Chapter 12
Jase
“ W hat the hell is wrong with you?!” Meredith shouted as we walked to the parking lot. While Andrei and Jackson hung back to wrap up that weird fucking meeting they forced me to witness, I went to my bike.
I need to get the fuck out of here.
My mind spun at what the Black Onyx was doing in this era. They had always been ritualistic in their practices, some of which I had even participated in as a member. But that? That was something twisted.
“Why did you take off like that? Do you really want to get on the Black Onyx’s shit list? Do you not understand what that could risk?”
I turned to look at Meredith’s furious expression, leaning against my bike. Irritated, I folded my arms tightly over my chest. “There’s a reason I defied those witches two hundred years ago, so why would this be any different? You may want me to play repentant, but I’ll not act complacent around those bastards.”
Meredith’s jaw went slack, and her eyes widened in fury. “This isn’t a joke. We went to extreme lengths to keep the coven from turning you over to the Five-Point Order, and Andrei is the sole reason you’re allowed to roam as freely as you do.”
I stared at her, trying to choose my words carefully. Meredith would take anything I said and report it back to Andrei, and my temper was loosening my tongue too much. After what they discussed at the meeting, I knew that agreeing with what Andrei wanted to do would stop my plans from coming to fruition.
“How can we be sure that this plan of summoning the angel Ezrylos will work, anyway? If this backfires, then what? He’ll leave us with an uncontrolled deity bent on slaughtering everyone and a coven with unlimited power and control.” I bit the inside of my cheek, tasting iron and frustration. “Meredith, this is a plan to kill the King of Hell and deliver an angelic sword for Black Onyx to wield. There is no guarantee that those fucking witches will honor their word to spare us. And we’re not even talking about the likely power vacuum that will result. Spilling Rachel’s blood isn’t worth the damn risk. The spell could kill her.”
Meredith cocked her head to the right, knitting her brows together. “Well, that’s an interesting thing to say. That’s twice now you’ve mentioned her safety.” Her eyes darkened a little. “I can understand the hesitancy in killing Lucifer for those witches, but why the fuck would you, of all people, care if Rachel lives or dies? She’s a poison, an anomaly that we need to eradicate.”
My body involuntarily twitched at those words, my fingers clenching.
She came closer, much too close for my liking. The smell of heavy perfume floated around her like a toxic cloud. I tried not to choke on it.
“If the spell doesn’t kill that little rat … I will. Ever since Andrei brought her into our lives, she has changed him. I want the old Andrei back. The one who slaughtered anyone who got in his way.” Meredith pressed her hand against my chest, rubbing her thumb over my leather jacket like soothing a wild beast. “Come on. I know you feel the same. After two centuries apart, you’re finally reunited with your brother, only to find him presenting you with a lovesick fool who prioritized a harlot over family. You eliminate that weakness, and you two can be lords of The Big Easy together.”
I watched that infuriating hand move across my chest and I wanted to tear it off from the wrist and throw it into the swamp. Yet as Meredith caressed my chest, slowly inching her fingers to the hem of my shirt to touch my bare skin, the idea brewing in the back of my mind finally clicked. One that would unleash chaos on the city and, if it went exactly how I planned, would pave the way for me to get out unscathed.
“Sweetheart, I’m only trying to help you,” she said softly. “You know how conniving that woman is. Even now, she’s causing strife within our clan.” Meredith pressed herself even closer to me, her breasts brushing the zipper of my jacket. “That Wendy witch may have been in your bed for four years, but you’ve been alone for centuries. You can have a family again.… You can have me.”
The audacity of Meredith’s assumption made my teeth clench, as if she had any right to know what I needed in my life. Wendy was not some paramour; she was a pawn who got me to Rachel and her mother.
I didn’t need anyone. Ever.
“Meredith,” I said, stopping her hand from reaching for my belt buckle. “Maybe … maybe I need to relax first. A lot has happened, and there’s too much to process. I guess we could unwind a little.”
Meredith’s lips widened into a grin. She was so foolish, so eager to get in my pants that she’d forgotten my rejecting her only a few hours ago.
“Hmm,” she hummed, stepping closer. “What did you have in mind?”
I smiled back and tucked a strand of pale-blonde hair behind her ear. “I know a place I’ve visited often over the last four years. It was a great spot to let go a little when I wasn’t with Wendy.”
She raised a curious brow. “Well, I’m all for anything that takes your mind off the coven and Rachel. A bit of normalcy will be good for you.”
I dropped my hand. “Believe me, this place is anything but normal, but given what you like to do in your downtime, this might be up your alley. I need to make a phone call to the owners to get you access to the inside. It’s outside city limits, so we’ll have to take my bike to get there.”
Meredith’s eyes flashed, a feral delight in the green of her irises. She looked over my shoulder at my motorcycle parked beside Andrei’s Mercedes.
“Alright, make the call, and let’s get the hell out of this swamp.”
Rush hour was long over, so it only took us an hour to reach the club off Old Hooper Road in Baton Rouge. The owners designed the club, Blood and Envy, to resemble a Victorian-style home—a perfectly normal-looking building to anyone who might venture that far into the woods. Instead of wood siding, they built it with solid brick and painted it jet-black, which gave it a haunting Gothic feel. The front doors were bronze with crystal flower motifs covering the surface, and golden columns framed the entrance.
A bouncer stood with a leather-bound notepad in his hand. As each person approached, he would scan them over and check the notes, ensuring they were welcome inside. As Meredith and I approached the front of the line, she leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I would have never guessed an establishment like this would be in Baton Rouge. How did I not know this was here?” Meredith watched as three female vampires escorted a human male into the club. Two puncture wounds stained his neck red; the vampires had started the party early on the ride over. His high-pitched giggling confirmed it, the telltale haze of euphoria that only came from a vampire’s bite. Meredith’s eyes widened slightly as she licked her ruby-red bottom lip.
I knew this place would intrigue her.
“While the club’s been around for a while,” I replied, “it recently came under new ownership. Believe me, strict laws have kept this place running. As long as the vampires adhere to them, it’ll remain open. So, no dead bodies.”
“You have a wilder side than I thought,” Meredith snickered. “I never would have guessed you’d enjoy a place like this.”
I couldn’t help but smirk as I turned back to the door. “This is where I met and recruited Wendy.”
“Hmm, so witches also come here?” she asked. “That’s very bold of them.”
I nodded, pointing at the small stained-glass window over the doorway. It was a purple-black raven surrounded by bloody red roses, a curved dagger in its beak. “This once belonged to her coven, Raven’s Blood, but the witches sold it a few years ago to a vampire clan when they moved. They transformed it into the ideal den for the appetites of the undead: fucking, blood sharing … tying up naughty humans and punishing them until they reach their peak.”
Meredith’s smile grew. “Sounds like my kind of party.”
Clubs like Blood and Envy were few and far between across the country. In the past, they’d kept venues like this underground. Since vampires weren’t open to the public, secrecy, and death were much more prominent. The Five-Point Order implemented strict guidelines for clubs that involved willing donors and sex-craved vampires, and owners had to go through multiple government agencies to get licensed for these activities. Authorities executed anyone caught committing illegal operations on-site; there was no trial or fines, only immediate death.
Vampires were predators, and if the government forbade them from hunting their food in the real world and forcing humans to bend to our will, our kind created safe spaces like this where it felt like they could. Blood and Envy was a specialty blood-sharing club. Their theme was the traditional “hunt and chase,” with humans signing consent forms for primal play. The club owners chose this location because of the massive forest behind the building.
The concept was simple: the humans would run into the forest to escape their vampire counterparts. They engaged in cat-and-mouse play, which ends with feeding and fucking as the human pretends to fend off the vampire.
However, some vampires couldn’t resist taking things too far, causing way too humans to get lost in the forest. So, they put strict laws in place. The doors stayed open as long as nobody reported the business, and every human who participated checked in with the staff. If the vampires broke the rules, the employees would rip them apart and toss their ashes in the trash.
Andrei’s nightclub wasn’t the same. Vampires and humans mingled, but they weren’t fucking out in the open. Sure, they shared blood behind closed doors, but Andrei never let it escalate past that. It would dirty his reputation, and he needed willing clients to take part in the blood trade. But there were no contracts at Black Diamond, no forms—only pleasure, pain, and uncontrolled thirst. It was the thrill of the game.
No safe words.
“So, will I see the ‘Stalker Jasen’ in his element?” Meredith asked with a hint of snark. “I’ve wanted to see you in action these past few months, but I could never get you out of your shell at the mansion. All it took was for you to come here, find a human woman to chase and fuck, and unleash that monster inside. You spent so much time hunting and stalking Rachel but never had a chance to have her. A pity.”
My body stiffened, but I gave my best, most charming smile. “Like I said, Rachel was merely a tool for my plans, and it was never about that. This is much more fun, and fewer demons are crawling through windows.”
Meredith laughed and leaned in slowly, her hand inching down until she reached my crotch. “And that’s precisely the sinful delight I was hoping for.” Her voice had dropped to a slow, seductive hum.
This bitch is relentless.
Before I could move away, her hand started rubbing my jeans, trying to get me hard before we could even step inside. Jesus. Reaching down I took her hand from my zipper. “Save your lascivious energy for what I have planned for us later tonight.”
Meredith pulled a sour face but thankfully dropped her hand. “I hope this is worth the effort. I’m getting tired of my leather clubs and need something new.”
We approached the bouncer, and I gave him our names. The bouncer raised an eyebrow at Meredith’s name but only nodded before handing us two red rose-shaped pins we fastened to our shirts. Human guests received blue lily pins. He opened the luxurious wood and crystal door and waved us inside. As soon as we entered, I sauntered to the bar and ordered a beer. With the frosted glass in hand, I turned my attention to the dance floor, where guests undulated beneath the strobing lights. I leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd and taking in the chaos. Meredith soon joined me, red wine in hand, and together we clinked glasses.
“To not giving a fuck about witches and dhampirs for one night,” she said.
To the far right was a wooden staircase leading upstairs and a stage below it. As the vampires on the dance floor watched, the woman lay on a dais, with her legs splayed wide, while a man sat on top of her, keeping her arms and wrists restrained. They’d ripped her clothes—a sign of apparent struggle that preceded this scene—but even from here, the glistening arousal of her pussy was clear to me. Another vampire held the chains they bound her with at the head of the dais, smiling as they gripped the steel. She resisted, playing the game. If I hadn’t known what this place was, I would have believed they were about to rape and feed from her. The first vampire suddenly sunk his teeth into her throat, and immediately her fight vanished. She arched her back underneath him, surrendering to the ecstasy of his bite. His hand snuck between her legs, stimulating her pussy and only torturing her with more pleasure. It wasn’t long before the second vampire joined, and the moans of their bliss echoed deep through the club, melting with the music.
I glanced down at the time again.
“Why do you keep looking at your phone?” Meredith asked, her brows pinched together. “Is the sight in front of you not interesting enough?”
“The sight is interesting, but a friend is coming to meet us. Trust me, you’re going to love her.”
Meredith cocked a brow. “Her?”
The struggle not to roll my eyes continued.
Before I could answer, my gaze darted toward the front of the club, watching the dance floor part. “Ah, there she is,” I said, waving Emily over.
Emily Cavalli looked stunning as always, wearing a bright-red tank top, black jeans, and matching high heels. Like Meredith, she wore crimson lipstick, complementing the long, raven-black hair framing her heart-shaped face.
“Emily, it’s good to see you.” I smiled, leaning in and kissing her lightly on her right cheek. “Meredith Loren, meet Emily Cavalli. Emily, this is Meredith.”
Meredith offered her hand, and Emily shook it, a cat-like smile playing on her lips.
“I don’t see a blue lily pin on your shirt,” Meredith said pointedly. Emily smiled again and shyly tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Well, I’m not an ordinary human.” She giggled. “I have special privileges.”
“Emily was the one who introduced me to Wendy four years ago. They were both Raven’s Blood Coven members before Wendy betrayed them.”
Meredith’s mouth parted with surprise, like she hadn’t expected that.
“Despite her leaving us for a vampire, Jase ended up doing us a huge favor by taking that bitch off our hands. She was the most pretentious woman I ever met. Power-hungry, with mediocre magic at best.”
I threw back my head and laughed. This was going all too well. I finished my beer and signaled to the bartender. I ordered two cocktails for the women and one more beer for myself, and we all clinked our glasses together.
And for the next hour, Emily played her role exactly as I instructed her to.
I wasn’t interested in watching, but it was more entertaining than the debauchery surrounding me. The conversation moved from small talk to the women cuddling up to each other. Emily now had her long legs draped over Meredith’s lap and was trailing a finger over Meredith’s upper arm.
Meredith’s fangs were out, gently nipping at Emily’s neck before slowly gliding her tongue up the column of her throat toward her ear.
“I see this place is getting to you,” Emily purred into Meredith’s ear, her brown eyes flashing to mine momentarily. A slight smile crossed her pretty face.
“It might be,” Meredith said, inhaling Emily’s intoxicating perfume. I understood why. Emily was graced with a … unique scent that lured vampires to her. The flow of alcohol, along with the sexual atmosphere of the club, worked in my favor. “Or it might just be you. I’m imagining all kinds of things I want to do to your body….”
“Don’t just tease me,” Emily whispered as she moved her hands under Meredith’s skirt. I didn’t have to guess what she was doing as Meredith’s head fell back, and she bit her lower lip. Emily thrust her fingers back and forth, and the sound of Meredith’s arousal was pretty damn clear to my ears, breaking through the music. “Tell me, what do you want to do to me tonight?”
“Fuck,” Meredith said, grinding her hips into Emily’s hand. Her legs spread wider, and Emily hooked Meredith’s skirt up slightly. Maybe it was so she could enjoy the show. Perhaps it was for me. I couldn’t tell.
I felt myself getting hard from the display, but that was as far as I would allow. The physical actions were appealing, but I couldn’t get distracted. I took a long pull of my drink and tried to think of naked old nuns or something to quell my dick.
“You can pull out your cock, Jase, and join us,” Meredith said, her tone a little too excited. She attempted to roll her hips against Emily’s hand, but Emily put herself in control, pinning her down with her weight. Meredith’s head tipped backward as she allowed Emily to have her way with her, light trembles consuming her body. “Oh, fuck, just like that. This is good. Come join us,” she repeated as she continued to grind her pussy against Emily’s fingers pumping inside her.
I adjusted myself as I remained in the chair, trying to tame my dick to not give a shit about the moans leaving Meredith and Emily’s lips.
Naked old nuns, naked old nuns.…
“I’ll enjoy the view from here,” I said. Meredith’s breathing grew heavier as her body convulsed more against Emily. And Emily enjoyed this game. She increased her pace, trailing her tongue against the side of Meredith’s neck. And soon came the point where Meredith could no longer take it.
She cried out as sweet pleasure consumed her, bracketing Emily’s shoulders with her hands and pulling her in. Leaning against her, she sank her teeth into Emily’s neck as she came. Emily moaned loudly, as if some of Meredith’s pleasure had been pumped into her bloodstream.
“Easy,” Emily whimpered. “Not too much.”
Meredith needed a few moments to regain her composure before she could force herself to pull back. She licked her lips, running her hand through the back of Emily’s long hair, gripping it slightly, and pulling her head back. Her eyes darkened as they locked on Emily’s. “Tell me what you want,” she commanded, “or I’ll choose for you.”
Emily was a fucking fantastic actress, and though she played the part of being afraid of Meredith, well, I knew she wasn’t as she melted into feigned submission.
“Chase me,” Emily said into her ear. “Hunt me until you catch me. Then make me yours for the night.”
God, this was way too easy.
It was close to one o’clock in the morning, the forest quiet in the warm night. The previous hunt had wrapped up, and I requested the next time slot for the game. The moon hung low on the horizon, and its white light played with the shadows of the trees.
“Alright,” Emily said, pulling off her high heels. “What are the rules of the chase?”
I smiled and winked at her before answering, “You start running, and we’ll give you a one-minute head start.” I glanced at Meredith, who grinned widely as she kicked off her shoes. “Meredith and I promise not to use our vampire speed ... to make it fair. If we catch you, we fuck you. Mercilessly, to the point where you won’t be able to use your legs afterward. But if you make it to the river, you’re safe.”
“What if I purposely don’t make it to the river?” Emily asked, biting her lower lip.
I took a few steps forward until I was standing beside Meredith. “Then you’ll have her tongue deep inside your pussy and my cock in your mouth within the next fifteen minutes. And trust me when I tell you, it’ll be quite some time before you manage to free yourself from us.”
Meredith let out a drunken giggle before her eyes grew dark and red, ready to hunt down her prey.
“Keep it interesting, Emily,” I said, meeting her eyes. “Now, run.”
Within a beat, Emily took off, sprinting into the forest. Meredith went to run after her, but I blocked her with my arm.
“Hey, we said we would give her a head start, so we honor that.”
Meredith rolled her eyes and scoffed. “You can’t be serious. This was supposed to be my game, so I should make the rules.”
“We did. But you know it wouldn’t be fun without some challenges. I’ll make it interesting for you. If you can wait the full minute, I’ll shove my cock deep in your throat, too, when we catch her. Deal?”
Meredith looked practically feral at the offer. Good, the more wound up she was, the more mistakes she would make.
“Deal.”
I glanced at my watch.
Thirty seconds … fifteen … five …
“That’s long enough. Let’s catch our meal,” Meredith growled as she ran off. At least she obeyed the rule of using our speed and kept hers at an average human pace.
I followed close behind, moving through the trees and dodging fallen branches in the damp earth. The rhythmic thumping of Emily’s heartbeat grew louder as we approached the river. I had lied to Meredith and told her the river was a mile deep in the forest, but it wasn’t. It was much closer. Hopefully, she’d be too distracted with the promise of fucking to hear the heavy flow of the water.
As we descended a small hill in a thick grove of trees, the sound of the river grew louder. However, something else was running ahead of us. Heavy footsteps that weren’t Meredith’s … or Emily’s.
Right on time.
Meredith burst through shrubs and stopped at the bank of the river, her confused gaze fixed on Emily. Not only had Emily reached the river, but she stood on the opposite bank with a devilish grin, heat burning in her dark brown eyes. “Well, shit,” Emily said. “I guess we won’t be fucking after all.”
“What the hell is going on?” Meredith seethed and rounded on me as I walked up. “If she doesn’t play the game, we can kill her. Right?”
A bitter laugh rumbled in my throat. “Emily and I had something more fun in mind. I’d brace myself if I were you.”
“What––”
A wall of deep-green light smashed into Meredith, sending her flying back ten feet as Emily unleashed the full force of her magic. Meredith’s skull cracked against the flat rocks, sending a spray of blood against the bark of a fallen tree.
Immediately, Meredith sprang to her feet, fangs bared, and bolted for Emily. But her steps faltered, and I seized her by the throat, squeezing until her eyes bulged. Her legs flailed in the air as I lifted her from the ground. “Feeling a bit unsteady? Well, I forgot to mention something about Emily and her coven. They have powerful paralytic magic and spells that render vampires immobile. Emily’s blood, while enticing, acts as a mild poison when consumed. So, that strange numbness in your legs. That’s her gift. Now, if you behave, they may go easy on you.”
I threw her to the ground, her body hitting with a loud thud. Two figures stepped out from the east edge of the forest and came toward us.
“Meredith, if you haven’t met, I’d like to introduce Hendrick Anders, Alpha Wolf, and his new Beta, Brayden. He took over after Jackson ruthlessly killed Franklin.”
Meredith struggled to her knees, her face twisted in rage and horror.
“The Bayou Perot Pack? You’re working with werewolves?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t say working with them, per se. We cut a deal, that’s all. One that not only benefits my goals but the wolves can finally get the justice they’ve been wanting since Andrei killed the Alpha’s wife, Alana. They can’t bring her back, so they decided to destroy and take what he loves most away: power, his club, his reputation … and you.”
Meredith tried to lunge at me, but Emily snapped her fingers, shooting vines of green magic to wrap around her legs and hold her down.
“Why the fuck would that even concern you, you traitor?”
“It doesn’t. But the wolves wouldn’t have agreed to help me if I didn’t provide something .”
Her eyes widened as Emily hopped over some stones in the river and back to our side. She splayed her fingers, and the vines around Meredith writhed, lifting her off the ground.
“What is she doing?” Meredith asked, panic growing in her voice. Emily just smiled as the vines tightened and small red flowers emerged and bloomed. “I can’t move!” She screamed and tried to wrench herself free. But the magic was too much for her weakening vampire strength.
Emily approached and placed her hands on each side of Meredith’s head at the temples. She chanted a spell, and a blue light formed at her fingertips. Meredith screamed even louder, her cries reverberating through the dense forest.
When Emily finally released her grip, she went to Hendrick, holding up her glowing hands.
“May I?” she asked, and he nodded. She lifted her fingers to the Alpha’s temples, closed her eyes, and chanted a different spell. The blue light flickered out, and Hendrick opened his eyes. “Did you get all that?” Emily asked, keeping a hand on his temple.
Hendrick’s gray-blue eyes glowed in the darkness, the yellow of his wolf side burning just below the surface. He nodded again. “Thank you, witch.”
Meredith groaned, “What the fuck did you do to me?”
Emily strolled in front of Meredith, just out of reach. “I pulled your memories and gave the information to the wolves. They need it to find your friend Andrei’s contracts, including the one where that rival pack put out a hit on the Alpha’s wife. You were chock full of useful knowledge, including the code for the club and Andrei’s safe. So, thank you, sweetie.” She puckered her red lips and blew Meredith a kiss. “My vines will last for another few minutes, so I suggest you wrap this party up.” She turned to the Alpha. “I’ll send my witches to help with whatever you need.” Emily walked past the wolves, going over to me and kissing me on the cheek. “Thank you again for getting Wendy out of our coven. She gave witches a bad name, and you know, you’re not all that bad for a bloodsucker.” With that, Emily walked toward the forest and back to the club. I watched as the darkness swallowed her before turning to Hendrick and Brayden.
“Every contract Andrei has ever taken is in the safe in his office at Black Diamond. You know how to disable all the security measures now. All I want is the key and Book of Shadows inside the safe. It’s an antique bronze with a fire symbol etched in the center of the key head. I can’t get it myself without fear of being spotted or caught. He has too many men to put down for me to do it myself.”
“And what about this bitch?” Hendrick growled, jerking his head to Meredith, whose eyes were wide with horror and disbelief.
“You can do whatever you want with her. Aside from Jackson, Meredith is his closest ally. You destroy her, and you deliver a heavy blow to him. I’ll be long gone by then. I’ll contact Brayden and discuss retrieving the key and book by tomorrow night.”
The Alpha reached out his hand, and I shook it. I could see a lot of pain behind those eyes. He lost his mate, and it left a deep scar that would torment him for the rest of his life. I tried not to think about that.
“Our deal is done, Jase Halpert,” Hendricks said.
“Our deal is done,” I repeated, dropping my hand. The two men went to Meredith and seized her arms, ripping her free from the poisoned plants. Her body shook, and she had no power left in her legs.
“Jase,” she panted, “please … don’t do this.”
“Sorry, darling. The brother I once knew died that night in Fiskardo, the moment he slaughtered our parents without a second thought. If he doesn’t wake the fuck up, his existence will drag us all to hell with him. He may believe I’ve forgiven him, but he’s wrong. I’ll never forgive the blood on his hands, the betrayal that’s turned my entire life into a nightmare. Fuck Andrei, and fuck every single one of you in his goddamn new family.”
Without looking back, I walked into the forest, the sounds of Meredith’s panicked screams following me.
Music to my fucking ears.