Chapter 43 #2
The pit smells of alcohol, smoke, and heavy perfume, making it hard to take a decent breath, yet drunken laughter fills the air.
Each flicker of the lights is accompanied by a drop of the beat, and a thrill runs through me as shadows, light, and excitement swirl around.
Bodies grind together, moving as one with the fast-paced music.
This place doesn’t allow judgment—only desire and nothing else.
We weave through the crowded space before everyone steps aside to stare, letting Crew move past effortlessly. His hand stays tightly around mine, and as the crowd shifts around us, Crew positions me in front of him—his chest pressing against my head—and uses his large body as a shield for me.
I spot Bronwyn and Damien at the bar. She sits with her long legs crossed on a barstool while he leans over her. Their faces are close, and she laughs as she takes a sip of her clear drink. Her shoulders move to the music, and Damien wears a wide smile on his face.
I can only imagine the ridiculous things he is whispering to her.
Her eyes meet mine and light up as we approach. She stands, throwing her arms around my neck, and I squeeze her back. Crew slaps Damien on the shoulder and leans over the bar, giving orders to the bartender.
“How did it go?” Bronwyn asks.
I narrow my eyes. “Well…”
“Did you kill him?” Damien asks, leaning into us. “Please don’t make me clean something up tonight.”
“No,” I snap back.
Crew hands me a drink. “But she tried.”
Damien laughs and rolls his eyes. “You girls are insane.”
Bronwyn leans toward him, placing a finger under his chin, and pulls him closer. “You love it, demon boy.”
His eyes widen, and a smirk curls his lips.
“What have you two been doing?” Crew asks, taking a drink.
“Just falling in love,” Damien says, earning a swat from Bronwyn.
“Quite the opposite,” she says.
Damien laughs. “Oh, honey, you are so funny.”
“I’m going to fucking hit you.”
“I’m down for that.” Damien points. “See? She’s already obsessed with me.”
I chuckle, and Crew moves behind me, wrapping a hand around my waist. The music continues to thump in my chest, and I glance around, taking it all in. This feels normal—us together—laughing and forgetting about everything, even for a few hours.
“Crew,” Bronwyn says, sitting back down. “Have any other friends? This one is a lot.”
Crew laughs. “Yeah, but he’s also exhausting.”
“Locke?” Damien shouts. “He sucks, Bronwyn. Trust me.”
“And why would I trust you?” she replies.
“Because I don’t lie?” Damien huffs while ordering shots for us. “I can’t believe you are cheating on me already.”
Bronwyn laughs wildly, and I can’t help but join in.
A few people stop and glance toward Crew, and from their black eyes, I know they are demons. He may be the heir to the Jade Order, but around here he’s even more of a celebrity—a local club rat. Crew leans his head into the nape of my neck, kissing my shoulder.
“You okay?” he asks.
I take a long drink of the clear liquid, letting the burn travel down my throat—like fire mixed with citrus. A new song comes on, rattling my chest, and I move my ass against his hips to the beat. His hand moves down, digging into my skin.
“I’m perfectly fine, Bannermin,” I respond.
Damien turns around, holding four small glasses filled with a bright pink liquid.
“What the fuck is this?” Bronwyn spits. “Leave it to you to order the girliest shot on the menu.”
Damien tips his back first. “Why hate on it? This shit is delicious.” He leans in, his lips almost touching hers. “Want to taste?”
She palms his face, pushing him back, and slams the shot in an instant.
She slowly licks her lips, leaning toward him again, humming as she says, “So delicious.”
“Oh, my god.” He tilts his head back into the air, groaning.
Crew leans to whisper into my ear, “I am truly excited and horrified to see where this goes for them.”
I laugh and turn to face him, grabbing both shots. “She’ll break his heart.”
Crew leans around me, taking the small glass in his hand. “By the looks of it, I don’t think he cares.”
I laugh, tossing back the shot, allowing the sweet liquid to overpower the burn from my previous drink. Crew does the same, setting down the glasses on the glittery bar top. Bronwyn and Damien continue to torment each other with words and subtle hand gestures.
Crew grabs the back of my neck, squeezing while he guides my mouth to his.
His tongue tastes like pure desire, and I let him pull me closer.
His hand grips the back of my hair tightly while his other hand travels down to my ass, squeezing the leather.
He pulls away, and I can feel the stares from people burning into my body.
I glance over my shoulder at Bronwyn, and she beams from ear to ear, giving me a thumbs up. Crew slowly drags his hands off me and walks over to Damien, whispering something in his ear. I watch closely as Damien nods, understanding the orders given to him.
As close as they are, I have to remind myself that Damien technically works for Crew, and even in this setting, he’ll do just about anything Crew asks of him.
Crew joins me again, handing me my drink while holding his own in his other hand.
“Drink up,” he says, tipping his back. “We’re going to dance.”
“Oh,” I mock. “Is your girlfriend not here tonight?”
“Yeah,” he responds, raising a brow as he nods. “She is.”
“Disgusting,” I retort. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
His head tips back as he laughs. “Didn’t think I had to.”
“I’m going to say no if you do now,” I respond with a sly grin.
“You are joking,” he says.
“I’m not.” I tilt my head. “Go ahead and ask.”
“Nope,” Crew answers, shrugging. “I don’t have girlfriends anyway.”
“What do you have then?” I question.
“Obsessions.”
I can’t help but blush, but I can’t let him know he frazzles me. “You are such a fucking loser.”
He leans closer to my ear. “Careful teasing me, Mara, or I’ll repay the torment. I’m in a mood.”
“Oh yeah?” I respond, dragging my hands along his chest. “Do your worst.”
Crew opens his mouth to speak, and I hear Damien as he leans toward us. “Congratulations, you two. We should absolutely have a double wedding.”
Bronwyn punches him in the chest, knocking his hat off, and he laughs wildly. Crew’s hand wraps around my waist, and I do as he says, letting the familiar burn fill my body once more.
“I’ll do more than my worst, little angel,” Crew nearly growls.
He sets the drinks down, grabs my hand, and pulls me toward the center of the room. People step out of our way as Crew’s gaze remains fixed forward.
We thread through the packed dance floor toward the middle, and Crew spins me around, gripping my waist and driving my ass into his hips.
The loud tones encourage me to move, and I press my back against Crew’s strong chest while raising my arms to wrap around his neck.
He moves his hips along with my body, and his hands travel up my waist to land on my breasts.
I close my eyes and tilt my head back into him, grinding my hips to the music. The alcohol flows through my system like the bass, and I let go of all worries and reservations. His face leans into the softest part of my neck as he licks at my exposed skin.
My eyes flutter open, smiling, and I see Bronwyn and Damien dancing through the crowd.
Her red hair flips around as their chests touch, and his hands roam all over her body.
She laughs excitedly, enjoying herself just as much as he is, being so close to her.
Damien’s eyes land on mine, and he winks.
“You enjoy watching, don’t you?” I hear Crew’s voice over the music, noticing my stare. “But do you enjoy being watched, blood slinger?”
My focus snaps back to him, and I feel the gaze of other eyes all over me. I move my hips slowly, bending forward slightly to drive my ass into his groin. His hands dig into my sides, and I take my time moving my body back against him.
“People love watching you, Crew,” I say over my shoulder. “People can’t help but stare.”
He grips my hips, and I can feel him growing hard against me. “They aren’t staring at me, Mara. They’re looking at you.”
I gasp as his hand wraps around my body, sliding lower with each thud of the music, almost going up my dress, and I let out a needy whine.
I spin, pressing my chest against his, gazing into his eyes—the silver ring that surrounds the darkest part of his eyes gleams in the red light—intoxicated by alcohol and desire.
I straddle one of his legs, grinding myself against his thigh while his hands cup my ass, pressing me as close to him as possible.
He grips the back of my neck, tilting my head back slightly. My hair cascades around me like a waterfall, catching every glimmer of the lights surrounding us. I lift my head back, and Crew’s lips find mine. He leans forward, driving his tongue into my mouth.
My hands wrap around his waist, and I press my chest against him.
I lower my hand, feeling his incredibly hard dick through his pants, practically throbbing with the heavy bass.
My lower stomach flutters with anticipation, and I bite his lower lip, creating a drop of blood that pools near his bottom teeth.
I lean forward, sucking his lip hard enough for a groan to leave his mouth.
His blood enters my system, and my need for him intensifies.
Crew pulls away, his lips wet and swollen, and I watch as his eyes darken, seeing his blood coat my tongue.
“You’ve done it now, little angel,” he nearly growls. “Come with me, or I’ll fuck you right here.”
He grabs my hand and pulls me from the middle of the dance floor toward a pocket of shadows in a far corner.
We pass Bronwyn and Damien on the way, and he nods at Crew.
With each step, we move farther from the dance floor and into the corner of the club where the light is dim and various leather couches fill the space.
Numerous demons sit alongside humans, their arms draped over one another. Desire pulses around the room, and I glance at each person we pass. They either wink, quickly cut their gaze, or invite Crew and me to join them. I brush the invitations off and follow Crew past the couches.
A curtain appears in the darkness, revealing a man standing before the black velvet drapes. His eyes widen as we approach, but he stands steady, crossing his arms.
“Crew, this area is closed.”
“Why?” Crew leans inches from the man’s face. “Who is back there?”
The bouncer shakes his head, startled. “No one. But as I said, it’s closed. Otto’s orders.”
“Is that so?” Crew stands taller, towering over the human.
The man nods, feeling the power of authority giving him confidence in this moment. Crew smirks at me and winks. He shifts his gaze back to the bouncer and steps closer to him.
“This area is not closed.”
The man’s eyes go blank.
“We are going in there.”
A slow nod moves the man’s head.
“And if you let anyone in this hallway after we disappear behind there, I will rip your goddamn arms off.” Crew glares into the human’s eyes, compelling him to do as Crew says. “Got it?”
The human barely blinks, but nods as Crew pushes past him, pulling back the curtains.
“Come on,” he says to me.
A dark hallway stands before us, featuring a single door at the end, and I proceed forward, assuming we are heading in that direction. It’s dimly lit by a few hanging lights, and red flashes illuminate the concrete walls.
His hand stays tight around mine, and before I can take another step forward, Crew pushes me against the wall, pinning my hands above my head.
His hand wraps around both of mine while the other slowly trails down my jaw.
A thrill rushes straight to my core, and I feel myself growing wetter by the second.
He leans in, kissing my neck and nipping at my ear.
“You do something to me, Mara,” he whispers.
My breath hitches as I feel his tongue move down my neck.
“You drive me fucking insane.”
I blink, squeezing my thighs together. Crew’s hand moves around my neck, down my torso, and grips my waist. A desperate urgency makes his movements almost frantic as he releases my hands, and they fall to my sides.
“You make me want to beg for you on my fucking knees.”
I grasp his shirt near his chest and pull him forward. His eyes go wild, and I press my lips against his before pushing him backward with force.
“Good.” I smile. “Then get on your goddamn knees for me, Bannermin.”