by Brenda Trim
The only downside, in her opinion, was the rain. It drizzled all the freaking time, making her slightly crazy. Like now. Overcast, rainy days were her favorites to pop in a movie or grab a book and chill. The problem was, in Seattle, that was almost every day so she couldn’t truly enjoy those days.
Not bothering to shield her hair from the sprinkling rain that never threatened to soak her to the bone, Teagan walked toward the door of the restaurant. She might as well grab a drink before she took off and sought some anti-psychotics to fix her mind.
“Oh, my, Goddess,” called out a female.
Teagan’s head turned in the direction of the voice as she wondered who spoke like that. Oh my God was a common saying, but Goddess was not something she usually heard. She immediately thought of Wiccans. She’d known a few in her thirty-one years and recalled they worshipped a Goddess.
“You’re here. How are you here?”
Teagan glanced behind her as her head throbbed and threatened to split in half. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”
“Because…you should have no memory of me.”
Frustration had Teagan clenching her hands into fists. “Of course, I’m here, Vamp. You invited me and told me you’d take me to Confetti Too.” It took all of her concentration not to show her surprise at the words that flew from her mouth. The second her head stopped pounding, a veil lifted, and her memories flooded back.
“How the hell do you have those memories? I erased them,” Mona replied.
She was shaking her head, urgency built inside Teagan to get to that club. It was all-consuming. “You didn’t do a very good job. And, why would you invite me then erase those memories?” It was difficult not to force the vampire to take her right away, but she would get farther if the woman was more comfortable with her.
“I told you it’s forbidden to bring humans to a realm establishment unless they are our Fated Mates. I don’t want King Tarakesh to execute me because you wanted to go to Confetti Too. It seems as if you are on the inside. But I can’t help but wonder why it seemed like I was able to erase your memories last night.”
Teagan wondered what she was talking about until she recalled Kari asking about the woman that sat at her table and talked to her. At the time Teagan didn’t recall talking to Mona. She hadn’t remembered anything until she saw her in the parking lot a few minutes ago. None of it made sense.
Once again, Teagan questioned her sanity and wondered what was happening to her. This seemed to go way beyond fatigue and being overworked, yet she had no idea what it was unless she was hallucinating. That would have seemed like the most likely explanation. After all, her mother had used drugs heavily during her pregnancy. But Kari saw her talking with Mona, so that didn’t make sense.
“As you said. It’s forbidden to tell humans about the existence of the Supernatural,” Teagan began as her mind conjured the excuse on the spot. “I wasn’t going to put you at risk by telling Kari about you guys. That is no way to get an escort to the club, now is it?”
Mona threw her head back and laughed out loud. “You’ve got spunk. I appreciate you looking out for me. It seems like I owe you a trip to Confetti Too. You ready?”
Teagan smiled. Regardless of what was happening to her mind, she knew clubbing, and the familiar excitement of going somewhere new was compounded by the fact that Confetti involved creatures that she believed only existed in myth and books. “I was born ready. Should I follow you, or what?”
Mona nodded. “That will be easiest. That way neither of us has to stay and wait for the other.”
“Precisely what I was thinking. Should I change?” Mona dressed similar to Teagan, but her skirt was longer and her shirt not as tight.
“No. The males at Confetti Too will eat you up,” Mona purred.
“Not literally, right?” Teagan asked as she tried to calm her breathing. The idea of a creature sinking fangs into her was not sexy. She still struggled to believe that these beings were real, and now she was going into the belly of the beast, and she barely knew they existed for two minutes.
Panic nearly overwhelmed Teagan. What would Tea do if she forgot what she was doing the second she no longer faced Mona? It seemed like a very real possibility that her mind would go blank like it had the night before. Perhaps following her wasn’t such a good idea.
“Clearly you’ve never been bitten by a vampire. It causes an instant orgasm. Don’t rule the Vamps out just yet,” Mona said with a wink. “Alright. Follow me. I’m in the blue Dodge Challenger.”
A scan of the lot had Teagan sucking in a breath. “Nice ride. I’ll be right behind you.”
Without taking her eyes off Mona, Teagan climbed into her fifteen-year-old beater. A Nissan Ultima that’d seen better days.
To Teagan’s surprise, her memory remained clear, and she was able to follow Mona from the parking lot and down the street. When the vampire turned left, and Teagan hit a light she panicked. Heart racing and her hands gripping the steering wheel, she never once forgot her desire to get to Confetti Too.
When the light changed to green, she floored the gas and sped around the corner. Her heart slowed at the site of the blue Challenger, traveling slowly down the right lane. Teagan flashed her lights, and both cars sped down the street. A few turns later and they were pulling into a warehouse lot.
“What are we doing here?” Teagan asked, trying not to be suspicious of the woman in front of her. She didn’t know this vampire at all. If not for this driving need to go to the club, she wouldn’t have followed Mona. Belatedly, she realized she could be walking into a trap.
At least the parking lot seemed to be full. Hopefully, if Mona had ill intentions toward Teagan, someone would come to her rescue.
“This is Confetti Too,” Mona asked, gesturing toward the warehouse. At that moment, a door opened, and music filtered out into the night.
“I never would have known it was here. It looks like a factory of some kind.”
“That’s the idea. We wouldn’t be able to stay hidden if a bunch of drunk supernaturals traipsed around downtown with their crazy hanging out.”
Teagan shuddered as electricity traveled over her skin. Her head swiveled looking for any sign of what caused the odd sensation.
“You crossed the protection spell. The only ones more powerful than the ones Killian has here are the ones around Dark Warrior Alliance headquarters at Zeum and the Rowan Sister’s house.”
“I have truly fallen down the rabbit hole now,” Teagan muttered.
Mona laughed and greeted the bouncer that opened the door. “Hey, Stan. Where’s Ronan? Enjoying his new niece or nephew?”
Stan smiled at Mona then perused Teagan. “He left town for a bit. Who’s the human?” he asked, and his nostrils flared.
“I see. Well, I hope Killian doesn’t work you too hard. This is my friend, Teagan. She’s on the inside,” Mona explained.
Stan, a big guy with more muscles than she’d ever seen on anyone, grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Welcome to Confetti Too.”
Mona slapped his shoulder and tugged Teagan through the door. “Ignore Stan. He’s a cambion that jumps every female he can.”
“Cambion?” Teagan asked as her wide eyes took in the scene before her. The interior was not modern, like she expected, given the industrial setting. There was a bar made of glass blocks topped with a sleek sheet of live-edged wood. She loved the look of the colored lights built into the glass blocks and how they twinkled on the legs of patrons sitting on the high-backed stools at the bar.
“You haven’t heard of cambions?”
“I might have, but not what they are. There’s a lot of details I don’t have.”
“Makes sense. We tend to forget those outside the Tehrex Realm don’t know everything that we do. A cambion is half-human, half sex demon.”
“Okay,” Teagan muttered warily. Sex demon? It was frightening to think that incubi and succubi were real. She wondered if they truly lured humans with sex. It seemed li
ke they did if there were half-breeds.
There were creatures around her that defied logic and made her pinch herself discreetly to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Life seemed like one long dream more often than not lately. One woman had black wings edged with red. Another guy had orange eyes, and it looked like fire flowed through his veins. His skin really did glow from the inside out.
“Cambions are a great choice for a night of pleasure. They need the sex to feed their inner demon, and rarely get clingy.” Teagan laughed at Mona’s words. She was going to get along very well with the vampire. She sounded exactly like her best friend, Kari.
Teagan sat at a table and noted all the natural elements throughout the club. Despite the dancing and drinking, the place had a feeling of warmth that embraced Teagan. She belonged there, she thought.
A shirtless guy approached the table. “Good to see you, Mona. What’ll you have?”
“Hey, Dean. I’ll have a Moscow Mule. And my friend Teagan will have…”
“Oh, um, a Piña-rita, please. Thank you,” Teagan said when Mona looked at her expectantly.
“Coming right up,” Dean told them before heading off to the bar.
A crash sounded behind them, making Teagan jump. A drunk guy was growling at another guy that didn’t look quite as intoxicated. The first guy let out an honest to God growl and sounded more like an animal than a man. A realization dawned on her that he might be more animal than man, and that freaked her out.
But, not nearly as much as seeing claws grow from the end of his fingers. Mona made a tsking noise in the back of her throat. “Joe’s going to get kicked out of here for good if he doesn’t watch it.”
“What’s going on?”
Mona glanced back at her and lifted one corner of her mouth. “Supernaturals tend to handle things with violence, and few in the realm are used to having a Fated Mate and can’t handle the possessiveness and jealousy that infiltrates them. The fire demon must have looked at his mate.”
“That guy’s a demon,” Teagan observed. “You mentioned mates before. What exactly does that mean?”
“Fated Mates are our other halves. They literally carry part of our souls. And, not many can handle the natural possessiveness over our mate.”
“If Fated Mates are your other halves it seems like you guys would handle that better. Must be rough being around mated couples.” Joe punched another guy and sent him flying. Blood dripped down his split knuckles. No one stopped dancing, and those around the fighting pair lifted their drinks, so nothing spilled.
Teagan could hardly believe the calm way the others regarded the fight. Cops would have been on the scene already in a human bar. The world she found herself immersed in was bizarre. And violent.
“Those like Joe struggle because no one was given a Fated Mate for over seven hundred years. We believed the mating curse would never end. It hasn’t been too many years since the Goddess lifted the ban.”
“Yikes. That’s gonna hurt.”
Mona nodded in agreement and winced. “Wait until Stan gets a hold of Joe. Killian understands about being newly mated, but he will only tolerate so much.”
The other male yelled and ran back to Joe, shouting, “Fuck you, asshole. I didn’t touch her.”
Joe crouched down and bared his teeth. The other male collided with him and both roared loudly. Teagan covered her ears at the animalistic sounds echoing from both throats. The other male bit Joe’s shoulder and tore flesh and cloth away.
Turning his head, he spit the bloody gore on the ground while Joe lowered one shoulder and heaved the male over his shoulder. The male grabbed hold of Joe’s shirt and pulled him down with him. Teagan swore blood and spit flew in her direction as they fought and struggled.
There was a tangle of limbs while fists and feet blurred as they punched and kicked each other. A gorgeous light brown-haired woman was standing by the table biting one nail. Her eyes were riveted to Joe and she seemed to catch her breath every other punch, or so. She must be worried about her mate.
A tall man that had a leaner build than Joe or Stan walked through the middle of the dance floor capturing Teagan’s gaze. She wondered if he had some magical powers or something because she couldn’t look away. He had sharp features and was as good looking as any cover model. His jade green eyes were bright, and his short golden blond hair gleamed in the dim lighting of the club.
“Who’s that?”
“That’s Killian. He owns Confetti Too and is about to make Joe regret throwing the first punch,” Mona replied as she watched the action five feet from them.
The way he moved was smooth and sensual without trying. His body moved with fluid grace and captivated her. He didn’t have the muscle mass like Stan, yet clearly was more powerful than the bouncer or even Joe. The way everyone moved out of his way showed her the respect and fear he engendered.
“What the fuck are you doing fighting in here again, Joe?” Killian asked as he lifted Joe off the other male who lay there panting.
“This asshole touched my mate, Killian,” Joe complained and shrugged off Kill’s hold.
“What did I tell you last time?”
“It’s not my fault. He shouldn’t have laid a hand on her,” Joe spat.
Killian helped the other man up and guided him toward Stan who had come late to the scene. While Stan walked the other guy away, Killian turned to Joe and his gaze darkened.
“I told you not to come back here until you are past the initial mating and can control your reaction. I’ve called Hayden. Your Omega is on his way over. And, now you can’t come back here until you prove to me that you have your shit under control. You’re damn lucky I understand how the mating compulsion drives your possessive behaviors. Otherwise, I would ban you for life, asshole. Now, get out of here,” Killian barked.
The anger made Teagan jump and gasp. She hoped she was never on the receiving end of that rage but couldn’t help but be turned on by Killian’s aggression. There was something seriously wrong with her if she was getting hot and bothered by some supernatural guy.
Her eyes met his as he turned away from Joe, and his intense scrutiny caught her. He walked her way, never looking away until he reached the table. “Mona. Good to see you again,” Killian said as he kissed her cheek.
“Good to see you, as well. This is my friend, Teagan.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Teagan,” Killian rasped as he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. His masculine voice sent shivers down her spine. Several friends told her the way men’s voices affected them, but she never understood until now. Teagan had to look away from his heated stare.
When she averted her gaze, she noticed the jealous looks other females were throwing her way. Everyone in the club wanted a piece of this sexy guy, yet he was looking at her as if he wanted to strip her bare.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she stammered while keeping her eyes away from the sexy guy holding her hand.
She may be going on a two-year dry spell, but she’d seen the covetous looks often enough to recognize it. And, to make matters worse, Killian was just her type. Dangerous and flirty.
She wanted to kick her own ass for drooling over this bad boy. Her heart was broken often enough that she should know better than to get involved with another guy was going to love her and leave her.
Apparently, her heart forgot everything. She wanted to scream that a broken heart crippled you.
Not this time, she reminded herself. No way was she going to sleep with a man that wasn’t even human. There was no way for them to have a relationship long-term and she didn’t like one-night stands.
Chapter Four
Sadness nagged at the back of Izzy’s mind as she walked along the cobbled street. Her parents left a long time ago. In fact, they’d missed her last two birthdays. At fourteen, she felt she should handle their absence better, but at times she couldn’t shake the loneliness.
In her heart, Izzy understood her mom needed to be with her dad, and he couldn’t l
eave the Tehrex Realm. The vampires needed their king and queen. Still, there was a tiny part that resented them for missing so much of her life. Her body was going through so many changes, physically and emotionally, and she needed their guidance.
One problem was the adjustment to drinking bottled blood. Until then, Izzy always fed from her mother. Luckily, she didn’t need much to sustain her well-being because she found it difficult to swallow the cold fluid without gagging. For vampires, warm blood straight from the source not only tasted better, but it also gave her more energy.
Isobel reminded herself that she was the one who insisted her mom return to the Tehrex Realm. And, she was grateful her mother listened to her because her baby brother, or sister, needed to have both parents present. It was vital for an infant to bond in their early stages of life.
The time was not as long for her parents. Time moved differently in Khoth than it did in the Tehrex Realm. Barely any time had passed for Izzy’s parents. Her mother was likely not even showing her pregnancy yet.
Enough whining, she chastised and shook off her thoughts. It was a beautiful day, and she and her friends were headed to her favorite place to get a smoothie.
“Did you do the homework?” Troy asked as he walked beside her.
Izzy looked over, thinking he was talking to Blaze, but he was staring her way. How long had she zoned out? She nodded and smiled at Troy. “Yep. I finished it last night. It was simple. I think Jorrelle is going easy on us.”
Troy’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. “You finished? There was nothing easy about that assignment.”
Izzy glanced at the male that was becoming a close friend. Troy was the son of a Maàhes, and his mom was a staff member at the castle, which meant he wasn’t born to royalty and privilege like Blaze and his younger sister, Josie.
At times Izzy felt Troy was bitter about his social status, but she reminded him he was just as important and needed by the realm as anybody else. She was sensitive to anyone feeling like an outsider and hated that Troy saw himself as inferior. He was her closest friend in the dragon realm, next to Blaze.