Entranced (Electric Desert Nights Book 1)

by Jewel Quinlan

  Just as she was about to turn away, a hot guy caught her attention. Even at this distance, there was an intensity about him, a presence, that made him stand out from the others. He had olive skin and midnight black hair, and the features of his face were strong and handsome. She must have stared too long because, suddenly, he looked at her and their gazes locked. A strange pang of discomfort shot through her, like that of a peasant being noticed by a king.

  And then Mya yanked her forward and the contact was broken as the forest of people closed in around her again. They shoved their way through another dense pack of sweaty bodies and finally reached the front. They had been pushed and stepped on and now had sweat and who knew what else smeared on them from their journey. The speakers where crazy loud up this close, but no one seemed to cared. They were united in their complete focus on the music.

  Joy welled in Yesenia’s chest at the sight of the stage rising above them like a mountain and how clearly she could see current DJ. Next to him, DJ Momo was hooking up his gear. “This is totally fucking awesome!” She shouted to Mya. But, of course, Mya didn’t hear. Her gaze was fastened on the stage as well. She turned to Tyler and they shared a grin. And then, as DJ Momo began his set, all three of them joined in a burst of frenzied dancing and screaming.

  “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Somer leaned his forearms on the rail of the VIP section and scanned the people below.

  “You’re so picky, Somer. There’s plenty of beautiful girls here,” Scarlett said. “Not everyone can be as genetically perfect as you and your species is.”

  “Oh please, he’s not all that,” Wade said dryly.

  Somer laughed, his perfect white teeth gleaming in the light. “Yes I am. You’re just jealous because I’m better looking than you are.”

  “No you’re not.” Wade flicked his hair out of his eyes. “I’d like you better if you weren’t so vain.” The corners of his mouth twitched upward. They’d been having this same debate for several years now. He was fond of his friend no matter how cocky he was.

  “I’m not vain, just one with the truth. You’d be better off if you just accepted it, man. Scarlett, tell him who’s better looking. He’ll finally believe me if he hears it from a woman.”

  Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Not this again. You’re both good-looking in completely opposite ways. There, happy now?”

  The area went dark as the last strains of music from the current DJ’s set faded away. Cheering began in anticipation of the one they’d been waiting for. When he began to play, the crowd went wild, screaming and cheering their appreciation. The DJ booth was flanked on all sides with speakers, multicolored flashing lights, and images floating across video screens. With so many hands raised to him he looked like a god at the entrance of his holy mountain. Eight giant pipes jutted up from the back of the stage, and flames shot from their tops as if to emphasize his almighty greatness.

  “Hello, Las Vegas!” DJ Momo called on the mic. “Are you having a good time tonight?”

  The crowd roared in response. DJ Momo held his hands in the air and clapped, and the crowd mimicked him. The mass of writhing bodies almost hummed in ecstasy to the music he created, and Wade found himself moving along with them. It was at carnivals like this, with the beat vibrating through his body, that he found he could really feel again. Amid all the energy and excitement, he could push aside the numbness that came from the patience of knowing he would live forever. When you had all the time of infinity, it somehow made things not so special, and less thrilling than they would have been when he was human. Not that he regretted being a vampire. It was just that he’d always felt like there should be something more. What the more part was, he had no idea.

  Damn that stupid psychic.

  He focused back on the music and having a good time. He inhaled deeply, taking in the tasty scents of the warm night air. It was alive with the aromas of warm skin, sweat, and pheromones of young healthy women, which were tangled with the accompanying notes of hairspray, perfume, and makeup. Excitement made hearts pump harder, blood flow quicker, and added a tangy twist of adrenaline. They were nice and relaxed, ready to let him seduce them into the shadows where he would have no problem feeding on them. Oh yes, tonight was going to be a smorgasbord.

  Flames shot out from the stage again. Even at this distance, he felt the heat on his skin. And in that second of illumination, a brilliant, carefree smile caught his attention. He locked in on her, easily able to make her out with his vampire vision even though all he got were brief glimpses as she danced in the shifting crowd. It was the girl who’d been staring at him as she’d passed by earlier. She was a tiny thing with long dark hair, but her life force seemed to radiate from her with a vitality he’d never seen before. She was hypnotic in her happiness and he couldn’t take his eyes off her moved to the beat.

  He was so obsessed with watching her that he didn’t notice the group forcing its way down the middle, until it was almost too late. At the front, one of their members carried a totem with the head of a dragon on it. The eyes glowed yellow, and green and red streamers flowed out behind it. The group gained momentum as it moved forward, the members at the back pushing the ones in the front. Even though they probably didn’t mean to, they created a dangerous wedge of force. The partygoers in front who couldn’t see them coming were shoved as though a tidal wave hit them. They sprawled in all directions, and some of them went down…including the girl Wade had been watching.

  Chapter Three

  Wade leapt over the railing and dropped thirty feet to the ground. He darted around the perimeter and into the crowd to the spot he’d last seen the girl. He didn’t know what it was that compelled him to save her. He just knew that, when the top of her head had disappeared, a knot had formed in his gut. Thank goodness she was screaming, making it easy for him to home in on her right away. This close to the stage, everything was so loud he doubted that anyone else could hear her.

  He could see her now. People kicked and tripped over her accidentally as they were pushed aside in one mass by the incoming group, and she was in danger of being trampled to death. She lay curled in a ball with her arms protecting her head. Wade grabbed one of her wrists and yanked her to her feet. Then he clutched her to his side as steered them out. The force of a hundred human bodies was no match for his vampire strength, and he was able to get her out quickly with little jostling.

  With her chest pressed against his side, he could feel her heartbeat racing as though someone had pressed the fast forward button. “You’re going to be fine,” he told her. “We’re almost out.” When he reached the fence, he stopped and released her. “Are you hurt?”

  She was a petite little thing with volumes of wavy dark-brown hair, an ample bosom, and wide hips that tapered to a nicely defined waist. She looked up at him, her warm brown eyes overflowing with tears of gratitude, and the full force of her intoxicating aura hit him.

  Though her eyes were blurred with tears, Yesenia choked out a quavering, heartfelt, “Thank you!” and threw her arms around her savior. He was tall, and her head only reached his chest, but she held him close for a long moment. When she finally released him and wiped the wetness from her eyes, she was shocked at who stood before her.

  It was the same guy she’d seen standing in the VIP section. From far away he’d had presence. Up close, it was a whole different story. There was a symmetry to his face that made her want to linger over the sexy deep set eyes and thick brows that framed them. His dark hair swept back from his forehead, and his strong jaw was covered with the shadow of stubble. He wore no shirt, and power radiated from the muscles filling out his chest and arms.

  She blinked and shook her head, aware that she’d been staring. “Thank you so much for pulling me out of there. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be dead right now.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Their gazes locked and Yesenia felt a primal longing burn inside her. She was attracted to this guy, highly attracted. Who could
blame her? He was totally hot. She wrenched her gaze away from him and scanned the crowd. “Shit! I don’t see my friends.”

  “What do they look like?”

  “They’re both on the tall side. My friend Mya has blond hair, and Tyler has dark hair wavy hair.” She poked her fingers into her cleavage and rooted around for a second. “Damn it! My cell phone is gone. It must have popped out when I fell.” Beneath so many feet, it was probably no more than bits and pieces of scrap now. Disappointment jagged through her. It had taken months of scrimping and saving to buy that phone. Not that it was special, just a hair better than the free one she could have gotten. But she’d felt so proud of herself for saving the money and paying cash in the store.

  He held his phone out to her. “You can use mine if you want.”

  She took the sleek rectangle of black metal from him. Then her shoulders fell as she stared at the numbers on its face. “I don’t know either of their numbers by heart.” She handed it back to him.

  “Why don’t you come with me up to the VIP section then? You’ll have a better chance of spotting them from there.”

  “But I don’t have a VIP wristband.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He took her hand and led her away from the stage. His thick fingers felt good wrapped around hers. The feel of his cool palm stirred a desire within her and her gaze remained transfixed on his bare back, fascinated with the ripple of muscles as he walked. He wore his jeans low on his hips, enough to see the start of the curve of his firm buttocks, and her mind strayed toward thoughts of being alone with him, doing things with him... She jerked it back to the present.

  He weaved them effortlessly out of the exit and to a booth next to the VIP entrance. It wasn’t until he held out his credit card that Yesenia realized what he was about to do. This booth sold wristband upgrades. “Oh no, I can’t let you spend that kind of money on me. I thought you were just going to ask security to let me up there for a minute so I could find my friends.”

  He flicked his dark gaze at her. “It’s not a problem. Don’t worry about it.”

  He waved away her protests and, within seconds, she had a bright floral peach-colored wristband strapped on and was following him through the VIP entrance.

  “So, what’s your name?” he asked, taking her hand in his as if they did this all the time.

  “Yesenia.” She felt rude for not having offered it earlier, and also stunned that he would spend hundreds of dollars on some girl whose name he didn’t even know. “What’s your name?”

  “Wade.” He gave her fingers a little squeeze and the sensation made her stomach flutter.

  Was he holding her hand because he liked her, or because it was crowded? They ascended the steps to the platform and that’s when she wondered what he’d been doing down below. The VIP section had its own cocktail booths, high top tables, even a few couches. There were no lines and plenty of space to relax and enjoy the show with a wonderful unrestricted view. Why would he leave? But in between the time she’s seen him and he rescued her, he must have gone down to the general admission section.

  He tugged her forward through the loose cluster of people to the railing.

  “Do you see them?” he asked, after a few minutes.

  She’d scanned back and forth, but it was impossible to make out faces at this distance with the constant changes in lighting. “No.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll just have and try to find them at the next stage, but I don’t know if I’ll have any better luck than here. I wish we’d made some kind of agreement on a rendezvous point if someone got lost though. They must be worried.”

  “You know where they’re going to be next?” he asked her.

  “Well, not next next. The only performance I know for sure all three of us agreed on is two hours from now. In between, we were just going to wander and check out some of the DJs we weren’t as familiar with.”

  “Well, then you can hang out with me until it’s time to go there.”

  There was an eagerness in his eyes that made something in Yesenia melt. Really? This hot guy wanted to hang out with her? Shouldn’t he be wanting to get back to his own friends? “That’s really nice of you, but I don’t want to be a bother. Who are you with, by the way?” Someone like him had to be with a group of buddies.

  Wade shrugged. “No bother. You’d be doing me a favor. I don’t know where my friends are either.”

  “You should just call them.”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  He ran his gaze over her face in a searching look, as if she were the most interesting person in the world, and she was pulled into their warm depths. She blushed, unable to think of a response to that witty or otherwise.

  “Or are you trying to say that you don’t want me to wait with you?” Wade said.

  “No! That’s not what I meant at all. I just…don’t want to be a burden or anything.” Yesenia felt like an idiot. Part of her wanted to keep him all to herself, but the other felt bad about allowing him to feel obligated to watch over her. But it seemed like he wanted to, was eager to, in fact. She studied him, trying to figure out what she was missing. He wasn’t trying to grope her, wasn’t making lascivious remarks…he just seemed to want to take care of her, like a gentleman.

  There was something familiar about him. It wasn’t just his features or the sound of his voice, but something in his stance and the way he cocked his head at her as he waited for her to say more. Was it possible that they’d seen each other somewhere in San Diego? “Have we met before?”

  Is she reading my mind? “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said. “But no, I would definitely remember if we had. And, by the way, you’re not a burden at all.” He grinned at her and she smiled back.

  “Good,” she said. “Because I really like this DJ.”

  “Then pay attention. He’s not going to play all night.” He pulled her closer, in front of him, and stationed his body so she was blocked from being bumped by the other people around them. He liked this DJ, too, and he tried to turn his attention to the show. But it was impossible with her backside moving softly against him as she danced. Her sweet earthy scent filled his nostrils reminding him of a drink he’d once had in Hawaii that involved jalapeno-infused tequila muddled with mango.

  Could this be my soulmate? Is she the one? Does she feel it, too? The thoughts looped crazily in his mind. It was impossible. But, at the same time, it was exciting. Something resonated inside him when he looked at her. He could feel the energy of her soul looking out at him through those large brown eyes, and it was more enticing than anything he’d ever experienced.

  It was strong enough that he knew he just had to know more. Not just about her but about what it was that drew him to her. How did this soulmate thing work anyway? Had they’d known each other in a previous life? Previous life… Ugh. He felt stupid for even thinking such a thing. His being so worked up about it all was probably just due to the power of suggestion. That was logical. That was realistic. The psychic had planted a seed in his mind and now it was connecting shreds of reality to make it true.

  Simple, but that was the whole problem. Part of him that wanted to believe the stupid soothsayer, a small but loud part of him that was dissatisfied with the thought of wandering the earth alone for all eternity. It wasn’t like he didn’t have any friends. He had plenty of paranormal ones like Somer and Scarlett. But that wasn’t the same thing as having someone special, someone he could spend every day, or his deepest thoughts, with.

  It was such a human trait to feel this kind of loneliness, one that had hadn’t thought would followed him into his vampire life. He hadn’t realized how important love would still be when he was immortal. Apparently the saying that man was not created to be alone included vampire men, too.

  As he considered the whole thing while the DJ played, he finally came to the conclusion that there was only one way to be sure she was the one. He was going to have to taste her blood. That’s all there was to it.
/>   Chapter Four

  DJ Momo finished his show with a bang, and Yesenia looked up at Wade with those deep glossy eyes, a radiant smile on her full lips. Wade hadn’t really seen the show. He’d been too busy watching her, fascinated with the sexy way she moved her shoulders and hips to the music, excitement and joy lighting up her features. The vibrant life force radiating from her was pure and intoxicating.

  “You want to get something to eat?” Wade asked. He had no idea what time it was, but he knew for sure that partying until dawn required plenty of food in addition to the booze, caffeine, and drugs humans favored.

  “Sure.”

  They made their way out of Kinetic Field and into the main section of the grounds. Wade steered Yesenia toward a concession stand selling hot dogs and hamburgers.

  “Where are you from?”

  “San Diego,” she said. “How about you?”

  “I live in Vegas for now.”

  “For now? What does that mean?”

  “I don’t like to stay in one place too long. I get bored, so I move around a lot.” He glanced sideways at her. “Maybe I’ll come and check out San Diego next.”

  She stumbled.

  He caught her elbow and steadied her, then laced his fingers through hers. It felt good to hold her hand, he couldn’t help himself. And it was nice to be walking with her as though they were together, a couple. They stopped at the end of the line.

  Yesenia looked up at him. “Um, it must be nice to just pick up and leave whenever you want. I wish I could do that. What do you do for work?”

  “Whatever needs doing. Right now I’m a valet at one of the casinos.” He made something up on the spot. He’d had many jobs over in his long history, but he didn’t need to work now. When you had so few needs, it was easy to accumulate wealth over time. “What do you do in San Diego?”