The bar was at the other end of the club, furthest away from the DJ and dance floor, so it was just a little bit easier for Zander to hear.
“This shit is crazy!” Giovanni yelled.
“That is an understatement,” Zander sighed. The bar, like the rest of the club, was crowded, but Giovanni wasn’t shy about shoving his way up toward the front. A young, warlock bartender with shoulder length, blond hair immediately noticed them.
“Love and light,” he said, acknowledging Zander and Giovanni with the traditional warlocks’ greeting. They both responded with, “Blessed be.”
“My name is Milo. What are two little ripe warlocks like yourselves doing in a place like this?”
“Milo, my name is Giovanni, and this is Zander. We are here celebrating my friend’s eighteenth birthday,” Giovanni said. Zander smiled.
“No wonder you are so ripe. You just turned eighteen. You two had better not stand in one place for too long. You might get felt up in here,” Milo teased.
“Where does the line start?” Giovanni asked, and Milo laughed. Just then, the tall, slim, Asian vampire from the line slid up behind Giovanni.
“Bartender, these drinks are on me,” he said, pointing to Giovanni and Zander.
“We don’t know you,” Giovanni said, coyly.
“You don’t know me yet,” the vampire corrected. He looked to be around twenty-five in human years. He had a model’s swagger, a swimmer’s build, and he oozed of sensuality.
“I’m Giovanni and this is my friend, Zander. It’s his birthday,” Giovanni announced again. The vampire gave Zander a polite look and moved closer to Giovanni.
“My name is Hung,” he said.
“Really?” Giovanni raised an eyebrow.
“Hung is Vietnamese for spirit of a hero,” he explained.
“Oh, I thought it was vampire for you have a big dick,” Giovanni said.
“That, too.” Hung smiled, staring at the pulsing jugular in Giovanni’s neck.
“What are you having?” Milo interrupted, from behind the bar.
“I’ll have a Bloody Mary -- type O,” Hung said.
“Give us Hennessy and hemlock,” Giovanni said. Hung paid, and Milo poured the drinks and slammed them on the counter. Giovanni gulped down his drink before Zander could properly thank Hung. Hung whispered something in Giovanni’s ear, and Giovanni turned to Zander.
“I’m going to go dance with Hung. Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Giovanni assured him. He was gone before Zander could object. Zander turned toward Milo, who was giving him a sympathetic smile.
“I’ll watch you until your friend gets back. Your next drink is on me since it’s your birthday,” Milo winked. Zander couldn’t tell if it was pity or flirting, but it didn’t matter. He would take either at this point. Zander reached into his pocket to find that the stone was even hotter. So hot, in fact, that it was starting to burn his leg. He reached up to the bar, grabbed a few napkins, wrapped the ruby necklace several times, and stuffed it back in his pocket.
Zander could see Giovanni grinding his fat little ass on Hung’s dick in the center of the dance floor. It was a good thing that no one had asked him to dance because he wasn’t sure that he could move that seductively without some practice and a few more drinks. He took a sip of his cocktail and was pleasantly surprised at how the smooth potion warmed him up and lowered his inhibitions. He’d tasted alcohol before but had never had his own drink – and certainly not one with hemlock in it. He stood with his back to the bar, occasionally smiling at admirers and trying to make sense of Club Arcane.
The DJ booth was perched up on a crow’s nest on the opposite end of the club behind a dark, smoky glass. Zander couldn’t see the DJ, but he could tell from the music that whoever was in there knew how to stir a crowd. The dance floor was shaped like a large square with pairs of male and female strippers dancing in cages in each of the four corners. Several platforms at different heights peppered the floor for dancers who wanted to see and be seen. To the left was the black curtain through which they had entered, and to the right was a series of numbered doors that were being patrolled by other security guards dressed like Ooba. The music changed into something with more of a reggae feel. Zander looked back toward the dance floor to find Giovanni and Hung now up on one of the platforms swinging and swaying to the beat.
Zander swallowed his entire drink and allowed the warm feeling to ease through his body.
“Not too fast, young warlock,” Milo said, as he slid another glass of Hennessy and hemlock toward Zander.
“Okay,” Zander agreed. He grabbed the second drink and took a small sip before turning his attention back toward Giovanni, Hung, and the undulating crowd. He could feel the Hennessy and hemlock opening him up. Zander wasn’t a bad dancer. He just wasn’t familiar with these particular dances. He studied Giovanni and imagined himself doing those same moves. Zander took the second drink and gulped it down.
“If you take it slow, then it might not hurt so much in the morning,” a voice said from behind Zander. He turned to find himself staring into a very broad and well-formed chest. Zander looked up into a pair of light brown eyes and was speechless. The stranger was tall and extremely muscular with skin the color of milk chocolate. He wore his hair in a long Afro, which was adorned with one cowrie shell at his left temple. A small, hemp loop was threaded through his right ear like an earring. His tight, white t-shirt seemed to show every single muscle in his torso, and his fitted jeans were doing nothing less for his legs and ass. The bulge at his crotch looked like he had stuffed a pair of socks or a large sausage in his pants. Zander assumed from his designer leather boots that he might also own a motorcycle.
“Excuse me?” Zander asked, trying not to stare into his eyes.
“I said if you take it slow, then it might not hurt so much in the morning,” the stranger repeated. Zander hesitated a second before realizing that he was referring to how quickly he had downed his second drink. Milo was no longer behind the bar, and Giovanni and Hung were nowhere to be found. Zander was all out of liquid courage and standing face to face with the most handsome man that he had ever seen.
“You look frightened. Is there something wrong?” His voice poured over Zander like warm honey. He felt his dick hardening in his jeans and wondered if his ripening scent was becoming more noticeable.
“There’s nothing wrong. I was just looking for my friend,” Zander said, leaning back against the bar. The stranger moved in a little closer and placed his right hand on the bar just behind Zander’s back.
“He must be a pretty careless friend to lose a nice piece like you,” he said.
“He’s not that kind of friend, and I am not a piece,” Zander said haughtily.
“My apologies. I just smelled... I mean saw you when you came in, and I had to take advantage of this opportunity to come over and introduce myself.”
“That was very nice of you,” Zander said, staring at his full lips and exceptionally white teeth.
“My name is Zuri Tau Long. My friends call me Tau,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, Tau. My name is Zander,” he responded, realizing that this is what he had been imagining since he had started to ripen -- a chance to flirt like all of the other kids back at his high school. Although he had had two rather strong drinks, he remembered his parents’ warning that a witch or a warlock never gave a stranger, especially a magical, his or her full name upon introduction.
Zander knew that name offering given too freely could be used for spell casting. Given the fact that Tau had told Zander his full name, Zander assumed that he must not be a warlock. Zander took a sip and looked up again, noticing Tau’s rather long canine teeth. How had Giovanni been able to read other supernaturals so easily? He really should have paid more attention to the training his parents gave him in the evenings and on weekend. Maybe his grandmother was right. Maybe he shoul
d have gone to a private magic school.
“It is very nice to meet you, Zander,” Tau said with a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Zander asked.
“You warlocks and your name offering,” Tau said.
“Do you have something against warlocks?” Zander asked.
“Not when they’re as ripe as you are and have asses like yours, I don’t.” Tau winked.
“Excuse me?” Zander said.
“My apologies. My animal side gets the better of me sometime. You have to admit that you are as ripe as hell. Every man in here, and half of the women, have noticed you,” Tau said. Zander blushed.
“So, you must be like a shifter -- like a werewolf,” Zander surmised.
“No, not a werewolf.” Tau sounded slightly put out. Zander hoped that he hadn’t caused offense. He certainly didn’t want him to walk away, so he tried his best to keep the conversation going.
“It’s pretty crowded in here tonight, isn’t it?” Zander asked.
Tau laughed again, “Of course it’s crowded tonight. You magicals have your little Litha in town this week. Word on the street is that the vamps just hit up several of the local blood banks and made off with a big haul of AB negative blood, which means they’re in rare form. And there’s a full moon tonight. Every supernatural in here is horny as hell. You fanning your little ripe ass all around the club isn’t helping much, either.”
Zander didn’t know if he should be offended or flattered.
“You don’t get out too much, do you?” Tau asked.
“So what if I don’t?” Zander said, defensively.
“It’s cute. Makes me want to take care of you,” Tau admitted.
“So... back to you. You are a shifter right?” Zander asked.
“Yes, but you don’t have to worry. I won’t hurt you,” Tau assured him.
“Who said I was worried about you hurting me? I’m a pretty powerful warlock. Maybe you’re the one who should be worried,” Zander said, trying to sound tough. Tau started laughing before Zander could finish the sentence. His laugh was hearty and pleasant, and it made Zander laugh, too.
“Okay, little warlock. How about you let me buy you another drink?” Tau asked. Zander only had $20 left, and another drink couldn’t hurt, could it?
“Is everything all right over here?” Milo appeared back behind the bar. Zander turned and nodded.
“How about you get us two more drinks,” Tau said. “A Hennessy and hemlock for my friend, and a peach Ciroc with catnip for me.” Milo moved away without responding to Tau or taking his eyes off Zander. When Milo came back with the drinks, Tau threw a $20 bill on the bar and turned back toward Zander. Zander gave Milo an awkward smile.
“How about a toast to... taking it slow so that it doesn’t hurt in the morning,” Tau said. Zander laughed and took a sip of his drink. Conversely, Tau threw his peach Ciroc and catnip back in one gulp and slammed the cup back on the counter. Zander wasn’t sure, but he thought he caught Tau sniffing him.
The music reached a fevered pitch, and the crowd went wild. Tau grabbed Zander’s hand. “Would you like to dance?”
“I don’t know. I don’t get out much, remember?” Zander was half afraid that any attempt to dance would either send Tau away or make him burst into laughter again. Zander put his drink back down on the counter.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you. I promise.” Tau pulled Zander toward the center of the dance floor, and Zander couldn’t help but follow him. When they reached the center of the floor, Zander took a deep breath and tried to decide if he was going to try to emulate Giovanni or simply do one of the dances that he did back at his high school. Neither option seemed very appealing. Before he could make a decision, Tau pulled him in close and began rocking him to the beat. Being so close to Tau felt... good. In fact, it was one of the best feelings Zander had ever experienced. They moved together with a rhythm that Zander didn’t think possible. He could smell Tau’s warm breath on his face, could see Tau’s nipples hardening beneath the shirt; he could hear Tau’s heart beating over the music, and he could feel Tau’s rock-hard body against his -- and it wasn’t just Tau’s body that was hard. Tau’s dick was hard as stone, pressed against his stomach. Tau nuzzled and kissed Zander’s ear while his hands slipped down toward the small of Zander’s back.
“You smell great,” Tau said.
“Thank you,” Zander hummed.
“You feel good,” Tau continued.
“So do you,” Zander said, looking pointedly at Tau’s massive erection pressed against his abdomen.
“That’s your fault for being so damn sexy,” Tau teased.
“It’s just because I’m ripe right now. I tend to have that effect on people. I’m sure that if I wasn’t peaking, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed me,” Zander looked away.
“Is that what you think? First of all, I’m a shifter. I could smell you even if you weren’t ripening, but I do really like your particular scent. Second, I like talking to you. Third, you have a really fat ass!” Tau laughed, grabbing two handfuls of Zander’s ass. Zander surprised himself by reaching up and giving Tau a long kiss. It was his first real kiss, and it was more powerful than any magic that he had ever felt. Zander wasn’t sure if he was so uninhibited because of the alcohol, the fact that he had met the sexiest man in the club, or both.
“Whoa! Is that what happens when I grab your booty?” Tau asked.
“No. The next time you might get slapped or worse. You seem to keep forgetting that I am a warlock.” Zander nibbled on Tau’s earlobe. The alcohol was definitely starting to have an effect; Zander could tell he was being much more affectionate than normal.
“Hey! What’s going on here?” Giovanni yelled, poking Zander in the side and forcing him to jump. Zander turned and gave Giovanni a huge hug. He could have sworn that he heard Tau growl. Giovanni was holding his new vampire boy toy by the hand, and he looked tipsy. Zander had no idea that vampires could even get drunk.
“What’s wrong with him?” Zander asked Giovanni.
“What do you mean?”
“Is he okay?” Zander nodded toward Hung. Giovanni tilted his head back revealing a series of bite marks all along his neck. One was right over his tattoo.
“I let him bite me. You know that a warlock’s blood makes vamps drunk, don’t you?”
Zander didn’t get a chance to answer. Tau was standing behind him, clearing his throat and looking rather impatient.
“Who’s the Thundercat?” Giovanni whispered, glancing over at Tau. Tau’s demeanor changed from flirtatious to fearsome, indicating that he might have heard Giovanni even through the loud club music.
“What?” Zander asked. Giovanni extended his hand to Tau. “I’m Zander’s buddy. My name is Giovanni, and this is my new special friend Hung.” Hung gave a stupefied wave, and Tau seemed to relax when he realized that Giovanni and Hung were together.
“This is my friend, Tau,” Zander told Giovanni.
“And exactly how many drinks have you had?” Giovanni asked Zander in his ear.
“Just one,” Zander lied.
“Witch, please,” Giovanni teased.
“Okay, three,” he responded, hugging Giovanni again. They both laughed.
“I’m going to get Hung some fresh air. It’s one thing for a vampire to drink from a warlock. It’s something else entirely for a vampire to drink from a ripening warlock.” Giovanni rolled his eyes. “He’ll probably be like this for a few hours.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Zander asked.
“He’ll just be really horny when he comes around, and that’s when the real fun begins,” he said, giving Zander a wink.
Tau began biting his bottom lip and tapping his foot. Zander grabbed Tau’s hands from behind and pulled him close so that Tau’s erection rested just atop his round booty. The gestu
re of affection seemed to calm Tau and make his dick grow even larger.
“Be careful with Hung,” Zander warned.
“I’ve got this. You be careful,” Giovanni warned. “You’re the one dancing with the wild animal. Shifters are no joke. They go in for real, and they play for keeps,” He kissed Zander on the cheek and dragged Hung off toward one of the numbered doors. Zander wondered what was behind it.
Just then, Tau kissed the back of Zander’s neck and started grinding his huge dick into Zander’s back. Zander turned, playfully pushed Tau away, and began dancing so smoothly that he surprised himself. The drinks, the freedom, and Tau’s attention were making him feel alive -- and sexy. From Tau’s reaction, he must have looked pretty good doing it. Zander quickly realized that Tau was a decent dancer, too. As a matter of fact, he was a great dancer, and he moved with surprising agility. If the stares from nearby dancers were any indication, then they must have looked like quite a pair.
Zander was so caught up in the moment that he failed to realize that he was actually levitating several inches off the ground. When other dancers started to notice, Tau grabbed him and carried him off the dance floor.
“There’s no magic allowed in the club,” Tau grunted in Zander’s ear.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away,” Zander whispered back. He couldn’t help but notice the judgmental stares as they exited the dance floor. Tau set Zander down once they were in the far corner, near the bathrooms.
“I am really sorry,” Zander repeated. Tau was still holding his hands.
“It’s okay. I don’t think any of the security guards noticed.”
“Good.” Zander sighed with relief.
“Levitation, huh? Maybe you are a pretty powerful little warlock. You may not need my protection after all,” Tau teased.
“Mr. Long,” Zander said with a smile, “we’ve been dancing all night, and I barely know anything about you.”
“I didn’t know that a background check was a prerequisite for a dance,” Tau responded.
All Knight Long, Book I: One Warlock's Love Story Page 3
