Chapter 2 – Thorne #2
I’ve been to enough supernatural parties to know that they evolve into heavy touching, middle-of-the-dance-floor make out sessions, and full-on sex on the stage for an audience of voyeurs.
Yet the thought of someone else touching Layla, let alone kissing or fucking her, makes my blood boil.
All heads turn to me. I lock eyes with Layla for a few seconds—her pupils expanding to black orbs—before she covers her mouth and looks away.
Did I see her fangs drop?
“You growled, bro,” Locheran says out of the corner of his mouth. “You look like you want to murder someone.”
Fuck.
I’m losing my mind. That’s got to be the only explanation. I’m never so… passionate… about anything, let alone anyone. I learned a long time ago that feelings only lead to heartbreak.
“It’s unprecedented,” Xander grumbles, ignoring my wayward emotions. “But I don’t want to be uncooperative either.”
Xander twists the small glass of water in his large hands then sighs.
“Very well. I’ll provide you with a soldier for a month as a test run. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll need to find another supernatural to assume the role.”
Layla nods. “And who do you... suggest?”
She bites her lip, glancing down at her hands crossed regally on the tabletop.
“I can’t lend you Locheran. He leads my army, and if you need a representative for the committee you mentioned, then he’d be the one I’d recommend.”
My chest tightens. He’s going to say my name. This is it. I’m dying of a heart attack. My head throbs with how much adrenaline is rushing through my body.
“Thorne is my finest soldier. If he agrees, then he’s yours.”
“Mine?” Layla asks, her voice a pitch higher.
“Yes, your new head of security.” Xander turns to me, an eyebrow raised in question.
I nod, words still failing me. Xander shakes his head, confused at my behavior. I may not speak a lot, but I do speak. Especially when my king is addressing me.
Layla lifts her head, her brown eyes briefly passing to me before she looks back at Xander, pursing her lips.
“Well? Does the silent one accept?”
A bark of laughter bursts out of Locheran. He attempts to cover it with a cough, which he chases down with a glass of water.
“He accepts,” Xander answers.
“Okay,” she says and stands. “Great.”
Okay?
Great?
That’s all she has to say?
You’re one to talk. You’ve yet to say a word to the enchanting woman.
She extends her hand to Xander. “Thank you for your time. You’re welcome to stay and socialize in here or head to the great hall for the party.” Layla nods to me. “Thorne, if you could stay back so we can discuss some logistics.”
I stifle a groan at my name on her lips.
I leave Xander and Locheran and walk to her side. She smells like flowers and the forest with hints of citrus and my heart kicks in my chest in response.
My cock also takes notice and twitches.
“I know this is all happening so fast, I do apologize,” she begins, her eyes finding mine.
A strange sensation flutters through my stomach…
like butterflies flapping their wings, trying to escape.
Wait. Butterflies? I can’t remember the last time someone made me feel like a prepubescent pup with a crush.
“As I mentioned, the president of the council for the World Organization of Vampire Elites will be introducing you as my new head of security tonight, and tomorrow you’ll be expected to get right to work. I hope that’s not a problem.”
I shake my head, and she scrunches her nose—she’s done that twice now, and I find it just as adorable as the first time—and hands me a folder that was sitting on the table in front of her.
“This packet has everything you’ll need to know about my building’s security measures as well as key cards to give you access to the elevator and my penthouse.
As for security at tonight’s party, everything’s already planned.
There will be plenty of guards in place throughout the ballroom.
Your job tonight is to stand your handsome self next to me on stage, then we’ll go around the room while I shake hands and pretend to smile at the important supes. ”
Her phone buzzes, and she picks it up, frustratingly typing out a text message.
“You think I’m handsome?”
She startles at my deep voice, her phone flipping out of her hands, but her quick vampire reflexes catch it before it hits the table. A smile tugs at my lips.
“Goddamn it, Thorne. Warn a girl the next time you’re going to ear fuck me with that sexy velvety baritone.”
She goes on mumbling something about narrating spicy audiobooks, and I don’t ask how I could have warned her without speaking first. I also don’t point out that she called me—well, my voice—sexy after just saying I’m handsome.
“Yeah, um, so, tomorrow we should meet to discuss my protection detail. Right now, my guards are solely vampires, but COVE would like me to hire other supernaturals to join my security team.”
“Really?”
Supernatural beings are selfish. We don’t work well with each other.
I mean, we fuck each other sometimes, but actually being civil with each other?
Most would never voluntarily work on another supe’s security team.
The former vampire queen is the only one that I know of with two griffin bodyguards.
“Yep.” She pops the ‘p.’ “It’s part of this unification plan, apparently. Remember I mentioned being amicable?”
I nod.
“That includes working together... becoming allies.”
She blows a piece of hair that’s fallen in her face, and I almost reach up to tuck it behind her ear.
Almost.
“So, tomorrow we’ll go over profiles of candidates I was sent.
You’d know more about their credentials than I would.
We also need to decide which of the vampires currently on my team you’d like to keep.
I have twenty guards now, at least five of those are humans who patrol my building during the day when I’m at rest.”
I silently curse. She needs better daytime protection. Humans are no match for a supe who wants to harm Layla when she’s most vulnerable. I'm going to double her detail. She’ll need supes who can withstand the sun keeping guard.
I’m already eager to go through profiles with her, even though the thought of being alone with her makes my stupid heart race again.
I can’t explain it. All I know is I keep thinking about all the dirty things I want to do to this woman if I had her alone.
Things I shouldn’t be thinking of as her new head of security.
“I hope I didn’t offend you,” I say.
She raises a brow. “Wow, you’ve now spoken two coherent sentences. Congratulations.”
I ignore the sass and continue.
“I seem to have annoyed you somehow. If it was the greeting, I apologize—”
“It wasn’t,” she interrupts, her eyes down and refusing to look at me again. “I’m sorry, I’m just…”
I lift my hand to clutch her chin but stop, remembering I have no right to comfort her… to touch her.
I’m dying to touch her.
It’s as if her beauty… her defiance and power… is awakening my body from a decades-old slumber. I inhale deeply, attempting to calm myself down but instead, Layla’s scent overwhelms me. Not just her perfume… but her cunt.
Her wet cunt.
Is that for me? Her pleasure? Is she dripping with want for me?
Layla stiffens beside me, and I realize I growled—again—the sound rumbling deep in my chest. It would have been too low for a human across the room to hear it but, of course, everyone in the room is a supernatural being who are all now staring at the vampire queen and her new gargoyle guard.
How many times have I growled now for no reason?
She is the reason.
The door to the room opens, thankfully diverting our attention. Layla gasps, and I follow her eyes to the golden creature who just entered.
Vara.
The sphinx owns most of the supernatural nightclubs around New York City. We’ve never met, but I’ve heard plenty about her.
She walks in on all fours, like she’s an A-list celebrity at a Hollywood movie premiere.
Her wings stretch out as she scans the room, then as she stands on two feet, she shutters them to her back.
Strutting towards us, her golden cat-like eyes lock on Layla and a tinge of jealousy and protectiveness nips at my nerves.
Vara glances at me and raises her brow. The corner of her lip turns up into a smirk, showing me a fang.
The curls of golden blonde hair fall around her like a mane.
She’s wearing a banded headpiece full of diamonds and other colorful jewels that I couldn’t begin to name.
The colors match her sparkling rainbow dress that looks more like lingerie and barely covers her furred body.
Her lion’s tail hangs beside her like a snake, ready to attack.
“My queen,” she says to Layla the moment she stops in front of her. She bows for show.
Layla’s brown eyes are wide, her pupils blown, plump lips parted. I spot the tips of her fangs. Is she… turned on by the sphinx?
The room has gone silent. Xander and Locheran move closer as if ready for the sphinx to attack. Not that Vara has a reputation of being violent, only that she’s shown up to a meeting she wasn’t invited to.
Vara tries to take Layla’s hands into her paws, but before I can react, preparing to protect the vampire queen, Layla steps back.
“What are you doing here, Vara?” she asks, standing a little bit taller.
Vara glances at me again. Her eyes scan my body from head to toe before giving me a flirty wink, which sends a shiver rolling through my body.
What the hell?
Have I been poisoned by a succubus? An incubus? Or any other sexually charged demon? I’ve never been so hard in my life and the sexual tension between Vara and Layla isn’t helping.
The two clearly have a history.
“I’m here for the party, of course.”
Layla opens her mouth to speak but Vara cuts her off.
“And to let you know that I’ve been selected as the new ambassador to humans on the Supernatural Unveiling Committee.”
“Excuse me?” Layla says.
Vara walks around Layla’s left, her clawed hand dragging across the vampire queen’s bare shoulder. I should step in, force the sphinx to stop touching the woman I’m now assigned to guard, but my cock grows harder as if sensing Layla’s pleasure intensifying.
I can’t move or everyone will see my tented pants.
“You see, my little Layla-lollipop, they’re going to need a voice... a face for the public once we reveal ourselves to the humans.”
“How do you know about the unveiling plan? I was given a list of every supe who was included in the discussions, and you weren’t on it,” Layla says, crossing her arms.
The move pushes her cleavage up, and I force myself to look away from the beautiful mounds.
“I have eyes and ears all over this city, my dear.”
Vara stalks behind Layla, dragging her sharp fingertip across her back. Then she continues to me. Her palm flattens on my upper arm, and I nearly blow my load right then.
What the hell?
Vara grins at me like I’m a four-course meal she’s about to devour and keeps walking until she’s back in front of Layla. She cups the vamp’s chin and leans in, their lips inches apart.
“You’re stuck with me, my sweet Layla-cakes.”
Vara is seconds from kissing Layla, but the vampire queen pulls back.
“You’re crossing the line, sphinx,” Layla warns, her fangs fully bared now.
The look on her face would frighten any human, maybe even a few young vampires and other supernatural beings.
Me?
I see desire and anger in a battle for dominance.
“If I get word that you formally have the position, then we will talk.” Layla waves her hand, dismissing Vara. “Until then, you are not part of this meeting. That is all.”
Fuck.
My cock leaks at the vampire’s demanding words. I would love nothing more than to drop to my knees and beg her to smack me around.
Both women turn their heads to me, eyes wide, mouths open.
Okay. I clearly did something, but before either woman can question me, one of Layla’s guards whisks Vara away and Xander takes Layla aside.
“Why are you all growly?” Locheran asks, clamping a hand on my shoulder.
Layla turns her head slightly while half paying attention to whatever Xander is going on about as if listening for my answer.
But I say nothing. Because I can’t explain why I’m suddenly going feral for the new vampire queen... and strangely enough, the sphinx too.