Flesh and Delirium_Under the Skin Serial Part Six

by K. B. Ladnier

  I thought back to what I said to her before leaving her apartment. “Yeah, kind of already did. It just spilled out of me that I was throwing myself into the ring for her. I couldn’t stop it.” I felt like an idiot for my lack of filter.

  Hollis let out a boisterous laugh. “Diego, you are just what Claudia needs. That girl has no filter, and I bet you two would make quite the pair. Seriously though, good luck. She’s a hellion.” He patted my back sympathetically.

  “Who’s a hellion?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.

  We looked over and saw Agent Bentley standing there with a curious look on his face.

  “Your favorite person, of course!” Hollis joked. “You know; brunette, likes glitter, scares you.”

  Bishop scoffed. “No. She annoys me. There’s a difference.”

  I had no idea how Hollis could think anyone would scare Bishop. That guy scares pretty much everyone. Even me. It still intimidates me to this day working next to a bull shifter. From what I heard, they’re so hot tempered, a werewolf had nothing on them. Imagining Claudia being someone who could scare him was laughable.

  “You’ve got another case being called in. I think it’s another body,” Bishop said before walking away without another word.

  Hollis and I look at each other gravely.

  “Fuck,” I lamented; all humor now completely sucked from the room. Another body?

  “We’ve gotta get another lead on this case,” Hollis stated angrily as we grabbed the report that was called in and made our way to the parking garage.

  It took only about ten minutes to reach the site where the body was discovered. When we stepped under the police tape wrapped around, I felt my heart almost give out at the sight of the woman’s body.

  “Diego… do you see what I see?” Hollis asked me warily as he knelt next to her.

  I felt my spine tingle at what we’d both concluded.

  “She looks just like Claudia…”

  Chapter Four

  Claudia

  I made it to work just in time for my shift.

  Abraham was behind the bar as usual when I entered the building. When he saw me, he gave me a soft smile before going back to the waiting customers. Tonight, was busy; meaning it might be almost impossible to get a moment alone with him until later to talk.

  I walked to the back-dressing room and set my stuff down. Beck and Autumn were at their seats in front of the old, Hollywood style light-up mirrors lining the wall. Autumn was adding on her heavy black eyeliner and brushing out her short, black bob. Beck was dusting her chest and arms with glitter powder. Her usual snobby smirk was in place as she vainly eyed herself in the mirror.

  "Look who decided to show up tonight," Beck snarked as I sat down in my seat next to Autumn.

  "Back off, Beck," Autumn sniped back at her. "Even I don't feel like hearing your shit tonight."

  Beck blew out a hiss at her and jumped from her seat, leaving in a flourish of lace and feathers through the exit. I chuckled softly at her retreat and went about fixing my makeup and hair. I really did look like shit. Maybe that was why Autumn had come to my rescue.

  It wasn't normal for Autumn to back me up when Beck and I argued. She kept to herself and ignored pretty much everyone except the patrons and Abraham. But even he got the cold shoulder if he wasn't giving her an order.

  "That girl will get her karma. Just ignore her like I do, and she'll simmer out," Autumn said before standing as well and exiting the room.

  I blinked back in surprise. Yep. I definitely looked that bad.

  I finished my makeup and threw on one of my newer costumes. It was a dark purple, satin corset with black, lace overlaid on the silk. I added matching black, lace boy short underwear to compliment the corset. The last touch was a black, translucent silk robe that barely reached past the bottom of my butt cheeks. I slipped on my purple pumps and made my way out. Abraham looked up from the busy bar as I crossed to my area of the stages, his eyes roaming up and down my body. I decided then and there as I stared into his eyes, I was no longer mad at him. I didn't know why all my anger fled so suddenly. I just knew in its place was something I knew I never stopped feeling when I was angry with him. Desire.

  I'd loved Brahm for so long it seemed, that I doubted it would ever go away. Not in this lifetime or any other that followed. I wanted him even while I wanted Diego. And suddenly, I just wanted Brahm to see that I didn't care what memories it brought back. I wanted him to want me as badly as I wanted him. I wanted to explore what we were to each other more thoroughly. But to do that, I'd have to break his wall with temptation. Temptation, I could do well.

  I put a little extra sway into my steps just to be mean as I made it to the pole I used. His eyes were still on me as I stepped up and turned to face him again. He only looked away when a customer obstructed his view.

  Rev 22-20 by Puscifer began to play over the system. It was the perfect song to tease with. A few patrons began to mill over towards me as I started my dance.

  I slid off the silk robe slowly as Brahm's eyes once again found me. I let it fall to the floor then wrapped my leg around the pole. I leaned back to spin, my hands free to slide down my body as one leg spun me and the other pointed straight out. I maneuvered myself around the pole, spinning and sliding. All the while, my eyes never left his as he watched me; hungrily.

  I flipped my hair, bit my lip, and touched myself. I got on my knees and crawled, kicked my legs up daintily as I laid on my back, and gyrated my hips seductively. I pulled out all the stops to torture my maker. I wanted him to feel every ounce of the lust I'd felt for him since the moment he turned me. And damn, it was working.

  As the song and my dance ended, Abraham grabbed one of the waitresses and said something to her. She nodded, then took his place as he strolled around the bar. He slowed his pace long enough to crook a finger at me, before heading to where our spare coffins were.

  High five, Claudia!

  I gathered up the money the men had thrown on the stage for me, slipped back on my robe, and pushed between them to follow my waiting maker. They groaned in disappointment before going back to watch Autumn and Beck.

  I swiftly walked up the stairwell to the room, but stopped at the open doorway.

  Abraham was leaning against his desk; his arms and legs crossed, and head tilted with expectation. I stepped in and closed the door behind me, but I didn't move. I just stared at his sexy form. More of the buttons on his dress shirt were undone than usual and the cuffs of the sleeves were rolled to his elbows. I did my best not to drool at such simple things that he never did.

  "You put a little more into your dance than you normally do tonight." It wasn't a question. He knew what I was doing.

  I nodded and bit my lip, still not speaking.

  He straightened and pushed off the desk. His stroll was languid, but purposeful. He was stalking me like a predator.

  "Why?" He asked knowingly.

  I shook my head, not divulging a thing. I wrapped my arms around myself, further showing I wasn't giving anything away.

  He stopped less than a foot from me; his eyes travelled up and down once again. They stopped on mine, and quick as a snake, his hands gently grasped my wrists and pried them away from myself. Slowly, he stepped into me and pushed them against the door on either side of my head. My heart thrummed violently in my chest.

  "Are you refusing to speak to me? Or did your body say all you needed it to?"

  I stared into his crimson gaze; transfixed.

  "No. I just don't want to talk anymore. I'm tired of talking, Brahm. Tired of it all."

  He released my wrists and stepped back. "I know what you want, Claudia. But..." He swallowed hard and averted his eyes. He placed his hands on his hips and turned, walking over to the window and lifting the light tight sliding cover from it. "I will not endanger your life to touch you the way I wish to," he finished in a quiet murmur.

  Irritation boiled in my blood at those words. I charged across to him and shoved h
im back away from the window. He stumbled slightly into one of the coffins and looked at me in surprise.

  "I'm sick of the excuses, Abraham!" I shouted at him. "I don't care if I remember horrible shit or if I bleed because of it! I don't want to live like this!"

  He stood straight and seemed to grow as his face became masked with anger. "You will not live at all if I give into you, Claudia! You will die!"

  I shook my head vehemently. "You don't know that! I know we used to be more, Brahm! I've felt it when I danced for you that one night. You touched me like you'd die if you didn't. I am telling you now, I will not be able to continue anyway if you don't touch me now! This life we're living is a lie! Things have happened to me that you've erased--"

  "For good reason!" He interrupted as he stalked closer to me, his chest against mine as he glared down at me. "If you knew what I erased, you would ask me to erase it all over again, Love. I promise you that."

  "No!" I shoved him away again, though he barely moved this time. "You don't get to decide that! Only I do! And I promise you, I will no longer live a lie! Either you love me enough to let me decide this for myself, or you let me go, Abraham! I will remember what I've lost with or without you, but at least with you, my heart won’t feel like it’s being ripped in two!"

  He growled loudly and grasped my arms roughly. It didn't hurt, but his grip was iron tight. "Damn it to hell, woman! I love you far more than I've loved anything in my entire fucking existence. I would bleed for you if I could! I would walk into the sun if I knew it would spare you from the memories that will undoubtedly fracture your mind!" he lessened his grip and lowered his voice. "You are what has kept my ancient heart from turning to dust, Claudia. To lose you, would mean the end of me." His voice shook.

  I, however, was resolute.

  It was as if my brain took a nap and my body seized control. I couldn't stop myself from grabbing his shirt and yanking him down to me, slamming my lips against his.

  He had no chance after that. The desperation we both felt for each other made letting go impossible. He was mine the second my lips had melded to his.

  Brahm pushed me backwards hard into the wall behind me. I swore I heard the room shudder from the impact.

  His mouth was commanding. It felt like I was finally tasting the forbidden fruit I'd been denied for so long, and my tongue exploded with the flavor. I shook violently as our bond sizzled between us at every point of contact. His hands grabbed mine and placed them on either side of my head once again, and he pulled away.

  "What have you done, little love?" He asked huskily before kissing me again.

  "What we both needed," I whispered against his lips. I wrenched my wrists from his graps, then clasped the edges of his shirt and pried it open. The buttons popped and flew in all directions. I wasn't giving him the chance to deny me anymore, so the less clothing between us, the better.

  I quickly shoved him, so he was the one against the wall, not me. My fingers dug into his glorious hard abs as his slid my robe quickly away. His hands reached for the corset, and with one hard yank, it was ripped from my body.

  "I don't even care that I can taste that agent on your tongue, I have wanted to do that for years!" He growled with his lips still against mine.

  I smiled into his. "I don't care that you don't care. Just shut up and touch me."

  He glided his hands down my sides and with the flick of his fingers, shredded either side of my underwear. I gasped as he dipped down and clutched the back of my thighs, picking me up to wrap my legs around his waist. His mouth moved to my throat and he walked forward.

  I felt him lift his leg, just before a crash sounded behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see he'd cracked one of the coffins in two in his effort to remove it from where he was beginning to lower me. Thank God, this room had soft carpet.

  My back met the floor and he loomed over me; his eyes took in every square inch of my naked body. His mouth came back down, and he kissed between the valley of my breasts. He sat back up and undid his pants, staring down at me with lustful eyes as he rid himself of them. I stared unashamed at his now fully exposed body. God, how I'd wanted to see him like this for so long.

  He crawled slowly back up my body between my legs, nipping at the skin as he went.

  As he angled himself at my entrance, he hissed against my neck, "Scream for me, Love."

  Then he slammed into me.

  Stars danced behind my closed lids as our bond intensified the experience of him sliding in and out of my body; fast and hard. His mouth was back on mine, and his hand caressed my thigh as I wrapped a leg around him.

  This was so much more than I ever imagined it would be. I felt his love for me pouring through our connection.

  I felt it in his touch.

  I felt it in his kiss.

  I felt it everywhere.

  It burned me from the inside out in the best of ways, making me curl my toes with exhilaration.

  I was beginning to think that nothing could break this euphoria as Abraham took me like a starving man. Only, I hadn't prepared myself for the gripping pain that seared into my brain the second I reached climax.

  Everything around me faded, and I could no longer feel Abraham as my world became black.

  Chapter Five

  Abraham laid under me as we relaxed after another round of unbelievable sex. His chest rose and fell beneath my cheek as I traced a finger languidly along his collar bone.

  He was always such a gentle lover. It surprised me considering his strength far outmatched mine. I wondered what it felt like to be a vampire. Was it cold? Did they always feel starved and have parched throats?

  I had prodded him to change me several times, but he always denied me. He would claim that my humanity was the most beautiful part of me. That I shouldn't be changed unless it was a necessity. I hated it, but at the same time, I kind of loved him even more for loving me as I was; frail and mortal.

  "What has you thinking so deeply, little love?" Brahm asked me softly as his fingers slid through my hair.

  "Just how much I love these moments with you," I said with a sigh. "How I wish we could just escape from this place and be together freely." I stopped my tracing and lifted my head to place my chin on his chest. I gazed up at his stunning red eyes. Eyes that always looked at me with so much adoration.

  "I promise you," he lifted a hand and palmed my cheek. "I will get you away from here. Rogue is getting more suspicious every time I ask for only you in my bedchamber. I don't wish to hurt him, being that he is my protege, but I will not let him destroy us."

  I gave him a grin. "I know you won't. I don't fear him, Brahm. You've protected me since you got here. I haven't been mistreated or taken to bed by anyone else. I have a feeling I wouldn’t have made it this long without your interception."

  His smile fell for a moment. He tried to hide it, but I was getting good at recognizing his faces.

  "What?" I asked carefully.

  "I have to leave for a few days. I've found a way to sneak you out without anyone noticing you're gone, but it will take a moment to acquire the right help. I won't be here to protect you."

  I shot up from his chest. "Brahm... " Worry flooded me.

  Most of the vampires here feared him enough they wouldn't touch his favorite human toy, but the ones who were loyal to Rogue were vicious and cruel. They were much more terrifying than the first set of vampires that had stolen me from my bed a year and a half ago. It was nowhere near as bad during that time as it was now. Or, would be had I not had Abraham to watch over me.

  I was slowly indoctrinated into this awful lifestyle from the moment I was taken. My clothes were stripped from me and I was given new ones. Ones that would please the vampires who would pay to feed off me and touch me.

  I hated it, but I never felt pain, and the touching was at minimum. I thought I could handle it if that was the worst. I would be rescued by the STF after my parents and friends reported me missing, and that'd be it.

  But then
no help came.

  Things escalated worse after that. I was sold six times throughout that first year. Thankfully, each vampire I was sold to only wanted me for feeding and entertainment. I would be dressed up pretty and would then give private dances. But after I was sold to my last owner Rogue, I was forced to do sexual favors for the clients I was given to. During those agonizing three months, I cried every day. That was the only time I was ever left alone. I felt violated and disgusting. My humanity was slowly slipping through my fingers, and the hopelessness ate away at me like a virus.

  Then, Abraham came.

  He was Rogue's mentor and had decided to join in on the business. Abraham wasn’t his maker, but he raised him and taught him how to survive as a vampire. Only, he was nothing like my Brahm. Brahm was kind to me the moment his eyes settled on mine, which was something I wasn’t used to at that point. I had been Rogue's favorite toy to pass around. His jewel. Yet, as soon as Brahm saw me, he claimed me for himself. Rogue didn’t like it, but he couldn’t deny Brahm anything he desired.

  I didn't know how it happened, but Brahm captured my heart fairly quickly.

  He bought me beautiful glittering dresses, sparkly jewelry, and even shimmering makeup to help conceal the ugly bruises left by Rogue's men the past few months. I became obsessed with everything that glittered because of him. My parents never let me wear such beautiful things. They were far too religious, and believed a woman should never wear such gaudy things. Thankfully, everything he bought me was tasteful. I didn't feel like my body was being exposed to the men at night when I'd walk through the club that Rogue ran his operation out of. I still had to dance when Brahm was busy attending to business, but I was no longer required to give private ones; so long as he was there.

  The other girls hated me for all the things Brahm gave me, especially his attention, but I didn't care. I didn't want those sparkling things unless he came with them.