by Anna, Vivi
He was about to open the microwave and toss the meat in when he heard a noise outside the apartment door. Someone was coming up the stairs to his floor.
Mikhail crossed the room and unlocked the door in seconds. He stepped out on top of the landing just as Bael and three of his goons were approaching.
“What do you want?” Mikhail asked, not happy at all to see the vampire at his door.
“I knew you’d bring her here. It’s so tortured hero of you.”
Bael grinned and his cronies chuckled along with the joke.
“What do you want, Bael? I told you I would take care of this.”
Bael took in Mikhail’s naked form. “Yes, it looks like it. Is she as tasty as she looks? I certainly hope so. Or this would be a wasted trip.”
“You said you wanted her gone. So I’m doing that. Tomorrow she’ll be back in her world with no way of returning.”
“Well, I’ve changed my mind.”
“What?”
“Now that I’ve met her in person, I’ve decided that Eden would be a delightful addition to my court. You can’t really tell that stuff in dreams.”
Before Mikhail could take a step forward, Bael’s henchmen were on him. One grabbed him around the neck from behind and the other two restrained his arms. He was strong but three vampires were stronger. And it looked as if they had just fed.
Bael glided toward him as if he floated on air. He patted him on the cheek. “We always knew this was going to happen, brother. You didn’t really think she was going to fall in love with you and want to make little wolf babies with you?” Bael threw is arm up in the arm dramatically. “Especially not when she could have me.”
The vampire nodded to the goon holding Mikhail around the neck. He started to squeeze and soon everything spun, then went black. The last thing Mikhail saw was Bael entering his apartment with the swagger of a conqueror.
Chapter Ten
Eden rolled over onto her side, gathering the blanket tight to her chin, but her eyes snapped open when she noticed the silk beneath her naked body. She had not fallen asleep on soft, silky sheets.
Gathering the blanket to her breasts, she sat up to survey her new surroundings. She was definitely not in Mikhail’s run-down apartment but in a large, opulently furnished suite.
The four-poster bed she lay in was huge, dressed in red silk sheets and velvet pillows. One long wall was a bank of windows and she could see the lights of the strange new city. Across the room a fire crackled in a large fireplace made from stone. In front of the hearth was a thick throw rug laid over the dark hardwood floor. There were also two golden Queen Anne chairs in front of the fire. A man sat in one, reading a book and sipping a glass of wine.
He closed the book and, setting his glass down, he turned to look at her. Bael’s smile was warm and inviting and it sent a shiver down her back.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Is this one of my dreams?”
He stood and approached her. “I assure you, it isn’t.”
“What am I doing here? How did I get here?”
“You’re a guest here in my home. I thought you’d like to see the true beauty of Threshold.”
“Doesn’t explain how I got here.”
“Doesn’t it?” His eyebrow lifted in amusement.
“Where’s Mikhail?”
“Oh, I suspect he’ll be along shortly.” Bael walked to a table in the corner, where several covered dishes were laid out. “He’s working for me, did you know?”
She didn’t know, and she tried to keep the surprise from her face, but by his widening smile, she hadn’t managed to.
He lifted the lids. “First you should eat.” Delectable smells rolled over to her. “I had the cooks prepare several dishes I thought you’d enjoy.”
“Thank you,” she said, thinking it best to be polite. Unlike the way she could be with Mikhail, she didn’t know if she could push this man and not be hurt. “Where are my clothes?”
Bael walked over to a large armoire and opened it. “There are clothes in here for any occasion.” He took out a slinky black dress. “You’re a size six, are you not?”
She indeed was a size six, but didn’t want to know how he knew. So she didn’t say anything.
He brought the dress over to the bed and laid it out. “Lingerie is in the drawers.” He smiled then. From his close proximity she could clearly see his fangs peeking between his lips. “Or you may prefer to go without. Which is what I imagine you’ll do.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it will be much easier for me to fuck you that way.” He ran his fingers over the dress. In response, shivers rushed through her body and heat blossomed between her legs.
She was embarrassed by her reaction to him. Especially after just having sex with Mikhail so fervently only hours before.
“You assume I want to have sex with you.”
“Don’t you?”
He smiled as little licks of pleasure wound their way up her parted thighs and over her breasts. It was as if he’d touched her with just his thoughts.
“Stop it,” she said, pulling the blanket higher to her chest.
“Stop what? I haven’t done a thing.
“You know what I’m talking about. You’re in my head. You’ve been in my dreams.”
“If I am in your head, it is only because you want me there. The power is and always has been yours, Eden.
“That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. You wanted escape from your guilt. You called me to deliver you from it.”
Eden thought about that. It was true she’d been suffering day after day from guilt and anger and despair. She had wished to be saved from it. In her dreams, Bael had eased her suffering. And it had felt good.
“You can be free here, Eden. In this world, in this place.” He opened his arms to indicate the room, the apartment, the city. “You’d never want for anything. All your desires, all your pleasures would be fulfilled.” He sat on the bed beside her. “Food, drink, clothing, amusements, sex. Whatever your imagination can dream up, you can have it. With no judgment. No one to censure you.” He reached over and touched her face, feathering his fingertips across her cheek to her mouth.
Her lips parted on a sigh she hadn’t meant to give as his thumb ran over her bottom lip. In her mind, she imagined kissing him. Imagined his mouth nibbling at her neck and venturing lower to her breasts, where his tongue swept over a nipple, and a fang scraped oh so cleverly against her sensitive bud.
Gasping, she pulled away from his touch. “Stop.”
His hand dropped to his lap. “I could give you such pleasure, Eden. More than you could even imagine.”
She could imagine a lot and she suspected Bael could and would give it to her if she asked. But she still didn’t trust him. He’d invaded her dreams and now her conscious mind. The control was not hers—it was his. And she didn’t like that one bit. With Mikhail she knew he’d allow her control if she asked for it. She had a sense he’d give her even more than that.
“And what would I have to give you in return? Because I know this wouldn’t be for free. Nothing in life is.”
“You don’t trust me. I understand.” Smiling, he stood. “Get dressed and I will give you a reason to.”
“How?”
“Lilith Grae. You wish to see her, yes?”
“She’s here?”
“Yes, she’s here. And in good health.” He moved toward the door. “She’s eager to see you. I told her you’ve been looking for her.” He opened the door. “I’ll be back in an hour to fetch you.”
“Bael?”
He stopped and looked in earnest at her.
“Where’s Mikhail? You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
“Of course not. Why on earth would I ever hurt my own brother?” With that he left, shutting the door behind him. Eden heard the distinctive click of a lock. It would seem trust didn’t run either way.
Bael and Mikhail, brothers? She never wo
uld’ve suspected that. They certainly didn’t look alike and their personalities were polar opposites. Bael was warm and inviting, Mikhail cold and unyielding. One opposed the other. And she seemed to be stuck in between them.
* * *
As promised, Bael returned to fetch her. She’d dressed in the garment he’d laid out for her, but she did put on some underwear. She didn’t want to prove him right. She’d also nibbled on the provided food, and found all the dishes to her liking. In fact, they’d all been her favorites. Once more Bael must’ve invaded her thoughts to get that information.
“You look lovely,” he said.
She felt lovely. The silky fabric of the dress clung to her curves. She’d never worn anything so rich and elegant before. And with her hair swept up—she’d found hairpins in the bathroom—she could’ve walked a red carpet and been able to hold her own.
It was a shame that Bael also looked lovely. His dark hair was pulled back from his perfect chiseled features and he filled out his suit like a man who frequented the gym regularly. Eden imagined a lean, chiseled frame underneath his expensive clothes, an image that wasn’t helping her to quell her attraction to him.
He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
“Where are we going?”
“I want to show you the city. What Threshold can offer.”
“I thought you were taking me to see Lilith Grae?”
“I am. You’ll see.”
She didn’t see but really had no recourse to argue. So far, he’d treated her very well. She was under no illusion that she could just walk out of his building freely, but she didn’t necessarily feel like a captive either.
Once she saw Lilith and heard her story, she would decide what to do. Flee or stay.
The tour through the city was conducted from the back of a stretch limo. The streets seemed not much different from her own, except for the presence of strange but beautiful creatures walking them. This part of the city was mostly high-rises, high-end shops and popular nightclubs. Not at all like the area Mikhail had taken her to.
Eden thought about Mikhail and wondered if Bael had been telling the truth about not hurting him. Not that the shape-shifter needed her worry. She imagined it would take more than Bael to keep him down and wondered if he was trying to reach her. Or if giving her to Bael had been his plan all along.
She hoped it hadn’t been, as she’d started having feelings for him. More than just lust. She sensed he cared more for her than he let on. She’d heard meaning in those words he whispered to her when he’d thought she’d been asleep. At least she hoped there had been meaning.
The limo stopped in front of a club. It had no name that she could discern but the lineup to get in stretched for a block or two. The door opened and Bael slid out, then reached in a hand to help her out. The second she was out of the limo with her hand wrapped around Bael’s arm, camera flashes blinded her in a flurry of activity. It was the oddest thing to have supernatural paparazzi taking her picture and shouting at her to “smile” and “look here” as she and Bael walked to the club entrance.
A huge man, who looked much like Bif and smelled the same, unhooked the velvet rope and allowed them entrance.
“Good evening, Lord Bael,” he said as they passed.
Before they entered, though, Eden heard a voice out on the street calling to her. When she turned her head, she saw Durt, her little goblin friend, being ushered the other way by two large catlike creatures.
Chapter Eleven
Mikhail paced in front of the Inferno building. Three burly demons with rocklike skin stood guard in the foyer, glaring at him every time he looked over. They had kept him from going up to see Bael, from rescuing Eden. He’d tried every entrance and had been blocked on all sides. Bael was using all his resources to stop Mikhail from reaching her—he had to think of another way. Eden was a strong woman but Bael was a master of seduction. He had many gifts, and giving pleasure was at the top of that list. Mikhail had seen ruthless dignitaries and bloodthirsty warlords succumb to Bael’s charms. The longer Eden was with him, the harder it would be to break his spell, if it could be broken at all.
He had to destroy it though. For her sake and for his own. It would ruin him to see Eden with Bael. He would not be able to withstand that kind of torture.
Mikhail was considering mounting another attack, this time from up top, when something caught his eye. That something was a little goblin hobbling his way from down the street. He was waving his little green arms.
“Sir! Sir!” he was shouting.
He remembered the goblin from when he’d grabbed Eden in front of the tavern.
The goblin reached his side, heaving heavily for breath. “Sir.”
“What do you want?”
“I...” he started, gulped in air, then continued, “saw the lady.”
“What lady?”
“The one you stole. The pretty one from the other side.”
Mikhail grabbed the goblin’s bony shoulder. “Where?”
“At the club.” He turned to point from where he’d just come.
“Which one?”
“Club Anything.”
Mikhail grimaced. Of all the places that Bael would take her, it would have to be there. A place where everything and anything was on the menu. Any pleasure, any perversion, could be had at the club.
He’d known of those who’d gone into the club and had never come out. Word was, some languished inside, caught so deeply in their fantasies that they never wanted to leave. Some, especially those who couldn’t pay for long, became part of the establishment. Employees to work off their debt. Paid in things only they wanted. More salacious fantasies.
Bael owned the club as he did most things in Threshold.
Without any idea of how he was going to get in, Mikhail ran down the street toward the club, hoping he wasn’t too late to save her.
Chapter Twelve
The club was like nothing Eden had seen before. It was a cross between Coyote Ugly and French boudoir. There were scantily clad women of varying species behind the bar, spinning bottles and serving drinks, and saloon-looking gals swinging from the ceiling on velvet swings. The rooms were done in rich reds and golds. There were curved settees about the area; patrons perched on them sipping martinis and other assorted drinks. The music was a curious blend of heart-wrenching strains of Mozart and the thump thump thump of Dubstep. She took it all in with wide-eyed curiosity as Bael led her across the room to a private, roped-off area along one side.
After they were seated on one of the velvet-covered sofas, a waitress showed up with a tray of drinks. A full glass of rich red wine for Bael and a scotch on the rocks for her. She took the offered drink and wondered if that was truly wine in Bael’s glass and not something else red and thick. She watched him as he took a sip and shuddered.
He smiled at her over the rim of his glass. “So, what do you think so far?”
She shrugged. She’d been expecting Caligula but had gotten Moulin Rouge instead. “Not as scandalous as I was expecting.”
“Oh, the scandals go on in the private rooms in the basement. You could swim in a pool of chocolate sauce and have twenty little fairies lick it off your body if you wished.”
She winced at that.
He laughed. “Oh, you’d be surprised how incredibly arousing that can be.”
Eden took a drink, reveling in the way the scotch burned her throat on the way down. It was like a welcome friend to her. She drank more until her glass was empty.
“Delicious, isn’t it? I don’t know why you’ve denied yourself such a simple thing.”
“My therapist says I rely on drink too much. That I need to learn to deal with life soberly.” She said it matter-of-factly but she felt a little bitterness when she said it, of always having to explain herself.
Bael shook his head. “Foolish sentiments. Why not enjoy life to the fullest? Why wallow in guilt for craving these things? Makes no sense to me.”
As soon as she set h
er empty glass down, there was a full one next to her hand. She picked it up and took another healthy drink. Already she could feel the effects of the alcohol. She was warm and calm inside.
“When can I see Lilith?”
“Now, if you wish.”
“She’s here?” Eden looked around the room, searching for the woman.
“She’s in the basement.”
Eden flinched a little, nervous about what she was going to see in the rooms in the basement of the club. She was afraid she’d see something that she craved so deeply she’d never want to leave. Thoughts of Mikhail filled her mind then, and she wondered if that had already transpired.
Bael stood and offered her his hand. “I’ll take you down.”
She took his hand and together they walked the club to a door painted red near the DJ booth. There was a burly werewolf in jeans guarding it. He bowed his furry head when Bael and Eden approached.
“Good evening, Lord Bael.”
“Good evening, Franklin.”
Eden tried not to snicker at the werewolf’s name. It just seemed like such a normal name for someone so irregular. She averted her gaze as they went through the open door. But she felt Franklin’s gaze on her the entire way. He sniffed at her as she passed him.
When they were through and the werewolf shut the door behind them, Bael chuckled. “I think Franklin likes you.”
She shuddered. “Lucky me.”
This made Bael laugh, and he patted her hand. “I like your ballsiness.”
Before them the stairs descended in a steep decline. Candelabras lined the stone wall downward, candles flickering from within. When they reached the bottom, they turned to the right into a stone corridor that reminded Eden of a medieval castle. The dungeons, in particular. There were closed painted doors on either side of them as they walked the hall.
Sounds of ecstasy and agony emanated from each room.
Her grip on Bael’s arm involuntarily tightened. Heat blossomed in her belly. Arousal quickly started to take root inside her, and she was embarrassed by it.
