by R. E. Butler
“It’s troubling, but is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening in the future, if it is a fire fae?” Mishka asked.
“Lorene is working on a special spell, and we’re nearly finished installing metal detectors at the club entrance,” Brone said.
“We should have done that years ago,” Vex said.
“The church is being oddly silent. Maybe when their group didn’t come back after kidnapping Harmony, they realized it was foolish to come against us,” Cella said.
“That would be nice if it were true,” Mishka said. But he didn’t believe it. He knew that letting down their guard just because they hadn’t heard from the church since the attack was foolish. He would never take Harmony’s safety for granted again.
Chapter 13
Sunday night Harmony stood in front of the stage and watched her band tune up. Finn and Dolan were behind her, keeping watch for trouble.
“Are you all right, mistress?” Finn asked.
In public, every vampire in the coven called her mistress. At first, the term had felt foreign to her. She hadn’t earned the title, like Mishka had in fighting his way to the top of the coven to become the master. She’d simply mated her beloved and instantly become the female head of the coven. But now, since she’d used her muse power to save herself and the coven from the church, she felt like she had earned her title.
“I’m just wondering how many people will show up tonight.”
“Because of the attack?”
She nodded.
Finn shrugged. “It might be a light crowd for a little while, but Mishka’s the master of the city and he’s here, the coven’s here - that will go a long way in showing the general public that the club is safe now.”
Her thoughts turned to Mishka, his guards, and his safety. Turning to face Finn and Dolan, she asked, “What happens when you find your beloveds?”
Both of their brows rose. “What do you mean?” Dolan asked.
“I was just thinking about Vex and Rage. They’re Mishka’s personal guards, but they’re hoping to find their beloved soon. Which means they wouldn’t want to be vowed to protect Mishka above all else because their beloved would take priority. The same would apply to you, wouldn’t it? When you find your beloveds, you’ll want to protect them first.”
“That’s something all vampires have to deal with. Our jobs come first until we find our beloveds. If and when we find our beloveds, you’ll be assigned new guards,” Finn said.
“And we’ll take positions within the coven that don’t force us to choose between our beloveds and who we guard. Vex and Rage will make that same decision when they find their beloved. Brone is the only one who’s found his beloved in the family, and it took him a thousand years to find Arissa. Let’s just say that none of us are expecting to find our truemate anytime soon,” Dolan said with a wry smile.
“That’s a bummer.”
“What’s a few decades when you get eternity with the one right person for you?” Finn asked.
She smiled. “I hope you don’t have to wait that long.”
Turning her attention back to the stage, she let out a slow breath and focused on what was really bothering her. It had zero to do with her guards and everything to do with her power. Her power was still completely sated, so she had no need to sing to satisfy her nature. She was choosing to sing because it was important to her that she showed the church, and anyone else who didn’t like vampires, that as the mistress of the coven she would not hide but would stand tall. The problem was that she was worried about using her power.
She could just sing and not tap into her power, but then she wouldn’t be helping the club goers to feel better. Mishka had told her she didn’t have to sing tonight, or any other night. He alone could provide the feedings for her nature, the way that she provided for him with her blood. But she loved singing with her friends, and she wasn’t ready to give it up simply because she was afraid that she might go off the deep end.
“I need to see Mishka,” she said.
“He’s up in the family room,” Dolan said.
Walking toward the stairs with Finn and Dolan, she smiled at the two coven guards who stood at the base of the stairs. “I wanted to say thank you,” she said to the guards.
“For what, mistress?” the one named Tesserae asked.
“Just…thank you.”
Her eyes stung with sudden tears, and she blushed and ducked her head as she climbed the stairs. When she reached the top of the stairs, Mishka wrapped his arms around her. “What’s troubling you, my heart?” he murmured, leading her into the family room.
He settled her on the couch next to him, and she heard the sounds of the other vampires leaving them alone in the room. Resting her head on his shoulder, she said, “We could have died.”
“Could have, but didn’t.”
His hands stroked up and down her back in a soothing motion.
“What if I can’t control myself?” She’d managed to hold back the tears, but her voice was raw with the struggle.
Mishka tipped her chin until she was forced to tilt her head back to look at him. His golden gaze searched hers; his lovely mouth drew down into a frown. “I told you I would protect you. Did you think I’d sit up here with my thumb in my ass while you went through this alone?”
She was so startled by his words that she barked out a laugh. Her proper gentleman of a mate had just said the most absurd thing.
“I don’t think you ever sit around with your thumb up your ass.”
He brushed his lips over hers so gently, just a whisper of a touch, that set her nerve endings on fire. She wanted more. Now. But that was no surprise. She craved him on a cellular level.
“When the band is ready to start, I will be right offstage, ready to help you if you get overwhelmed. No one is trying to kill us tonight. There’s no reason for you to touch the dark aspect of your power.”
“I hate that I liked it, that the feeding when I was terrorizing those people felt good.”
He rubbed his thumbs along her cheeks in a soothing motion. “When I was first turned, my sire’s coven had a blood dungeon. They thought nothing of feeding from a human until they died. Some of them, my sire included, reveled in holding a life in their hands. A second one way or the other in feeding meant life or death. It’s easy to get caught up in any kind of power, Harmony.
“Weeks after I’d been changed, there was a blood orgy. It was nothing new for our kind – blood slaves were chained to every surface in the master’s home. The scent of sex and blood in the air was…electric.” His focus shifted as if he were reliving the memory. She had seen it in his memories, but hearing him speak about that night made her skin goose bump.
“I didn’t intend to kill the female. She pleaded with me to stop, but I didn’t. The coven encouraged me. My sire commanded me to drain her dry and experience being sated.”
Later, Mishka had discovered the woman had been pregnant, and he’d been so disgusted with his actions that he left his sire and coven and struck out on his own. He’d never used a blood slave again, and he had instead only drank from willing donors.
“You haven’t killed anyone in feeding again,” she said.
“No, but the idea that I did once, even hundreds of years ago, has stayed with me. They used to call it the Black Kiss – having sex and feeding at the same time. For young vampires, it wreaks havoc on the ability to stay focused and in the moment, which is why it’s discouraged until a vampire has learned control.”
“I’ve never doubted you would keep me safe when you feed.”
“Well,” he said, kissing her once more, “you’re the most important person in the world to me. Hurting you would kill me.”
She sighed and leaned into him, and he drew her even closer until she felt entirely surrounded by him. “I feel better.”
“Good. Are you ready to go?”
“If we can’t stay here snuggling all night, then I guess so.”
He chuckled, and
the sound rumbled in his chest. “Later.”
After a long moment of snuggling in her beloved’s embrace, she stood and said, “Thank you for helping me.”
He stood and clasped her hands, drawing them to his lips. “Whatever you need, I will always be here.”
They walked out of the family room, down the stairs, and around the slowly filling dance floor to the stage. She stood off to the side of the stage with Mishka behind her, his hands on her shoulders letting her know that he was there with her. She was nervous. Possibly more nervous than she’d ever been at any time in her life. But she knew she had to do this. She couldn’t let her fear rule her. She loved singing and performing with the band, helping people to be happier, even if just for a short while.
And she loved Mishka.
Somewhere in the craziness, she’d fallen for him. Hell, she’d been half in love with him when she’d first laid eyes on him. Gorgeous, strong, courageous, deadly. Turning to face him, she said, “I love you. Not because my muse and your vampire natures decided we were perfect for each other, but because you’re amazing.”
He growled softly, taking her with him as he moved several steps away from the side of the stage into the dark recesses of the storage room. “I love you, too. And you’re the amazing one, my heart. I wake up every night thankful that I’m not dreaming anymore.”
She heard the unmistakable sound of the band readying to perform. She went onto her toes and kissed him, tugging off his ponytail tie and slipping it over her wrist. “For good luck,” she said.
“I’m right here for you, love,” he said, walking with her to the side of the stage and kissing her cheek.
She squeezed his hand and released it slowly, stepping out onto the stage and heading straight for the microphone stand.
“You’ve got this,” Wyst said.
“Show your power who’s boss,” Tamar said.
She glanced at Bridge, and he shrugged. “I can’t think of anything else uplifting to say.”
“How about kick some ass?” she offered.
He grinned and said into the microphone, “You heard the woman. Let’s kick some ass!”
* * *
Although Harmony had been worried that singing would make her want to tap into the dark side of her power, she hadn’t needed to worry. The dark desires that had raged inside her were quiet now. As she sang, pulling out negative emotions from the club goers and replacing them with happier ones, she knew that there was nothing to worry about.
She could feel Mishka’s presence through their bond. He opened himself to her completely so she could feel his emotions fully. Her beloved was ridiculously proud of her, and he had not even a tiny trace of fear in him. He wasn’t worried about her losing it and taking out half of Cleveland on a muse bender, so she decided she wouldn’t feel anxious about it either. Her power was only as strong as she let it be. Before, in the warehouse, she’d been full of rage and a need to prevent future crimes against the coven. Here, in the club, there was no need for anger or fear. Her family – from her sexy beloved to her friends to her family – were watching out for her, just as she did for them.
Pushing her power out to the crowd, she felt the answering swell of her power as her nature fed off their emotions. The longer she sang, the more people ventured onto the dance floor. Although the club wasn’t nearly as full as it had been, there was still a large crowd. By amping up the good feelings she sent out, she rewarded them for their trust in the club and in Mishka’s ability to keep them safe.
Even when she was completely sated an hour later, her hair streaked with bright blue and her throat starting to burn from exertion, she continued to sing. The band played all of her favorite songs, and she even dedicated a sexy song to her beloved and sang a cover of Cella’s favorite song from the 1940s.
In spite of the worry she’d had at the start of the night, she let go of the fear of losing control and embraced her nature. With Mishka by her side, she knew she could handle anything that life threw at her. And if she ever needed to tap into the darker nature of her muse, she knew that Mishka would help her then, too. Because he loved her, and he always kept his promises.
Chapter 14
The following night, Mishka strode into the walk-in closet in their chamber and pulled open the door to the built-in armoire. A small set of LEDs illuminated the interior, displaying dozens of cufflinks in a special velvet-lined tray. Choosing a sapphire blue set, he fixed them on the cuffs of his crisp white dress shirt and closed the cabinet.
Turning to the built-in drawers, he opened the top drawer and slid his hand into the depths to find a pair of socks. When he pulled out a pair of black socks with pink hearts, he remembered that he’d given the top drawer to Harmony for her things. As he returned the socks back to the drawer, his fingertips grazed a hard object. Lifting it from the interior, he found a small velvet pouch. He wasn’t one to snoop, but he couldn’t stop the curiosity that drove him to open the pouch. He was fairly certain he knew what was inside, and he was right – it was a small, fingertip vibrator. Testing it to see that the battery worked, he smiled as he slipped the pouch into his jacket pocket.
Closing the drawer, he removed socks from his own drawer and walked into the chamber. As he was pulling on his socks, he heard the shower shut off. It was tempting to strip and go into the bathroom to see if she needed any help drying off, but they were having what she referred to as their “first date part two,” in which they were planning to dance together in the private room. If he ventured into the bathroom, they wouldn’t be leaving the chamber anytime soon, and completing the date as originally planned was important to both of them.
Harmony walked out of the bathroom nude, pausing in the open doorway and giving him a soft smile. “I thought you might come back into the bathroom and join me.”
They’d already made love in the shower. Peeling himself away from her so they could actually leave the chamber at some point that evening had been supremely difficult.
“You said it was important for us to finish the date.”
“Fine, be all noble.”
“The thoughts I’m thinking about you would hardly be categorized as noble.”
Her eyes darkened, and she bit her lower lip. “Damn it, you’re so sexy.” Shaking her head, she said, “I’m going to get dressed before I ask you for details about the non-noble thoughts.”
He chuckled as she disappeared into the closet. He finished dressing and went into the bathroom to run a brush through his hair. He reached for a tie for his hair but decided against it. Harmony liked his hair down, and he enjoyed how it felt when she ran her fingers through it, or fisted it when she came.
He waited at the door for her as she finished getting ready. She approached him slowly, the high heels she wore making her legs look long and lovely. The halter dress was black lace, very short and hugged her curves. She looked up at him, and he ran his fingers through her soft hair, letting the curls she’d placed in her tresses wrap around his fingers.
“You look amazing, my heart.”
“Thank you, Master Mishka,” she said, her gaze darkening further, the scent of her arousal punctuating the air.
“Mistress,” he said, his voice dropping as he pressed his lips to hers.
She slid her tongue along one of his fangs, and a shiver of arousal shot through him.
“I love when you call me that,” she said, pulling away from him slightly to break the kiss. “Your voice is so sexy. If you could use your persuasion powers on me, could you make me come?”
“I’m afraid not. My persuasion power doesn’t lend itself to pleasure. I do know some vampires who can, though. I’ve heard that a persuasive orgasm is out of this world.”
“It would be hard to top how you make me feel when we come together.”
Kissing her once more, he opened the door to the chamber and offered her his arm. “Are you ready to finish our date?”
“Absolutely. I’m very curious about this secret viewing room.”
As they walked down the corridor to the elevator, he said, “When the club was built, I had it put in for the family to use as a gathering room. The one-way mirror allowed us to watch the goings-on in the club without having to be out in the crowd. But the problem became that we never actually went out into the club, and the family spent all of their time in there. The coven felt as though I, personally, and the family were never around. It’s important for the coven to see us all and know that we’re there and keeping watch.”
“Then you created the family room.”
He nodded. “That allowed the coven and other club goers to see that we were there in the club, watching.”
“Do you use the viewing room?”
“From time to time.”
When they had reached the reception area of the offices, Arissa told them to have a pleasant date, and Bellamin and Dylan, who guarded the office doors, held them open.
“It’s a pleasure to see you both tonight,” Dylan said, ducking his head in a small bow.
“Enjoy your evening, master and mistress,” Bellamin said.
“Thank you,” Harmony said.
Mishka led her down the hall and away from the doors that passed the coat check and the club, and he used the keypad to unlock the viewing room. Only family members knew the code to the room. Once inside the room, Mishka locked the door from inside so that the keypad was disabled, preventing them from being disturbed. Ahead of time, he’d had Cella make provisions in the room for their date.
Only one overstuffed chair sat several feet away from the center of the glass wall, with a small table next to it that held a decanter of SyBl, a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket, and two glasses. A small tray of fruit, chocolate, and cheese had been set next to the drinks. Electric candles flickered strategically around the room in small alcoves, giving them enough light to see without needing an overhead light.