by Lexi Blake
Quinn watched me quietly. Every word I said forced his lips into a wider smile. I was beginning to think I just kept falling further into whatever trap the fertility god had planted. “I’m sorry, Ms. Atwood. Marcus and I have some issues, but I won’t bring you into them and I certainly believe he’s the best partner you could have in this endeavor. I hope we can have a good relationship. I could use an investigator on call. Things seem to go awry around here a lot.”
Marcus stood and offered me his arm. It was an old-world gesture. Gathering my things quickly, I slipped my hand through his arm.
“Come, Kelsey, I will show you around the club,” the vampire said shortly.
“You’ll take care of her, Marcus?” Quinn asked as the vampire opened the door and the sounds of Ether assaulted me.
The vampire turned, his eyes narrowed on the faery. “You knew I would.”
As the door closed behind us, I noted the look of satisfaction on Devinshea Quinn’s face.
Marcus’s face was tight and I could feel the rage pouring off him. I turned to him before we started down the first step. I had no idea what was between the fertility god and the vampire, but I had a feeling I’d made things more difficult for Marcus.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked over the noise of the dance floor.
Marcus took a deep breath, and when he glanced back at me there was a calm look on his face. Marcus Vorenus did not wear his emotions on the surface. He kept them deeply hidden and I wondered how close you had to be before he shed the polite mask he wore. “Not at all, Kelsey. The prince and I are at odds. It’s nothing to concern yourself with. I promise it won’t affect my ability to aid you in your investigation. Allow me to show you around.”
I thought about the gorgeous redhead in the picture. She was obviously Devinshea Quinn’s wife. The boys had mentioned that Marcus wanted to kiss her. He had a thing for the faery’s wife and it didn’t look like the faery wanted to share more than he already did. Marcus mentioned problems with Daniel as well. I wondered if he’d had an affair with the woman in the picture. She was everything I wasn’t—polished and beautiful and sunny. She had a centerfold body and a stunning face. She probably wore beautiful clothes and didn’t complain because they were made for her. It occurred to me she was precisely the type of woman Gray needed.
“Kelsey!” Liv was practically on top of me the minute I hit the bottom of the stairs. She threw her arms around me and pulled me away from Marcus. “What’s going on? First you disappear, then Gray storms off and he wouldn’t tell me anything except to talk to Quinn because you chose him.”
“I didn’t choose Quinn.” Gray had lost his damn mind. You would think I’d tossed off my clothes and begged the fertility god to take me. “I stayed behind to ask him some questions. I did what we came here to do. He stormed off because he hates Quinn, but we need him.”
“Kelsey, we need to go,” Liv said. “I don’t think it’s safe for you here. Gray said that guy might be after you. Without Gray, I think we should leave.”
“Your friend is perfectly safe.” Marcus stepped up to stand beside me. “I will escort her around and allow her to ask her questions. No one will bother her.”
Liv put one hand on her hip and eyed the Italian. “And who will protect her from you?”
“Liv,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Marcus bowed formally. “I give you my word as a gentleman that she will come to no harm. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Marcus Vorenus.”
Liv’s eyes got big. “Councilman Vorenus?”
“At your service,” he offered with a courtly nod. “You must be Olivia Carey. Devinshea explained you were here with Kelsey. He promised he would speak with you about Kelsey so you wouldn’t be worried.”
A delicate blush stained Liv’s face. “He talked to me, all right, but I kind of watched him. His mouth was moving…I was thinking about other things.”
“Nice, Liv,” I laughed. “Your hormones kick in at the worst times.”
“Well, he’s just so…you know,” Liv said, willing me to agree with her.
“Oh, he’s hot, but I kind of agree with Gray on this one. He’s a dick. Not that I let that fact get in the way of taking his money.” I sighed. Gray wouldn’t like me taking the faery’s money, but at least I didn’t have to fight him on it. “Why don’t you go back to your party, Liv? The councilman will show me around and then we can call a cab.”
Marcus waved off the suggestion. “I’ll take you home, Kelsey. I promised to escort you tonight and a ride home is all part of the service. I would be happy to take Ms. Carey wherever she needs to go.”
“About that,” Liv said with a frown. “I need to go. Scott and Alan are too drunk to drive home. Mr. Hot Faery has a driver waiting. I got that much from our conversation. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I said all the right things to make Liv believe I was going to survive the night and she was off. Marcus began to politely show me around Ether. He explained the procedures and protocols for how the club worked. We walked the perimeter of the club with him showing me some of the security features. Ether, he explained to me, was considered a “place of peace.”
I enjoyed my time with him. I sat and had a glass of wine as he told me stories about his time here. We fell into an easy friendship and I had to wonder if he was the man the fertility god had spoken of, the alternative to Gray. There was no question of our chemistry, but it was an almost familiar thing. Like I’d known Marcus for a long time.
Eventually, I forced myself to get back to work.
“The girls would begin their evening here,” Marcus explained as he pointed out the bar and the VIP room.
Finally, I was making some progress. “Why here and not the vampire club?”
Marcus shrugged. “This is an excellent place to meet for many. I prefer to see it as purely a business transaction, but some would rather have a different experience.”
“The girlfriend experience?” I’d heard the term before. Rather than simple sex some johns wanted to “date” their prostitutes.
“For many, this is the way they find female companionship,” Marcus explained. “In the past, slaves would be taken or human lovers would be found.”
I stared at the throng on the dance floor. They were carefree and young and it was Saturday night. I didn’t think I’d had many Saturday nights like this. “So why don’t the vampires take human lovers anymore? It would make things easier.”
“And when the humans decide to leave? In the past when a vampire took a human lover, the woman or man in question became the property of all Vampire. It’s one of the ways a slave was made. The slave was never allowed to leave. Another place for the human would be found if the relationship became tenuous, but once you entered our world you did not leave.”
No wonder the king was having trouble. He’d upset the entire foundation of the vampire world when he freed the slaves. “So a vampire can’t take a human?”
“It must be approved by the Council,” Marcus replied. “The vampire cannot reveal his secret to the human until he or she has been approved and that approval is hard to come by. There are, of course, some who know the truth. It’s easier to get those approved. If a woman is in this club, then she is considered fair game. She knows our world and is a part of it. This is why it’s dangerous for you to go about unescorted. You’re beautiful and vibrant, and any number of vampires would love to drag you away and make you theirs.”
I laughed at the thought of some vamp dragging me off by my hair. “So they’re going to think I’ve already been claimed since I’m with you.”
“Yes, they will assume I have taken you as my lover. Since I’m on the Council, they will believe the relationship has been approved. You’re under my protection.”
“And who was supposed to protect the girls who work the club?”
We walked around the dance floor and into a smaller room. People here were playing cards and talking quietly. It was a lounge and it was much easier to h
ave a discussion here. The vampire quickly found an empty couch and indicated a place for me to sit.
“A woman, a former slave, runs the vampire club you saw me at last night,” Marcus explained. “Her name is Stacy Sears. I’ll introduce you tomorrow. She and Devinshea set up this system and she’ll be able to give you the names of the women in the photos. I’ll make sure she answers all of your questions.”
He said it like he was going to have to use force. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting.
“Vorenus.” A low growl came from the doorway to the lounge.
Marcus and I turned to see a huge, hulking man inhabiting the doorway. He quickly stalked over to meet his prey. He moved with a fluid grace that had only one word to describe it—werewolf.
Marcus didn’t seem to be at all intimidated by the wolf, but he moved closer to me. He put his arm around the back of the couch above my shoulders. It told the wolf that Marcus had already laid his claim. I doubted it was necessary. Wolves didn’t tend to have relationships with non-wolves for anything more than an occasional one-night stand.
“Joseph.” Marcus acknowledged the wolf with a slight nod.
“We have a problem and you’re the only one who can solve it.” The wolf didn’t sit, preferring to stare down at the vampire.
“Well, I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Marcus offered graciously. “Kelsey, this is Joseph Castle. He’s the local alpha for the werewolves.”
The alpha looked me over. “Kelsey Atwood? You the girl Trent told me about? You the one he warned my son to stay away from?”
“I suppose so, though I have no idea who Trent is.” I could see the similarities between Joseph and his son Darren. They were both tall, dark, and completely annoying.
“Trent is the head of the queen’s security. My boy can be an idiot sometimes,” Joseph said with a sigh. “He was telling everyone who would listen how he scared the hell out of you and sent you running. I told him it wasn’t something to brag about, scaring a woman.”
“I think I held my ground well enough, Mr. Castle,” I said with a smile. Darren had been telling tales.
Joseph’s eyes went from me to Marcus, taking in how close we were. I could easily see he was making the deductions Marcus wanted him to make. “I don’t think my boy knows you have powerful…friends. You should be careful around vampires, miss. Lots of girls seem to be missing lately.”
Marcus’s arm came down around my shoulder and curled softly. It was a request. I kept my mouth shut because sometimes I can get my questions answered without ever saying a word.
“Which girls?” Marcus asked without a hint of deception. He was good.
“Patty Kincaid and Britney Miles,” Joseph said. “Neither one has been seen or heard from in a couple of weeks. Both of those girls were pretty wild. It isn’t the first time Patty’s up and left and Britney was having trouble with her mom. Darren tells me this doe he’s been friends with is missing, too. She’s the girl you’re looking for, right?”
He was looking directly at me and I answered him. “Yes, she is. I was hired to find her by her mother.”
“You got anything yet?”
I had to prevaricate. “I’m meeting with my client tomorrow to go over the investigation.”
“Yeah, well, they probably don’t have anything to do with each other,” the alpha said. “I don’t know why Darren wasted his time on some prey animal when he should be finding a mate. Those deer always end up in trouble when they leave their own. Look, Vorenus, here’s the real problem. Some of my pack is talking about the fact that those two girls were known to…well, to hang out around vampires.”
“You mean they accepted money to feed the vampires.” I was beginning to realize Marcus didn’t hesitate to say things plainly when he needed to.
Joseph frowned and I could see he didn’t approve of the practice. “Yeah, that’s what I mean. Some of my people are saying that this whole thing is a subtle way of forcing us into serving the vampires. The Council is just a front.”
Marcus sat up and stared at the wolf. “That is ridiculous and you know it. Those women are not forced into anything. They choose to work. And the king has done everything he can to ensure the wolves are heard on the Council. Your leader holds a seat and a vote, and he doesn’t hesitate to bully everyone he can into making laws preferable to your kind.”
I heard the wolf growl low in his chest and Marcus stood up. It was clear the vampire didn’t intend to show the wolf any signs of submission.
“Our women whoring themselves to your kind ain’t preferable to me, Vorenus.” Joseph’s eyes turned distinctly predatory.
Marcus was smaller than the werewolf, but he held his ground even as the larger man crowded him. The lounge got quiet as though everyone was waiting and watching the two men to see if they would come to blows. Castle’s hands were twitching like Darren’s had. A need for anger management ran in the family.
“You need to back away from me, Castle.” Marcus’s accent deepened as the air became charged with the potential for violence.
“I know all about what goes on in that vampire club.” Castle didn’t follow the vampire’s advice. If anything he got closer, towering over Vorenus. “I know how you use our women. How many of our potential mates have you fucked?”
“Several, I’m sure,” Marcus replied simply.
His fangs were out and I needed to take control of this situation. I let my hand drift up my thigh and carefully unsnapped the holster that held the .45. I palmed the gun and clicked off the safety. Gray had taught me how to use this particular gun and I hoped I remembered everything he’d said.
“Damn. Maybe my son is right. Maybe we’ve given up our pride and our souls for a bigger slice of the pie. Maybe we have sold ourselves out to the vampires.” Castle turned and gestured to me. “You like to fuck our women so much Vorenus, maybe we should return the favor and screw some of your bitches. How would you like that, Councilman? You want to share?”
I felt the charge off Marcus and knew he was about to do something really awful. I stood quickly, quicker than the werewolf could respond to, and I shoved the barrel of the .45 against his chest.
“How about I share my toys with you, Castle?” I asked with a smile on my face. Someone had seen my illegal weapon and was running for security. Damn it, I was going to get tossed out on my ass after all, but not until the wolf and I had come to an understanding. “Tell you what, I’ll give you one of these sweet little silver bullets and we can call ourselves even. I’ll even do you the favor of lodging it firmly in your heart. Back off the vampire and I swear if you refer to me as a bitch again, nothing and no one is going to stop me from hurting you, do you understand?”
“Is there a problem, Castle?”
I looked to the doorway and saw Zack was standing there with four security guards.
“Yeah, there’s a problem, Owens,” Castle all but snarled. “Your security is lax. Marcus’s girl here’s got a gun on me. Thought this was a place of peace, but apparently any old girl can waltz in with a gun.”
Zack crossed his arms and walked into the room. He didn’t seem to be rushing to the alpha’s aid. It didn’t make sense to me. Zack wasn’t an alpha so he should have been submissive to the obvious alpha. Yet Zack stared him down. “I think you’ll find Ms. Atwood is in Quinn’s employ. It’s perfectly legal for her to have her firearm and apparently she needs it. Kelsey, you can let the wolf go. He won’t try anything.”
Marcus nodded my way and I let the gun come down to my side. Marcus quickly gripped my hand and pulled me to his side.
Castle looked me over with a grudging kind of respect. “You’re fast, girl. You sure you’re human?” I didn’t answer and the wolf turned his vitriol on the vampire again. “You tell all those vamps to watch themselves. We find out they’re hurting our daughters and the king will have a real problem on his hands.”
Castle turned and left the room.
Marcus seemed in control once more and I wondered if it
bothered him I’d stepped up. Some men didn’t like a woman defending them. It struck at their pride and since Marcus was the epitome of old world, I had probably made a huge mistake trying to save him. I tried to step back, but Marcus held my hand firmly in his. I wondered if I was about to get a stern lecture on letting him handle his business when he pulled my hand to his mouth and placed a fervent kiss there.
“Dove sei stato per tutta la mia vita?” he asked, his dark eyes warm and his lips curling into a smile meant strictly for me.
I had no idea what he was saying, but I liked the way he said it.
“What the hell was that about, Marcus?” Zack asked, though he was still looking at me.
Marcus curled my arm around his. He shrugged negligently. “The wolf and I had a small difference of opinion. You should tell your master that the wolves are getting restless. He will have problems with them.”
“And you? Were you intending to let that wolf tear you apart?” Zack asked.
“He would not have been allowed to do so,” Marcus said in a low, seductive voice. “Kelsey would never have allowed the big bad wolf to harm me. I was perfectly safe.”
Zack’s eyes narrowed as he looked at us. “Yes, I think she can hold her own. You’re lucky you took that check from Dev or I’d be forced to kick your butt for carrying in here. As long as you’re working for the boss, you’ll be allowed a gun in the club. Now, I think it’s late. I’ve been informed to call Stacy at the club and make arrangements for you to meet with her tomorrow night.” Zack held out his hand. “Let me have your cell. I’ll program my number in and you can call me if you need anything.”
I reached in my bag and pulled the phone out.
The wolf quickly entered his numbers and handed it back. “I need to get home. My wife is going to have my head staying out so late. My daughter won’t go to sleep until I kiss her good night, so Lisa is dealing with one cranky baby girl. Why don’t you escort Ms. Atwood home? She has a big day ahead of her tomorrow.”
