Chapter 4 – Layla
It happened again.
Pleasure.
It rolls through me the moment Thorne grabs me by the waist with one arm to stop me from falling. His hand takes hold of my upper arm, and I swallow my moan. His smooth, velvety skin burns on mine. It’s intoxicating.
The gargoyle’s eyes widen. He feels it too.
My fangs unwillingly drop, and I quickly sheath them before anyone notices.
Once I’m upright, I smooth my dress to make sure I’m not flashing my tits and bits, and I can only hope my hair hasn’t fallen out of place.
I don’t have a mirror to check it, and my phone is deep down in the pocket of this dress.
It doesn’t matter, though, because Thorne is already reaching out to push a curled strand off my cheek.
Heat simmers deep within my stomach, my nipples tightening at the affectionate move. I can only pray to whichever higher power is listening that the supernaturals in the room can’t smell my needy pussy.
Of course, that’s not the case based on the feverish look Vara is giving me from where she stands at the front—her fangs bared, pupils blown, breathing heavily.
I’m struggling to focus. I vaguely register Cyrus introducing Thorne as my new head of security, talking about our new partnership with the gargoyles and other supes who will be on my security team.
My mind races with filthy things I want to do to the sexy scarred gargoyle. But not just with him… with Vara too.
What the fuck?
It’s clear the attraction I felt for Vara upon our first meeting a year ago hasn’t waned.
I remember the moment we shook hands, my entire body lit up like a fucking Christmas tree.
It was the first time I’d felt such desire for another soul since my short-lived love affair with Millie.
I was left confused, also terrified, so I stayed away from the sphinx for the rest of the night.
.. and for the past year. I know she felt something too because she’s been begging Millie to bring me to one of her nightclubs.
Or to take me out on a date. But she also respected my wishes and stayed away.
Now?
Thorne’s touch is doing the exact same thing to my body: scorching my veins and awakening my sexual urges. How can someone I’ve only known for less than an hour cause such a reaction within me?
What if he’s my mate?
I shake my head. In the nearly 700 years I’ve been undead; I’ve never heard of a vampire and a gargoyle being fated mates. Sure, vampires and gargoyles have hooked up—Millie and Locheran dated for a few months—but never have our souls been bound.
And then there’s Vara...
Before my brain can even try to comprehend a second mate, Cyrus is done speaking, and I’m being whisked away into the crowd. I shake far too many hands—except for the fae, you never shake a fae’s hand—and my face hurts from smiling at so many powerful supernaturals.
I’ve met them all many times before, including at my coronation. Even before I was crowned, they all knew me as Millie’s royal advisor. Now it’s different. Now I’m their equal.
Thorne hasn’t left my side all night, but he’s kept enough distance that we haven’t touched again.
I desperately want him to touch me again.
My eyes also kept wandering over the crowd, searching for Vara. It’s as if she sensed me seeking her out, locking eyes with me each time—the gold in them seemingly glowing.
The music changes to a slow song: Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton.
The DJ has been playing a unique mix of music tonight, switching from songs of the 20th and 21st centuries to ones from hundreds of years ago.
That’s the thing about being immortal. We’ve experienced so much in our lifetime, from the changes in arts and culture to advancements in technology.
We have to adapt so as not to out ourselves as supernaturals, even if that means learning lyrics to every Taylor Swift song but preferring to dance across a ballroom to Wolfgang Mozart’s masterpieces.
With no one to dance with, I make my way off the dance floor—I still need to track down Xander to meet his new mate—but a clawed hand stops me.
Vara.
My breath hitches as her palm wraps around my forearm. It’s warm and silken and my body threatens to melt beside her.
“Can I have this dance?”
I want to say no. I’m not much of a dancer. Well, no, that’s a lie. I do well with choreographed dances or shaking my ass in the middle of my living room to whatever popular song comes on the radio.
It’s slow dancing that I’m not a fan of. Mostly because of how intimate it is. How vulnerable I feel in another’s arms. Yet I’m eager to give Vara my hand.
She wraps her arm around me, tugging me against her strong body. Because she’s so tall, my eyes fall in line with her plentiful breasts. Her hard nipples poke through the silken fabric of her dress.
It’s near intoxicating having her this close, her front flush with mine and holding my hand as we sway to the soothing notes of the song. I inhale deeply, Vara’s cherry blossom scent entrancing me. My fangs drop and the sphinx smirks, knowing exactly the effect she has on me.
Why did I run from her for so long?
I don’t want to run anymore. Besides, why can’t I have a little fun? I’m the new vampire queen of New York City after all. If I were a man, no one would bat an eye about fucking around.
I place my palm on her back, just under where her wings are attached, and spread out my fingers. The move causes her tail to whip around behind her.
“Have I told you that you look magnificent tonight?” Vara asks. My stomach tightens with desire at the sound of her sultry voice.
“You haven’t, but thank you.”
“I take it you were told about my position?”
I wince, regretting how dismissive I was toward her when she crashed the meeting.
“Cyrus informed me shortly before going on stage.” I sigh and swallow hard. “I’m sorry, Vara. I had no reason to be rude.”
Vara’s palm skates up and down my spine, and I shudder, stifling a whimper.
“One thing a queen should never be is sorry.”
“Even queens make mistakes,” I counter. “A good queen is one who can admit as such.”
“Touché,” she says, the word almost a purr. “I’m proud of you, though,” she adds, and my praise kink stirs.
“For what?”
“For standing up to me. That rarely happens.”
“It’s the crown. It emboldens me.” I shrug and avert my eyes.
Vara grips my chin and turns my head to look at her.
“It’s not the crown, Layla. I crashed a meeting I wasn’t invited to. I put my paws on you without your permission. I undermined your authority in front of others. I would have been disappointed had you not told me to fuck off. That crown is pretty, but it has no power. That’s all you.”
I giggle because she’s right, but I won’t tell her that. Can’t let her already inflated ego grow.
We dance in silence, swaying in small circles. Vara’s claws slowly scratch up and down my back, and each pass garners a shiver. My eyes find Thorne standing nearby watching us with heated attentiveness. His hands are covering his crotch.
Is he turned on too?
“You’re trembling,” Vara whispers.
I nod.
“Why?”
“I... I’m not sure.”
“Are you shaking with need, Queen?”
My fangs cut into my bottom lip with how hard I’m struggling to hold back the moan that wants to pour from my lips. A drop of blood trickles onto my chin and Vara leans in to lap it up.
“Mmm. Delicious. Is your cunt as sweet as your blood?”
There’s a low growl behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see that Thorne has moved closer.
“The gargoyle is enjoying the show.”
“He’s my guard. Maybe he doesn’t like how close you are to me.”
A wicked smile spreads across Vara’s face. She leans down and her lips graze against my ear, causing a shudder to roll through me.
“Or maybe the smell of your wet cunt is making him feral.”
Thorne is up against my back now, trapping me between him and Vara.
What is happening?
His hands skim along my bare shoulders and arms. I lean into him, and he presses his hard cock into my back.
This is crazy.
Vara’s claws dig into my hips, and she purrs, but it's not anything sweet like a house cat... it’s full of possession and lust.
“Do you want him to fuck you?” Vara asks. She brushes her lips over mine, teasing me, torturing me.
I whimper. I didn’t mean to, but yes... I do want Thorne to fuck me.
And I want Vara to join.
“Layla,” Thorne nearly growls. His deep, rumbling voice only adds to the potent lust surging through my body. “We need to go. Now.”
“What? Why?”
Panic nips at my nerves wondering if there’s a threat that I missed while drooling over Vara and my new head of security.
“Because you’re dripping.” He’s leaned over far enough to run his nose along my neck—quite the feat for him being so tall.
His hands greedily paw at my breasts. Vara’s hands smooth up and down my sides and if these two keep at it, I might just combust. “Every supernatural being in this room can smell that mouth-watering pussy. They won’t stop staring.
They’re hungry for a taste, and I’m seconds away from ripping their eyes out for looking at what’s ours. ”
Oh.
Fuck.
Why does that turn me on even more?
Wait.
“Ours...” I murmur. I want to argue that I belong to no one, especially controlling alpha men. Except, Thorne didn’t say mine, he said ours.
“Ours,” Vara confirms. “If you’ll have us.”
The song has long changed to a fast beat and while a few creatures dance around us, everyone else is watching the new vampire queen getting dry humped in the middle of the dance floor by a gargoyle and a sphinx.
“Now? Here?”
“Is that what you want?” Vara asks.
I’m not opposed to putting on a show and letting Vara and Thorne fuck me in front of a crowd.
“Greedy girl,” Vara groans. “Isn’t she being greedy, Thorne? Wanting the entire room to hear her moans, to see her come?”
Someone’s tail wraps around my calf and tugs, spreading my legs apart. Then another tail slips in between. The moment the tip pushes my underwear aside and presses into my clit, I whimper.