The Hunger

by Melissa Haag

  Megan and Oanen agreed, but only if we took my car so they didn’t have to drive back. With our things stashed in the trunk, we headed to the club. Arriving there was so different from going to the Roost. There was no deep thump of music outside, only the cold winter wind and a small line at the Uttira entrance to greet us.

  “Wow,” Megan said. “It’s impressive from the outside, too. Did you let your mom know that we’re coming?”

  “Yep.” We started toward the end of the line, but the troll at the door saw me and waved us forward.

  Megan grinned even as the people in line grumbled.

  Heat gusted out when the troll opened the door, but it wasn’t until we stepped inside that I heard the steady thump of music.

  “And, it’s even more impressive on the inside when it’s in use,” Megan said as we handed over our coats.

  I agreed as I looked around for Mom. People danced in the main area, highlighted by colored strobing lights, while others stood at cocktail tables. A collective cloud of lust hung in the air. The allure of so much of it tempted me, and I moved closer to Fenris.

  He winked at me and set his hand on my lower back, sticking close as we wove our way through the throng. Instead of steering us to the bar or the stairs, Megan led us right to the dance floor where the lust was the thickest.

  Fenris turned to me and grinned wickedly.

  “Let’s show them how it’s done.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  He dipped me low, making every nerve endings fire with all of the body-to-body touching as he slowly righted us. The people around us melted away as we flowed together in tempo with the heavy beat. We didn’t just dance. We echoed each other, our movements perfectly in sync, one flowing into the next. His finger trailed down my front, and I arched back to enable the dipping touch. He caught me, brought me to him, and my lips grazed his before he twirled me out.

  I reveled in the freedom he gave me and barely noticed the lust climbing around us until the song ended.

  “Enjoy this short video intermission,” the DJ said before stepping off the stage.

  The lights behind the glass separating the people from the stage went out and a slow country twang filled the air.

  “Ladies and gents,” a deep voice said, “this song and dance goes out to the woman who will always haunt my dreams.”

  Like the rising sun, the lights behind the stage slowly illuminated a small, flying creature in familiar chaps. While Piepen looked flat like a video and sounded nothing like himself as he began to sing, there was no mistaking him.

  The words struck a chord of familiarity, and I recognized the country song as Piepen tossed his hat aside and ran his hand through his recently cut hair. He lifted his gaze and found me on the dance floor as he sang that he didn’t want to steal my freedom or make me love him.

  Then the little flitter winked and turned a slow circle, rotating his hips as he went. It wasn’t until he faced away from the crowd that I saw there was no back to his chaps. His tiny brownie butt was out for the world to see.

  I groaned. Next to me, Fenris fought to cover his laughter. The crowd on the dancefloor roared with approval, forcing me to question their sanity and good taste.

  Tearing my gaze from the spectacle, I looked around for Mom. She stood at the top of the steps, humor lighting her expression as Dad grimaced at her side. When the song ended, she found me in the crowd and waved for me to join her at the same time the stage lights went out.

  I turned to Fenris and scowled at his wet cheeks.

  “It’s not that funny,” I said.

  “People are already using their phones to try to find the video. I know at least one person recorded it. That lucky little guy might have just become the first celebrity brownie.”

  Taking Fenris’s hand, I pulled him through the crowd towards Mom’s office. The guard at the bottom of the steps moved aside as we neared, but his gaze shifted to something behind us. I turned back and saw Megan and Oanen following. Megan’s grin told me what she thought of Piepen’s performance.

  “Did you allow that?” I asked Mom when we reached the top of the stairs.

  “I did. And now I’m going to suggest that you talk to the boy so he knows once and for all that a relationship with you will never work.”

  “I’ve been telling Piepen that since the first night.”

  “But that was before you found your mate.”

  Fenris’s hand gently squeezed mine.

  “He’s in my office, waiting for you. Join us at the bar when you’re done.”

  Mom led Dad down the steps. I stared after the pair then looked at Megan and Oanen.

  “Oh, I so want to be there for this talk. Please don’t send me away,” Megan said with a grin.

  “Only if you swear on your soul that you’ll do everything in your power to help me convince him.”

  She nodded. Oanen looked doubtful, and Fenris grinned far too much to convince me he would behave.

  “Fine.”

  Piepen was fluttering in the air near Mom’s desk, his back to the door. Fenris coughed at the immediate sight of bare brownie butt.

  “Piepen, what you did was dangerous,” I said. “You know you can’t expose yourself to humans.”

  Fenris started choking. Oanen hit him on the back hard enough to end his humor.

  “I know. But, I had to do something drastic to get your attention and show you what you mean to me,” he said in his once again squeaky voice.

  “I’ve never misunderstood what you feel for me, Piepen. But you’ve turned a deaf ear to my repeated attempts to share my feelings. I care about you as a person, but that’s it. I feel no romantic interest for you.”

  “None?”

  “None.”

  “Maybe you just need more time and a reminder of what I have to offer you.” He started to reach for his enormous belt buckle.

  Megan stepped forward.

  “Time’s not going to help, my friend. Eliana’s mate found her, and she’s already lost her heart to him. Sometimes we can fight against our nature and the way the gods made us. But when it comes to destined mates?” She shook her head sadly. “Some things are just impossible to fight. Don’t let it get you down, though. That just means that your fated forever is still out there, waiting for you, right?”

  Piepen’s little shoulders sagged, and he slowly flew closer to me. His gaze dipped to the bright glow illuminating the valley between my breasts.

  “I don’t regret giving my mark to you. It’s pretty, even if it doesn’t light you up from the inside.”

  “Wait, what?”

  He gave me a sad smile.

  “Some of our women look just like lightning bugs when they fly at night. I would have liked to make your insides glow, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

  Fenris didn’t laugh, but I could feel his and Megan’s escalating humor. Oanen’s, too, the traitor.

  “Thank you for understanding, Piepen,” I said, ignoring his last remark.

  He nodded. “I guess I better get back to Piewhistle.”

  “You’re still watching him?”

  “Yeah. Even if you’re not mine, princess, I care what you think of me. I want to make you proud, and the baby’s really cute. Madeline and Marshal are helping me take care of him. So is Merrifolds.”

  His hand twitched like he wanted to reach for himself. For the first time ever, that didn’t bother me.

  “Merrifolds? How is she doing? Is she spending a lot of time with you and the baby?” I asked hopefully.

  “She’s amazing and is going to make a great mom. Someday. She’s not letting anyone near her petals yet. She told me that she’s going to wait a few more months, maybe even a whole year, until she can travel the world with you.”

  Piepen’s hand jerked toward his hips again.

  “It’s not really going to take you a year to decide to travel, is it?” he asked.

  “I hope not.”

  “Good. Let me know if your mate doesn’t trea
t you right. I’ll correct his behavior. Farewell, princess.” He nodded and left through Mom’s office window.

  “That was far easier than I thought it would be,” I said.

  “He’s thinking of someone else’s petals now,” Megan said with a chuckle. “You’re officially off the hook. Now, let’s get back out there and dance. One song isn’t nearly enough.”

  Outside of Mom’s office, we could hear the music playing again. Megan smiled at Oanen and grabbed his hand. Fenris threaded his fingers through mine.

  The hulking man at the bottom of the steps moved aside for us, but we were too slow to make it to the dance floor before the song ended and the DJ called out for Club Blayz’s fine proprietress. People made way for Mom as she strolled to the center of the dance floor.

  “By special request, this song’s for you.”

  A cover for The Middle started to play, and I spotted Dad near the stage as he danced his way toward Mom. She held out her hand to him and tipped her head back to laugh when he caught her up in his arms instead and started dancing with her.

  “Your parents are adorable,” Megan said.

  I wasn’t sure what they were. They confused the heck out of me most days. Fenris seemed to sense it because he leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

  “That isn’t a shell of a man. That’s a man desperately in love and trying to make peace with his place in his love’s life. It might not be where he wants to be, but he’ll take what he can get.”

  My heart started to ache because I knew that Fenris wasn’t only talking about my dad but himself as well.

  “I can smell his love for her from here.”

  I turned my head to look at him. His gaze dipped to my mouth, which was conveniently close. His proximity and the swelling of his lust stirred my hunger. But he didn’t lean closer. Neither did I.

  “All of her lovers have adored her. This isn’t any different from how they acted when they thought she might be slipping away from them.”

  Fenris made a sound of disagreement as he lifted his chin and inhaled deeply.

  “There are no sour notes to indicate any resentment. That’s always present in coerced, unwanted relationships.”

  “You can’t possibly know which scent is my dad’s from this far away.”

  “My nose is better than most. Years of practice, searching for the slightest hint of your scent.”

  I shivered and rested my head back against his chest as his arms came around my waist. We swayed to the music, watching my parents dance together. He was right. Dad didn’t look like a love-slave. He looked like an adoring husband.

  As soon as their song ended, Fenris turned me and danced us into the crowd for the next slow song. I loved the way he moved with me. His touches were never inappropriate, but the way he looked at me said he wished they were. My hunger stirred inside me, but didn’t fight me for control.

  “I can feel you’re hungry. Eat.”

  I glanced at all of the people around us. Megan had once shared what it looked like when I fed. When watching others of my kind feed, I’d never witnessed anything like she’d explained, but that didn’t mean I wanted to risk feeding in front of humans. No, it wasn’t only that. I just didn’t want to feed in front of everyone. Especially my dad.

  “I’ll eat later.”

  He didn’t push for more of an explanation. Instead, he tucked me closer. I was so wrapped up in dancing with Fenris, as song after song passed, that I didn’t at first notice the floor shake.

  The sudden burst of panic caught my attention just before the humans started to scream. The music cut out. Around us, the building began to tremble and groan.

  Mom’s voice rose above the clamor.

  “Shield my daughter!”

  Something brushed against my consciousness. It wasn’t a pull like Mom was feeding or quite like the push we used to coerce others. It felt stronger, more urgent, and even slightly sexual.

  I looked at Mom and watched her eyes roll back before she fainted. Dad yelled for help as he caught her. Oanen rushed toward him before they were all blocked from my view by the wave of people who suddenly surrounded Fenris and me.

  Humans pressed in so tightly with their arms raised over our heads that I couldn’t move. Breathing became harder, and I started to panic.

  Fenris’s abrupt lick over my lips broke through my fear.

  “They can’t help themselves,” he said. “They’re protecting you like your mother wanted.”

  The creaking stopped. Yet, the floor continued to shake under our feet. As I stared up into Fenris’s eyes, I worried about Mom.

  “She’ll be okay,” he said softly. “Feel the tremors? It’s almost over.”

  He was right. The shaking underfoot wasn’t nearly as severe as it’d been. And it stopped as suddenly as it started.

  The surrounding humans came back to themselves, disoriented as they moved away from us and looked around.

  “Drinks on the house,” Ymir called as I rushed to Mom, who lay on the stage, still out cold.

  “Is she okay?” I asked Dad.

  “I think she just fainted.”

  I looked at Oanen. “What did she do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why are we still having damn earthquakes?” Megan asked angrily. “Enough is enough, Oanen. We need answers before someone gets seriously hurt.”

  She disappeared in a flash of flames that had me worriedly looking at the humans. However, they seemed completely oblivious to what Megan had just done.

  A burst of anger from Oanen redirected my worry over what the humans might have seen to what he was about to do as he reached for the top button of his shirt. I grabbed his hand.

  “She’ll be back before you’re halfway there. It’s better to wait and catch her before her next move than to miss her completely.”

  The look he gave me was pure frustration.

  “Megan isn’t the type to sit back and let people suffer any more than you are,” I said calmly. “Don’t fault her for taking action when you would have done the same if it were within your abilities.”

  He heaved a sigh.

  “Thank you.”

  I smiled at him before moving to sit next to Mom. Her eyes fluttered behind her lids when I took her hand in mine.

  “Wake up, Nicolette,” Dad said gently. “You’re worrying our daughter.”

  Mom blinked her eyes open before I could deny the claim. Her gaze immediately landed on me, and I could feel her relief.

  “I wasn’t sure it would work.”

  “What would work? What did you do?”

  She smiled weakly at me.

  “A little trick a few of us possess. It’s draining to use.” Her gaze shifted to Dad. “Darling, I need to eat. I need you to go upstairs.”

  He kissed her lips and quickly hurried away.

  “Baby, take your friends outside.”

  “I’m not leaving you lying on the stage by yourself.” I glanced at Fenris and Oanen. “Go. Just for a few minutes. It shouldn’t take her long, and I’ll watch for Megan.”

  “Five minutes,” Oanen said before walking to the door.

  “I can stay,” Fenris offered. “I don’t mind.”

  “But Eliana does,” Mom said. “Go on.”

  I watched him cross the floor. At the bar, the bartenders were working fast to get everyone a complimentary drink, keeping them right where they needed to be so Mom could eat.

  “Go ahead,” I said to Mom the moment they were through the door.

  I felt her energy push out into the room. It beckoned and beguiled. The humans closest to her began to make out. She inhaled the lust they produced as it bubbled forth. The more she ate, the more the frenzied behavior spread until the people at the bar were kissing and dry-humping each other.

  “Is it helping?” I asked quietly. “Is the baby okay?”

  When she looked at me, for the briefest moment, I saw anger in her gaze. Directed at me. She’d never before acted like that when I’d
interrupted a feeding. I tried to hide my shock, but she sensed it.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not myself yet. Your brother or sister is fine and moving aggressively to let me know.”

  “Do you want to sit up? Or want me to leave?” I asked, unsure where I stood with her. She clasped my hand and smiled reassuringly at me.

  “Don’t leave. Help me sit up. I’ll recover more quickly if I involve myself.” She motioned for the DJ to start the music back up.

  I knew what all that meant and offered to get her something to drink. While she kissed and groped random men under the guise of dancing, I had Ymir make her a martini.

  “Want one too?” he asked.

  “A chocolate one, please,” I said.

  “Virgin?”

  “She sure looks like it,” a man said beside me. “Let me buy that for you.”

  I glanced at the man, who was close to my father’s age, and felt nothing but disgust at what he was feeling as he contemplated me.

  “Go to my mother,” I said. “Give to her what you wish to give to me.”

  He immediately turned around and approached Mom. She seemed to like what he had to offer because she pulled him into her circle.

  “About the drink?” Ymir asked, regaining my attention.

  “A virgin cocktail would be perfect. Thank you.”

  He gave me a small smile and hurried to mix both drinks. By the time they were done, the groans coming from the dance floor were fading, allowing the music to emerge.

  Mom didn’t get angry when I approached with the drink. Instead, she kissed my cheek and told me to go get Oanen and Fenris and to come upstairs.

  The pair stood outside, both unbothered by the cold as they watched cars drive away.

  “It’s safe to come in,” I said. “Mom wants us to meet in her office.”

  “Did she say why?” Oanen asked.

  His mood didn’t improve when I shook my head. He muscled his way through the people and made it up the stairs in record time. I abandoned my drink on a cocktail table and hurried after him with Fenris close behind me.

  Opening Mom’s office door, I caught Mom’s explanation to Oanen.

  “Megan will return to you, Oanen, wherever you are. I thought this might be a better location than the dance floor. You can certainly leave, but I understand you drove here. How is Megan’s skill at appearing in a moving car?”