Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Ishook my clammy hand, clenching and unclenching it. The real vampires could compel Tammy and me, seizing control over our minds and then sink their fangs into our veins, feasting on our life essence.
If the master was overcome by a savage thirst tonight, he could completely drain our blood. But I’d risk my life to make sure it didn’t happen. I wouldn’t let another loved one die because of me.
But stepping inside the nightclub also put the lives of my royal family and every werewolf in the kingdom at risk.
Despite the long distance between London and Southern California, the vampires here could recognize me as the werewolf princess and kidnap me. The King would gladly hand over his crown, and more, to our enemy in exchange for his daughter’s life.
But how could I persuade my best friend not to step foot inside the vampire’s lair? I couldn’t tell her the truth about the existence of supernaturals. I couldn’t fake a sickness since I was already at the front doors. I couldn’t make a scene before the excited crowd, drawing more attention to us.
How would Tammy and I leave this place unharmed?
My phone vibrated in my hand, and my body jerked in fright. Tammy’s text message said to meet her at the front of the line. I spotted her standing before the muscled bouncer, and I moved behind her.
Despite the lower night temperature, Tammy didn’t wear a coat.
Her black velvet dress flared a few inches above the knee.
She had on her signature leather boots with high heels.
The simple lace choker with red beads around her neck was gorgeous, allowing my friend to blend in with the fake vampy crowd.
Tammy lifted on her tippy toes and kissed the bulky man on the cheek. His grin widened, and he nodded us toward the door. That must’ve been the person Tammy knew at the Crimson Sunburn Club.
The loud, upbeat music and the mixed scent of perfumes, sweat, and fragrant candles overwhelmed my senses when the double doors opened.
Tammy’s beaming face didn’t help with my resolve to leave. It wasn’t right to pull her out of here when we were supposed to celebrate her birthday.
I leaned in and shouted, “Isn’t it too busy?”
I pointed to the people around us dancing and drinking. They were shoulder to shoulder, and the air suddenly became suffocating for an introvert like me.
Tammy gave me a “you’re-kidding-me” look. “It was so hard to get in here. Now chill, girl. You’ll like it.”
I doubted that, but Tammy was smiling. Her widened eyes took in the interior of the club. She wrapped her arm around mine and dragged me toward the bar area. No way she’d listen to me now.
“Thank you so much for doing this with me. I wouldn’t want to come here alone. That would be just weird,” she said.
“You know what would be weirder? Grown people wearing fake, glow-in-the-dark fangs.” I bumped her shoulder, and with my head, I directed Tammy’s attention to a small group of men and women talking with their mouths wide open while displaying their fake fangs.
Tammy laughed. “Well, people come here to let their inner vampire shine, Bree.”
The loud music muffled my groan. Something felt off, and I wanted to bolt out of here.
A man in a black cloak and white shirt with a bowtie bumped my shoulder as he passed by me, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
Tammy mouthed, “Dracula” and wiggled her eyebrows.
I shook my head at her but crossed my fingers behind my back and mentally wished not to bump shoulders with a real vampire.
As we stepped deeper into the club, a vast space opened before us with dancers moving their bodies to the fast music.
Lights of various colors flashed from the ceiling, although most of the lighting around us shone in red shades.
A DJ stood on an elevated platform close to the wall, overlooking the crowd.
A massive circular light fixture from the high ceiling extended down on thick wires. It was as long as the bus I took to work and probably as heavy. Small round lights were embedded within and sent red beams of light to the dance floor below. It truly looked like a bloody sun.
Tammy suddenly pulled me toward the bar area as a couple left their spots, and we moved in, now sandwiched between two groups of fake vampires. The bar countertop was a see-through material, but I doubted it was made of glass. Small red lights illuminated the top.
The little hairs on my forearms stood alert, and my body tensed, overtaken by the feeling of supernatural presence. It could be werewolves having a good time here…together with the real vampires. I almost laughed at the thought.
Calm down, Breanna.
After all, it was human territory, and the supernaturals knew not to give away their secret, even if they had something to do with this club.
Tammy waved at the busy bartender and leaned closer to him over the countertop to order a drink. Then she turned her head to me. “What do you want to drink, Bree?”
“Nothing. I’ll stay sober to take care of your drunken ass.”
She smiled and mouthed, “Thank you” and finished talking to the man.
The bartender passed two red drinks to someone next to us. One was in a margarita glass with clear red liquor with fake fangs sunk to the bottom. The second drink was in a whiskey glass, but the liquid was dark red with what looked like whipped cream on top, red sauce dripping from the edges.
Tammy received her bloody drink after a moment and licked her lips in an exaggerated manner.
I’d had enough of this place already.
Red liquid filled the glass halfway with red sugar coating on top, and a mini skewer stick with a red cherry rested across the rim.
Tammy picked up the sharp stick. “It’s vodka and cranberry juice.”
Salivating, she opened her mouth to eat the cherry.
“Wait, that seems sharp,” I said.
The last thing I wanted was for the scent of Tammy’s blood whiffing around the club. Not knowing the location of the vampire called “Master” gave me acid reflux.
With no hesitation, Tammy took the stick into her mouth and chewed the cherry with a smile.
“See?” She held the stick right in front of my face. “Wooden pick that looks like a needle. Not harmful, Bree. What’s gotten into you today?”
I shrugged because I didn’t have a truthful explanation to share.
At the third drink, Tammy’s speech sounded slower, and she swayed her hips from side to side, dancing near the bar countertop. Her eyelids were covered in a dark-red shade of makeup. She didn’t have her purple or red contact lenses in, and her hazel eyes had turned extra bright.
I needed to put some distance between her and the alcohol to pace her drinking, but I also wanted her to have fun.
“Come, let’s walk around,” I said, and she followed me through the crowd.
Once we passed the bustling dance floor, the venue expanded before my eyes, revealing secluded nooks nestling against the edges of the windows.
The small spaces reminded me of the reading nook I had in my room back in the kingdom, minus the sensual ambiance. The club’s nooks emitted a sexual vibe magnified by the red couches and ottomans beneath shelves with fake candles.
The drawn red velvet curtains framed the windows, curbing off this secret world where people could lose themselves in passionate embraces, kisses, and touches in a way I hadn’t experienced for the last three years.
Some had their hands under skirts and used their fingers to massage crotches. I didn’t blame them for wanting to have fun, but my sex-starved body and mind were jealous.
An image of Hayden’s naked and defined chest popped into my mind. As if my mind wanted to torture me tonight, it also recalled the feeling of my hand sliding over my bodyguard’s smooth and firm butt when he was on top of me.
Stop that, Breanna.
I ordered my brain to think of a reason why I’d stayed away from Hayden or anyone from the werewolf kingdom. That usually did the trick. My human existence was like a fleeting candle in the wind—its light precariously fluttering against time’s relentless gusts.
My royal family was a constant reminder of the inevitable early death I faced as a human in the future. I’d die before my werewolf parents. And the worst that could happen to a parent was for their only daughter’s death to precede theirs.
Regardless of the race—a human or a werewolf—a child’s death was the worst, the unthinkable. Mom and Dad would suffer so much that my heart clenched painfully thinking about it, erasing any lusty emotions I’d had a moment ago.
Thoughts like these kept walls around me, keeping Hayden away, even though I liked him.
Suddenly, familiar cold waves overtook my body, and a pinch of anxiety infused through my veins.
No, no, no.
A strong aura of authority and power hit me. Tammy and I were heading in the direction of supernaturals.
I was only kidding myself when I thought I could completely escape the supernatural world.
Tammy grasped my hand, pulled me into a dark hallway, and started downstairs.
“Where are we going?”
“Johnny told me about the private rooms here. They’re underground, probably to be less obvious.” She followed a small crowd heading in the same direction.
The lights turned less bright and more crimson.
“Anyone can go in as long as you don’t disturb the actors,” she said and glanced at me over her shoulder with a glowing face.
Actors?
We descended to a narrow, long hallway with dark-brown doors on both sides, leading to who knew where. My mind played images of actors reenacting scenes from some vampire movie.
Not being able to see the end of the hallway gave me the creeps.
“How do you know which door to open?”
Tammy gave me a “duh” look. “We’ll follow someone else.”
“I really think we should go back upstairs, Tammy.”