Chapter Six
“Henry.” I take another step back from him. There may or may not be things happening in my panties, but they’re sure as hell nobody else’s business. And the way Lucas is now staring at me is not good. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The horniness is all part of the change,” answers Henry. “It’s totally normal and nothing to be ashamed of. I’m more than happy to help you out if you like, sister.”
I hold up a hand. “Please stop talking. Just…no.”
Meanwhile, Lucas has started growling low in his throat.
“Father.” Henry laughs in delight. “Is this you actually being possessive, or are you just a little overstimulated from feeding and fighting, hmm?”
“Go away, Henry,” says Lucas. “Now.”
Monica stumbles out of the back garden with her hand to her neck. Her gaze is dazed, her color off. “Hey, what’s happening? Was someone yelling?”
“Hello there.” Henry smiles. “Let’s get you a glass of juice, hmm?”
“With vodka,” she says. “He took a lot.”
“You really shouldn’t drink on a depleted bloodstream.” And he steers her off toward the house.
Lucas walks toward me in his ash-stained suit. The cuts on his mouth and cheek have closed now, though the spilled blood has yet to dry. He really did let Berin beat the shit out of him. “It’s not only blood you want when you’re newly turned.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for the concern.”
“Henry was right, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I am not ashamed.”
“Your body undergoes all sorts of changes,” he says in the same calm tone as he closes in on me. The bruising around his eye changes color from black and blue, to green and yellow, to back to normal. “An increase in lust is just another.”
“I’m sorry you had to kill your friend.” I press my hand against his hard chest, stopping him from getting any closer. “But I’m not a shiny new toy to distract you from your troubles.”
“Of course not,” he says. “You’re different. You’re mine.”
“What?” I frown. “ No .”
“I made you. I care for you. You’re mine.”
“You care for me? Bold of you, given you’ve threatened to kill me several times in the last twenty-four hours.”
“And yet you’re still here and unharmed.”
“If a little undead.” I shake my head. Being cast adrift in a world of night with him as my guide is a lot. “Lucas, this is not how I see our relationship progressing. A mentorship kind of situation is necessary. Maybe we can even stretch it into friendship in a century or two, when I’ve had a chance to calm down and process my trauma over you killing me. But nothing more. Not with you.”
He leans in and sniffs me. Like an animal. “Henry was right. You do smell amazing. And the way you look…”
“Thanks. But still no.”
“You’re funny.” He smiles. “I wasn’t asking.”
“What?”
Before I can say another word, he turns me. We’re in the same position Henry and I were earlier. My back pressed to his front and his arms tight around me. “Look at the stars, Skye. I saw you watching them earlier. They’re spectacular, aren’t they?”
“Lucas,” I say in a firm tone. “Let me go.”
“You need to learn to trust me.”
“I don’t think the words you’re saying mean what you think they do.”
He pins my wrists behind my back with one hand, the other hand already undoing the buttons of my coat. “I can’t remember much about my mortal life. But I can remember so clearly how on that first night, the whole sky seemed to come to life.”
“Leave the buttons alone. You’re getting blood and ash on my suit.”
“I’ll buy you another,” he says. “I’ll buy you whatever the fuck you want. Of course, there were no city lights to compete with back then. Still, it was awe inspiring. More than the strength and speed, it was being able to see the stars like that.”
This isn’t like when Henry held me. My awareness of him physically was next to nil. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an attractive boy. But that’s exactly what he is, an extremely old fuckboy.
Lucas, on the other hand, feeds the lust higher. The way he holds me is both firm and gentle at the same time. His body is bigger and stronger, and his voice…there’s something hypnotic about it. When I struggle and get nowhere, part of me almost doesn’t mind. Proving once and for all that my hormones have terrible taste. Just the absolute worst. Giving in, however, is not an option. Not with him.
“I don’t care if you haven’t gotten laid in seventy years,” I say, turning and tugging on my wrists to try and escape. “Get your pity sex elsewhere.”
His laugh is low and rough. “No one talks to me like you. Even Henry respects my limits. But you just say whatever comes to mind, don’t you?”
“Lucas…”
“Relax. We’re not fucking. I don’t think that would be a good idea,” he says. “You strike me as the sort who takes intercourse too seriously.”
“Wait a minute. You think I’ve never just hooked up? Really?”
“Hooked up?” he repeats. “What an interesting phrase. As I was saying, I have no interest in suffering through the infatuation of a newborn discovering vampire sex. This is purely a one-time thing. I’m just going to deal with your little problem and then I’ll let you go.”
“How about you don’t do me any favors and let me deal with it on my own.”
“Hm. No.” He undoes the last button and pushes my coat open, baring my breasts in the black lace bralette. The hold on my wrists tightens as he sighs. “Skye, look at you. Fuck. You’re so pretty.”
“You thought I was homely.”
He pauses. “I never said that.”
And that’s the truth. I heard the thought inside my head. But I am not in a mood to talk about it right now. “I don’t want this, Lucas. Do you hear me?”
“Oh, you want it.” He presses his nose against the side of my face and inhales the scent of me again. And the way he groans. “Your body is practically screaming for it.”
“My body is an idiot and my brain knows better. And if we’re not having sex, why are you undressing me?”
“Like I was saying, I’ve always enjoyed a view.” His fingertip trails from my throat down, down, down. Between my breasts and over my stomach. Just when I think he’s going to put his hand in my pants, he smooths his palm over the front of my suit pants. Which is absolutely a relief. Any other thought is an anomaly. “What Henry said reminded me,” he says. “You wanted to talk about consent?”
“You’re not funny.”
“I have to agree with you. Humor has never been my talent. But I have been told I’m good with my hands.” His hand curves over my crotch and presses firmly. And the pressure is wonderful. Like my favorite vibrator and showerhead working in tandem.
My insides squeeze tight, and oh wow. This is so wrong. He is still the asshole who killed me. I go up on my tiptoes, trying to escape him, but it’s useless. He can probably feel how wet I am even through the material of my panties and pants.
The pad of his thumb finds my clitoris and applies the same delicious pressure. I can feel myself coming already. And I am never this fast and ready. It must be a vampire thing.
Heat shoots through me from top to toe. All of it centering on my sex. My nipples ache and every inch of skin feels oversensitive. Like the night air on the sides of my breasts and belly is enough to push me over. But it’s his damn touch and his voice that does it.
“So beautiful,” he whispers into my hair.
A sob catches in my throat and it’s all too much. The moon and stars could disappear from the sky and I would neither notice nor care. My head falls back on his shoulder and my body shudders as the sensation goes on and on. Another vampire benefit, apparently. Orgasms that are out of this world. It’s as if I’ve been born anew to pleasure and sin. And throughout it all, he holds me so tight it’s like nothing bad can touch me. Nothing can ever hurt me again. With the exception of him, of course.
How embarrassing. It was so easy for him to decimate me. I didn’t feel an ounce of shame before, but for some reason I am full of it now. I push out of his hold and this time he lets me go. Just as well. Then he just stands there in the dark, looking as handsome as sin, watching me with those immortal eyes.
I do my buttons back up with fumbling fingers. The horrible thing is, he’s taken the edge off the lust. But I could so easily fall to my knees and beg for more. And I bet he knows it too.
“What?” I snap.
“Honestly?” He shrugs. “I was half expecting you to try and hit me.”
I turn my back on him and walk toward the house. “Henry, I want to go out.”
The nightclub is all polished concrete and metal. People pack the downstairs dance floor and bar area. It goes without saying that I’ve never been in a VIP section before. But Henry leads us straight past security and up the stairs to the mezzanine level, full of white leather lounges, low lighting, and glass tables. A supermodel, some A-list actors, and half a rock band are spotted in the first five minutes. Apparently, this is the place to be. At least there’s small chance anyone I know would frequent here. As much as I dislike leaving my own life and plans behind, it’s best if no one knows I didn’t die in that fire. Though, part of me wonders if anyone would even recognize me now.
I changed my coat for a black V-neck tee and Lucas swapped out his suit for another, exactly the same. Lord knows how much they cost. The cut and style are immaculate. He could be the poster boy for fashionable undead capitalists everywhere. His dark hair is slicked back, and his gaze is constantly on the move, taking in everything. The Rolls-Royce Ghost that we found waiting in the garage, alongside a Bugatti Chiron, also pleased him immensely. This century seems to be a win for him.
Of course, the great thing about being a vampire in a nightclub is neither having to yell to be heard over the music, nor needing to line up to use the bathroom. Guess we just absorb the blood we drink. Very useful.
Nicole and I used to frequent a bespoke cocktail bar a few blocks away. A more simple and subdued setting. Less pulsating lights and blaring music. We would drink gimlets and talk about life and books and everything. I miss my best friend, and it’s barely been a day. Staying away from the people I love is going to be hard. It is strange feeling lonely when you’re surrounded by people. And I’m not the only one who has lost a friend recently. Not that I pity him exactly.
“You’re staring at him again, sweetie,” says Henry.
“I am very angry at him for multiple reasons. It’s going to take me a while to process them all.”
Henry shrugs. “You have to understand, he comes from a time when the head of the family had the last say in everything, and women, in particular, had fuck-all rights.”
“That is no excuse.”
“No,” he allows. “But it does explain a few things.”
“It explains nothing. He’s perfectly intelligent enough to adapt and not behave like an asshat.”
“Well, yes, but what would be the fun in that?”
I narrow my eyes on my new brother.
He just laughs. “Father’s always been a broody bastard. Even when we were in Paris in the 1800s, drinking blood full of absinthe and opium, he was somber, at best. It’s entertaining to watch him navigate you and the modern world. Turning you has honestly done him a world of good. Reinvigorated him to no end.”
“That’s just so wonderful to hear,” I say drily.
“You don’t really miss your mortal life, do you?”
“Yes. My life was boring, not bad. I have no idea what this is, apart from violent and complicated, and having way too much to do with him.”
He nods. “Give it time. You’re in mourning.”
“What? For myself?” I ask with a smile.
And he nods again.
Lucas stands at the railing nearby, watching the mass of dancers writhe below. All of that seething humanity seems to fascinate him. He doesn’t even blink as he takes it all in.
But enough about him. I will not let him ruin the second night of my bizarre new life. Being in a place like this with my enhanced senses is interesting. The play of lights dazzles my eyes, and I can feel the thump of the bass loud and clear through my breastbone. With my newfound stamina, I could dance all night. And who knows, I just might.
A bottle of Cristal champagne sits in a bucket of ice alongside some C?ROC vodka. It is all to lure in the humans and help us blend. However, it hardly seems required. They watch us with open fascination. Care of a preternatural je ne sais quoi or the undead glow up, I have no idea. But they hardly make hunting for sex or blood a chore. It is unprecedented. People are giving me come-hither glances. I ignore all of them because awkward. As someone who moved through life largely unnoticed, the change is extreme.
“I should be upset that you’re Father’s new favorite. Do you have any idea how boring it was while he was asleep?” Henry pouts. “Now he’s awake again and it’s all about you. You’re very lucky I am so understanding.”
“Sorry.”
Henry crooks a finger at Monica, who is currently dancing and flirting over at the bar. “Time to teach you something. After all, knowledge is power, sweetie.”
Monica sits between us with a grin and a glass of champagne and orange juice. Any earlier lack of energy or color has been remedied. With a finger to her chin, Henry smiles, stares deep into her eyes, and says, “Be a dear and cluck like a chicken, would you?”
“Henry,” I scold. “Don’t be a dick.”
But the woman is already making clucking noises. She’s even throwing in pecking motions for good measure.
“It’s not hurting her. This sort of thing takes a lot of practice, but you can do it to any human unless they have a particularly strong will. Your turn,” he says, nodding to me. “Now, you have to focus. Push your intent at them.”
“Monica?” I angle my head to put myself in her line of sight. Not sure if screwing up my face and thinking hard enough to give myself a headache is necessary. But she does pause and stare back at me. “Go have a good night.”
“What?”
“Really push,” murmurs Henry. “Like I said…it’s not easy. Most of us don’t get this down for a decade or more. Push, Skye.”
“I am trying,” I say.
Her gaze shifts to Henry before returning to me. The woman’s smile is definitely bemused. “What’s going on?”
“Keep your eyes on me.”
“Okay.”
It’s like I imagine a link between us. My thoughts in her mind. My will taking over her. Which is a beyond gross idea if you think about it. But here we are. I push and focus, and it’s as if the world quiets around us. Something that might be down to my concentrating so hard. However, the temporary stillness feels a little like when I hear a word. I choose to take it as a positive sign. “Go have a good night, Monica.”
“You want me to go?” she asks uncertainly.
“Do what you like. Have fun. Take care of yourself, okay?”
A hesitant smile fills her face, then she jumps up and heads back to the bar. This time stopping next to a curvaceous Black woman with piercings and a shaved head. Hand in hand, they soon leave together.
Henry rolls his eyes. “All of the things we can do. The complete control we can wield over their tiny, dull little lives. And you tell her to go be merry and stay hydrated.”
“Do no harm, dude.”
“Sister. Oh my God. We’re apex predators. I am not sure if you actually had her, or she just liked the idea of taking the rest of the night off. Probably the latter.”
“We can’t tell if it’s happening?”
“No. It’s a subtle skill. You get to recognize the feel of doing it yourself when the connection is made. But apart from the blank stare on their faces, there’s no way of telling if a human is being compelled by another,” he explains. “Which is a definite downside to that little trick. Never mind. As Father has a habit of saying, practice makes perfect.”
“Right.”
He rises to his feet. “Back in a moment.”
As soon as Henry is gone, an athletic-looking man in jeans and a fitted button-down shirt sidles on over. He’s handsome, with tanned skin and a wide, white smile. In his mid-thirties at a guess.
“I don’t have any good come-on lines,” he says. “But can I join you anyway?”
I laugh. “Sure. Why not?”
“Come here often?” he asks with a comedic wince.
“Ooh. Now that’s a classic. And the answer is no. This is my first time.”
“I’m Aiden.”
“Skye.”
“Skye,” he repeats with a flirty smile. “Good to meet you. How do you like the place?”
“It’s great.”
And this is all so bizarre, a man like this one making eyes at me. Having the vampire benefits feels like cheating. Though, it’s not like I asked for them. Henry may have had a point. I need to loosen up and learn to have a little fun. It’s either that, or stay home and read books for eternity. Which actually doesn’t sound that bad, now that I come to think of it. But back to the here and now. I like having a pretty man smile at me.
“I own it.” He nods to the nightclub at large. “We just opened a few months back.”
“Really?”
He shuffles closer and leans in, and I catch the scent of his blood. Just that easy. The sound of it pumping through his heart. The sight of it so close to the surface beneath his warm skin. Guess the loud music and mess of scents in the place kept the need under control until now. But no longer.
“I, um…” I move farther away along the low lounge.
He frowns and makes to follow. “Are you okay?”
“Get any closer and she’ll rip your throat out,” says a low, dangerous voice. “Or if she doesn’t, I will.”
I reach for his hand, panicking ever so slightly. “Lucas.”
Lucas pulls me to my feet and wraps his arms around me, crushing my breasts against his chest. “I told you, you need to stay ahead of it.”
Aiden is already walking away. He’s probably summoning security. What a mess.
“What’s wrong?” asks Henry.
“She got hungry,” says Lucas. “You were supposed to watch her.”
“I was only gone for a moment.”
“Can you walk out of here?” Lucas asks me.
“Yes.”
To be so strong and so weak at the same time is infuriating and frightening. Now that I’ve tuned in to the blood, I don’t know how to block it out. My hands are shaking, and my mouth is watering, and oh shit. I should never have asked Henry to take me out. What a stupid idea. If I kill someone, it will absolutely be my own damn fault.
Halfway down the stairs, Lucas stops and swings me up into his arms. Carrying me with an arm around my back and the other beneath my knees. “Put your arms around my neck, Skye.”
I do as told, holding on tight. “Don’t let me hurt anyone.”
He jerks his chin in response.
The crowd surges around us as we skirt the edge of the dance floor. His hands dig into me, anchoring me against him. Henry gets in front of us and clears a path to the door. There is definite flashing of fang. Some of the startled expressions on the patrons’ faces would be hilarious under any other situation.
The scents of smoke and sweat and alcohol fade as we reach the sidewalk outside. We wait for the new car to be bought around.
“I say we go home and start catching Father up on history and advancements in technology over the past almost a century. Start him off with some basic programming languages, and then round it all out with superhero movies. What do you think?” Henry gives me a gentle smile. But the word that appears inside my head is disappointed .
“I’m sorry I ruined your night out,” I say.
“It’s fine.” He frowns. “You didn’t.”
“Put me down, please. I think I’m okay now.” A part of me feels safe in Lucas’s arms. And that part of me needs to learn better. As he said, he doesn’t need any clingy newborns cramping his style.
Lucas looks me over before doing as asked. Guess I don’t seem quite so on the edge of attacking anyone. I stand there with my arms wrapped tight around myself, thinking calm thoughts.
The traffic has thinned out at this time of night. There’s still a line of people waiting to get into the club. A silver Escalade cruises toward us, a back window lowering to let in the night air. The person behind the wheel is wearing sunglasses and a sneer.
And the word that fills my head like a shout is gun .
“Get down!” I scream, and throw myself at the two males. It’s a bad attempt at a tackle. They’re both more than strong enough to stay standing. But working at superspeed, Lucas looks around and sees the vehicle.
Understanding fills his face, and he moves to cover Henry and me. We’re on the ground before the first bullet flies. The report of the weapon is ear-shatteringly loud. So, too, are the screams of the humans around us.