Chapter 21
Julian
The bass pulsed through the floor, vibrating up my spine as I moved across the dancefloor. Lights strobed overhead, casting brief flashes of color across the crowd. I nodded at a few regulars, kept my expression neutral, and made my way toward the bar.
Gina lounged at the bar with a drink in hand, her eyes sweeping the crowd like she was sizing up a buffet of fresh meat. She didn’t bother hiding it.
I leaned in just enough for her to hear me over the music. “Anything to report?”
She shook her head. “Just the usual. But I’ve got eyes everywhere.”
She really did. Technically, our private room didn’t have cameras. But that didn’t mean Gina couldn’t send a bit of her soulstuff up there and keep watch on all of the rooms. That was her job today. I trusted her to tell me anything she might be able to learn.
I moved on.
Nathan was near the back by the hallway leading to the security room, talking to a group of shifters. His posture seemed relaxed, but I knew him well enough to spot the note of tension in his shoulders. I waited until the group peeled off, then stepped in.
“You good?” I asked.
He nodded. “That guy’s still following me, and he’s not being subtle at all.”
I glanced toward the man lingering near the hallway. It was the PI that Marissa’s family hired, minus the safety vest. Total amateur hour. I’d seen better stealth from underage teens trying to sneak into the club.
I wondered if Lily could pick him out from her seat at my dining table upstairs.
I tried not to glance over at the micro cameras we set up. Only Lily and I knew they were there, and the goal was either to catch Nathan doing something and prove he was behind the disappearances or to find something to exonerate him.
I made one last stop at the bar, checked in with my bartender, confirmed everything was good, and ordered a Guilty Pleasure, before slipping away for a moment to see my trouble-making witch, fruity drink in hand.
I turned off my headset as I stepped into my home so Nathan couldn’t hear me. I found Lily wrapped up in my plush robe. She’d basically claimed it as hers over the past week. She’d moved the monitors over to the coffee table.
“See anything interesting?” I asked, scanning her setup and handing her the drink.
“Oh, my favorite! Thanks!” She took a sip and grinned, making a warm fuzzy feeling blossom in my chest.
Sure enough, Lily already pinpointed the PI.
“He isn’t very good at the ‘private’ part of private investigator,” Lily said, singling him out in the crowd.
“I programmed the cameras to put a red outline around him whenever he’s in frame.
Does he really think he fits into a club wearing that?
I bet everyone who sees him thinks he’s a narc or something. ”
“You got that right.”
Unable to stay too long, lest Nathan got suspicious, I headed back downstairs to go about my usual routine, which was to chat up and flirt with everyone I could. I had to make it look like just any other weekend and not like I wasn’t running surveillance on my own club.
“Julian!” I turned to see a familiar blonde woman waving at me. I recognized her as a woman who sometimes joined in the after-hours activities in the private rooms upstairs. I didn’t remember her name though.
I tried not to glance over at the darkened corner where a camera was recording, but I felt Lily’s eyes on me. I knew she was watching the monitors, and saw the blonde who leaned in too close, smiled too wide as we made small talk. The woman laughed at something, fingers grazing my forearm.
“Will I see you upstairs tonight?” she asked, pressing her body against mine.
I stepped back, almost dumping her onto her ass, but caught her just in time. I couldn’t exactly shove her away because that wasn’t something I’d usually do, and the last thing I wanted to do tonight was to act suspicious. I had to act like the eternal playboy I was supposed to be.
“Perhaps,” I said noncommittally. I had no plan on sticking around for the festivities when Lily was waiting for me upstairs. She was all the sexual energy I needed.
The woman got a little handsy, which I normally wouldn’t mind, but today it felt wrong, and I wanted to tell her to keep her hands to herself. But before I could, Gina was there, complimenting her on the sexy dress and guiding her away.
I hated that Lily had to see that.
We weren’t a couple. That was the deal. No strings attached. But I knew that if the roles had been reversed and I’d had to watch some dude flirt with Lily and imply that he planned on spending the night with her, I’d completely lose it. There’d be blood, and it wouldn’t be mine.
Maybe it was a good idea to show Lily off tonight after all and make it be known that I already had someone in mind.
That would get the ladies… and the men… off my back.
I tended to go through phases where I spent time with one or two people often; they’d probably just think Lily was my next temporary obsession and wait for me to lose interest.
I wondered how they’d react if I never lost interest and kept Lily around permanently.
It was just before midnight when I realized I’d lost track of Nathan. He wasn’t in any of his usual locations. A quick check found the PI distracted by one of the club’s succubi. I made my way quickly up to my home, even as my phone buzzed in my pocket with Lily’s message.
She was leaning over the screen when I got there, my robe still wrapped around her.
I tapped the feed and zoomed in. Nathan was out in the back alleyway, and he wasn’t alone. The portal researcher was waiting. I’d only ever seen him on news reports but there was no doubt who he was. I turned up the sound, filtering out the faint noise that oozed out from the club.
Their voices were low but clear.
“Were you able to pick out Marissa’s trail?” Nathan asked. “We know she headed over to the kebab place after.”
“I can’t trace anything. There have been too many people there since. If you had a piece of her jewelry or clothing, it might help.”
The more we listened, the more it became clear that Nathan wasn’t guilty.
He was working with the researcher to find Marissa.
And the researcher? He’d been keeping a secret, but not the one we thought.
He’d noticed the portal containment spell getting weaker and had linked that to the disappearances of the witches.
Worried about losing his job, he hadn’t told EA headquarters, and instead was on a mission to find the missing women. He knew they were still alive since their magic was still active in the containment spell.
Someone was using the missing witches to destabilize the portal. If it broke open, we’d have more than these disappearances to deal with.
“I think I owe Nathan an apology,” I mumbled to myself. “Maybe we should tell them about the bracelet you found.”
Lily frowned. “The researcher did say jewelry would help. But what if one of them is lying to the other?”
That was definitely a possibility.
“I think I’d feel better if we found more proof to substantiate our new hypothesis,” she said. “I’ll keep watching.”
“Why don’t you come down with me?” I suggested. “If we stayed in the private rooms, it should be safe for you to come hang out.”
I’d opted to disappear into my apartment near the end of the night both on Thursday and Friday. And if I did the same thing today, people would talk. I had to make an appearance in the private rooms, even if it was just for one drink.
“Then I can use you as an excuse to disappear for the night,” I said, sending her my best devilish smile.
She chuckled. “Alright, Julian. Just this once I’ll save you from all the sexy ladies.”
She stirred, shrugging off my robe and revealing that she wore nothing but that slinky black dress underneath.
“Do I dare use my magic to do my makeup?” she wondered out loud.
“I’ll ground you,” I said, reaching for her. So far, her magic had never failed as long as we were touching.
“Thanks.”
A wave of her hand later, Lily was perfectly painted and already slipping on those sexy heels.
“How do I look?” she asked, arching her back in that way that accentuated her ass and legs.
On second thought, if people wanted to talk about me behind my back, then they could knock themselves out.
We’d accomplished our objective today, which was to either confirm Nathan’s guilt or innocence.
Now there was nowhere else I wanted to be but here with her.
On the bed, on the couch, over the counter…
I didn’t care as long as those heels were by my shoulders and her screams were in my ears.
“You look like I just changed my mind about heading back downstairs. I think I’d rather stay here and feast.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted as I prowled toward her, dragging my gaze over every inch of her, pausing on every curve. I licked my lips, tasting the lust starting to color the air. It was divine.
She stepped back, one heel clicking against the floor. “You have to catch me first.”
Then, with a playful smirk, she bolted. She darted around the couch, heels clicking against the hardwood, dress riding high with every step. I started after her, one step at a time, slow and deliberate, knowing that there was nowhere for her to hide from me.
“You think you can outrun me, Vixen?”
She glanced back, laughing breathlessly. That sound! Gods, that sound was pure temptation.
Instead of stepping around, I vaulted over the back of the couch in one smooth motion.
She squealed, twisting away just as I landed, but I caught her wrist mid-spin and pulled her flush against me. Her breath caught, her body trembling as I backed her up against the wall. Her eyes darted around like prey, even as lust filled the air between us.
Against the wall was just as good a place as any.
Gripping the lower hem of her dress, I tore it off her body and tossed it aside.
I then lifted her up onto the wall and sent out tentacles of soulstuff to secure her arms and legs, holding her in an X position.
I stood back and gazed upon my work. She was so fucking sexy, all dolled up and pinned there.
She struggled, trying to free herself.
“It’s no use, Vixen. I’ve caught you, and now you’re all mine to do as I please.” I grasped her ankles and lifted them, holding her legs up and spread-eagled. Damn, she was flexible!
I started at her feet, worshipping the way the shoes made the arch of her feet curve.
As I did, I sent my demon arms everywhere, plucking at her nipples, pulling her hair, and sliding up her leg.
The tiny scrap of fabric covering her pussy never stood a chance.
I caught it with a smoky tendril and tore it off her, exposing her to me.
I decided to go straight for her clit this time and formed a sucker, latching it over her sensitive nub.
Only when she was moaning and her cunt was so wet it dripped down to her ass did I finally form two thick dragon dongs with my demon limb.
I loved being able to fuck her with anything I wanted, knowing it would still be me.
I showed it to her so she knew exactly what I’d be fucking her with, and her eyes went wide.
Dragons had more pronounced ridges than demons, and I couldn’t wait to hear the scream it would pull from her.
Then I was plunging them into her, and the sound she made drowned out the bass rumbling from below.
And in that instant, I was certain that it was the only music I’d ever need.