“Planning on scoring big, are you now?” he asked.
She laughed. “It would be nice to score ‘big’.”
“If you’re planning on dating any of my kind, you’ll need to look for protection in the Hefty bag aisle,” said Liam.
I laughed. “Oh my God, do you ever stop?”
“That’s what my last date said,” he replied, winking.
Melody and I groaned.
When we returned to the castle, we watched a comedy in Liam’s chambers, all three of us sprawled out on his bed as we ate popcorn and laughed at the movie. A couple of times, I noticed Melody whispering into Liam’s ear or rubbing his back, but could tell that he was still trying to keep everything platonic between them.
When the movie was over, I stood up and yawned. “I’m going back to my room to take a nap. I’m tired.”
“Okay. I need to go and talk with Aiden,” said Liam, rolling out of bed.
“What are we doing tonight?” asked Melody, hugging one of Liam’s pillows.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Chelsey mentioned something about a club. The Blue Room. I think we should go.”
“Why do you want to go there?” he asked, not looking too happy. “And how in the hell did you hear of it anyway?”
I told him.
“It’s not a good idea,” he replied. “The only thing you’ll find there is trouble.”
“Only if you’re looking for it,” she countered.
“It’s no place for two teenagers to be hanging out at. Not you two, at least.”
“Why not us?” she asked.
“You’re too… innocent.”
“I’m not as innocent as you may think,” argued Melody. “Or want to think.”
“Listen to me - anyone that goes there is looking to get high or laid. Is that what you want?” he asked, getting angry.
“What we want is to take Chelsey’s mind off of Slade and ‘no’, I’m not saying that we want to go there to find sex or drugs. We just want to go somewhere different and maybe see some crazy stuff, to… get a good laugh. I mean, seriously Liam, haven’t you ever just liked wanted to hang out somewhere and watch things happen?”
“I’ve seen enough crazy shit in my lifetime that would give you nightmares for the rest of yours. The Blue Room isn’t going to happen, so just forget about it.”
She looked at me, as if asking for my help.
“Actually, I don’t know if I really want to go there, either,” I told her.
“You were the one who insisted that we buy dresses and check the place out,” she said, staring at me in surprise.
“I know but I’ve changed my mind.” I didn’t want to tell her that I’d only mentioned going there to piss Slade off.
“Seriously, neither of you guys are any fun,” she huffed.
Liam sighed. “If you really want to go somewhere, to let loose, there are other places. Other clubs. It doesn’t have to be that place.”
Her scowl turned into a smile. “Okay. Then you pick the place and we’ll go. What about you, Chelsey? Do you want to go clubbing?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. I was still feeling depressed about Slade and the last thing I really wanted to do was hang out at a club.
“Oh, come on. Liam’s going to take us, right Liam?”
“Sure. As long as you both behave and stay out of trouble.”
“Oh, what kind of trouble could we get into?” she said, smiling devilishly. “Right Chelsey?”
I sighed.
IT WAS ALMOST four p.m., when I headed back to my chamber. We’d decided to wait for the weekend, to go clubbing with Liam, which was relieving. After everything that had happened, I wasn’t in the mood for loud music or dancing. I just wanted to be left alone.
Slade, you bastard, I thought, my eyes filling with tears. I couldn’t understand how heartless he could be after acting so tender and loving the night before. Obviously, he really knew how to put on a show, both on and off stage. I wondered how many others had fallen for his lies and felt like an idiot. I should have known that he hadn’t really fallen for me. I was just a naïve virgin and he wasn’t just a vampire. He was a sexy rock star who had women throwing themselves at him constantly.
On the other hand, I knew that I should also be grateful for his help. He’d been the one who’d volunteered to take us to Dublin, to escape Faye. He’d also talked Liam into letting us stay at the castle, and had purchased all of those things for us on Grafton Street earlier.
Yeah, but only because he felt guilty, I reminded myself.
Slade had been the reason that Faye had kidnapped Melody in the first place. She’d been one of the pawns used to try and entice him into becoming another of Faye’s puppets. When that hadn’t worked out, Faye turned her wrath on all of us, killing my parents, my aunt, and my best friend. Apparently, he had some kind of a conscience. Just not when it came to sleeping with women.
As I approached the door to my chamber, I heard Lucian calling out to me. I turned around and smiled as he walked over. He’d changed his clothes and was now wearing a grey sweater and black slacks. His whitish blonde hair hung down his back and his eyes sparkled like blue crystals. He was obviously a vampire, but I was reminded of what Melody had said earlier and could very well picture him as a warrior elf.
“Hi, Lucian,” I said, as he stopped next to me.
“Hello, Chelsey. I was just thinking about you. How was your trip into town?” he asked, making me feel warm and welcome.
“It was busy. We did get a lot of shopping done.”
“Really? I love to shop. What kind of shopping did you do?”
“For clothing and beauty products. We arrived here with basically nothing,” I confided, still feeling totally at ease around him.
“You poor girl. I heard about your parents and what happened in Shore Lake. That nasty Shape-shifter, Faye Dunbar, is a horrible, horrible, creature,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
“You can say that again. It’s almost like she was running the town, too. Even the sheriff was under her thumb. I’m so glad we were able to get out of the U.S. for a while.”
“I agree. You would be in grave danger if you would have stuck around,” he replied and then looked around the hallway. “By the way, where is your fiancé? I’ve been looking for him.”
I looked down. “He’s gone back to Romania for a few days.”
“That displeases you,” he stated.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s fine.”
“Chelsey,” he said in a soft voice. “Could we be frank with each other?”
I looked up and into his eyes.
“Slade isn’t really your fiancé, is he?”
“No,” I answered automatically.
“Why is it that you look so distraught, then?” he asked.
I bit my lower lip. I felt compelled to say something, I just couldn’t find the words to express my feelings without telling him too much.
“It’s obvious to me that you’re very troubled.” He pointed toward the door to my chamber. “Why don’t we go into your room and chat?”
I laughed nervously. “No, I’m fine. Really,” I said, just wanting to be alone.
“Sometimes it’s good to get things off of your chest. You seem like someone who could use a friend. Especially one who’s not only male, but a vampire. Who knows, I might be able to shed some light on what’s going on between the two of you.”
That actually made sense and I did trust Lucian. He was my… friend. “Okay.” I opened the door and walked into my chamber. When I turned around, he was still in the hallway. It was then that I remembered - he needed an invitation. “You can come in, Lucian.”
Lucian gave me a big toothy grin. “Thank you,” he said, and then stepped inside.
I WATCHED LUCIAN approach Chelsey from down the hallway and fortunately, she didn’t notice me. When she invited him into her chamber, I felt a stab of jealousy. I knew that it was unwarranted, however. L
ucian needed to be alone with her, to make sure his charm had worked and to gain her trust. But, he was also going to feed and that was what irritated me. The thought of his mouth on her flesh was maddening.
“Why can’t you wait?” I’d asked, when he’d informed me of his plans to feed off of Chelsey.
“Why should I wait? She’s got the blood, I need to feed, and I’ll be with her alone, anyway. I can kill two birds with one stone. She won’t even remember a thing.”
“We can get you someone else, in town. We were both going to do that anyway.”
“There’s no time. We need to leave Dublin, this afternoon and I want to make sure that when I come back for her, she trusts me completely. Now, go and pack your bags while I deal with the girl. When you’re done, charm Dr. Shephard. Make him insist that we leave today. I want them to think it was his choice and that we haven’t caught onto anything.”
“What if Slade shows up when you’re with Chelsey?”
“He’s nowhere in the castle. Besides, why would he come to her chamber? He told you there was nothing going on between them, righty?”
“Yes. Pretty much.”
“Good. Then I’m not worried. If he does show up, I’ll deal with him.”
“Okay.”
Now that Lucian was in her bedroom, however, I felt uneasy.
“PLEASE, SIT DOWN,” said Lucian, waving his hand over to my bed.
Not thinking anything of it, I walked over and sat down on my mattress. He followed and did the same.
“So, tell me… what’s going on with you and Slade?” he asked, staring into my eyes. “Tell me everything.”
The next thing I knew, I was doing just that. Starting from our very first meeting to our night together, and then I told him about Maureen.
Lucian grunted. “He’s acting like a complete asshole. You deserve much better.”
“Thank you.”
Lucian reached over and grabbed my hand. “You’re much too beautiful and sweet to let yourself be at the mercy of a devil like Slade. He uses people to get what he wants and then tosses them aside.”
I suddenly felt defensive. “He hasn’t really tossed me aside.”
“Hasn’t he?” he challenged. “What do you call sleeping with you and then acting like it never happened?”
“I don’t know… remorse?”
“I doubt that. I’m sure he enjoyed making love to you very much.”
His words made me blush but the way he was staring at me, made me uncomfortable.
“Well, I’m not at his mercy,” I said, trying to change the subject.
“Your feelings are at the moment. Chelsey, look at me,” he ordered, when I looked away. Our eyes met again. “Brush them off. The only thing that you should be feeling for him is disgust and contempt. He’s a lying cheat and will only hurt you in the end.”
I stared at him, feeling strange.
“Trust me. Trust everything I’m telling you. Slade only wants to use you for sex. You can trust me, however, Chelsey,” he said, his voice getting softer. “I’d never hurt you.”
“I do trust you,” I whispered.
Lucian reached over and ran his finger along the side of my cheek; his eyes began to glow. “How much do you trust me?” he whispered back.
“With my life,” I said, surprised that I did indeed feel that way.
He leaned forward and pressed his cool lips to my forehead. “And now? Do you still trust me?” he murmured against my skin.
I licked my lips. “Yes.”
“You know what I am?” he asked, touching my hair.
I nodded.
“Does it not scare you?”
“No. You’re my friend. I trust you.”
“I am your friend and friends help each other.”
“Yes.”
Lucian pulled my hair to the side and I felt his fingers on the nape of my neck. “So beautiful,” he whispered, lowering his mouth until I could feel his breath on my collarbone.
I shivered and for a brief second, I felt a jolt of hysteria, at the thought of what he was doing to me.
“Lucian,” I said, stiffening up. “This isn’t right.
“Relax,” he said, looking me in the eyes again. “Be calm.”
My anxiety disappeared.
“I would never hurt you. Do you believe that you can trust me?” he asked.
“Yes. I do.”
Lucian pushed the neck of my shirt down, baring my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” I asked, giggling nervously when his tongue began to lick my skin. I trusted him but what he was doing… was very weird.
Instead of answering, Lucian gripped the side of my arm firmly and then there was a sharp pain that went deep into my shoulder.
I gasped in pain.
He was biting me!
“Lucian!” I cried, trying to push him away.
His fingers dug into my skin, holding me in place. I could feel his tongue, licking and his mouth sucking as I struggled to get away. But, he ignored my protests and held me firmly, continuing his assault on my shoulder.
“Please… It hurts-”
Right after I said it, the pain in my shoulder was suddenly replaced with a warm, tingly sensation that soon became pleasurable. Confused, I stopped struggling and soon found myself aroused and edging toward an orgasm.
“Okay,” he suddenly gasped, pulling away from me. His face was flushed and his lips were covered in blood. Breathing heavily, he wiped his mouth and then grabbed the side of my head with both hands. “You will not remember any of this,” he said, holding my eyes with his. “Not even me being in your bedroom.”
My head began to get fuzzy.
He leaned forward kissed me. “You won’t remember my lips on yours,” he whispered, kissing me again. “You won’t remember anything but going to your chamber alone and wanting to take a nap. Now,” he released me, “close your eyes and rest.”
I did what he ordered.
TEN MINUTES LATER, Lucian quietly slipped out of Chelsey’s bedroom, a smile on his face. When he noticed me watching him from down the hallway, he faltered in his step.
“Surprised to see me?” I mused.
He ignored my statement. “Are you packed already?”
I nodded. The truth was, I’d been packed since last night. “How did it go?” I asked, although I could tell by his complexion alone that it had gone very well.
He grinned. “Good.”
Something about the look in his eyes made me uneasy. I wondered how ‘good’ it had went. “You fed?”
He leaned forward, grabbed the back of my neck, and began kissing me. I could taste Chelsey’s blood and it sent shivers of delight all the way down to my sex.
“Is Dr. Shephard ready?’ he asked, releasing me.
I let out a ragged breath. “He is still sleeping. I charmed him, but the man was looking so ill, I just let him fall back asleep.”
“That won’t do. You need to wake him. Meanwhile, I’m going to let Aiden know that we’re leaving. I’ll tell him that Dr. Shephard is insisting upon it.”
“Okay,” I said, not moving.
“What is it?” he asked, noticing my hesitation. “Is there something wrong?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Lucian, which area of the body, on Chelsey, did you feed from?”
His eyes hardened. “In the shoulder. Why are you asking?”
“I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t make it noticeable,” I lied.
He smiled. “You know me better than that.”
“Of course. I’m just being paranoid, I guess.”
“You’re not jealous, are you?” he asked, watching me closely.
“Of course not. I trust you completely.”
“I should hope so. I’m doing this all for you, you know,” he said, slipping his arms around my waist. He kissed my lips again.
I loved Lucian, but I wasn’t naïve. He was doing it for his own reasons, the main o
ne being that he’d witnessed his mother being murdered, by a Lycan, when he was just a young boy. He now hoped that Dr. Shephard’s hybrids would someday help rid the world of the mongrels. I didn’t care one way or the other. I just wanted a baby to hold in my arms. One that I wouldn’t be compelled to feed off of. Right now, this seemed like the only way.
“I know,” I whispered, hugging him back.
AN HOUR LATER, we were standing outside with Aiden.
“I’m sorry that you have to leave so quickly,” said Aiden, as the limousine pulled up next to us. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night, Dr. Shephard?”
The doctor, who was under a charm and compelled to leave the castle, shook his head vehemently. “No. Thank you so much for your kind hospitality, but I need to leave. I don’t know why, but I seem to be allergic to something in the castle that’s making my Bronchitis… unmanageable.” He let out a raucous cough, proving his point. “I’m terribly sorry,” he said, wiping his mouth with a tissue.
“No need to apologize, Dr. Shephard. It’s hundreds of years old and stagnant in some places, probably because there really isn’t a proper ventilation system,” said Aiden. He looked at Lucian. “Were you able to find a flight with such short notice?”
“Luckily, yes. It leaves at ten-thirty. We’re going into town, so that he can grab a refill of cough medicine and maybe even a bite to eat, and then we’re off to the airport.”
“Are you sure you don’t want my chef to prepare something for the road, Dr. Shephard?”
The old man shook his head. “No, it’s quite alright.”
Aiden held out his hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“You as well,” replied Dr. Shephard, shaking it. “I’m just sorry that we couldn’t partner up with the program.”
Aiden looked at Lucian and smirked. “I believe you already have a partner that will do anything that he can to find funding for your project.”
“Yes, I hope so,” he replied, dropping his hand. “Goodbye Mr. Rylan.”
“Goodbye Dr. Shephard.”
The doctor slid into the limo and Aiden turned to look at me and Lucian with an expression that stopped my heart. “So, you’re go back to America as well?” he asked as the driver shut the door and walked around the vehicle.
Toxic (Venom Series) Book Three Page 8