Chapter 13
CAIDEN
C aiden, my darling.” Andre interrupts my thoughts, which is the for the best considering I should be on my way to the VIP area instead of just sitting in my office.
I turn to greet him. Not only is he my boss, but I consider him a friend, especially after he helped me find Selene. “Hey there, Andre.”
In tow are two of Andre’s lovers; a tall human man with deep bronze skin and beaded braids down his back, and an androgynous orc with a buzzed head. Of course, they are both insanely beautiful, but not as beautiful as Selene.
“What’s the matter?” Andre asks, taking a sip of deep red liquid from a wineglass.
“Just a rough day,” I answer, avoiding eye contact.
When I got home from the diner, I messaged Selene telling her get plenty of rest then showered before heading to bed myself. Except I did nothing but toss and turn.
“Did you not sleep well?”
I shake my head. “I’m pretty exhausted.”
Andre approaches me and leans down to put a hand on my shoulder. “Do you need a night off, darling?”
“No, no.” I wave him off. “I need the distraction.”
“Alright.” He smiles, his fangs flashing. “Let me know if you need any—” His dark eyes glow for a brief moment as he sniffs the air. “They need you at the front door. Someone is asking for you by name.”
Being a centuries-old vampire and owning a night club has its perks. All of Andre’s senses are incredibly strong, helping him monitor every corner. Whenever there’s a problem, he can send security to handle the threat almost immediately.
“What’s the situation?” I rise from my office chair.
“An unpleasant odor grows more pungent by the second,” he answers. “If I had to guess, someone disagreeable is upset they can’t get through the door and they keep demanding to speak to you.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I say, rushing through the door and toward the entrance. Who the hell could be causing a problem and using my name? A sinking feeling sits heavy in my stomach. This isn’t good.
My suspicions are confirmed when I step outside to see Stephanie, my front-door bouncer, holding Sebastian Johnson by the collar of his expensive white button-up. What an idiot. Stephanie is a massive cyclops who also happens to be a bodybuilder. She’s jacked as fuck and isn’t afraid to throw her muscle around.
“Put me down, you brute!” Sebastian demands.
“Fuck, no,” Stephanie says, deadpan, unfazed. “You and I both know you aren’t getting in.”
“Tell that to Caiden Miller.” His face is now the shade of an overly ripe tomato. “I demand to speak with him.”
“Look, dude, don’t make me do this,” she says with a sigh. “Either calm the fuck down or your ass is on the ground.”
I step forward and both Stephanie and Sebastian look at me. “It’s alright, Stephanie. Put him down.”
Sebastian’s eyes go from wide and panicked to narrowed and smug as Stephanie lowers him. “Finally.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare him down. “What do you want?”
He brushes off his shirt and adjusts his sleeves. “I want in.”
A rich laugh from deep in my stomach erupts. “What makes you think I’m letting you back in?”
Sebastian smirks. “Because you care about Selene.”
I tense, my jaw clenching. Grabbing him by the arm, I drag him out of the line and out of ear shot of guests. “Why the fuck are you bringing Selene into this?”
“I want back in The Den. They have the finest ass.” His blue eyes flash in the dim street lighting. “And I know you want Selene to succeed. All good boyfriends, excuse me, mates, want that.”
“You were banned because you harassed a cocktail server. This has nothing to do with Selene.”
“This has everything to do with Selene,” he seethes. “You will stop seeing her. You will let me back in this club. And you won’t do shit when I make her mine.”
“What makes you think she would want anything to do with you after you tried to extort her?”
“Oh. She told you, huh?” Sebastian throws back his head and releases a sinister laugh. “Trust me, that slut is desperate enough to sleep with me if it means she can sell a few of her ugly-ass neo?—”
I step forward, forcing him to stumble back. “You better not say another word about Selene. She may not want to do anything about you, but I’m not afr?—”
Pain suddenly explodes up my nose and I nearly fall on my ass. Hot liquid pours from my nostrils and I clutch my nose. Why did that hurt so fucking bad?
Sebastian chuckles and kisses his knuckles. His middle and index fingers are adorned with gaudy rings, one a cluster of diamonds and the other featuring an oversized ruby. “Didn’t see that coming, did you?”
My vision goes white-hot and I swing, connecting his face with my fist with a brutal right hook. He cries out and stumbles onto his ass, his hand over his eye. Oh yeah, he’s going to bruise again and I’m damn proud of it. That's what he gets for speaking so poorly of Selene and her hard work.
“You bastard!” he screeches, losing all decorum. “You hit me!”
“No shit, Sherlock,” I respond with a chuckle, holding up my fists. “Figure that out on your own?”
“How dare you!”
“You hit me first.” I step toward him, but he scampers back. “Or did you suddenly forget that?”
Sebastian tries to stand up, but I connect my left knee with his chin, and he howls in pain, falling to his knees.
“As I was saying …” I bend down and grab his hair by the scalp, jerking his head so he’s looking up at me. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Hit me again and Selene’s career is o?—”
I step back before throwing a low kick with my right foot right into his stomach. “What were you saying?”
Clutching his abdomen, Sebastian gasps, the wind knocked out of him.
“Aw …” I pout. “You aren’t going to finish telling me about Selene’s career?”
He attempts to crawl past me, but I stop him by putting my foot under his chin. “Rise.”
With a pained groan, he tries to stand but collapses onto his hands. “I can’t.”
“I said rise,” I hiss. Sebastian isn’t getting off easy. Not after what he’s done to Selene.
He coughs, but slowly stands after a few moments of strained effort. Once standing, I grab him by his collar. “You are going to turn around and you are going to walk away. If I ever see you again, I’m going to do much worse to you. Do you understand?”
He nods.
I shake him. “Say it.”
“Yes, I understand,” he sobs.
“Good,” I say with a disgusted scoff, shoving him away from me. “Now leave.”
“But my car is that way.” He points behind me.
I shrug. “Go around the block.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrow, but he still turns around and begins walking away from me and the club.
Once he turns the corner and I no longer see him, I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Andre.
Caiden: Taking you up on the offer to have the night off. Thanks.
I then navigate to my messages with Selene.
Caiden: Where are you? I need to see you.
Selene: At my studio. Is everything okay?
Caiden: What’s the address?