by Joey W. Hill
But if he had to, he would.
After the mini-mart stop for gas, the driver of his hitched ride dropped Rand off near the storage units where Rand kept clothing, a small box of personal memorabilia, and an old Honda motorcycle in running condition. When Rand swung his leg over it and started it up, he liked the humming vibration it sent through his whole body, as if he were a live wire.
It was what he felt like, the whole time he rode to Atlanta. Once close enough to the city, he checked into a hotel that backed up to a forest and used the room phone to call Club Atlantis.
Despite his short stay at the Council’s Savannah headquarters, there’d been time to pick up some interesting tidbits of servant talk. Like how Anwyn ran a BDSM club, and that was where she and Gideon lived. Daegan as well, Rand assumed, when he wasn’t traveling on Council business.
“May I speak to Anwyn? Yes, ma’am. My name is Rand. She met me recently.”
It only took a moment for the phone to transfer and Anwyn to answer. He remembered her sultry voice, the Mistress quality sending a shiver down his spine. Not because he wanted a Mistress, but because it reminded him of Cai when he was in that Dominant mode.
“Rand?” she said, her tone torn between frost and courtesy. His vampire had tried to kill her servant, and though she knew Rand was a different animal—no pun intended—it would still make her wary. “Why are you calling?”
No friendly chitchat. He could handle that. “Yes, ma’am. I have a problem, and I thought you could help me. You heard that we uh, took care of the problem with the girl?”
“I did.” Her voice warmed slightly. “Gideon told me that you and Cai worked well with him and Daegan…when it mattered. Which means I should forgive him. I might, sometime in the next several centuries. Is he with you? Can I interest him in a forced demonstration of an anal probe?”
Rand choked on a chuckle, feeling a little more at ease. She was feisty, like Sheba.
“Uh, he’s not. But that’s why I need help. I…um, I’m new to all this, but here’s what I’m trying to do. First, I need some expert advice to know if it’s a crazy idea. Second, some more advice, to know how to pull it off.”
He explained the details, more than a little relieved that he could do it over the phone rather than face to face.
He wasn’t sure how to interpret the long pause until she spoke. “Oh, hell yeah,” she said mildly. “He might not be listening in, but if he really didn’t want to give up the connection, I’d bet good money he stays tied in to your state of mind. If you go down the road you’re laying out, you’ll get his attention. But are you willing to take this all the way?”
“I want to take it as far as I need to get an answer, one way or another. So, if I get nothing…I guess I’ll have my answer.” His gut tightened unpleasantly at the thought. “I can handle seeing it through if that happens. Hell, it won’t really matter then, will it? It’ll just be sex with a stranger, which is what I’d eventually do anyway, if he’s really done with us.”
“Men are such idiots.” She sighed. “If he’d left you a cell phone number, this wouldn’t be necessary.”
“Well, doing it this way is kind of like a rom-com,” Rand said. “With a bondage twist.”
He was channeling Cai again. Anwyn chuckled. “All right. Let’s set up a night and time, and I’ll put the details in place. I just need to ask you a few more questions…”
She’d asked him a lot more questions, many of which had him blushing even harder than he had with Lynn and his pillow case. Anwyn’s Mistress side came through more strongly during the interrogation. It ran even deeper than the vampire part of her, if that was possible. But since she owned and operated a BDSM club, and had apparently identified as a Domme well before she was turned, he guessed that made sense.
The date and time set, he turned to the other things on his to-do list. Over the next couple days, he went out and splurged some of his carefully saved money. He bought a new pair of jeans and a good aftershave. A better quality razor.
The night he was going to go to the club, he donned the silk and cotton maroon shirt he’d worn for the Council meeting. The fabric lay like a thin, soft fur against his flesh. His stressed jeans had the right kind of fit on his lower body. He had the frayed cuffs pulled down over his motorcycle boots.
When he was human, he pretty much always had stubble, even if he shaved twice a day, so he shaved a third time. He’d visited the barber, so his long hair was brushed and trimmed.
It lay in waves on his shoulders, though the wolf in him still gave the texture some coarseness. He didn’t want to be taken for a model in one of those girly shiny hair commercials. But looking in the mirror, he admitted it looked thick, touchable, and Cai really liked tangling his fingers in it. That was what mattered.
He took a cab to the club, so he wouldn’t mess it up with a motorcycle helmet. He was amused that he had an army of frogs in combat boots marching through his stomach. Thank God Anwyn had handled his follow-up vetting with another phone call last night, bypassing all the orientation stuff. Rand knew what to expect, mostly, and what was expected of him.
As he recalled parts of the conversation, his slightly damp palms curled on his splayed knees.
“When you get to the club, you’ll be on the guest list. Go to the bar, order a nonalcoholic drink and hydrate well. You’ll know the Dom I’ve assigned to you when you see him. I decided the best way to do this is with one of my staff.”
Her cryptic tone gave him a spurt of anxiety, but not necessarily the bad kind. “Did you tell him I’m trying to bait a vampire?” Rand asked wryly.
She chuckled. “There’s only one human staff member here, other than Gideon, who knows what I am, and that’s my security head, James. He’s second marked. But Wolf…” She paused. “I’ve told him you want to be pushed kind of hard, that’s your thing. But if you say ‘sunset,’ he’s to immediately stop what he’s doing, and call off the session.”
“Wolf?”
“That’s his scene name. Worked out well, didn’t it? Gideon appreciated the coincidence.” She sounded amused. “And my safe word choice. But seriously, though Wolf’s only been with us a short time, he’s already one of my best. And if Cai is listening in, Wolf is exactly the kind of red flag you’re seeking.”
Another little spike, especially since she sounded a little too satisfied with that thought. Rand cleared his throat. “What happens if I don’t call off the session?”
“You’ll get the workout of your life, and be very pleasurably and thoroughly spent. Wolf’s not doing this as a staff member, so though he’ll stay as conscious of your intentions as I’d expect him to do with a client, you’ll be interacting as member and guest. If you don’t call it off, he’ll fuck your brains out. He’s a plow horse and thoroughbred, all in one.”
Rand felt his loins tighten and pushed that down. Damn third mark libido. Or maybe it was too many nights, missing and thinking of Cai. “Why would Wolf do this for nothing? Did he owe you a favor?”
She chuckled. “Not hardly. Even when they’re on the clock, they go with their preferences. None of them fake it for money.”
Her voice dropped to a purr. “Nothing gets Wolf going like the challenge of an alpha male. So when I told him no holds barred, and primal play accepted, he was all over that. And totally good with it being on his own time.”
More dry throat, more clearing. “Great. I don’t expect Cai to show in person, because he’s probably not anywhere near Atlanta. But my hope is he’ll open up in my head.”
“Which accomplishes what you want.”
“Hope so.” Envisioning Cai appearing at the exact right moment was right in line with that rom-com illusion Rand had half-joked about, but the reality was a different matter. Having Cai show up was too much to want. It filled Rand up too hard.
They hadn’t been apart more than a couple weeks, so it shouldn’t seem so dramatic. However, if Cai came to Rand because of this, it would be a game-changer neither one c
ould deny.
“Okay, unless you have any other questions, I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Anwyn finished. Rand hoped he hadn’t missed something important, caught up in his own head.
“I’m good. But…” Rand paused. “I know Cai will probably never say he’s sorry, but I wanted to say it for him. I think he understands why Gideon did the things he did to vampires. It’s just…Lodell was his friend.”
“I know. Gideon is my servant, and one half of my heart. Daegan is the other. It doesn’t beat without either one of them.” Her voice had an intriguing way of being warm, and yet resonating with authority. “So Cai and I will remain amicable enemies for a time. It doesn’t mean I don’t understand, or support your desire to reunite with your Master. You can trust me.”
“I do. I just felt badly about how things were left.”
“Ah.” He could almost see her dismissive wave. “Vampires. We’re never an easy bunch. Throw the Dom factor in with the egos and insane need for control, and a few bumps in the road happen. Don’t worry over it, Rand.” Her voice softened. “And don’t be nervous about this. Wolf will take very good care of you. Or I’ll put his superlative ass in a meat grinder.”
So here he was. Rand paid the cab driver and entered the club. From the outside, Club Atlantis looked like many of the buildings in an industrial area. Big, box style, painted brick. Only a few scattered windows at the upper corners, all dark tinted glass. But the silver sign over the arched doorway, Club Atlantis, was classy and expensive-looking, and there was a glassed-in viewing room perched on the very top of the multi-storied building. Rand suspected it was a fancy pool area, something rentable for parties. Or maybe it was part of the private residence he assumed was below ground, since Anwyn and possibly Daegan lived on the premises.
Once inside, he was greeted by James, head of security for the club, instead of a hostess. The strong-looking male with short hair and steady eyes had the look of former special-ops or Secret Service. After James gave him a close once-over, he provided him a basic layout to the club and directions to the bar.
As Rand moved deeper into the club, a world of shadows, glitter, and people absorbed by one another in a variety of distracting ways, he had to block a lot of the input. He’d overlooked his lack of fondness for crowded human venues. It wasn’t really crowded here, the layout one that provided plenty of opportunities for intimacy, even in the public spaces, but the scent feedback was overwhelming. He focused on the bar, pointing his feet there.
It was possible that Cai was keeping enough emotional distance to have only a peripheral sense of Rand’s feelings. He might not even have an actual view of what Rand was doing. Now that he was here, Rand wasn’t sure he could take it all the way. It wasn’t just cold feet. If the Dom he was supposed to meet wanted to do a public scene, he wasn’t sure how he’d handle that. He’d told Anwyn whatever it took…had he lost his mind?
He ordered a soda and consumed a bracing swallow. Using his one free hand, he rubbed his leg, an absent massage to ease the twinging the cramped cab ride had caused it. The thing kept flaring up at inopportune times, but Rand hoped tonight wasn’t one of them.
Turning from the bar, he surveyed the lounge.
You’ll know the Dom I’ve assigned to you when you see him. She might have missed on that one. There were a lot of males in here with the Dom vibe happening, and…
There he was. The male he was immediately, instantly sure was Wolf.
And suddenly, Rand wasn’t sure of anything.
Aching for and craving Cai’s touch for two weeks, remembering every single thing the male had done to him and made him do, had led to a lot of very uncomfortable nights and days, and a lot of jacking off. So much that Rand had reached that empty point where he hadn’t had the heart to do it anymore. Even though his cock stayed in a semi-alert state, as if waiting to spring to full life at Cai’s command.
Well, it was wide awake now.
Wolf was as big as Rand. He had polished charcoal skin, and muscles that rippled like an onyx statue, liquefied and come to life. His eyes were light-colored, almost silver when he turned his head and they caught the room’s illumination. The firm line of his mouth enhanced the sternness of his carved, granite features.
But there was one quality that overrode all the others, became the ice cream substance to the sundae, while all the rest was chocolate sauce, whip cream and cherry.
Wolf was a vampire.
It made sense, so much damn sense. Anwyn’s cryptic answers hadn’t been evasive in the wrong way. Well, okay, there had been that note of female satisfaction underscoring the words Wolf is exactly the kind of red flag you’re seeking.
But Rand had to hand it to her as a Domme—she’d apparently known holding back that vital tidbit of info would result in this flood of feeling inside him, strong enough to be like a beacon to another vampire, wherever he was.
She also knew that if Rand had interacted with a mere human, someone he wouldn’t view on the same level as another shifter or a vampire, he couldn’t let himself go as much. That wasn’t going to be a problem now.
The wolf in Rand sat up and was ready to fight, the type of fighting that would mean blood, yes, and some pain, but that would all be part of the pleasure. He almost bared his teeth, feeling his beast surge to the forefront when Wolf locked gazes with him.
The male wore a pair of dark, shiny pants and boots. Nothing else. The pants were a second skin that were going to get a hell of a workout when he moved. The waistband was low, below his hipbones, so every abdominal muscle showed. Since the pants tucked into the boots, Rand saw the crop stuck in one of them. This Dom could do exactly what Anwyn had suggested. Fuck a sub’s ever-loving brains out.
Wolf lifted a hand, crooked a finger at him and pointed to the floor at his feet. The light in his eyes said he knew exactly how Rand would respond to that. Rand didn’t disappoint. Sitting down the drink, he presented his middle finger. Then he silently spoke two words, mouthed in best Cai-fashion.
Fuck. You.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wolf grinned like a lion about to tear apart his dinner. He jerked his head in the direction of the private rooms, turned and strode away. Rand was right. Those pants were getting a hell of a workout. His own cock was hard against his jeans, his muscles twitching with adrenaline. Let’s do this.
If Cai didn’t reach out, if Rand had to absorb the hurt, face the truth that he was facing loneliness again, then this would be a hell of a balm for it.
At least for tonight. Because as Rand well knew, good sex only lasted that long when it didn’t offer anything to the heart. But he’d take it. Hell, Rand better get used to it, if Cai decided not to tune in ever again.
Warring with mixed emotions, he crossed the floor, and went into the room where Wolf had left the door standing open.
Spartan. Not much in there but a wrestling mat, some manacles on the wood floor, the attached chains draped from the ceiling. A padded bench was anchored close to them.
“Before the night is over,” Wolf said, in a voice so deep the vibration resonated inside Rand’s chest and—holy hell— made his nipples tighten, “I’ll have your ass over that bench and be fucking you until you bleed.”
Rand bared his teeth again. He bent and took off his boots, then surprised the male when he began to unbutton his shirt, shrugged out of it, and opened his jeans to remove them. He was way too aware of Wolf’s scrutiny as he stripped himself to the skin.
“I fight better this way,” Rand said, straightening, pleased his voice sounded just as steady. “How about you? Can you even breathe in those pants?”
Wolf knew the warrior code. Evenly matched, evenly weaponed. Though when he set aside the crop, removed his own boots and took off the pants, Rand rethought that. Holy mother of God. Cai would have said holy fucking mother of fucking God, fuck it all.
If Rand did get plowed with that thing, he hoped one of the items Wolf had close to hand was enough lube to grease a truck through a
key hole. Wolf’s white teeth flashed at his expression.
“Want to give up now, whelp?”
Wow. Anwyn might have prepared Wolf for Rand being “other,” since obviously some vampires could pick up traces of what was humanoid but not human, but she wouldn’t have let slip exactly what Rand was. Therefore, he had to conclude Wolf’s choice of male insult was fortuitous chance. He also had to remind himself of something very important about the fight that was about to happen.
He had to lose.
Must. Lose. Must. Lose.
Rand snorted at Wolf’s insult. “I think the weight of that thing might unbalance you. Want to tie it to your leg before we get started?”
Wolf chuckled, and he was in motion. Rand met him, barely remembering not to shift as he would in a fight with another shifter or creature who lived in a world where shifters, vampires and Fae were realities. But it was hard, because the wolf wanted badly to come to the top and take over.
He learned a couple things fast. Wolf was more than just an intimidating Dom and a big bastard. He was combat-trained. Rand was a good fighter himself, and had some training, but he relied a lot on experience and his strength. Wolf had matching strength but superior skill, and quickly gauged Rand’s weaknesses. He started whittling away at them, taking over the fight. That was when the gloves really came off.
Rand’s next punch brought blood, and the two males landed against the bench, nearly tearing it free from the floor. Rand briefly wondered what it would take for anyone to interfere with what was happening in here. He suspected only if Anwyn thought the property damage was tallying up too high. Since the bench was the only thing breakable, beyond the walls themselves, Rand figured all was good.
Wolf flung him back toward the mat. Rand rolled away, flipped and went in low, bowling the guy over at the legs.