by Ava McKnight
Cass stared, captivated, the throbbing between her legs building to an unbearable degree. Seductive thoughts drifted through her fuzzy brain as the man's hand eased down the woman's flat stomach, past the waistband of her skirt. Thoughts of the vampire's hands on Cass's body. She watched as the large hand of the man standing behind the woman created a bulge under her skirt, right at the apex of her legs. While he stroked her pussy, the other woman dipped her head to the exposed breast and drew the hard nipple into her mouth.
Cass gasped at the carnal response she had to the action on the dance floor, wishing like hell it was she who was the recipient of such decadent behavior. She squeezed her legs together to stave off the sharp pain that shot through her. She was certain that all she had to do was press a finger against her throbbing clit and she'd come.
But the point of this field trip wasn't to get herself off. She'd come here to find someone else to do the wicked deed.
She pushed herself out of the chair, though she wasn't sure how she'd managed to get to her feet. Her entire body felt prickly and a peculiar anesthetized feeling suddenly crept through her, making her brain a bit hazy. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, as if that would help to clear her mind.
There was something she was looking for… No. Someone. Thoughts of the sexy, seductive vampire flitted through her foggy mind.
Ah, yes. He's the one…
Cass wanted him, no doubt about it.
She stumbled past a few people and headed down the corridor to the bathroom. She'd just take a moment to freshen up before she went in pursuit of her vamp.
What had been the problem with him earlier? Oh, yeah. He'd wanted to send her home. Alone. She let out a sarcastic laugh. She wasn't leaving here alone, that was for damn sure.
Cass eyed the long line at the ladies room and grumbled.
A man passing by, dressed as the grim reaper, told her there was a unisex bathroom at the end of the opposite hallway.
She watched him saunter off, weaving his way through the throng of people.
The grim reaper…
She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Why was that so familiar to her?
Damn it. Things were getting way too fuzzy. And her vision was getting blurry.
She pushed open the door at the end of the corridor and stepped inside. She closed the door then ran her hand over the smooth wall, searching for the light switch. She didn't find it. A sliver of moonlight filtered in through a tiny window in the far corner of the room, but it offered only miniscule lighting. Her mind was clouded, as though a thick fog had settled in. She was unsteady on her feet and swayed a bit on her tall heels. She groped for the doorknob. When she found it, she pulled the door wide open but it instantly slammed shut. A large hand splayed in front of her face. Cass gasped in shock.
She turned to confront the person behind her. Cass found something vaguely familiar about the blonde pirate. She'd met him before. Where?
"Who are you?" she asked. Then she shook her head. What the hell did it matter? He was blocking her exit. "Let me out," she managed to say in a tight voice.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need you." His hand moved from the door. Suddenly, his strong fingers wrapped around her biceps, holding her tight.
"Hey, joke's over," she said in a weak voice, hearing her words slur. "Lego of me." Fear crept up her spine, mingling with the prickly sensation that continued to spread slowly through her body. Cass had a bad feeling about all of this. She had a niggling suspicion she was about to become a rape statistic.
Behind the pirate, the shadows shifted and a soft gasp escaped her parted lips. Not only was the pirate going to rape her—he had friends. Cass tried to struggle against him, but her body had turned limp and languid. She tried to scream, but the sound barely registered in her own ears it was so weak.
"No one can hear you," he said. "Not above the music and the party noise."
"Please let me go," she said in a hoarse voice, the panic rising inside her.
Her predicament got worse. From out of the shadows emerged four creatures. Head to toe, they appeared to be covered in slick black skins, like seals almost. Or perhaps she just couldn't see straight. Their bodies were freakishly long, seemingly dragging on the floor as they sort of slithered toward her. Pronged tongues flicked out of their mouths. Their sinewy arms ended with three incredibly long, decrepit-looking appendages.
Cass's head swam, her eyes crossed.
Holy shit. What kind of costume is that?
A flame glimmered in the darkness and then several more flickered. Someone in the far corner, whom she couldn't see, had lit candles. The soft light revealed a long table. In the middle of it sat a small gold bowl. The candlelight caught the metal and it shimmered almost hypnotically. For a moment, Cass was mesmerized. But a movement behind the table drew her attention to a man. Another normal-looking guy like the pirate who held her captive.
"What is this?" she dared to ask.
"A sacrifice," the man behind the table said. "We're paying homage to our master and you're going to help us."
"Like hell I am." She struggled some more, to no avail. Cass knew she was in trouble. Big trouble. And not the kind she'd come looking for.
She groaned inwardly. She was too weak to fight anyone off. This was about to turn into one ghoulish night.
Or maybe they just meant to scare her. Maybe this was just some bizarre Hunter's Moon Ball madness. A hoax.
The slithering creatures drew closer to her. Their eyes were absurdly large and they were fixed on her. They made hissing noises as they approached.
If those were costumes, the designer deserved an Oscar. They looked much too real…
Cass tried to scream again, but no sound escaped her. Her breath was scarce.
"It won't hurt," the pirate whispered in a placating voice. "I promise. Just let them have you. You won't feel a thing."
Cass wanted to cry, but she was going numb from head to toe.
"I drugged you," the pirate continued, "so you wouldn't feel anything. I didn't want you to feel any pain."
She stared at him, her eyes trying to focus on his. He seemed to mean what he said. But he was evil. As were these strange creatures that eased closer to her. And the grim reaper.
She remembered now how she'd gotten here—why she'd come. He'd lured her here and he'd directed her to this room. She'd fallen into his trap so easily, and now she couldn't get out because she'd been drugged.
No.
This had to be a deranged delusion. She'd had too much to drink and she was imagining all of this.
You had one and a half martinis, Cass! How drunk can you get off of that?
Certainly not enough to conjure up grotesque demons.
"Oh, God," Cass whispered as they inched closer to her. It was all true.
Damn it. Her mother was going to be so ashamed of her. What if her body ended up floating in the river—thigh-high stockings, garter belt, corset and all?
The pirate freed her from his death grip and Cass frantically turned back to the door. She gripped the knob and yanked on it, but the pirate wouldn't let her out. His hand was back on the door, keeping it shut.
"Please," she pleaded with him. "Let me out." Her voice grew louder, more insistent. "Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"
She felt something slimy paw at her. She screamed. A blood curdling, seemingly endless scream that came from deep within her. She yanked on the doorknob again with all the strength she could muster.
The pirate grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He pushed her up against the door and hissed in her ear, "Don't fight them. You'll only make it worse."
"Help me," she pleaded with him.
"I've tried to help you. Damn it, I did what I could. Just give in to the drugs," he insisted.
"No!"
"Yes!"
He tossed her to the floor, several feet away from one of the demons she was still partially sure—in her desperation—was a hallucination. A figment
of her imagination. It had to be.
She heard the hissing noise again, louder this time. It echoed in her ears, seeming to surround her. She felt weak and limp. There was no way she'd be able to fight them off. She tried to get to her feet but she couldn't stand.
She was going to die.
To her horror, one of the long arms shot out and gripped her ankle. It coiled around her, all the way up her leg, the nasty appendages digging deep into her thigh. It tugged at her, pulling her across the cold floor. She grabbed hold of the pirate's booted ankle and gripped it tight. But the creature on the other end pulled hard and she lost her hold.
She cried out.
Another arm wrapped around her, at the waist, and whipped her off the ground. The arms retracted and she was suddenly pressed against the demon.
Definitely not a costume.
She saw her captor's pronged tongue dart out. It flicked her earlobe and she let loose another scream, not sure where she'd found the strength, but grateful she had.
Suddenly, the door burst open behind her. Her head snapped in that direction. Before she could get a fix on what was happening, a body flew toward her. She felt it connect with hers and she yelped as pain racked her body. They fell to the ground—she on top of the demon, the other body on top of her, the wind knocked out of her. In the next instant, a sharp blade, shimmering in the flickering candlelight and the moonlight that seeped through the small window, pierced the demon's body, not more than an inch from her shoulder. The demon disintegrated and Cass hit the hard floor, the weight of the other body still on her.
It took a moment for her to recognize her savior. Marcus leapt to his feet and Cass watched in her hazy state as he flung the pirate across the room, rendering him unconscious. Then he attacked the other demons, with lightning quick speed that made Cass's eyes blur even more. A throbbing headache penetrated her haziness. She closed her eyes, certain there was no way out of this mess she'd gotten herself into.
She heard noises around her, bodies crashing into things, metal and glass rattling and breaking, male grunts and groans. She opened her eyes, forced herself onto all fours and began to crawl toward the open doorway. Suddenly, strong hands clasped her around the waist. She was hoisted to her feet, but her legs were too shaky to hold her. At first she thought the pirate had her and she opened her mouth to scream again, but then she realized it wasn't the pirate at all who'd tucked her against his hard body. It was Marcus. He wrapped an arm around her waist and stalked out into the hallway.
No one paid them much notice as Marcus walked briskly out of the club. Cass's feet never even touched the ground. Once outside, he lifted her into his arms. She snuggled close to him, tried to hold on, though she was pretty certain her arms just flapped at her sides. Her body had finally gone numb from head to toe. She closed her eyes, succumbed to the drug the pirate had given her.
Blissful darkness consumed her.
Chapter Three
Cass felt something slither along her leg, coiling around it. A snake? A second one coiled around her other leg. Panic seized her. She felt more slithering snakes, all over her body. Wrapping around her arms and her neck. Long, thick snakes that covered her body, their heads inching toward her face. She felt their tongues dart out and taste her skin, heard their collective hisses, growing louder and louder.
She couldn't move, couldn't push them off of her or scramble out of the way. There were dozens of them and they seemed to be multiplying. She was paralyzed with fear, unable to pull in a full breath.
When the hissing noise she'd heard in the club began to echo in her ears, bringing back memories of the hellish night she'd had—which clearly wasn't over—she cried out.
Cass's own scream woke her from her nightmare. She sat bolt upright, only to smack her forehead on something hard. She cried out again, this time in pain, as she fell back against a plump pillow. She lifted her hands from her sides, felt the confines of walls all around her, lined with a smooth fabric. Fear gripped her once more. Kicking and screaming she tried to find a way out, but it seemed she was trapped…in a box.
A box!
Oh my God! I've been buried alive!
Terror seized her. How could everything have gone so horribly wrong tonight? And what had happened to Marcus?
She pounded on the top of the box. "Let me out!" she screamed. She scratched at the satin lining, hammered on the hard wood with her fists.
She heard a latch unhook before the lid flung open. Marcus stood over her, dark, imposing…intimidating. His handsome face glowed in the soft light from the candle he held. Cass's mouth gaped open. It took only a moment for her to realize where she'd been ensconced. She stared up at him, incredulous. "You put me in a coffin!"
Marcus set the candle aside. "It was the safest place for you," he said in his low, intimate voice. "They followed us."
"They did?" she gasped, instantly losing all the verve she'd mustered to confront him. So the nightmare wasn't over?
Marcus nodded to confirm they'd been pursued, but his dark features softened as he said, "They couldn't detect your presence in here or smell your scent. It was the only place I could think of to keep you safe." His eyes drifted over her body from head to toe. The shimmering silver pools glowed in the shadowy depths that filled the room. "They weren't willing to let such a succulent sacrifice get away."
Cass's breath caught. "Are they still… hunting me?"
Marcus gave a slight shake of his head. "Not anymore. I've taken care of them."
Along with the others he'd annihilated at the party, Cass thought. She stared up at him, wondering again what the hell kind of trouble she'd gotten herself into. But something about the easy set of his jaw and the vibrant glow of his beautiful eyes set Cass's mind at ease. She was safe.
As his gaze swept over her again and she thought about his words—succulent sacrifice—she caught the hot flash of lust in the silver irises. A tremor of desire caused her stomach to clench. Before she could process the erotic sensation, Marcus reached down and scooped her out of the confining box. He held her close to him and she found a small measure of comfort in his strong embrace. But her body still trembled from the horrific events she'd somehow lived through—not to mention the erotic sensations he so easily evoked in her.
Cass wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. He carried her out of the cold, dark room, up a flight a stairs, down a hallway and into the living room. Flames from a roaring fire cast shadows across the furniture and walls. Candles flickered on the end tables. She could hear raindrops hit the windowpanes.
"How long have I been asleep?" Her voice was hoarse from so much screaming.
"Couple of hours," Marcus said. "The sun will come up soon."
He crossed to a large black leather sofa and started to place her on one of the cushions.
"No," she whispered, unwilling to relinquish her hold on him. She didn't know why, but she felt safe in his arms.
Still holding her, he sat down on the couch. Her body curled into him of its own accord.
She rested her head on his shoulder. One of his powerful arms wrapped around her waist, the other draped across her shoulders. She inhaled his intoxicating scent, so warm and masculine. His fingers caressed her bare shoulder then swept higher into her messy hair. He worked the pins out until the strands cascaded over both of them. He ran his fingers through the long, plump curls.
Her lips were close to his neck. All she had to do was lean forward a mere inch and she could press her mouth against his skin. She wanted to. Desperately.
Instead, she asked, "What happened tonight?"
She felt his muscles tense all around her. She pulled away and stared at him. His silver eyes were hypnotic, but she refused to let them sidetrack her. She narrowed her own eyes. "If this was all some elaborate scheme to get me to come home with you, I'm gonna be really pissed. I was willing to go home with you the minute I saw you."
He grinned at her. It was soft and sexy…and it made her insides burn. "You'r
e spunky."
Cass tilted her head, regarded him thoughtfully. "I don't like being screwed with."
"I'm not screwing with you." His gaze was intense. "Those...creatures…were real. That sacrifice was real. They needed your blood and your body. They would've pierced both of your wrists and let the blood drain into the bowl, mixed with a few other ingredients I'm sure you'd rather not hear about. Then they'd drink the concoction, chant a few ritual incantations and leave your body for their master. He'd possess it for a while, move around as you until the spell wore off. Someone would find your body, eventually, and confirm for your family that you hadn't been abducted for ransom money, but that you were, indeed, dead."
Cass's jaw dropped open for a moment as horror and shock raced through her. "But…how? I mean…" She shook her head, unable to comprehend or make sense of what she had seen tonight, of what Marcus had just told her. "Why?"
Marcus eased her back toward him, so that she was tucked against his body again. "There are demons all around us. They prey on easy targets."
"Like women who go to hedonistic parties alone," she said in a soft voice.
He remained quiet, having the good grace not to point out her near-fatal mistake.
"What about the pirate?" she asked. "And the grim reaper, for that matter? He was the one who invited me to the party and directed me to that room. He said it was a bathroom."
"Minions. The pirate tried to help you, as much as he could. But he's bound to those demons and has to do their bidding."
A chill raced up her spine. "Like luring women into a death trap?"
"You're safe now."
For several minutes, Cass let him hold her, finding comfort in his arms, mixed with something more erotic. Something sexual.
