Chapter 4
L ukas
Oswald drove me and Kiam back to the city, stopping outside a brick building on the west side. I waved my hand over my face, refreshing my make-up and smoothing any errant strands of my long hair.
Kiam’s makeup was smudged around his eyes, the artifice making him appear almost ghoul-like. The red lipstick he favored was so dark it appeared black, sucking all the light away from his skin and enhancing his morbid appearance.
Before the car door was opened, he removed his suit jacket, revealing a crimson shirt tucked beneath a heavily embroidered black waist coat. Every inch of the man suggested he was exactly what we both were; however, he embraced the stereotypical image more than most.
My coat stayed on as we exited the vehicle.
With a flick of his fingers, the carved wooden doors opened, and we stepped inside.
The host exclaimed, “Oh!” We both ignored her, brushing past as she offered to take my coat.
The club was a haven for supernatural creatures, but vampires especially. Someone had taken inspiration from another club, Angels, that catered to demons, vampires, and angels alike, and narrowed it down to a single species. That didn’t stop strays from occasionally wandering in.
Nor did it stop the higher echelons of human society from attempting to appropriate it for themselves. The convenience of making connections and business deals along with the ease of having food on hand meant there was a fragile partnership, now.
Everything shone in the interior of the club, from the glistening onyx tables and bars to the gleaming chandeliers. Recessed lighting was strategically placed for maximum visibility or privacy if one preferred, creating pockets of darkness and light.
I’d only been here once, when I first made the transition to this Realm, but I hadn’t stayed long enough to enjoy the offerings. Choosing a table in the far corner, I settled on the leather booth.
Tendrils of cigar smoke drifted through the air, the scent of tobacco mingling with a faint underlying layer of blood. My mouth watered and my teeth pressed against my gums while I eyed the scantily clad flesh milling about.
“Menus,” a cute blond waitress announced, setting folders down. “Or do you already know what you’d like?”
My friend’s lips curled, and he licked his teeth. He did nothing to hide what he was doing when he adjusted himself. Blonds were his preference; I’d learned that very early on.
My own tastes ran to all flavors of beauty; I did not discriminate.
Very few things turned me off. I was a patient man other than when it came to impolite behavior. But I also disliked weakness or chaos. Things needed to be structured and orderly.
Filth and unkept clothing were other peeves of mine.
Messy pets—of both the animal and human variety.
There were more than a few, but I wasn’t one to turn down a fresh meal.
“Are you willing?” I heard my friend ask the server.
Kiam’s teeth pushed through his gums; his human-born status evident due to the slightly shorter and thicker width of his fangs. Before she could answer, he’d snared her wrist, and she was suddenly on his lap.
My vampiric hearing picked up the sweet phrases he whispered while he bound her to his will. Soon, she stopped slapping her palms against his chest and nestled her head against his shoulder. Then, the pungent aroma of the juices between her legs filled the air around our table.
“Don’t leave,” he muttered, between swipes of his tongue along her neck.
He was speaking to me, but I walked away. My self-control was a point of pride, but I had my own needs.
Multiple eyes tracked me as I crossed the room, making my way to the bar. “iPad, please,” I asked the waiter, laying my hand on the counter.
He passed me the device, and I placed my palm on the screen. A blue beam of light passed underneath my hand. “Mister Mortensen, a pleasure to have you with us tonight.”
I gave him a nod, and he turned to open a cabinet against the wall, retrieving a carafe. He returned with a thick crystal glass and poured the liquid, releasing an earthy, coppery scent.
“Thank you,” I murmured, perusing the crowd.
“Anything you need at all, please let me know.”
Glancing at the man, I gave him a small smile. He knew what I was. Very few of the employees knew the darker habits of the clientele, but I was told there was always one on shift who did. This man would never breath a word of the club’s secrets, not without permanent consequences.
“What are you doing here?” A voice came up behind me.
The human vampire’s breath stirred my hair, and I whirled around, extending my nails as I grabbed his neck. He was teeming with anger, so much wrath the blood vibrated in his veins.
“Who are you?” I demanded. His rage blocked his sense of self-preservation. Leaving him daring to approach me with anything but reverence.
“Go back to your hell hole beneath the earth,” the man ground out. “You don’t belong here.”
Twisting around, I slammed his trembling body against the wall while a tear ran down his cheek. The salty drop was chased with a long stroke of my tongue, and he kicked my knees as if the action would release him from my grasp. He was begging me for death.
Enflamed with hunger, I stretched my jaw and sank my teeth into his neck. Instantaneous relief filled me when the liquid slid down my throat. Every single one of my cells danced with sheer bliss, revitalizing, renewing, rejoicing over my actions.
A couple of quiet gasps reached my ears, but I knew I was protected. The amount of magic covering the entire club was formidable, and it was a rare human who wouldn’t fall under the spell of the multiple wards enacted for our protection.
Before I released the man, I tore his head from his body and dropped it on the floor. It landed with a solid, wet thump. Then I waved a hand over the mess, dissolving it seamlessly into the ether. The dead vampire’s companions looked away, not wanting to draw either my attention or my ire.
Shrugging off my coat, I returned to the bar. The waiter eyed it and then thrust his hand out. “I will dispose of this—unless you prefer it be laundered?”
“Burn it, please.”
“As you wish, sir.”
I nodded my thanks and dragged my eyes to the table where Kiam and I had settled when we walked in.
The blond was still on his lap, her mouth gaping open.
From their movements, I presumed his hand was between her legs while he suckled her neck.
Suddenly, he flipped her around, so she sat facing him, and then his eyes closed.
The waiter walked over to me with a fresh glass. “Everything is taken care of as requested. Please let me know if I can be of further service.”
He was trembling slightly, valiantly attempting to hide his physical response to being so close. It puzzled me for a moment as he must have encountered similar scenes before. “Thank you,” I replied, keeping my voice soft.
With Kiam busy, I decided to browse and found myself walking through a dimly lit hallway.
It quickly brought me to an area of the club with a modest dance floor.
Several couples and a few small groups of women were gyrating to a dark electronic beat beneath flashing lights.
Just like the other area of the establishment, everything here was reflective, shiny black.
Red and white lasers beamed over the DJ booth, crisscrossing in front of me and lighting my path while I perused the selection from the perimeter. The air was heavy with artificial perfumes, mixed with the pheromones longing and desire released. Easy pickings.
It didn’t take me long to find the perfect target to pursue.
A dark-haired woman stood in the corner of the room, her brown eyes darting back and forth. Her posture was relaxed, one arm dangling by her side, the other holding a tumbler of liquid. She was leaning against one of the narrow support columns and had placed herself somewhere easy to find.
Before I could make my way to her, a voice stopped me. “Your hair is so long, are you an influencer?” A young lady in a cocktail dress lifted her arm but I snatched her wrist before she could touch me.
She giggled. “Is that color natural? It looks white.”
“Yes.” My natural hair color was black, and my eyes, blue. Transitioning here had somehow changed my features, turning my hair blond and my eyes green.
None of my direct peers had ever done what I did, coming to the Third Realm, so there was no way to know if these changes were permanent. Neither Kiam nor I had been able to figure it out.
“Oh, you can take my picture if you want. Maddie, get over here.” The woman swiveled on her heel and as tempted as I was to change the fact, she remained breathing.
The woman I’d targeted watched me approach, her eyes widening a fraction while she tracked me heading her way. Her throat bobbed and she angled her head to look at me.
“Would you care to join me?” I asked.
She nodded, “Okay. For a little while.”
“Lukas,” I introduced myself, holding out my hand. She grasped it and I lifted her knuckles to my lips, pressing a kiss against her soft, cool skin.
She blushed and replied, “Melody.”
Gently, I tugged her towards a booth in a dimly lit corner. “My pleasure.”
Melody smelled like violets, and I leaned over breathing deeply. I felt the sudden snap of her energy retreating, seeking safety while my nose trailed along her hair. Her blood was rich and heady, igniting my tastebuds and making my mouth wet.
My hand skated down her bare shoulder as she placed her glass on the table. Goosebumps bloomed along her flesh and she shivered. “Are you comfortable?”
She made a squeaking sound and wiggled to the side. “I... I’m waiting for someone.”
Melody didn’t want to meet my eyes, but when I put my hand on her thigh, she couldn’t help but glance up at me. “We’ll keep them waiting.”
She fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it on the table. Her body heat rose while she checked her messages. The server arrived and I ordered red wine.
“Tell me about yourself,” I said when the man left.
“Uh... I’m twenty-two years old. I work in a fashion boutique.”
Too young.
I could sense her insecurity. She was desperately seeking something outside herself for fulfillment. Her energy gave her away, evident not only by her obsession with the device in her hand but also the plastic I could smell beneath her skin.
She was looking for something to soothe and reassure her, maybe someone to hold her in the dark.
What she found was me.
“Are your companions delayed?” I gestured toward her phone and then stroked the side of her glass. “Here, relax. Sip some of your wine.” She nodded as I placed my hand on her bare skin.
The tension left her shoulders, and she sat back as I massaged her leg. No one would have done a thing if I went straight to biting and fucking her, but I enjoyed the ritual of seduction.
Her wine was quickly consumed; thanks to the spell I’d placed on it to encourage her consumption. Her movements became languid and slow, while my fingers trailed higher and higher along her warm flesh.
Her panties were soaked. As I reached around the elastic, a soft sigh left her lips, and I began stroking her.
Pushing her long hair to the side, I placed feather light kisses against the soft skin below her ear, letting my fangs descend. The pointed edge of one of my fangs scraped along her column, leaving the faintest pink line.
Melody shivered in my arms, and I tested her, pressing just a little bit harder while I thrust two fingers inside her, between her thighs. My stomach ached with hunger as I unfastened my belt.
When I pulled the woman onto my lap, I glanced up and froze.
Cassia was standing at the bar, watching.