Erica stalled, watching him with a curious glint in her eyes. Or was it a challenge? The beast inside of him appreciated that.
Erica’s companion moved fast. As she dashed around the smashed car, her boots crunched against the glass in the street. She knocked into Erica and yanked her away. They broke out into a run.
I’m a hunter, and this is my favorite game. The beast inside of Julius seized control and took off after them.
Don’t. They’re human. Evan followed him. His heavy footfalls propelled Julius to run faster. Harder.
She’s mine. A vicious thought ripped through him. Back off Evan.
The two girls dashed around the corner. Erica’s sweet delicious scent wafted in his direction. She smelled of lilac, honeysuckle, and fresh blood. A potent mix. His fangs dropped. She was his.
Julius, stop!
No. Not when he was so close that if he reached out his fingers could graze her soft golden hair. You’re mine now, Erica.
A sudden boulder of pain smashed through his skull. Julius fell to his knees and grabbed the sides of his head.
Sorry, brother. Evan was doing this—making his brain hurt as if he’d squeezed it between his fingers and yanked it backward.
“Let go of me,” Julius grunted, clutching at the back of his skull is if he could pry off Evan’s hold on his mind with his hands.
No. Not until you calm down. Evan’s iron grip tightened.
“She’s getting away,” Julius turned back to Erica and tried to wrench himself toward her. Evan refused to let go.
He helplessly watched Erica shove herself into the passenger seat of a rusted-out black sedan. Her friend was already putting the keys into the ignition.
“Wait,” Julius called out.
They didn’t wait. Her friend pressed the gas hard. The tires screeched as the car launched from its space and sped off.
“No,” Julius cried out as he watched the car run several red lights as they fled.
Immediately, the tension on his brain was gone. Evan let go of his mind.
Julius rose to his feet, then launched himself at his brother. “How dare you let them get away?”
“Are you kidding me?” Evan asked. His long skinny fingers wrapped around Julius’s wrists and yanked his hands away from his shirt collar. He poked him square in the chest. “You went full vampire in front of two humans, and you’re asking me why I let them get away?”
“So, what would you have me do? Nothing?”
“The King sent us with one mission, Julius. So yes, you do nothing.”
“They can’t just destroy my car and get away with it. Damian would understand.” Julius pointed down the street where they were last seen. “Their scent is still fresh. I’m going to track them.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Watch me.”
Then, he felt it again. A tingling feeling slid up the back of his neck and into his skull and took hold of his brain.
“Stop it!”
“Then calm down.”
Julius moved anyway. Only, his skull didn’t comply.
“Breathe with me.” Evan’s breaths were slow and methodical.
“No.”
“Breathe with me, and I’ll let you go,” he amended.
Julius’s eyes narrowed, and he took a long spiteful breath. “Happy? Now, let me go.”
“Five more.”
“Fine,” Julius said through gritted teeth and breathed with his brother. They must have looked like a pair of idiots in the middle of a vacant street expelling large puffs of air. He swore to all the gods across all the realms, he would never go with Evan to the alter realm again. Even if breathing like a fool did calm his agitation.
“We’re here to lay low. Not risk exposure.”
“I know what we’re here to do,” Julius snipped.
“Then, act like it. You lost yourself back there.”
Julius clamped his mouth shut and wrenched himself away from his brother. His thoughts were duplicitous. Evan was right, and that fact grated on his nerves. He’d completely lost himself. Letting his beast control him was dangerous for everyone, not just the humans he ran after. He hoped they hadn’t seen his fangs. Or how his irises darkened into black pools and expanded across the whites of his eyes.
“They didn’t,” Evan answered his train of thought and continued breathing alongside him. They’d finished breath number five. “Alright, let’s get back.”
Julius nodded and walked back to the parked car. It was completely ruined. His earlier anger curled inside of him and settled on his shoulders as he assessed the damage. The car was riddled with dents. Every window it used to have was smashed cubes of safety glass littering the ground. They’d even smashed the headlights out. A defeated growl escaped him as he gently grazed fingertips along the once-glossy paint.
“I’ll call for a cab,” Evan said quickly. “Maybe you should wait inside.”
“I don’t want to wait inside. I want to track them right now.”
“We’ve discussed this.”
“I’m just saying, I want to. Not that I will.” He gave Evan a scathing look. It was Evan’s fault he wasn’t allowed. His brother pulled a phone out of his pocket. Evan’s nimble fingers dashed across the screen before he pressed it to his ear. Julius returned his attention to the car. A look of pity scrunched his face into a frown. “Look at what they did to you.” Julius’s voice turned into a whine as he petted the car before resting his head against the dented door frame. “You were so beautiful.”
“No one told you to get a custom car.” Evan shrugged. “Next time, get a rental.”
____
TWO NIGHTS LATER
“Are you still sulking?” Evan pushed behind the bar in their hotel suite and grabbed a highball glass and a bottle of dark liquor before pouring himself a drink.
“Fuck off.”
“Ooh. Looks like someone is testy. Well, lighten up buttercup. We have another prospect to check out tonight.”
Julius’s shoulders slumped as he took another swig of tequila. Of all the liquors in the alter realm, this one tasted less like sucking on ass and more like liquor should. The bite of it warmed the back of his throat, but it didn’t quench the thirst that had lingered there ever since his car was smashed to bits. Her scent had long since dissipated, but its memory was still fresh.
“You’ve got it bad.” Evan tsked and put the glass to his lips and emptied it. He made a face as he gulped it down. Apparently, he didn’t like the dark liquor either.
“What prospect is it this time?” Julius changed the subject, sliding his now empty glass back and forth between his hands against the shiny mahogany bar top.
“A night club called Savu.”
“Smoke?” Julius asked and prayed for a coincidence. Then he thought of the wolf shifters with a growing conglomerate of commercial buildings across the city, and knew not to believe in coincidences. He grabbed the bottle and poured another shot. “Please don’t tell me it’s another shifter. Or worse, a mage.”
“Money is money.” Evan pulled the bottle away from him and capped it.
“Hey!” Julius protested, but it was already tucked underneath the bar and out of his reach. “Are you trying to incite a turf war?”
“It’s business. Even though they’re hot headed, the wolves will understand that. No matter which clan we deal with.”
“Clan? So, it’s not a mage. Thank the all gods. You can never trust a mage. They always have their own agenda.” Then a burning question popped into his head. “I thought there were only wolf clans in this city?”
Evan shrugged. “They’re not all that’s out there.”
“So, this prospect isn’t a wolf?”
Evan shook his head and grabbed their coats from a closet in the hall.
“Out with it. Who’s the owner?”
“His name is Stick. He’s a loner.” Evan tossed him his black leather jacket. “He hails from no clan.”
“What is he? A bea
r? A skin walker? What?”
His lanky brother shrugged nonchalantly. “A fire serpent.”
Julius stopped breathing for a moment. His woes from a minute ago had completely vanished. “You found a dragon? I thought their kind fell into legend.”
It’d been at least a century since the last dragon had been sighted in any of the known realms. For a while, a rumor circulated that dragon shifters had found another portal, one that led to a realm they’d called their own. Julius figured it was merely a story told to young children. Not even Gustav, his older brother, the explorer, had found it on any of his adventures.
“So, they exist? How many of them?”
“No one knows about him and neither do we,” Evan said firmly. Ah. It was a secret Evan had plucked from the dragon’s mind.
“You know, I’m beginning to hate this realm. First, my car gets destroyed. Now there’s an actual dragon in our midst, and I can’t make anything of it. What good is it being a prince if I get run over like this?”
“To serve, on your honor to the King. Our brother needs investments with quick cash to stave off the blood shortages. And since we show the most promise for not exposing vampire kind in this realm, we get the privilege of being in a place that doesn’t fawn over us.” Evan bared his teeth in a wide fake smile.
Julius’s eyebrows collapsed. “I hate being a Prince.”
“Said no one, ever. Let’s go. There will be plenty of free booze and women to drown your princely sorrows in after we secure this deal.” Evan wagged his eyebrows, knowing Julius’s weaknesses well. “You know the legend of dragons. They have a way of attracting the pretty ones.”
“So, it’s true then?”
Evan returned a look of mischief. “Brother, if we secure this deal, you’ll be drowning in more pretty women you can handle.”
Julius grinned. Now, that was more like it. Finally, their trip was taking a turn for the better. He followed Evan to their private elevator and into the parking garage, where a car service waited to take them to the night club called Savu.
The best part of being in a city, Julius realized, was the fact that it hardly took long to get anywhere. Sure, the parking left a lot to be desired, but they didn’t have to worry about parking at Savu. Stick held a spot for them roped off at curbside. At least the dragon knew hospitality. This was the only joy of the alter realm.
From the outside, Savu was an ordinary two-story brick building filled with large blacked-out windows and an unassuming staircase that led up to a plain blood red door. At street level, the club extended to a small restaurant littered with couples and groups holding solo cups and eating pizza. So, this was the potential investment. He might have gotten his hopes up.
“Don’t judge a book, brother.” Evan smirked, then nodded over to the entrance line that snaked down the block and wrapped around the corner. Julius’s eyes widened.
Evan didn’t lie. Hordes of the most beautiful people he’d seen in this city gathered in line like Stick was handing out gold bars and free tickets to heaven.
“It’s even better inside.” Evan clasped a large hand against his back and wiggled his eyebrows. He moved to the bouncer guarding the steps. “We’re here to see Stick.”
The bouncer, tall like himself but bulkier like he carried boulders under his shirt, touched a small device in his ear and called for his boss. The communication device was much different than the one in Julius’s pocket. He stared at the black plastic that wrapped around the bald man’s ear and wondered how it worked. It barely took a second to hear Stick’s voice inside of the man’s ear, “Let them in.”
The line shifted as the bouncers held the crowd back to make way for them. Now, this was the service he was used to. Julius climbed the stairs behind Evan and through the doorway of the nightclub. As expected, it was filled with people. From the look of it, anyone left outside would be just that: left outside. A rhythmic beat muscled its way through the club. Flickering lights sprayed the crowd with flecks of colorful lights, shining over the dancing bodies that shifted around the club in earnest. Savu was everything Julius imagined a nightclub to be.
He could definitely drown his sorrows in this. He’d already seen a few women that caught his eye. A girl in a skin-tight black dress that barely touched her thighs eyed him from across the room. Julius smiled at her. Yes, tonight was going to be epic.
“Welcome.” A man in dark blue jeans and a plain navy button-down shirt diverted his attention. The man was tattooed to the gills. A scaly pattern laced its way from his neck down to his hands.
“Stick.” Evan thrust his hand out to the dragon. “This is my brother, Julius.”
Stick swiped a hand through his hair, then down the sides of his jeans before offering it to him. Julius took it. The man ran hot and his grasp remained firm. Good. They needed someone worth his salt in this venture.
“Please, come this way. Tonight, you’ll be afforded the VIP package, which includes…” Stick talked about the ins and outs of his club and the night he promised they’d have, but Julius found it hard to focus on his words. His mind was trained elsewhere. Just beneath the scent of fresh sweat, blood, and booze, he could smell something sweet, like fresh flowers after the morning dew. A scent he’d memorized.
Erica.
Julius almost couldn’t believe his luck. He smiled inwardly. Dragons had a way of attracting the pretty ones. And Erica was definitely one of the pretty ones.
His head whipped around, gaze dashing back and forth through the club, looking for her. He scanned every face, looking past every dancing body in his search.
Where was she?
He moved. Evan stiffened but made no move to grab him when he excused himself from the club owner. He flossed through the crowd to the dance floor. No. The scent was weaker there. He turned around and moved back toward the entrance.
Julius. Evan’s voice whispered inside his skull even though he looked to be engrossed in what the club owner was saying. Calm, brother.
He was calm. Calmer than he’d been all night. He focused on her scent, the one that smelled like spring after a rainstorm.
There.
Just behind the bar, Erica poured several shots for a group of guys who looked no older than her. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed.
“Salud.” He read from her gorgeous lips. She toasted with them and drew a shot to her lips and downed it back.
“We’ll get you settled in the VIP area,” Stick said from behind him. He pressed a hand to the communication device in his ear and began to call a name. Julius stopped him.
“Them,” Julius pointed to the collection of people behind the bar. “Does they work for you?”
Stick nodded. “Everyone behind the bar does.”
A mischievous smirk brightened Julius’s face. He never believed in luck. But tonight was the exception.
“Do you want one of them to tend your section?” Stick asked, releasing the button on the communication device in his ear. Julius set his gaze on his prize.
“I’m going to stay down in the pit, Julius—” Evan began, but Julius cut him off.
“I want the blonde,” he demanded.
“As you wish.” The dragon shifted and pressed the communication device again. “Erica, you’re on VIP. Come set your station.”
Stick guided him up a set of stairs to a VIP section that boasted a bird’s-eye view of the night club. Julius wasn’t interested in watching the club. Not when there was someone more interesting that had his attention. He studied the girl with the long wavy blonde hair as she filled up a tray of liquor and hoisted it on her shoulder. She hadn’t noticed him yet. Good. It would be sweeter. He leaned back into the booth and stretched his arms wide and watched her walk from the bar toward him. Erica’s stride was graceful and fluid like a river running downstream. His mouth watered.
She didn’t know what was in store for her. If he had it his way, he’d punish her for destroying his beautiful car. A flood of naughty images blipped through his mind as h
e stared at the short hem of her shorts that revealed the most delicious set of legs he’d ever laid eyes on. It was decided. He needed them around his waist. Immediately, he knew that was exactly what he was going to do. He was going to make her pay in every delicious way he could think of.
Julius perked up when Erica climbed the stairs and into the VIP area. She wore a dazzling smile, which quickly turned into a flat line before rounding out in shock. Her doe eyes flew open. Gasping, she nearly dropped the tray of alcohol.
Oh, yes. The beast inside of him purred when her sweet honeysuckle and lilac scent became stronger. I’ve got you cornered now.
Erica sputtered and her heart barreled inside of her ribcage. Her hazel eyes danced a thousand miles like she was trying to think of what to do next.
A mischievous smirk settled on Julius’s lips.
“Hello, Vandal.”
3
ERICA
CRAP.
No. This was bigger than crap. This was definitely worthy of an f-bomb.
Fuck.
This wasn’t happening.
He wasn’t in front of her, Erica reasoned with herself. There was no way she was staring into the same pair of striking green eyes she’d fled from two days ago after she’d taken a bat to the glossy black exterior of his car. The odds were too great. Mathematically, in a city this size, she should have never crossed paths with him again. Math had always been her worst subject.
There he was, sitting comfortably in the VIP booth, dressed in a tailored suit that fit his muscle-laden body snugly. His arms were splayed across the booth like he owned it. His gaze raked up her frame. Intense. She almost dropped her tray.
God, she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. The one time she sought revenge, karma’s bullcrap knocked her square in the teeth.
It was the guilt, she reasoned with herself. She’d felt so bad for destroying his car that she’d expected the police to show up at her doorstep at any moment to cart her off to jail. This was her penance.
Erica closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She was hallucinating. She had to be. A patron must have slipped something in her drink. There was no other rational explanation for him being ten feet away from her.
Love Bitten (Vampire Blood Royals Book 1) Page 2
