Chapter 78 Rhyland
Rhyland
We're no closer to extracting Adrian from Lilith's clutches, and now it's Christmas Eve. But we're taking the girls out anyway—I refuse to let that psychotic bitch dictate our lives.
Last week's news hit hard—another massacre, this time at both St. Mary's Home for Children and Hope Haven Youth Center.
Lilith's signature work. Her preference for children's blood makes my stomach turn.
The fact she did it in broad daylight is a deliberate taunt, a message that she's growing impatient.
The intel from our contacts is even worse. She's weaponized Seraphina's blood. The vampire underground is buzzing—she's dealing it like some twisted narcotic, promising three days of day-walking per dose. Vampires fight each other for a taste, and the body count keeps rising.
Seraphina's been devastated since finding out her blood is being used this way. Dani too. Watching that angel cry over what Lilith's doing with her stolen blood... Let's just say my patience for Lilith's power play is wearing dangerously thin.
The bitch wants a war? She's about to get one.
I head to our bedroom, where Dani prepares for Lucian's Christmas party at Karma. The club's secured, with Dani controlling who enters. We're done hiding—let Lilith try something. My mate's power simmers beneath the surface, and I'm eager to fuck shit up.
Pushing open the bathroom door, I freeze.
Dani bends over the counter, applying mascara poured into a skin-tight emerald dress that barely covers her curves.
Silver chains cross the open back, and the material catches light with every movement.
Her legs extend endlessly in stilettos, and the plunging neckline makes my mouth water.
My cock hardens instantly, straining against my zipper like it's trying to break free and claim what's mine. The animal part of me—the part that's been alive for centuries—wants nothing more than to hike that dress up and bend her over that counter right now.
Mine. Every fucking inch of her is mine.
I stalk up behind her, my hands gripping her hips possessively as I press my hard cock against her barely covered ass. "You trying to make me lose my fucking mind, woman?" I growl, nipping at her earlobe. "Walking around like a goddamn invitation for every male in the club to imagine what's mine?"
Dani smirks, applying her mascara with a steady hand despite my grip. "Aww, is my Fjord Fluff feeling threatened by a little dress?"
I snarl, one hand sliding down to squeeze her thigh. "Threatened? No. But you've lost your mind if you think I'm letting you out of my sight tonight."
She meets my gaze in the mirror, sunkist eyes sparkling. "Careful, Rhy. Your caveman is showing."
Dani pivots away from my touch with a playful swat.
"Down, boy. Save the territorial display for after our night out.
" She turns back to the mirror, applying a final coat of mascara.
"Tonight is about forgetting all the chaos waiting for us.
Just one evening of normal—well, vampire-normal—Christmas fun. "
Her reflection catches my eye as she flashes that smile that always makes my cock twitch.
"Besides," she adds, voice dropping to a sultry purr, "half the fun is watching you squirm all night knowing what's waiting under this dress.
" She smooths her hands down her curves.
"Consider it my Christmas gift to you—unwrapping privileges. .. later."
Fuck. My dick's already rock hard just thinking about what slutty little thing she's got on under that scrap of fabric. She's going to make me suffer all goddamn night, knowing I'm imagining ripping it off her while every other motherfucker in the club undresses her with their eyes.
She knows what she's doing. She's been driving me fucking wild with those visions all week, sending me filthy images of what she plans to do to me.
Teasing me with her mouth on my cock, sucking me dry while I fantasize about pounding into her tight, wet pussy.
I've been a goddamn gentleman, waiting patiently for her to be ready for more, but I won't hold back tonight.
I grip her hips. "Keep it up—we won't make it to Karma at all."
"Promise?" she laughs, the sound pure temptation as she reaches for her lipstick. "Now, let me finish getting ready before Lucian breaks down our door, complaining we're making everyone late."
"Hey, testosterone squad! Get your immortal asses in here!" Emily's voice echoes through the mansion. "Kitchen. Now. That means you, broody bunch!"
Dani flashes me a smirk in the mirror before I head downstairs to find Emily's got shot glasses lined up like she's planning chemical warfare.
"Drink up, boys! And I don't want to hear any bitching from the peanut gallery.
" She's wearing that smirk that usually means we're about to be her guinea pigs.
Erik, Lucian, and I eye our shot glasses with the wariness. "What the fuck is this?" I growl, studying the suspicious amber liquid.
"It's bourbon. With a little something extra." Emily smirks. "Consider it your supernatural vitamin shot."
Lucian, never able to keep his smart-ass mouth shut, snorts loudly, "Oh, goodie, Is this like a witch's version of a Red Bull and vodka?
Because the last mystery shot I took turned my piss neon green for a week.
Not complaining—it made bathroom graffiti way more efficient—but a guy likes some warning before his bodily fluids start looking radioactive. "
I shoot Lucian a death glare. "Can you shut your fucking mouth for five seconds without spewing nonsense?"
Erik, ever the serious one, simply picks up his glass without comment.
With a collective shrug that says we've survived worse, we down our shots in unison. The bourbon hits my system with its usual burn, but there's something else riding shotgun—something that tingles and spreads through my chest like wildfire.
Whatever the hell she put in this better be worth listening to my brother's mouth.
"May the odds be forever in your favor," Emily taunts with a knowing smile.
We enter Karma like royalty returning to court. The club's bass rattles my ribcage as we go to Lucian's VIP section—a space that costs more than most mortals' monthly salary.
Dani leads our procession, her hips swaying hypnotically. That emerald dress barely contains her curves, riding up with each step until the teasing glimpse of her ass nearly undoes me. My fangs throb in perfect rhythm with my hardening cock.
Emily and Sable follow with Brax—wearing some model's stolen face—hovering protectively near Emily. Damon shadows them while Lucian plays the perfect host with Seraphina on his arm.
The club has been transformed into Lucian's winter fantasy—crystal snowflakes suspended from the ceiling, ice-blue lighting wrapping the bar, and holographic snow falling over the dance floor. Even the dancers sport North Pole-inspired outfits that leave little to the imagination.
I'm two seconds from throwing Dani over my shoulder and finding the nearest dark corner. All the blood in my body has migrated south, making rational thought increasingly difficult as I watch that dress inch higher with every step.
The crowd enthusiastically embraces Lucian's holiday fantasy—women in tight red dresses with strategic white fur accents, men sporting open shirts with festive headwear. It's Christmas reimagined through the lens of alcohol and lust—a perfect catalyst for poor decisions and morning-after regrets.
Upstairs, Lucian claims his customary throne, pulling Seraphina onto his lap.
He can't take his eyes off his angel—wearing a 'sexy' Santa-inspired outfit that Dani bought for her.
Lucian's hand rests possessively on her thigh, his eyes promising swift retribution to anyone foolish enough to look too long.
The irony isn't lost on me. Here we stand—ancient beings who've decimated armies—reduced to territorial watchdogs because our women decided to wear fabric scraps in public. We pretend we had input on tonight's outfits, but that's complete bullshit. These women own us, and they know it.
I drop onto the velvet couch beside Lucian, pulling Dani onto my lap with unnecessary force.
Her ass settles against my thigh, her dress riding up to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of inner thigh under the pulsing holiday lights.
Across from us, Sable, Emily, Brax, and Damon arrange themselves, but my attention remains fixed on the warm skin beneath my possessive grip.
The waitress appears, takes our orders, then vanishes. My hand climbs higher on Dani's thigh, drawing a soft purr as I trace patterns on her skin. Each shift of her hips against my hardness feels deliberately calculated.
"Pace yourself, babe," she teases through our mental link. "The night's barely started. Keep those hands where I can see them... for now."
"I'm going to ruin you tonight—have you begging," I promise, fingers digging into her thigh. "I'm going to take my time, make you come apart until you're sobbing my name."
Dani's mental laugh is dark with promise. "Oh, I'm counting on it, big boy, but first, you'll earn it." She grinds subtly against me. "I've got plans that start with you being a very good boy and doing exactly as I say." Her lips brush my ear. "Think you can handle that... Daddy?"
That single word demolishes my restraint. "Angel, you're pushing it," I warn, voice dangerously low. "Keep this up, and I won't be responsible for my actions."
She tilts her head back, fixing me with a seductive gaze. "Mmm, I love when you get all alpha-hole on me." Another deliberate roll of her hips. "Maybe I should keep pushing and see what happens when my Grumpy Bear's control finally snaps."
Her grin turns wicked as she leans in, breath hot against my ear. "Or maybe I'll leave you panting and go find my own fun on the dance floor. Give the crowd a little show and make you watch... Sir."
What the actual fuck has gotten into her tonight?
Does she want me to rip out the throat of every bastard in this place? Because that's precisely what will happen if anyone so much as breathes in her direction.
The waitress delivers our drinks. Dani grabs mine before I can reach it, downing both quickly. She licks her lips slowly at my raised eyebrow.
She springs from my lap with feline grace, grabbing Emily and Sable by the wrists. "Ladies, the dance floor is calling."
With a provocative wink, she saunters away, hips swaying hypnotically. Seraphina follows, ignoring Lucian's warning growl. "Don't start without me!"
I'm halfway up when Lucian's hand clamps my shoulder.
"Down, boy! Let the ladies have their fun," he drawls, lounging back with exaggerated casualness.
"Though I gotta say, watching our badass vampire selves get played like fiddles by these women is chef's kiss absolutely delicious.
Like a rom-com meets True Blood, but with better lighting and way hotter cast." He waggles his eyebrows.
"Besides, you know this is just foreplay for them.
They're putting on a show, and we're the captive audience.
Get it? Captive? Because we're so whipped we can't even—ow! Why are you hitting me?"
I growl, shoving his hand off my shoulder. "Your mouth ever stop running?"
"Only when I'm sleeping. Or dead. Wait, I am dead. There goes that excuse." His eyes follow Seraphina. "Sit down and enjoy the view. They're trying to rile us up."
"I'm going to rile her up," I mutter, watching Dani move to the pounding beat, head thrown back in abandon. "Right over my fucking knee."
Seeing Dani on that dance floor hits me like a storm surge. Same spot. Same fucking lights. Different world.
I remember first seeing her here—all uninhibited movement and joy, unaware of the predator watching from the shadows. She moved like she owned the place, oblivious to how she was rewriting my existence. Something primal in me recognized what my mind couldn't yet grasp—mine.
Now, we've come full circle. After battles across realms, blood spilled, and a bond forged through darkness and light, the weight of our journey settles in my chest—both burden and blessing.
She still dances like no one's watching but now knows exactly whose eyes track her every move. Still, that fearless woman who captured my attention now carries divine power in her veins and wears my mark on her soul.
The possessiveness remains but has evolved into something deeper, making even an ancient monster like me feel dangerously close to reverence.
An hour of watching Dani throw back shots and dance provocatively has shredded my patience.
The club teems with hungry eyes following her movements, my possessive instincts howling.
Seraphina has already returned to Lucian's lap, and Sable and Damon practically devour each other nearby.
Emily and Brax remain with my mate, both drawing an appreciative crowd.
I'm done watching.