by Lissa Kasey
“You can’t know that. For all we know Max put him up to this to get closer to you.”
“Right. ‘Cause I have so many secrets? And I share them with you?” He had a point, but Luca had been sitting at the counter in Gabe’s apartment. “You’re attractive. Get over it. Maybe he’s got an Asian guy kink.” Sei wriggled his eyebrows at me.
“You’re a dork, Ronnie.”
“I’m okay with that.”
I sighed. Fine whatever. It was just a date. “I’ve never really been on a date before. Matthew just took me somewhere to fuck. Roman just fed on me and locked me in a tower like some damn princess.” Crap this was all fucked up. “I need to move on.”
“I agree. And there’s no better time to start than right now.” He yanked me up from the bed and shoved me toward his closet. “Let’s give him a bit of a show. Let him wine and dine you like a proper gentleman should.”
“Seems unfair if I’m not going to have sex with him?”
“Ever?”
I shrugged. Maybe someday. “Not tonight.”
“Anticipation is good. Gabe does that to me all the time. Sends me naughty texts or voicemails while I’m working. Had to wait months to get into his pants the first time. I thought I would die before it finally happened.”
“Oh the hardship,” I teased.
Seiran’s smile was radiant. “Yeah, he’d be perfect if only he talked more. And I think this unrest with you is making him grumpy ‘cause he’s been in a terrible mood the past few weeks.”
“Sorry.”
“Whatever. It’s my problem not yours.” Sei clapped his hands. “Now I need to find you something to wear that isn’t black and screaming Goth.”
“I’m not Goth. I’m a vampire.”
“So is Gabe and he never wears black.”
He was also pale, blond, and looked washed out in black. He had two thousand years to figure out what looked good on him and what didn’t. I was still nineteen and perpetually awkward. “I don’t own anything else. Just T-shirts and jeans.” Most in black.
“Good thing I do and we are about the same size.” He began pulling things from his closet and pressed them against me murmuring to himself. He made me change twice before nodding and smiling. The pants were snug, and bright purple. The shirt he’d chosen was full-sleeved and high collared, but thin and pale lavender. Every nook and cranny of my chest was visible through the shirt—nipples and the tiny bit of belly that made me frown. “You have great arms. Good muscle tone,” Sei remarked.
The shirt had something interlaced in it that made it sparkle when I moved, a trick of the light, I think. It was almost like my skin glowed. “You know vampires aren’t supposed to sparkle, right?”
“Tonight you’re not a vampire. You’re just Sam who has a date with Luca.” He tugged me into the bathroom. The things he set on the counter were products and tools I had no idea what to do with. But he set to work, first brushing out my hair and adding some goop to spike it. He styled a small patch in front to sweep over my left brow.
He rubbed something cool and soothing all over my face and neck. My skin seemed to suck it up because he cursed and applied it twice more. When he came at me with something that looked like a black marker, I grabbed his hand. “What’s that?”
“Just eyeliner.”
“Girls use that.”
“I use it all the time.”
“Not endearing it to me, Ronnie.”
“Trust me. It will make your eyes pop. I’m glad you don’t wear those contacts anymore. You have great dark and smoky eyes, long lashes and no caterpillar eyebrows. The liner will help your eyes stand out. I promise I won’t use much. Just look up toward the ceiling. You won’t even notice it after a minute.”
I sighed and looked up. He applied it quickly enough. And I did only feel it for a minute or so.
“Don’t rub your eyes. It won’t come off without a wipe but you don’t want it to smudge either.” He stuffed an individually packaged wipe into my pocket. “You look great.” He picked up mascara and I bit my tongue to keep from protesting.
After a minute he stepped back and motioned toward the mirror. “Take a look.”
I turned and glared at my expression. “Holy shit!” Was that really me? The paleness of my skin only made the stark black of my hair and lined eyes stand out even more. A hint of glitter in the liner matched the shirt that flashed sparkling color at me. I could have been a model for some glam rock band. Thankfully I didn’t look at all like Seiran Rou. This wasn’t androgynous pretty. The guy that stared at me in the mirror was hot in an ‘I’m trouble’ sort of way. I touched my face since the skin didn’t feel tight for the first time in ages.
“I put three rounds of moisturizer on you. You really need to take better care of your skin. Being undead doesn’t mean you want it to flake and peel, right?” He handed me a bottle. “Keep it. Gabe buys it in bulk since he goes through a ton of it himself. Works great for solo activities too.” Sei winked at me.
“You’re a pervert,” I told him.
He laughed. “Guilty. You should also carry grave dirt around with you. I’ll make a little necklace for you like the one I made Gabe last month. You’ll have to refill it a couple times a week, but it will help keep the circles from under your eyes and your skin from looking waxy.” He fluffed my hair a little. “You’re hot. Like man hot. Trouble. The guy that walks into the club and everyone goes, wow, who’s he? I figured you’d want man hot since you’re going out with Luca.”
“That’s a lot of man to compete with,” I admitted before I even realized I was going to say it out loud.
“Why compete? Just enjoy the hotness and forget the scorecard. Do you think I’m anywhere close to Gabe’s league? Hell, when we met I was just a kid. High on power and so fucked in the head I didn’t care if I got him killed by coming on to him. So how about you just go and enjoy it for what it is? If you like him, great. If not, well I’m sure there will be plenty other attractive men to step up if you looked their way.”
For once I agreed with him. It made sense. Even if I fucked up this date, I could find someone eventually. It had taken Gabe two thousand years to find his match. I really had to stop bitching about looking for mine. There were bound to be bad relationships in the bunch, but not trying was just accepting defeat, right?
“Oh, you need a coat.” He rushed out of the bathroom and to the closet by the main door throwing it open to sort through the many hangers. “This one is perfect.” He handed me a pale purple leather jacket. The cut was good though it pulled through the shoulders a little. Zipped and buttoned covered up the sparkling shirt a little.
“I look really gay,” I commented. What normal guy wore purple?
Sei got really close and whispered all secretive-like, “Hate to break it to you, princess. But you are gay.”
“Yeah, yeah, Ronnie. You’re just jealous ‘cause you didn’t get to have my ass before you committed to the big guy.” It was easier to tease him when I was in a fairly good mood. If the night went sour, I’d call and bitch him out even if I woke him at two a.m. He wanted to be friends then so be it.
“I’m more of a bottom myself,” Sei said. “But yeah, there would have been a point in my life that I would have let you screw me. Good thing my tastes have improved, eh?”
“Har har,” I groused, but couldn’t help but smile.
“There’s a smile. You have great teeth, even the fangs, which are barely noticeable.”
Immediately I felt self-conscious about my teeth. Would Luca freak if I flashed fang? Gabe almost never did and I was getting better about not doing it in public, but it was hard sometimes when I was so used to them being there.
“I bet Luca will dig them. Since he’s the kid of a vampire and all that.”
“Yeah. I just wish he’d be straight with me.”
Sei raised a brow. “Straight?”
“You know what I mean. I don’t really have anything to offer him, so why’s he hanging around?”
“Why would you need to offer him anything other than a good time? He’s Max Hart’s kid so maybe he’s looking for a break from the super vamp lifestyle. It’s got to be like being the heir to some Fortune 500 company. Hart has more money than pretty much every vampire in the midwest combined. Luca was handling some Ascendance paperwork stuff so he’s probably being groomed to be a CEO.” He scrunched up his face in distaste likely because he’d experienced the same thing with his mother pushing him to be the first male witch to lead the Dominion—which I was sure was going to happen sooner rather than later. “I’d hate that.”
“Some things in life just bite.”
“Like you wanna bite him.”
I shrugged. “He did say he has to drink blood from another vampire every once in a while.”
“Sounds kinky. You going to try that?”
“Letting him suck on me?” Burst out of my mouth before I forgot who I was talking to.
Sei laughed. “In more ways than one.”
“You have a one-track mind.”
“I like sex. Don’t you?”
Did I? I guess. “Maybe another night.”
Sei nodded. “Your say. Come on. Your prince awaits!”
Chapter 8
Luca looked edible. He’d changed again at some point into pale green pants that hugged his ass and rode low on his hips. His shirt was a button up, white and tight enough to outline his strong shoulders and flat stomach. He’d shaved, but not enough to get rid of the stubble, more just to tame it, and his hair was product free falling around his face in waves. He looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of one of Seiran’s many romance novels.
“You look damn good,” Luca said approaching me with a look in his eyes that said sex. He opened his mouth to say something else but Seiran must have done something behind me because he stopped and held out his hand to me. I took it and enjoyed his warm grip.
“Thanks. You look great too.” Smelled even better, but I was hungry. Maybe I should have taken the witch up on his offer for a nibble.
“Where are you guys headed?” Gabe asked. He’d been pulling things up on the computer and didn’t look happy about whatever he was reading.
“Loco Mojo,” Luca said. “Mostly shifters, but I’ve heard the dancing is good there.”
I’d never been, though I’d heard of it a time or two. I hoped the place didn’t smell like wet dog.
“I want you guys to be careful of any vampires you meet tonight and don’t recognize.”
“Has there been another incident?” Luca asked.
Like the two dead guys I was blamed for? I tried to get a look at Gabe’s computer screen but he had it turned away. “Nothing important,” he told us. “Jamie is going to drop you guys off downtown. Call if you need a ride.”
Something was up. Jamie appeared as the elevator doors slid open. Kelly stood beside him looking ready for a night out himself. I couldn’t recall a time I’d seen the water witch so dressed up, but he was in a pale blue suit tailored to fit him perfectly. Jamie wasn’t any more casual in neatly pressed slacks and a button up that could barely contain his wide shoulders. Was there a party we were interrupting?
“What’s the occasion?” I asked Kelly as we got into the elevator with them.
“Date night at the ‘rents. My mom and his mom.” Kelly put his arm around Jamie’s waist. “He has the overnight shift at the hospital tonight so we won’t be out late.” Jamie tensed but Kelly leaned over and kissed his cheek which brought a flush of color to them.
Dinner with the ‘rents. That was commitment. And probably what was making Jamie nervous. I wondered what it would be like to have someone that I cared about enough to introduce them to my parents. Though again my parents would likely throw holy water on me and curse me for the evil thing I was. Gay and undead—which was worse? I sighed and stared at the wall instead of probing for conversation.
Luca talked with Kelly about some Ascendance thing I tuned out. Everyone liked Kelly. He was just that sort of guy. Friendly, outgoing, good-looking, and powerful. My date wasn’t cruising him, and I knew Kelly was pretty into Jamie, so I wasn’t worried. I wondered more if they thought it was odd that I didn’t try to strike up a conversation, but since Jamie didn’t either, I figured I was in the clear.
Once we were all loaded in the car and heading across town, I let myself study Luca as the street lights passed overhead. I realized that last night he’d been dressed for the club and using all his come-hither sex vibes. Tonight he seemed to be laid out bare. Sure he was still dressed nice and cleaned up okay, but this felt more natural. Maybe this could work. I squeezed his hand and he gripped mine. If anything, I’d have my first date. Might as well make it memorable.
A line wrapped around the block to Loco Mojo. Jamie pulled up to the door to let us out. “Remember what Gabe said, Sam. Stay away from vampires who aren’t his and don’t wander tonight. If you need a ride, call.”
“What’s with the vampire thing?” I asked him, wondering if he’d tell me more than Gabe would.
“No one knows for sure. Just be on your guard.”
“Okay.” Cryptic much? I got out and glared at the beautiful people waiting in the cold, huddling together, flirting and generally just standing around. I didn’t really want to spend the next hour waiting to get inside so I could dance a little with Luca. Maybe there was some place else we could go?
Luca tugged my hand and led us straight to the door and the bouncer who stood in front of the rope. “Johnny,” Luca held out his free hand and shook the other man’s. The bouncer made Jamie look small which I’d have thought impossible until just then.
“Depacio, you little shit. Heard you were in town. Was going to hit the club, but haven’t had time. You up for sparring?”
“Sure, anytime. Just ring me.”
“Why Minnesota, man? I thought you were a permanent Cali-boy. Weather sure is better there.”
“And the people fake.”
“I get ya, man, I get ya.” He nodded his tiny head like a bobblehead doll. “Come on in.” He waved us through the door. “This one’s a little different than your usual playmates, eh?”
Luca put his arm around me. “Yeah, this one bites back. Hot, right?”
“If you like ‘em dead, I guess. No trouble. No provoking the locals. You know the drill.”
“I’ll be good. Or at least as good as usual.” Luca tugged me inside.
The music was loud, but not uncomfortably so like it was at most human clubs. People danced. There were tables scattered around the edge of the room where people ate food and talked. There was a second-floor balcony that appeared to have mostly diners on it, but a few danced near the railing, which also had a very fine netting over it. The place smelled like people: blood, sweat, and food, not dog, for which I was grateful.
“You need to eat first?” I asked Luca wondering if he wanted to get a table. The dance floor was filled with straight couples, gay couples, and everything in-between. All moving erotically. Some obviously didn’t know how to dance and no one seemed to care. I was pretty sure I couldn’t do much more than sway myself.
“How about you eat first, then we’ll dance a little.” Luca pulled me over to the side and helped me out of my borrowed coat, swinging it over the back of a chair at an open table. “No coat check here, but no one is likely to take our stuff either. Pretty hard to steal in here when the door guys can smell the stuff on you.”
So the bouncer outside had been a shifter? I had no idea. He hadn’t smelled like anything, but the cold often messed with my senses. Luca hung his coat too and stepped into my personal space, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. I tried to move back, but he pressed my head to his neck. “No sex, just food for now. I promise. Eat.”
He smelled so good I couldn’t resist. I licked along the pulsing vein in his neck, savoring the salty taste of his skin and the jumping beat of his heart. He shivered, but everything about his body language said he was relaxed, prep
ared even, for the bite. I carefully broke the skin and let the taste of him fill my mouth, gulping heaps of him down in a slow sensual draw. Not that I should have been gorging myself on my date, but he didn’t pull away or even seem to mind. My cock hardened and pressed into his thigh. Yeah feeding and sex went hand in hand.
Finally when I couldn’t hold anymore I licked his wound closed. The hickey made me proud. People would see it, see us together and know I’d done that. Marked him. That he was mine even if it was just for tonight.
Luca made no move to step away. He rested his lips against my throat, arms wrapped tight around my torso. We swayed a little though we were nowhere near the dance floor. His breath warmed my skin and I tilted my head up and away to allow him better access. Small kisses danced along the cords of my neck. I wondered if he hungered the way I did. How long had it been since he last had vampire blood? Most of my memories of being bitten were harsh and brutal. Not all that different from rape—and I’d experienced that before as well. But Luca’s touch wasn’t about pain or power or having control over me. His kisses were soft and body pliable. I could have shoved him across the room with a small nudge if I wanted to. He would just as easily step away if I did anything to tell him that his attention was unwelcome.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “Do it.” Better to learn now rather than later once we’d really started something.
“You sure?” he whispered, glancing up to meet my eyes.
“Yeah. Eat so we can dance.”
He didn’t ask again. The sharp prick of fangs pierced my skin, a quick but passing pain. This was nothing like the gnawing hunger that Matthew had shown me, or even the angry ripping of Andrew Roman.
Luca’s lips sealed around the wound and drew my warmth into his mouth. He should have been sucking on my cock for how erotic it felt. Did he have some sort of power to make it feel that good or was I wired that way?