by Lissa Kasey
When he finally let go, we were both trembling. He licked his lips, and I thought about the fangs he must have but I’d never seen. Maybe we weren’t all that different. Both exiles in a world were sameness was rewarded.
I leaned into him and brushed his lips with mine. Nothing demanding, just the barest of touches. He could have backed off the kiss easily if he wasn’t interested. Instead he opened for me, letting the taste of my blood and his on our tongues, mingle. He didn’t shove his way in, just gently explored like he was curious. He showed great care around my fangs and I did the same for him. They were small, but just as sharp. I accidently pricked my tongue on one of them. A rookie mistake, but he sucked at the wound until it stopped.
He tugged me away from the wall and toward the dance floor, lips still locked to mine, arms strong around me. He could lead and I was okay with that as I closed my eyes to all the other moving bodies that annoyed me and focused on him. We swayed to the beat. The music meant more for actual touching rather than the frantic gyrating I’d seen so many times at other clubs. Our bodies touched and fit together, melding, mouths feeding at each other, and minds solely on the man who danced with us.
I couldn’t feel Luca’s emotions. Not in the sense that I could tell what the people around us were experiencing. But his body was expressive. Sure he was hard, but he didn’t dig his erection into me or grab my ass like it belonged to him. He barely touched me below the waist. Just a hand in my back pocket resting like mine did on his lower back. His arms were a warm weight against me, strong, solid.
When we finally broke the kiss all I could see was him. He looked at me like I was something. It was odd, and weirdly exhilarating. All he seemed to see was me. This gorgeous guy in my arms wanted me. It didn’t matter that we were on the dance floor at a crowded club. The music played and we moved, eyes locked on each other, his breath mingled with mine. I couldn’t recall a time ever feeling so close to anyone that I didn’t even need words.
Time passed, though I couldn’t remember anything specific other than being in his arms. For a while I rested my head on his shoulder and just swayed with him. The music slowed and we barely moved. Cheek to cheek. People circled around, but I didn’t notice unless they got close enough to nudge us. Luca looked up twice to snarl at someone who must have gotten too far into our space. Someone nudged him a little harder and he shoved back, letting go only for a second, before his arms returned to their rightful place around me.
Someone whispered in my ear, asking me to dance. Like somehow I was going to let go of the guy in my arms for some stranger. I shook my head. Everyone stayed away for the most part. I’m sure we could have stayed like that for hours and I’d have been just fine. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt normal. Like maybe I could do this. Be a real guy, someone that was wanted by someone else.
Luca put a hand in each of my back pockets, cupping my ass, but only lightly. I ran my hands in circles over his arms, shoulders, and back. He was strong, defined in a way I’d always wanted to be but now could never achieve. I sighed into his shoulder happy that my first ever date was quickly becoming the perfect evening.
Until someone slammed into me from the side and sent me careening across the dance floor on my ass. I blinked up at the room for a minute trying to refocus my brain and understand what had just happened. The low lights and thick crush of bodies separated Luca and me. Was he okay?
Someone helped me up, which was good because I still felt disjointed, almost lost. The crowd moved finally, showing him to me. He stood ten feet away arguing with a guy, posture tense. The other man was larger, mocha-skinned, and very angry. I didn’t have to be close to feel that he nearly seethed with rage. Little veins popped and jumped at his forehead and neck, and his tone was harsh.
I shoved my way across the room to Luca’s side and touched his back in a show of support. If this bruiser thought he had a chance of hurting Luca while I was there, he was mistaken. No one would look at me and think I could have taken a guy that size, but they’d have been wrong.
“You okay?” I half shouted as I leaned into Luca. His body was taut with tension. “Let’s just go. We can go to your place or something.” I’d have even promised to have sex with him if he left before whatever was starting could escalate. I gripped Luca’s arm and tried to nudge him toward our table. The other man was having none of that.
“Fucking fag, bringing your queer ass self here. This ain’t a club for blood suckers. Take your nasty little corpse friend out of here.” He lifted Luca up by the front of his shirt, tearing the fabric and holding him off the ground a half a foot. Oh hell no. The SOB smacked a meaty paw in my direction, which I caught and twisted, making him drop Luca as I forced the meathead to his knees.
“You just wish I was fucking you, Kenrick. Let him go, Sam. He wants to fuck with me then fine, I’ll play.” They were both shouting now. The bouncers were on their way over so I let go of the angry giant. Luca took that moment to lunge, a quick fist to the man’s nose—which burst like a melon—and another to his stomach which doubled him up. Blood spattered over me in a hot wash that reminded me of Matthew when I’d shot him point blank. Only this blood stank like dog.
Luca didn’t let the lycan up, instead he pounded him to the floor in a flurry of fists. I stepped back as others waded in to join the fight. Shit. What the hell was I doing here? This was so reminiscent of the time I spent with Matthew that I just had to leave. I returned to the table we’d saved, used a napkin to wipe the blood from my face and grabbed my coat—I was pretty sure Sei would want it back.
The air outside was no less cold than when I went in, but the eerie empty streets made my heart sink. I’d had such great hopes for the night. Was it something I did? Or was it just that I attracted men who were on the verge of a mental breakdown?
“Sam,” Luca called as he was shoved out the door, his coat thrown at him by the very same bouncer who let him in.
I waved at him instead of stopping.
“What the fuck? You see something you don’t like and you bail? What are you, a fucking kid?”
I paused but didn’t look back. Whatever angry face he was making I didn’t need in my memory. “Gabe said you would have researched my past. I guess you skipped the part where I dated a psychopath who loved me with his fists. Thanks for the dance, Luca. Have a nice life. Don’t call me.” I walked off, heading for only God knew where. Maybe back to the church, maybe back to Sei’s. It didn’t matter.
Chapter 9
The heat of tears burned my eyes. Fuck, twice in one night was a record for me. I’d never been a crier. The dark empty streets taunted me. If I’d been able to find a cab I would have gone home. So Luca wasn’t the one. Didn’t Sei tell me that was okay? To just enjoy him for a while? And I had until he’d gone all Rocky on me. At least I wasn’t hungry. I was so gonna call the witch to bitch him out later. Apparently we were both really bad judges of character.
I sent him a text instead: U suck.
The buzz back was immediate.
What happened?
He started a fight—well insisted on finishing it at least. Reminded me of Matthew.
That sucks. Did you see anyone else worth dancing with?
No, but I hadn’t been looking. I sighed and glared at a 24-hour Walgreens—the only thing open in sight. How long had we been in the club? Must have been a few hours since the city had gone deadsville.
Maybe I’m not ready. I sent him.
Are any of us? How will you know if you don’t try?
Why did he have to be so damn smart? I glared at the phone.
“I’m surprised to see you wandering around again. Didn’t your mentor put out a curfew for his nest? There has been some vampire trouble of late and you shouldn’t be out alone.” Max stepped out of the Walgreens, bag in hand.
Not many could mess with a vampire. “You mean with no alibi?”
He nodded and smiled at me. “I expected Luca to be wooing you. He has a way with peop
le and seems to like you.”
“I don’t think he’s my type.” Problem was he was exactly my type.
Max shrugged. “Luca is very young. I’m afraid I haven’t been very good about letting him stretch his wings.”
“He’s got anger issues.”
“Indeed. That’s a vampire trait. Yet you seem to be handling it well.”
“I’ve sort of always been angry. Being undead didn’t really change that.”
“I’m headed to the fight club would you like to come?”
“Will it smell like last time?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately it pretty much always stinks.” He dug in his bag to pull out a small bottle of vapor rub. “A dab under each nostril will help.”
“Seriously?” I took the jar and followed him down the street, surprised how close we were to the fight club. Was there supposed to be a first rule “there is no fight club” type of thing?
“Seriously. Careful though, the first kick of this stuff will make your eyes water.”
I dabbed a tiny bit under my nose and oh yeah that burned! “Crap!”
Max took the jar back. “Potent, but it works. If you ever go someplace you think the smell will bother you, either by making you hungry or just because it stinks, use this stuff.”
“Tricks of the trade, eh? Thanks.” I walked with him a while and wondered where I was going. Did I really want to watch people pound on each other when I’d just left behind a guy for doing the same? Only there was a difference wasn’t there? Control verses loss of control. Luca had lost control. “He started a fight with a lycan. Maybe I overreacted, but he just reminded me of bad things. Does he do that often? Get into fights?”
“Not as much as he used to. Mostly he keeps it in the ring. Have you shared blood yet? Both of you?”
“Yeah. Right before we started dancing.” Which had been a few hours ago according to the rotating digital clock on a bank sign.
“He was territorial then. Someone got too close to you, yes? Perhaps interrupted or broke you apart? The dhampirs have always been that way. Vampires are territorial, but not as much so as their human counterparts. Luca has never liked feeding from just anyone. Even I, who am his father, can’t flaunt my lovers around him, though I do nothing more for him than give him a cup of blood once a month.”
That was an interesting revelation. “It was no big deal. Some guy was kind of pushy. The bouncers were coming to remove him.”
Max nodded. “Gabe hasn’t spoken to you much of territory and vampires?”
Gabe didn’t speak to me about much of anything. Just the basics on how to bite and attract people so I wasn’t blood-raping them, but I wasn’t about to tell this stranger that. “I’m sure he’s got that planned for down the road somewhere.” Along with the discussion on redouts we had yet to have.
We arrived at the club and the same guy was there as last night. He opened the door for us. “Let me give you the bare bones of it then,” Max said. “When a vampire feeds on someone, they become his. Sometimes it’s about controlling their emotions so they will come back to us later—our influence on them. Other times we simply enjoy their company.”
“I’ve fed on a lot of people and never felt any of them were mine.”
“I think you do. I think that’s why you’re so angry. You’ve not claimed any of them. Though you were obviously close to claiming Luca if you let him feed from you.”
“I don’t understand. You mean like make someone my Focus?”
“Not at all. It’s more a scent. A pheromone perhaps. We vampires don’t discuss much with science or let them study us. Secrets protect us in times of trouble.” He paused, stopping in the middle of the hallway. “Does your friend Seiran smell like Gabe?”
“I guess. I never really paid attention, but yeah, it’s there, usually faint, but there.”
“That is what it means to claim someone. Seiran would have had that scent before Gabe made him his Focus. Though it is a step in the process to making someone a Focus. Often cibo’s smell of the vampires they serve too.”
“You think if I claim someone I’ll be less angry?”
“I do. We are very territorial around those that are ours. Luca saw you as his. He’s fed on you and maybe not yet scent marked you, but the thought was still there. I’m not sure he could scent mark you if he wanted to as that is a purely vampire trait, and he’s not yet one.”
“How does one scent mark someone?”
“Sex is the easiest way. But exchange blood enough and they will start to smell of you anyway.”
“And it’s some sort of invisible sign to tell other vampires to keep away?”
“Other supes in general, I suppose. Anyone who could smell it, which would extend to higher level witches as well as lycans and vampires.” Max headed toward the fight room where a small man met him with a tablet in hand. “Perhaps you should call Luca back and discuss his outburst? He should have enough time to calm down and realize his error was territorial anger. He’s old enough to recognize it even if he can’t always control it.”
I sighed, not ready for that yet. Sure, I’d probably overreacted. If Gabe had been more forthcoming maybe that wouldn’t have happened at all. But there was no point in playing the what-if game. “I’d rather fight. Burn off some aggression.” The place was packed tonight. First fight already a mash of grunts and hard flesh hitting flesh. There were cheers and jeers from all around. How long would I last in one of these? Would it clear my head at all like beating up those thugs in the alley last night had?
Max studied me for a moment before he finally nodded. “I can arrange that.”
“I don’t want to fight Luca.” I didn’t know how I felt about him right now and didn’t want to spend too much time analyzing it.
“All vampires are in level five. Luca is not a vampire yet so he is only a level four fighter.” He flipped through a few things on the tablet. “Riley, is this right? We have Hanson, James, Pickerson, Ryerson, and Flay on for tonight?”
“Yep. All shifters. No vamps in tonight. At least not so far.”
Max nodded. “Put Sam in against Ryerson.” He patted my back and gave me a little nudge toward Riley who was the small man who had handed him the tablet. “Ryerson is high level, street smart. He’s strong and fast. Should be a good match for you. Follow Riley. He’ll get you gear. Most of our lycans fight naked with no padding, but almost none of our vampires do.”
Riley nodded his head at me and turned toward the locker room area. He smelled human but I was beginning to think there was no such thing here. “Can’t I fight another vampire?” I didn’t want to take the chance of hurting anyone, but really wanted to let go of the rage for a while. Lycans were only slightly more durable than humans, right?
“Not yet. Win this one and we’ll see about pitting you against another vampire. Most of the vampires who come here are older and have more skill. You’ll likely have to undergo some training if you wish to continue in the circuit.” He waved toward the locker room area where Riley had gone. “Go get ready. You’re up next. Tell Riley I’m your sponsor and will fund your start-up.”
“I can pay for whatever. I don’t need help.”
“You do if you want to fight here. Bringing in a new fighter costs ten grand. But you can win twice that in your first fight.”
Holy crap. No one just paid ten grand for someone they barely knew. “What do you expect me to do to pay it back?”
Max’s smile was sardonic, “Win.”
No shit! I headed toward the locker room and caught up with Riley who handed me a bag full of clothes and some basics like a brand-new jock. At least my junk would be protected if this Ryerson guy mopped the floor with me. I dressed in a bit of a daze pulling on a tank and shorts that were that odd sports material. Sturdy, but not protective. It was more like a basketball uniform than something I expected for boxing, but it fit so I wasn’t the only small guy here.
Riley waited until I was done to guide me to the cage I’d be f
ighting in. He handed me a mouth guard that must have been custom made for vampires because it had room for my fangs. “Busted fangs are a bitch to fix,” he told me. “If you continue to fight you’ll have to get one made just for you.”
“What are the rules?” I asked before putting the guard in my mouth.
“No rules. You can even feed on your opponent if you win. The spectators like dirty fights. Lycans use a lot of fangs and claws, usually not high on skill. Ryerson is big—almost twice your size—but you’re stronger and faster. Since you’re a challenger you’re expected to win or else this will be not only your first fight, but your last. Max doesn’t like to be disappointed, so don’t. When the bell rings, you fight. Knock him out for a win. Killing someone in the ring will get you killed by the mob of fans, which is never pretty, but it’s been known to happen a time or two.”
“How breakable is he?”
Riley frowned, appearing to think about it, then said, “Not very unless you rip out his throat. Good luck getting past the fangs and claws to get there.”
“Noted.” That probably went for tearing out his stomach too. I could avoid soft squishy areas with my fangs easily enough. Riley taped up my hands, but didn’t bother with boxing gloves. The cage we stood beside was empty, but a group was beginning to form around the edges as the other fight seemed to have ended. Maybe they were curious because I was new. I stepped up to the cage and Riley let me in, where I leaned against the wire mesh and waited. Silver? Huh. Did that sort of thing bother shifters? It didn’t do anything for me but almost make me sneeze.
The door across the way opened and a large man stepped inside. He was the ugly sort of man who looked like he’d spent his life getting his face punched. His nose was crooked in several places, hair buzzed down to almost nothing, and he was covered with more body hair than I think I’d ever seen on anyone. He stretched his shoulders, swung his arms and in less time than it took to blink an eye—shifted into a human/wolf combination. On two feet he towered over me with claws as big as my head.