by Janelle Peel
He clasped his fingers at the base of my neck. The tips of his thumbs pressed gently beneath my chin, lifting my face up to his.
I studied his perfect lips.
He opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to convey his thoughts.
Fuck it. Raising myself up on my tip toes, I kissed him. He opened his lips to my seeking tongue and moaned. I traced the hard lines of his back with my palms and pressed my chest more firmly against his in an effort to get closer. His lips were velvety soft against my own as our tongues intertwined. Christ, he tasted amazing.
Suddenly, he pushed me away, breaking the physical contact of our bodies.
A sharp pain lanced my chest at his dismissal. I backed up a step, then another. Confusion flashed through me, followed quickly by hurt and betrayal before finally settling on rage. I screamed at him, “GET OUT!”
Jackson took a single step forward, his hand reaching out to me in supplication.
I shook my head and backed away until my shoulders touched the wall. “Now,” I whispered, clenching my eyes shut.
I counted to thirty in my head. When I opened them again, he was gone. Sliding down the wall, I massaged my aching chest.
Sora
While we waited for Jackson and Viv, I quizzed Julian in the ballroom for any information on the LA Clutch.
He shook his head in apology, “I’m sorry. I really do not know. I only have rumors and speculation. Every Clutch is different in how they operate.”
I nodded my head in acknowledgement when Jackson stalked into the room.
Turning, I looked behind him expectantly, then back to his granite face. My brows dipped, “Where’s Viv?”
“In her room,” he rumbled without meeting my eyes.
I squeezed my lids closed and gritted my teeth. I really didn’t have time for this crap. “Any broken bones this time?”
His shoulders slumped at the reminder of the last time he’d pushed Viv too far. “No,” he muttered.
I inhaled deeply and looked to Julian with a hopeful expression.
His brown eyes softened in understanding and he jerked his head, “We will take care of everything.”
Indecision at helping my friend or doing as Blaze asked warred within me. Concluding that Blaze would understand, and that Julian knew what he was supposed to do, I smiled. “Thanks, Julian.”
Pivoting on my heel, I glared at Jackson and ground out, “This had better be perfect if I have to go clean up your mess. Do you understand?”
Jackson’s shoulders rounded further and he uttered, “Yes, Mistress.”
I flashed to Viv’s room before I could punch him for his stupidity.
What an asshole. He knew I hated the damned title.
After my third unanswered knock, I tried the handle. Locked. I called on my blue flames and put my finger on the brushed nickel. Focusing on my center, I envisioned the mechanism inside melting and felt a shift inside my chest. After a moment, I turned the handle and let myself in.
Viv was on her side, facing the wall. I closed the door and padded softly over to her.
“Go away,” her voice croaked hoarsely.
My heart pinched in sympathy as I shushed her.
Flipping off the light on the nightstand, I crawled onto the bed and spooned her smaller form against my chest.
I ran my fingers through her short hair in the darkness until her quiet sobs subsided. “Do you want to talk about it?” I whispered.
She snickered mockingly, “No… yes.” A hiccup escaped her, “May-- be.”
“Do I need to hurt him?” I replied softly, only half joking.
She sighed and shifted onto her back. “He got really weird when I told him Blaze was bringing the other Clutch back tonight to swear fealty.”
Curious, I asked, “How so?”
“He got angry at first, then he went on and on about them not having females. He ordered me to stay in the room tonight.” Her brows lowered, “I refused, of course. Then he paced the room. When I stood in his way to get answers, he pulled me against him and whispered he didn’t want to lose me.” She paused, waving her hand waved around the room, “Then I kissed him.”
I grinned, “And? How was it?”
She giggled, “It was nice, really nice.” Her tone changed to one of confusion, “Then he pushed me away.”
Understanding lit through me.
“Sora, what am I missing?” Her voice cracked, “What’s wrong with me?”
My fangs snicked down in outrage that she would think something was wrong with her. I growled in disapproval and grabbed her slender fingers in my own. “He’s an idiot. Nothing is wrong with you.” My voice hardened, “Nothing.” I bit out, “Do you understand me?”
She replied in a small voice, “Then why did he push me away?”
I inhaled slowly, trying to dissipate my rage at Jackson’s never-ending stupidity. “What he was trying to tell you, and failing quite brilliantly by the way, is that they don’t have any Mates.” I sat up and sighed. “You’re his Mate, only he doesn’t know how to talk to you about it. He’s trying to give you time to come to grips with all the changes in your life first. The other Clutch is all males. If they catch wind of you, they could challenge him for you, or even Blaze.”
She squeezed my hand, “What would happen?”
I shook my head, “Blaze would never allow you to go somewhere you didn’t want to, but it could throw a wrench into the alliance.” I shrugged my shoulders, “I really don’t know, Viv. Half of this shit even I struggle to understand.”
Her voice turned confident, “Okay.”
“Okay? Okay what?” I reached for my center and tossed an azure orb to the ceiling; casting the room in blue light. I could see her in the dark, but my night vision wasn’t as good as a full-blooded Vampire’s.
She chuckled and looked up to me from her prone position, “Blue light special, aisle 2.”
I giggled.
Her face sobered. “I’ll stay in my room.”
Shaking my head, I countered, “It might not be that simple. The entire Clutch was present for our fealty ceremony. I don’t know if that’s an option.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’ll talk to Blaze at dusk and see what he thinks. Until then, we should get some rest.” I settled back against the plush pillows, “Do you want me to stay?”
She rolled over and placed her head upon my shoulder in answer.
I played with my blue ball of light for a few minutes before releasing the tether, and drifted off to sleep.
Jackson
He rubbed a hand over his face. God, he was such an idiot. Viv was mad at him, as she had every right to be, and Sora wanted to kill him.
Pouring himself another glass of whiskey from behind the bar, he wondered how he could possibly patch things up before the ceremony tonight.
Fuck. The ceremony. Tipping the glass to his lips, he downed its contents slowly, savoring the burn.
The way he saw it, he would fight for her if it came to it. She was his and he was hers, even if he kept screwing everything up.
Hitting the lights, he settled back onto the leather couch to rest, unsure of his welcome in their suite.
Mentally, he reviewed the plans for the ceremony. Everything was in place, Julian would handle the smaller details he was sure he’d forgotten. He closed his eyes.
Chapter 3
Sora
The third time Viv smacked me in the face, I decided I’d had enough. Gently, I disentangled myself from her limbs and eased from the bed.
Grabbing my phone off the side table, I shielded the screen with my cupped fingers and unlocked it.
Dammit, that was so freaking bright. Squinting my watering eyes, I barely made out the display. 4PM. Locking it once more, I calculated dusk to take at least two more hours. No point in going back to bed now, I thought. Sleeping without Blaze sucked big time.
Padding over to the door, I tried turning the handle. Right, I mentally face palmed, I melted it last night. As quietly
as I could, I tugged it open from the frame. Looking back one last time to make sure Viv was still resting, I exited and gingerly pulled the door closed behind me.
I called to my well of magic. Blue flames danced in my mind's eye as I drew out a tendril to fix the door handle. Azure light trickled through my hand, causing the nickel handle to glow as the mechanism hardened and settled back into place. Twisting it to make sure I hadn’t inadvertently locked Viv in, I opened and closed the door again.
Satisfied at a job well done, I went to my room to shower.
Goddess, I could have stayed in that waterfall shower forever. Wiping the fog from the mirror, I sat my rear on the marble counter and tucked my feet in the sink. Sapphire eyes stared back at me from under the grey terry turban style towel covering my mane. My creamy skin almost glowed as a smile lit my pink bow shaped lips.
Blaze was coming back! It was crazy how much I had missed him. It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours. Grabbing my mascara, I opened my mouth and swiped a coat onto my lashes. Queerly, I wondered why women always opened their mouths to do their eyes. Shrugging a shoulder, I applied lavender eye shadow and another coat of mascara. I debated adding blush to my high cheekbones, but decided against it. I blushed enough as it was. Winking at my reflection, I hopped down.
Bending at the waist, I dropped the towel to the floor and finger combed my damp silver tresses. It seemed longer, almost to my waist. Deftly, I plated my hair into a side braid over my shoulder.
My feet slapped against the silver flecked travertine floor as I made my way to the walk-in closet and pressed on the sliding door panel. Hidden lights automatically flickered to life while I wondered what to wear. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a grey silk robe and pulled it on.
Padding back to the bed, I sat and dialed Blaze.
“Hey,” he rumbled.
I grinned, “Hi. Did I wake you?”
He yawned, “Yes.”
Blaze in bed was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. My stomach flipped and I lowered my voice seductively, “What are you wearing?”
His deep chuckle sounded in my ear and I shivered in anticipation.
He purred his reply, “Nothing.”
I smiled like a maniac as I envisioned him in the buff. Goddess, help me!
“Sora?” he queried.
“Mmm hmm?” I mumbled.
A curious tone entered his voice, “What’s up? Everything alright?”
I cleared my throat and blushed, “Er, sorry. My thoughts got a little carried away with the mental image.”
He snickered.
My ears turned red as I played with the tip of my braid. “I was calling because, well, I don’t really know what to wear. Is this like mine and Viv’s ceremony?”
“No, it’s not a ball.” He paused, “More like a cocktail party. Does that help?”
I nodded with relief, “Yup, I can do that.” I hesitated. “There is one more reason I’m calling...”
“Yes?”
“Well,” I stammered. “Um, what about Viv? I guess Jackson made a big mess last night over her staying out of sight for the ceremony…”
“Ah. Yes,” he sighed. “Unfortunately, that is not a possibility. Every member needs to be in attendance with the exception of the Protectors and Felidae. They will be busy patrolling the perimeter and such.”
I had wondered about that too. The Protectors were humans who drank the donated blood of Vampires, increasing their life spans and physical attributes. Paired with our Felidae, or Feline Shifters, they took care of all the Clutch’s security.
I frowned, “So… what if there are… issues?”
Blaze rumbled a noncommittal sound before answering, “Then Jackson will need to handle it. Viv will not leave our Clutch unless she decides to, but it is Jackson’s role to fill.”
I groaned and bit my lip. “This sucks.”
His voice softened, “Don’t worry Love. Jackson is extremely powerful. Zane, the LA Clutch’s leader, is only half a millennium. You know our power increases as we age.” His voice hardened, “Jackson is older than I; he will not lose.”
His confidence lessened some of the stress from my shoulders. I took a deep breath and mumbled, “Okay. I have go, though. Viv isn’t going to be very happy about any of this.”
He chuckled, “No, I imagine not. She seems to be the type to want to fight her own battles.”
My tone soured in reply, “Goddess, don’t I know it.”
“Anything else?”
I could envision his smirk from here. “Nope, I have enough to deal with now, thank you very much.” I snarked.
“Okay, see you soon.”
“Mmm hmm,” I muttered, distracted by my thoughts as he disconnected.
Dammit, this was not going to be fun.
Viv
My fangs had just pierced the plastic of my first meal of the day when a series of knocks sounded on the door. Without breaking the seal of my lips on the bag, I hummed out two syllables, “Enter,” and hoped the person on the other side of the door could understand me.
Sora’s voice preceded the door opening, “Enter?”
“MMM HMM,” I hummed again, louder.
Stepping fully into the room, she closed the door with her heel and wrinkled her nose. “Ew. I don’t know how you can eat that. It looks gross.” She waved a hand dismissively at my nearly empty blood bag.
Lifting a shoulder and brow in tandem, I retracted my teeth and tossed the empty bag into the trash. “Have you ever tried it?” I asked, while giving her the stank eye.
Her brows dipped, “Nope.” She hooked a thumb at her chest, “Dhampir, remember? I’ve only ever had Blaze’s blood. I can’t imagine drinking cold blood from a bag.”
I squinted skeptically and pursed my lips, “What if it was Blaze’s blood?”
She tipped her head in thought while she perched on the wingback chair. Her grey robe whispered as the satin material shifted against the leather. “Maybe.”
I smirked, “Thought so.”
Her hands fidgeted with the robe’s tie in her lap and she frowned.
Uh oh, bad news was coming.
I snapped my fingers, “Okay. Out with it.”
She bit her lip for a moment. Her worried eyes finally met my curious ones and she mumbled, “You have to go tonight.”
I stilled, “What did Blaze say?”
Sora grimaced and her gaze skittered away. Looking at the wall, she took a deep breath. “That every member has to be there.”
My thoughts spun as I nodded, “And?”
She cringed, “That Jackson can handle any issues.”
I flared my nostrils, “Issues.”
She stood and began to pace, “Fights.” She threw up her hands, “Any fights, Viv.”
What the hell? I raised my voice, “I can fight my own damned battles, Sora!”
Her shoulders slumped helplessly and she rubbed her face. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I know! Blaze knows.” She shrugged, “This shit is just weird.”
I bared my teeth, “It’s archaic. This isn’t the 1500s or whatever. I don’t need anyone to fight for me goddammit!”
Her bare feet padded across the carpet and she settled beside me on the bed.
I breathed, wrestling for control of my emotions. Fat good it did. I didn’t need to breathe, but the familiar motion was still soothing somehow.
She took my hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze, “We’ll figure it out.”
I snarked, “We shouldn’t have to figure anything out. It’s all bullshit.”
She grinned, “I know. The alliance is important, though.”
I rolled my eyes at her earnest tone. Don’t shoot the messenger was quickly becoming my new mantra. Releasing her fingers, I threw myself back onto the soft bed. In a sulking voice, I muttered, “What are you wearing?”
She smirked knowingly, “Black cocktail dress. You have anything like that?”
“Probably,” I lifted a lip in disgust, “Jackson got all kinds of t
hings for me when I got here.”
Excitedly, she stood. “Let’s go look, then. Maybe you’d like to use my bathroom to get ready?”
I glared at her chipper tone, knowing that she was playing me. I was enamored with her waterfall shower. I scoffed, “Bribery now, huh?”
Lifting a shoulder, she replied with a devilish grin, “If it works.”
Dammit, it did work.
With a defeated sigh, I grumbled, “Let’s go,” and waved my hand to the closet.
Jackson
After checking in with the Protectors for the day's security report, he meandered to his room. His thoughts were a confused mess; worry over Viv was slowly driving him mad.
He drummed his knuckles on their door and waited for a response. Hearing none, he entered. Musing internally at the vacant room, he was relieved that they weren’t going to fight before he’d gotten himself cleaned up. She was probably off somewhere with Sora.
Plodding to the wingback, he sat and unlaced his shitkickers. Standing again, he kicked them off and padded to the bathroom. Shucking his shirt, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Resting on the couch had done him no favors. Bags decorated the skin beneath his ocean colored eyes and he grimaced. Nothing to be done for it now, he thought.
Reaching into the glass walled shower, he flipped the steel knobs until the right temperature came sprinkling from the showerhead. Satisfied, he unbuttoned his fatigues and pulled his phone from his pocket. Thumbing the screen to life, he debated on what he wanted to hear. Hmm, maybe some classic rock would help lighten his sour mood. Choosing a random Pandora station, he finished undressing and stepped under the warm spray.
Viv
My hands slid down the smooth material of my black dress as I marveled at my reflection.
Sora joined me at the bathroom mirror. The rhinestone studded straps of her dress twinkled beneath the overhead light.
She grinned, “You look good, Babe.”
I lifted a brow, and perused our nearly identical dresses with a pleased smile on my lips. “As do you.”
Her taller form looked stunning. She wore her hair up in a high twist that bared her graceful neck. The dress was lycra, like mine, and hugged every curve like a second skin. Where mine was strapless, hers was a halter style. Both were open to the small of our backs and hit just above our knees. Simple, yet elegant and tasteful.
