Chapter 5
Delaney
Dance music pumps through the speakers. My head is bobbing along in time with the beat, my body sweaty from the dancing and the heat from everyone in this place.
“This place is bouncing tonight,” Nolan mutters in my ear as he passes.
“I know, it is like a bulletin went out saying a celeb will be here tonight,” I reply.
Smiling I slide over the drinks I just made to my female customers, and they both smile at me, taking a sip. They both moan at the concoction and how delicious it is.
“Girl, that is good,” one calls to me, a wide, happy smile on her face.
“I need to hire you for my family’s Christmas party, if all of your drinks are like this,” the other one announces.
Pride swells in my chest at how much they like my drinks. Thanks to Mr. Osbourne letting me try out a few drinks and adding them to the list at the bar.
I nod my thanks and move on to the next customer.
All of the waitstaff are here tonight. Even the VIP section is at full capacity, yet we have no idea why this has happened. We are used to seeing a lot of customers but this is off the charts.
I am pretty sure we are over capacity.
We dance while we serve, laughing and having the best time.
I hip bump with Nolan in time to the music. He is looking hot tonight; the women are eating out of the palm of his hand. He is a real flirt when it comes to picking women up, but he is very upfront about letting them know that it is only sex with him, and nothing else.
Emerald is the same: she loves to flirt with men, but she never takes them home with her. Being an owl shifter, she will mate for life, but in the meantime, she will not sleep with anyone who is not her mate. Hopefully she finds him soon.
Watching my friends flirt and hoping for their happiness makes me reflect on my own fucked-up path to find love.
My mind drifts to Thorin and the pain he caused me, instead of the hot, sex-filled, loving life we could have had together.
The ache of that lost possibility still lingers in my heart and soul.
I can only hope that one day, he sees sense and comes to me. Until then I plan on living my life, but I will not hold back from finding love with someone else.
Turning my back on the crowd, I start to make the next order. Six shots of Smurf Orgasm— do not ask. That one is all Nolan. And six Blue Lagoon cocktails.
Monica walks past me, tapping me lightly on the butt. When I look at her, she winks, making the men cheer. Now, she is the one to take a man or two home with her after a busy shift. Monica likes to fuck, as I have found out after I walked in on her being spit-roasted in the supply room.
Shaking my head, I get back to work, serving customers, dancing, singing loudly and out of tune, I might add, with my friends.
While taking payment for an order, a shiver races over my body, making my head snap up. The feeling of being watched has me quickly glancing around the room through the masses of people to see if anyone is watching me.
Taking my time, I shake the shaker in my hand, scanning the room.
I see humans and supernaturals having a good time.
When they told me that Starlight was a neutral zone, and no powers are allowed, I was giddy to work here.
Then Mr. O offered me a manager’s job, based on my experience working at the Kings’ club, and not because of them.
At one of the back booths, I spot two men talking, heads bowed like they are deep in conversation. Another shiver slides through me, and as if they sense me watching them, they both look in my direction in that creepy way where they do it in perfect synchronization.
They make eye contact and I gasp, seeing their eyes are red, like a vampire’s. Fuck.
Blinking, I try to calm my racing heart while moving down the bar. They keep watching me as I walk past Nolan, who frowns at seeing the concern on my face.
“What’s wrong?” I shake my head at him, slipping from behind the bar and quickly into the room we use to store our things while on shift.
Pulling my purse out of my locker, I dig for my cell phone and pull up Winger’s number.
Me: Vampires at the bar. Never seen them before. Red eyes.
I bite my thumbnail waiting for a response.
Winger: Already on our way.
I let out a sigh and sag against the wall next to me. I know mostly all of the vampires in Salem. Yes, I know that may be a lot, but they pass through the bar or the club and always let Thorin know they are here.
With Thorin being an alpha vampire, they must make themselves known to him, as this is his territory.
Tucking my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, I go back behind the bar and keep serving the thirsty customers. It seems that even more people have arrived and are flooding the bar. With a quick peek, I see the two vampires still sitting there, talking.
It doesn’t take long for the atmosphere to change. My skin prickles, and my heart beats stronger. Fuck, Thorin is here and he is in true alpha mode.
People start to whisper and move aside, letting the big bikers enter the room. Everyone who is anyone knows that the Kings of Anarchy MC runs Massachusetts, mainly here in Salem.
Then I see him breaking through the mass of people.
His shoulders are encased in a dark T-shirt, his leather cut announcing to the world exactly who he is. Thorin has always carried an air about him that screams alpha. Even from where I am standing, I can see his body is coiled tight, the dominance flowing off of him.
Thorin glances at me while he walks over to the back booths where the other vampires are sitting. My heart kicks up a notch, and my breasts feel heavy. His nostrils flare, and I am not sure if he can smell me from here.
I cannot look away— it is like he has entrapped me with his red eyes— fuck, he is angry.
Both Winger and Camo are at his back as they approach. Cotton and Rush come to the bar, making me sigh. It seems they are my protection detail.
Now Thorin is going to be all banging his fists on his chest about my safety, when it was him for years who crushed my heart. It is like no one else is allowed to hurt me, but he has the right to.
Well, fuck him.
I cross my arms over my chest, as the two men lean on my bar. Rush winks, giving me a cocky smile, while Cotton just sweetly smiles at me. “Missed you, Deli girl.”
“You know that nickname makes it sound like I work in a deli shop, right?” I huff.
He shrugs. “We’ll take a beer.”
I collect two bottles and pop the tops, handing them over to them.
“Should you be drinking while on a job?”
“Job?” Rush has the cheek to look like he does not know what I am talking about.
I cock a brow at him, and he chuckles. So does Cotton.
“Can’t fool her, brother. She knows what her man is like.”
“Not my man.” I look toward the booth and see the two vampires now standing; one is toe to toe with Thorin.
Oh, you silly vamp.
“We’ll see.” This comes from Rush, with a hint of humor in his tone, but I do not look at him, keeping my gaze fixed on the group at the back.
His words bounce around my head, and I can’t make heads or tails of them. The vampire says something to Thorin, making him inch closer, but before he can retaliate, Winger steps in and defuses the situation.
I can feel the anger flowing off Thorin as he stomps my way.
Great, now I have to deal with his broody ass.
“Office, now,” he snaps at me as he walks past.
I scoff, crossing my arms and taking a stance that I am not following him. Stopping at the end of the bar, he looks back, noticing that I am not following him. He growls and my panties flood with arousal, which I can see and feel that he senses, as his eyes flicker gold mixed with the anger of red.
My nipples pebble as he marches toward me, and without speaking, he bends and throws me over his shoulder.
Yelping, I hear the bikers laugh, and customers clap and cheer, not knowing the context of him doing this to me.
“Dick her good; she needs it,” Monica calls out.
I frown at her, flipping her off for not even attempting to rescue me.
Thorin stomps up the stairs, taking two at a time, showing off that he is stronger and faster than most men. I huff, gripping the back of his cut. I know he won’t let me fall but for my own emotions’ sake, I need something to hold on to.
Entering the office, he slams the door shut. Setting me down on my feet so fucking hard, I almost topple over, but he grips my waist, stopping me.
“Oh, fuck off. You do not get to touch me,” I snap at him.
He is all growly. His brow is dipped; his nostrils are flaring and his fangs are descended.
Damn, he is hot.
Nope, stop being a horny bitch and tell him how angry you are at him, I chastise myself.
“It is too fucking dangerous for you to be working here. You need to quit.” His voice is deep and full of anger, but I know that not all of it is aimed at me.
Surely, he is not so stupid that he would demand this of me.
“Are you fucking with me? Because I swear I just heard wrong and you said that I have to quit my job,” I snap at him.
Crossing my arms, I pop a hip, giving him attitude that he is not used to getting from me.
For years I would do things to keep the peace, to maybe get him to see that I am strong and good enough for him, but that did not work, so now he is getting the strong Delaney, the bitch who will not back down.
For a split second, his eyes flash wide, but he recovers, scowling at me again.
“Those cunts could have run at you, and you would not have seen them coming. They are old vampires, Delaney; they have speed that you will never see.”
“We all die someday, Thorin.” His eyes flash red, and I know that I have fucked up. Shit.
He charges me, forcing me backward until my back hits the wall.
I let out a little umph as he nears.
His eyes blaze with both anger and desire—a look that I have not seen very often. The last time was when I got knocked over at the clubhouse during a bar fight, when brothers from another Kings’ charter arrived unannounced.
“You are a human with no powers, easily hurt or killed,” he growls, the sound licking at my skin, turning me on.
“A weak human, right. Only the great Thorin Bloodwood can hurt me,” I hiss.
No fucking way am I letting him speak to me like this.
“I am no longer the concern of the club, as I am not a club girl anymore. I am not yours, as you have made a point of telling me for years. So back the fuck off, Thorin. You have no right telling me what to do. I have people looking out for me, and we will handle anything that comes at us,” I snap at him.
His head dips closer, and I can smell his copper scent that has me fighting back a moan. Before I can react to his closeness, I tilt my head to the side, offering up my neck like some hussy. His lips connect with my throat, the sensation cool, making a shiver run down my spine.
A low moan slips free when he nips at my skin. The little act is enough to make me feel alive in a way I never thought could happen.
“You will always be my concern, along with the club.” His voice is deep, making me shiver.
A smirk slips across his face, and my eyes widen. Thorin never smirks at me; he grunts, growls and scolds me, but never smirks.
What the hell is happening? Did I die downstairs?
“You will always be my concern. For years, I have held back…”
“Held back what? Keeping me safe, because from where I was standing all you did was hurt me” I remind him.
His body is rigid, but right now, he needs to know that I am not holding back anymore.
“I did what I had to do, to protect you.” His voice is a little harder, but his eyes are soft.
“No, Thorin, you did nothing to protect me. You would have to care about me to protect me, and I know firsthand that you do not give a shit about me. So let’s call this what it is: I am not mooning over you anymore at the club, and you hate it. You used to get off on seeing my pain.
“Like just now, you have made it clear that you think I am a weak pathetic human who will never be good enough for you. I once thought that you would be my savior, my love, my one.” I scoff, shaking my head while he just looks at me with his dark eyes.
“I am fucking done letting you be the villain in my life, Thorin Blackwood. I am no longer your concern, and I will have Winger pull the prospects from my watch, which I know about, by the way.”
In a flash, his hand is around my throat, not enough to hurt me, but enough to let me know that he is in control. A jolt of pleasure rushes to my core as he looks me in the eyes, and I swear I hear him mutter, ‘good girl’ when I stop resisting.
I fight the urge to lean forward and kiss him, with him being this close to me.
He bears his fangs to me, and my pussy floods. Then he sniffs the air, sensing my arousal. Damn it. The corner of his mouth tilts up, and I both gush over the look and want to bash his head in.
What can I say, this man drives me fucking insane.
“I will always be your villain, baby.” He runs his nose over my jawline, breathing me in. “I can also be your hero; you just have to let it happen.”
My soul feels his pull, and my heart hammers inside of my chest, fighting to meet up with his dead one.
Every inch of my body is tingling. My hips arch toward him, and he feels it. Why can’t I fight him on this?
Licking my lips, his gaze drops to my mouth. A growl slips free, and he inches closer. I wait for him to kiss me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he lets out a chuckle, then does something that if it were anyone else, they would get my knee in their balls.
Slowly dragging his tongue across my lips, I inhale. It is erotic, intimate, and hot as hell.
Thorin just licked my lips.
My eyes flutter closed, and my body hums with deep intense lust for this man.
“That is just a taste, baby. Be warned.”
I hear a faint whooshing sound, and my eyes spring open, and I see that I am in the office alone.
Letting out the breath I was holding, I sink to the floor. My body is hot, shaking with the need to orgasm.
Damn that fucking sexy, stubborn, bastard vampire.
I scoff, thinking over his parting words.
He will fucking have to work for a taste of me.