by Trim, Brenda
Liam pauses on his way out. “You’ll wear one of my shirts and your pants. I can pick up shoes on our way to Club Toxic,” he says before he turns away.
“What? I can’t go inside a nightclub in pajamas,” I object as I grab my panties and put them on. “If you’re stopping you can get me actual pants and a shirt. So, I don’t arrive before your king in pajamas.”
“You’ve forgotten who’s in charge here, kitten. I give the orders,” he replies with an angry glint in his beautiful blue eyes.
“No. You’re in charge in your playroom. I admit I like when you dominate me sexually, but no one tells me what to do otherwise,” I inform him. I’ve never been able to stand up to my parents or Steve and tell them how I feel. But being with Liam has given me courage I didn’t know was buried inside.
Liam watches me with a narrowed gaze before his expression shifts to one of open admiration and respect. When I blink his face is a blank mask, making me wonder if I imagined it.
“You are walking a thin line, kitten. I don’t have time to teach you the lesson I want to right now. Lucius is not a patient king. I can’t give him another reason to doubt my loyalty. Let’s go,” he orders me before he turns and heads to the closet.
A few seconds later he returns fully dressed. I’m momentarily distracted by how sexy he is in dark jeans and a white t-shirt. He really does look like James Dean, and I know he’s just as much of a bad boy.
Tossing me a blue t-shirt, he sits on the bed and shoves his feet into a pair of boots. I snatch the shirt and tug it over my head then pick up my pants. He shrugs his leather jacket on, making my mouth water when his chest muscles stretch the cotton.
Liam is heading out the door before I am able to see if he has another pair of shoes in his closet. Shaking my head, I follow him down the hall and stairs. He pauses by the door to the garage a few minutes later and holds the panel open for me.
“We’re taking the Jag again,” he tells me as I brush past him. I’m still shocked that the weather isn’t colder so far into the fall. My feet don’t freeze as I cross the concrete and climb into the vehicle.
“My purse,” I call out and step out of my seat. By the time I am on my feet, Liam is standing there with my purse in hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, kitten. We don’t have much time,” he informs me.
Sitting back down, I clasp my hands in my lap as he gets behind the wheel and presses a button to lift the garage door. We’re out and heading down his street in seconds and my mind is racing.
“What should I expect when we meet with your king? Am I in trouble?”
Liam maneuvers down the road while keeping his eyes straight ahead. “He will have questions for you. He is going to sense that your blood is different and ask about that. Garrett might be there, as well. I’m not sure. He doesn’t usually attend our meetings but given that shifters are involved it’s possible he will be there.”
“What do you mean my blood is different?” I ask as my heart starts racing and my breaths grow short. I’m human. Why is my blood not the same as everyone else’s? Liam has to be wrong.
“I can’t pinpoint the reason, but I can assure you that you taste like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
A smile blooms across my lips. “That’s because I’m awesome. You’re falling for me, but don’t worry, you can’t help yourself.”
With his mouth hanging open, Liam turns his gaze my way, making me laugh. His incredulous expression is followed quickly by his smile. “Perhaps you’re a witch and have bewitched me.”
“You never know,” I say with a wave of my hand. A second later he pulls into a parking lot and parks the car. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he is out of the car and headed to a store.
I’m not sure what surprises me more. That he’s going into a Target or that he’s actually getting me shoes. I expected him to make me walk in barefoot. He didn’t seem bothered by my lack of proper clothing.
Within minutes Liam is back and handing me two plastic bags. “There wasn’t much to choose from in there.”
“That’s okay. Thanks,” I tell him and pull out a pair of stretch pants and a button up shirt. “You got me clothes, too.”
“I told you that you have me under a spell,” he replies and pulls out of the lot.
I wiggle out of my pajama pants and pull on the black leggings, enjoying the soft feel beneath my fingers. After removing his t-shirt, I put on the pink plaid shirt he bought. The pants fit perfectly, but the top is smaller than I prefer. The black flats match the outfit but are a half size too big. And he included a surprise in the bottom.
Orange juice and beef jerky rest in the bottom of the shopping bag. I hadn’t realized how dizzy I am until I see the food. He drank my blood. It makes sense that I need to eat something to keep from passing out or something. He really does have an issue with food. His thoughtfulness makes my chest warm and fuzzy.
“I didn’t know your shoe size, so I had to guess on those,” he says, making me wonder about his powers.
“Can you read my mind?” I blurt as I smooth my palms over my chest.
“I’m not in your mind right now. I watched you turning your foot and noticed they are too big. The rest fits you nicely,” he assures me while his eyes are riveted to the buttons that pull tight over my breasts.
Just like that arousal unfurls in my body, making me want him again. The ache in my core is better and I wish we were still at his house. I want to try a few more of his toys. The vibrator he pressed to my clit earlier was unreal.
It propelled me to the edge and over in a flash while bringing me right back to the verge of another orgasm before the first ever waned. What could the other toys in his arsenal do to me?
“You need to stop thinking about whatever is turning you on, kitten. I don’t have time to pull over and fuck you like I want.” His groan rumbles through the car and makes my clit tingle.
“It’s your fault. I’ve never been aroused like this before meeting you. You created this monster,” I tease him.
“After the meeting tonight, I am going to tie you to a cross in the dungeon,” he promises.
“We’re going to a dungeon?” Fear creeps in with the arousal tearing me in two directions. I am dealing with vampires so there’s a very real possibility he’s talking about a medieval torture chamber.
“Lucius created a BDSM dungeon in the basement of Club Toxic for his vampires to enjoy. It’s where we hold most meetings.”
“Is that like your playroom?” I ask. It’s the first thing that comes to mind when he explains where he’s taking me. My knowing tells me yes before he confirms it is similar.
“There is more furniture and many more implements at Club Toxic than I have in my playroom. It’s bigger and has semi-private, and public areas.”
“Public?” I squeak. “Nope. No way are you tying me up where anyone else can see me.”
“I will tie you up anywhere I want and do what I want to your willing body, kitten. You’re my good little sub.”
My reply is cut off as he pulls up in front of the club. My stomach twists and I am back to struggling to breathe. I open my door and step out while he walks up to one of the bouncers at the door and hands his keys to the guy.
My legs shake as I join him. The music is loud and the line of those waiting to get inside is long. I wrap my arms around my chest as women shout that I shouldn’t be let in looking like a suburban mom.
It’s true, I think. I look nothing like the girls in short silky skirts and tight dresses with four-inch heels. I have on stretchy pants, a plaid shirt, and flats. Liam ignores them as he pushes me gently with his big palm at the base of my back.
The lights of the dance floor flash and the music is even louder when we enter the club. The scent of conflicting perfumes greets me along with stale undertones. I anticipate seeing throngs of people dancing. But instead of ushering me into the main part of the club, he urges me to the coat room and nods at the two guys standing th
ere.
Immediately, they split apart and then a panel opens revealing stairs that head down. Liam grabs my hand and we descend. The door above closes and I gasp when we are left in the dark.
I can’t see very well and cling to Liam’s shoulders as we make our way down. My shoes make little sound and the noise from above is muffled. I follow closely and nearly run into his back when he pauses and pushes something.
A door opens and dim red light breaks into the darkness of the stairwell. Right away I hear moans and the sound of skin slapping against skin. I’m behind Liam so I can’t see what’s going on in the room on the other side of him. My body responds to the sound of others having sex.
My blood heats and my core pulses. The discomfort is still there but doesn’t stop me from thinking about Liam tying me to some cross. My panties dampen and I almost forget that we aren’t going to the basement to have sex.
We’re going there to meet the vampire king. Liam steps through the door into a massive room with red lights along the ceiling. The music down here has a deeper beat that makes my core throb.
My eyes roam all around taking in everything. The black walls fit what I think of for a sex dungeon. Some of the furniture, like the benches, are familiar to me. The wooden X is new, as is the steel cage.
I am surrounded by sex. Kinky sex, I amend. A guy is in the steel cage and his erection is poking through the open bars while a woman licks the head of his dick. Several women are chained naked to steel rings on the walls.
I am caught by the sight of a woman using the same type of flogger that Liam introduced me to on a man across the room. The sound of it hitting his flesh is harsh, making me think she’s hitting him harder than Liam did me. My core weeps and my need heightens as I watch him writhe and wriggle. The tails lash his hard cock and his body jerks while liquid leaks from the head of his dick.
My hand reaches for Liam and he twines our fingers together. “No time to play right now, kitten,” he whispers in my ear.
I look away from the sight and notice the dais at the other side of the room. A man with black hair is sitting on a throne with a gorgeous woman with long platinum blonde hair at his side. He has intense blues eyes while there’s something animalistic about the woman. It’s obvious they’re a couple with the way his hand rests possessively on her hip.
That’s the vampire king and his queen.
My footsteps falter but don’t stop as Liam tugs me to his sire. It suddenly dawns on me that the room is quieting. The sound of leather striking skin and moans are gone. I turn my head and notice people are being led to private alcoves and taken behind curtains and doors.
“Sire. Selene,” Liam says, greeting the couple on the dais. “This is Harper.”
“Hi…hello,” I mutter unsure how to address the powerful man.
“Do we have additional information on the shifters that attacked the club?” Liam asks.
A man off to the side that looks a lot like Russell Crowe in a fancy suit steps forward and replies. “Garrett reported they didn’t inform him they were coming into his territory. Were the shifters that accosted her from the same pack as those at the club?”
“That’s Maximus,” Liam tells me before turning his attention to the vampire. “They smelled similar, but I’m no expert in shifters. It could be that they are all wolves that I smelled.”
“If they were after her it would make sense why they attacked the club. She was here last night, after all,” Lucius adds, making everyone turn to focus on him.
“No. I didn’t bring them here,” I promise. “I don’t even remember coming here. I don’t know why they want me. Maybe they followed me home from here. Liam said I must have done something, but I can’t imagine what.”
The king’s mouth pinches at the sides. “My men didn’t leave any of them alive to follow you home. I think you’re the draw.”
“I agree, sire,” Liam adds. “But, I have found nothing to explain why they are after her. She’s a professor and lives a boring life with no connections to shifters. She was not aware supernaturals existed before last night.”
“Shifters don’t attack for no reason. I want to know why they went after my club and if they’re related to her later encounter.”
“The human might be right,” Maximus interjects, making me want to kiss him. “I saw her in the club last night, and the shifters never paid any attention to her.”
“You’re saying this is a coincidence? I’d be dead by now if I believed in happenstance,” Lucius says. “I can see why a vampire club would be on their radar, but you’re a mystery, Harper.”
“Her blood carries extra power similar to that of a shifter, but there isn’t any other indication present,” Liam adds. My heart sinks as he makes me even more of a target than before.
“Hmmm,” Lucius hums as he runs his hand up and down Selene’s hip. “Perhaps one of your ancestors was a shifter. Is there a way to determine that, love?”
“I will be able to scent if she carries our bloodline.” Selene descends the few steps and heads toward me. It is incredibly intimidating to have a woman sniffing me as she stands an inch from my face.
“There’s no shifter DNA in her heritage. Even generations later I would be able to pick up the musk of an animal. There’s something there. Just a hint. Question is, what are you?” Selene demands as she looks me up and down.
I swallow and try to stop my body from shaking. I take a step closer to Liam. “My family is super religious, but that’s about it. There’s nothing special about us. I think they’ve mistaken me for someone else,” I suggest as I wrack my brain for anything odd about my family. I might have had a cloistered upbringing, but that’s not what they’re insinuating.
I try to remember all the stories my mom and dad ever told about their parents and grandparents. My mom’s family attended the same church and my dad joined after he moved out of his parent’s house. He never talked much about his parents except to say they were heretics.
“One of the shifters said he wanted her for his alpha. I think we need to keep Harper with us until we can catch one of the shifters that are after her. That’s the only way we will get the answers we need,” Liam throws out there.
“Harper will stay with Selene and I while we investigate this further. Now is the time to come clean with me if you know what this is about or if you are involved in any way. If I discover later that you had anything to do with the attack on my club, I will kill you myself,” Lucius promises.
A gasp escapes my mouth and my hand flies up to cover the sound. There’s no stopping the way my body trembles. I have told them everything and yet, I could die if he thinks I’m lying to him.
There’s no defense against that when I have nothing more to share. Show no fear, my knowing tells me. Easier said than done, but I do straighten my spine, lift my chin, and clench my hands into fists at my sides.
“Tell me how I can help you gather information. I have nothing else to provide but I want to help you discover what’s going on here,” I tell the king.
One corner of his mouth quirks up, and Selene openly laughs. Liam is looking right at me with an expression I can’t decipher except to say it’s similar to when he was inside me a few hours ago.
“I will be going to your house with her,” Liam tells Lucius.
Lucius turns his head and I expect him to lay into Liam for talking back, but he merely shakes his head and says, “Nothing good will come from your relationship with her. You will only bring danger to her door.”
My heart skips a beat and twists inside my chest. I’ve thought the same thing at least a dozen times since meeting Liam, but hearing his king tell him as much is excruciating. The hidden part of my heart that held out hope for Liam to find a way to make it happen shatters.
Wanting to mean more to him than any obstacle that stood in the way of our happiness is the height of stupidity. I was so sure I protected my heart against this exact hurt.
Liam waves his hand through the air and sh
akes his head. “There’s no reason to fret about that. I’ve had my fun but have no thoughts about anything further. I merely want to see this through. I let you down when you met Selene, and I meant what I said when I pledged my loyalty to you. I will protect you and yours with my life.”
Searing pain slices my heart in two at Liam’s words. The backs of my eyes burn, making me lower my head to hide the hurt. With those few sentences from Liam, I go from having my chest swell with hope to having my heart smashed into pieces.
It’s good to know this now. I can feel the wall building in my chest to isolate my heart brick by brick. I focus on reinforcing it and avoid thinking about Liam or how much his proclamation hurt.
Lifting my head, I hope I’ve erased all hint of the raw emotions threatening to tear me up from the inside out. I cannot go home until I am certain the danger has passed. I pull up the threat my knowing shared with me the night the shifters tried to kidnap me. It helps distance me from Liam and the bond I can still feel thrumming in my chest.
“Great. When do we leave?” I ask Lucius. “I’m hungry and need to stop by my apartment and pick up some clothes before heading to your place.”
Selene claps me on the shoulder and gives me a knowing smile. “We can go now. There’s nothing more we can learn here anyway.”
“You’re right about that. I’ve learned all I need to,” I agree. Thankful for her compassion, I follow her and Lucius to the stairs, ignoring the eyes I can feel on my back.
My time with Liam is over. I refuse to make the same mistake and revisit his playroom. Fool me once and all that. There are plenty of men in the world. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past forty-eight hours.
It is surprising to learn that I like sex, and I’m fairly certain I want a man who is dominant in the bedroom. Someone who will tie me up and use a flogger but looks nothing like James Dean.
Chapter 9
Liam
What the fuck just happened? I pissed Harper off, and she left with the most powerful vampire in existence without any hesitation. She’d clung to me while shaking like a leaf in the wind. I feared she would never leave my side. And it seemed as if she wouldn’t until I told Lucius that I was not planning a future with Harper.