jump like lit firecrackers. I swallowed hard, nodding to his question and saw his lips curl up in a vampy grin. He let the Trance fall over my face, going through all the motions since we both knew there were eyes on us everywhere. A deep blue light that looked like a storm rolling in clouded over my features as we continued to sway.

  "You're mine. You won't be scared of what you witness tonight, and you won't feel any fear. You'll only speak if spoken to. Come with me," he ordered and I nodded submissively. His dominance was so potent, I had to remind myself he didn't actually Trance me.

  Alec clasped my hand, preparing to lead us away, when the frat-looking guy reappeared in front of us, balancing two shot glasses in his hands. He froze, and glared at Alec for moving in on his dance partner.

  "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he said, stepping into Alec. Alec smirked as he let go of my hand; then he picked up both shot glasses and downed them before replacing them in the guy's hands.

  "She's mine," Alec growled, taking my fingers again as he pushed past the stunned partier who was drunk, but still smart enough not to challenge him. I had to suppress a smile. Alec had originally resisted my plan, but now, I think he was beginning to enjoy having a claim on me tonight. I hooked my arm in his as he led me down a dark corridor, and I pretended to stumble over my feet, in order to show the "effects" of so many tequila shots.

  When we reached the bouncer at the bottom of the steps, I kept my eyes down. I buried my face into Alec's arm like I couldn't wait to get such a sexy stranger alone. The bouncer smelled of rose water, but his was not nearly as potent as Alec's Infinity status, and probably was only Gifted with extra vamp strength.

  It felt new and slightly exhilarating to enter The Basement as someone so powerful, yet underestimated as nothing but a night snack. It made me feel more like an undercover agent than I ever did while walking in vamp. The bouncer grunted as Alec held up his token, indicating he had the right one and we passed the first barricade. The tokens all varied slightly in shade, but were only perceptible to vamp vision. Before we could move on though, Alec had to flash his mark, which was their second tier of security. That was when it occurred to me that I had never seen Alec's ten-pointed star. He began to unbutton his shirt to expose a part of his sculpted body I hadn't explored, and pulled it open just enough for the bouncer to see. I was dying to take a peek and see where he was tattooed, but I had to keep my eyes downcast and act unaware. The bouncer opened the door, spilling red light into the almost pitch-black hall and we walked through.

  I squeezed Alec's arm tighter as he pulled open the door painted with our symbol and another pulse of music instantly hit my eardrums. I tried to steady my breath as the red lights soaked into my skin and Alec brought me all the way to the middle of the dance floor, hidden amidst a sea of bodies. Vamps roamed their hands over their mates and blood whores. Some had two on each side of them as they bumped and ground to the music. Fangs gleamed against the red, almost giving the illusion that they were dripping with blood, and I began to feel scared and defenseless in this skin, for the first time in my life.

  Alec drew up my chin so I'd look at him, and everything in me calmed as soon as I felt the raw power emanating from within him. Some vamps looked toward us as they noticed his scent, no doubt, wondering what he was capable of, but only I knew that answer. Ignoring the attention from the others, he kept his eyes locked on mine, the intensity of his stare sending a flutter over my s
kin.

  His fangs sprang from his canines, sharp as daggers, and he dipped down to my neck, gently grazing his lips over the sensitive spot below my earlobe as he pulled me against his body. I almost moaned at the touch. I kept reminding myself I was just following his lead as I played into the role, but my heart pounded too fast for it to be just a game. The heat formed into a cloak over us as we moved together, like we were in our own little bubble. I could feel how searing his touch was as he slid his hands up and down my body. I didn't realize until then how privileged I was to be the only one who could experience its warmth.

  He retracted his fangs and pulled back just enough to look at me, tilting his head before he grinned. I put my arms around his neck, twisting my fingers in his caramel-streaked hair and realized right then I wanted him, bad. I wanted him to kiss me so badly, it ached. My breath became ragged as he neared my lips, feeling the heat coming off them, and I closed my eyes while waiting for them to connect. However, he swooped past them to my ear, completely missing my mouth.

  "I see him, in the black button-up behind you," he whispered before nibbling ever so slightly on my earlobe. I moaned out loud from the fabulous sensation it sent through me. I felt foggy and dazed, which was probably good since all blood whores were, but now I wondered if Alec was just playing a part too. Did he really want me as I badly as I wanted him right now?

  I slowly turned from our embrace, but continued to dance, pressing my back into his chest. I brought my arms up and he dragged his hands down their length, hooking his thumbs into my skirt. I lazily moved my eyes over the crowd until I saw the vamp in the black, button-up shirt. He was dancing with his own snack and I caught his eye before giving him a flirty smile. Vampires loved to have their egos stroked, especially when they believed you preferred them to another vamp. That was why so many rules were required, and we had to play it just right.