“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Maybe you should pay more attention to your girlfriend than other girls, and you wouldn’t have issues.” Lacey went to go around him, but another guy stepped in front of her, and the asshole grabbed her hair, dragging her around the side of the club. “Get off me!” She fought, but he was too strong.
Remembering some of her self-defense classes, she let her knees go limp. Unfortunately, she lost some hair in the process, but at least his grip loosened. She went to stand and kick him in the balls, anything to get away, but before she could do that, one of the guys was picked up off his feet and tossed across the parking lot.
“Hey!” the asshole who had a hold of her hair bellowed as he watched his friend take an air ride. “What the hell?”
“Let her go. NOW!” Viktor roared, and she was immediately let go.
Lacey jumped at his roar, but she had never been so happy to hear anyone in her life. She had backup. She was pissed and scared, but with Viktor there, she was raging.
“We were just playing.” The guy’s voice shook. “Really. Just wanted to scare her a little for what she did to my girlfriend. I swear it.”
Lacey’s hand went to the back of her head, her eyes going to the guy’s hand. Black hair was wrapped around his fingers. Her hair. More than anything, she hated her hair being pulled. It was one of her biggest pet peeves. Even a little yank pissed her off and tonight, not once, but twice someone used her hair to try to control her. With everything she had, she balled up her fist, leaped forward, and punched the guy in the face.
“You asshole!” Lacey punched him again. “If you would have gotten that little pecker anywhere near my mouth like you threatened, I would have bit it off, you son of a bitch!”
“You’re fucking crazy!” the guy shouted as his other friend tried to pull him away, but he was too drunk to realize his friend was trying to save his ass. He managed to break free and rushed Lacey, but Viktor punched out, stopping him cold as he hit the ground.
“I’m sorry, man.” The last guy standing held up his arms. “He’s had too much to drink.”
“Get him the hell out of here and don’t ever let me see you back here again.” Viktor sneered, then watched as he dragged him away.
Lacey’s hand throbbed as she looked up at Viktor, whose eyes were black as night. “Thank you.” She noticed a tick in his jaw. “Drunk boys... what can I say?”
“Those weren’t boys,” Viktor growled. “And drunk or not, this situation could have been—”
“I know.” She understood the situation all too well. “And I said thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, still not looking too happy.
“Well, my Uber is...” She glanced toward where the car had been, but the spot was now empty. “...gone. Dammit.”
“Come on.” Viktor gently held her arm. “I’ll take you home.”
He helped her collect her stuff, and headed across the parking lot toward a motorcycle. “Ah, I don’t think I’m dressed for riding.”
The look he gave Lacey’s body sent vibrations of pleasure throughout her. The heat of his gaze caressed her skin leaving goose bumps in their wake. “Who taught you how to fight?”
“My dad,” she answered, grateful for the distraction. She stopped at the bike. “He made sure I could take care of myself.”
“And the tray to the face?” He smiled down at her. “He taught you that too?”
A smile formed across her lips. “You saw that? I thought you left.” When he didn’t answer, she just shrugged. “That was totally instinct.”
“Well, it was a hell of a move.” He gave her a half smile as he put her stuff in a compartment. Once they were on the bike, he started it up. “Hold on tight and make sure that sweet ass is covered.”
Lacey scooted close to him, made sure her ass was covered and then wrapped her arms around his waist. His smile and calling her ass sweet had her heart soaring. A sudden feeling of belonging settled over her as he rode out of the parking lot. She liked the feeling... a lot.
Chapter 15
If one more asshole beeped his horn or yelled out obscenities of what they wanted to do to Lacey, Viktor was going to go on a killing spree. His anger had turned into rage, and it wasn’t pleasant. He also felt Lacey stiffen against him each time it happened.
Finally reaching her apartment over the Gypsy Tavern, he slowed to a stop. He waited for her to climb off, turning slightly to help her if she needed it. His eyes landed on where her shirt raised, showing him a peek of white lace before she quickly pulled it back down.
Climbing off the bike, he rolled his shoulders trying to calm the fuck down. He was pissed and horny as fuck. “Next time, change.”
“Sorry.” Lacey cleared her throat, glancing away from him before looking back with a frown. “Wait a minute. I’m not sorry. I’m completely covered. And who says I can’t ride a motorcycle in whatever I want to wear? I’ll ride naked if I want to ride naked.”
Surprised, his gaze roamed up and down her body. Her hair was windblown giving her a wild appearance, which he liked a lot. She was right, though. She was covered completely, but what she wore left little to the imagination. He knew if this woman had been on the back of another’s bike, he would have also been looking. Not yelling obscenities, but definitely looking.
“Actually, riding naked would get you thrown in jail since it’s indecent exposure and against the law.” Viktor cocked his eyebrow at her. “And I’d be doing a prison sentence for murder because yelling and beeping wouldn’t be all those assholes would be doing.”
Lacey rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant. I wouldn’t actually ride on a motorcycle naked, but I could.” She then grinned up at him. “Seriously, do men have such little self-control that a woman has to dress a certain way, so they don’t become slobbering sexist idiots? It’s bullshit if you ask me. I would hope some men aren’t simply walking penises who get all riled up because a woman has a short skirt on or a little cleavage showing. They’re just boobs.”
A smile so large broke over his face, but his eyes did go to her boobs. “Walking penises?”
She stared at him for a long moment before nodding as a chuckle escaped her lips. “That’s what I call them.” She flipped her arm out as if indicating the yelling and honking men. “I’ll be damned if I let a walking penis dictate what I wear, what I do, where I work, what I say just because they can’t keep it in their pants. Their problem, not mine.”
Viktor knew for a fact this was a slippery slope, but as protective as he was, it was hard for him to just sit back while other men yelled shit at any woman. Yeah, Viktor may appreciate how a woman looked, but he also respected women. “I agree.”
“You do?” Lacey frowned. “But you just said I should change before riding on a motorcycle—not that I ride on one often.”
Shit. What did he say to that? “Okay, let me rephrase that.” He decided to go the safe route... he hoped. “Please change if riding on my motorcycle so I don’t kill every son of a bitch who says something disrespectful to you.”
Lacey stared at him before a slow smile curved her lips. “Got out of that one, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.” He laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Tilting her head, Lacey nodded. “Come on.” She turned and headed toward the Gypsy Tavern’s front door. “The least I can do is get you a drink for bringing me home.”
“You don’t owe me anything for that,” Viktor said but followed her while trying to be a nice guy and keep his eyes off her ass.
“I know, but I’m wide awake and need to make sure the bar is ready to go tomorrow.” Lacey pulled out keys and unlocked the door. “It’s actually for purely selfish reasons. I don’t like being in the bar at night alone. It’s spooky.”
Viktor walked in, his keen eyes taking in everything before landing back on Lacey, who was now behind the bar flipping on a few lights. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” Lacey smiled,
glancing around. “It’s home. Beer?”
He nodded then sat at the bar and stared at her. “You ever going to go back to computer work?” He didn’t know exactly what she did or what it was called.
“Why? Something wrong with a woman working in a bar... or bars?” Lacey eyed him before tilting the beer to her lips.
Realizing he hit a sore subject, he thought about dropping it and steering to something else, but he wanted to know more about this woman. Hell, what was he talking about? He wanted to know everything about this woman. “Because the pay is better and you’re good at it.”
“Tips are amazing if you’re good at what you do. I have more freedom, and I meet interesting people.” Lacey set her beer down, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. “I was exceptional at computers, still am, but that’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Being a slave to a computer screen all day plus overtime sucks the life out of you. Sure, I made good money, almost paid off everything including my mom’s medical bills with the sale of my house, car, and savings. I could get a job tomorrow in the computer trade and gain all that back. But I wasn’t happy, and my mom is still gone. As long as I can make it, help my dad, and write my book, I’m golden.”
Viktor finished off his beer, letting what she just said sink in. Pride for this woman he’d not known long swirled inside him. And his protectiveness for her was off the charts. His mind suddenly went to a memory of Emilia, but he shook it away. He had no reason to feel guilty, but it was there even if it was just a hint.
“Can I ask you something?” Lacey broke into his thoughts, and he welcomed the interruption.
“Yes,” he replied, hoping it wasn’t about him or his past. He didn’t like talking about himself.
“I don’t want to offend you, so please don’t take this wrong.” Lacey bit her lower lip, her eyes a little wide as she stared at him.
“Unless you are going to call me a walking penis, I think it will be fine,” Viktor said, trying to put her at ease. She gave a snorted chuckle but still didn’t ask. “Lacey, you can ask me anything.”
Still she seemed to hesitate. “Okay, I finally got used to vampires,” Lacey began, then frowned. “Not that I think you are all, you know, Dracula-like and want to drain everyone of their blood.”
“There are some that definitely are like that,” Viktor replied seriously.
“Is there really a Dracula?” Lacey asked, sounding innocent in their ways. But what else did he expect—her to be an expert on the vampire race? Her questions and lack of knowledge was endearing.
“I never met him,” he replied, his eyes never leaving her. “Is he real or just from Bram Stoker or even Hollywood’s imagination...? Not sure. Is that what you wanted to ask me?”
She shook her head. “No, but you have to understand I grew up watching monster movies.” Her eyes widen, and she gasped. “Not that I’m calling you a monster.”
“Been called worse.” Viktor grinned, but then grew serious. “And some of us are exactly that... monsters, but go on. You’re not offending me, Lacey.”
She looked relieved. “Okay, good, because I really don’t want to do that.”
Her words hit deep because he knew she meant them. Even though vampires could one day destroy the human race, that was not what they wanted. Well, most of them anyway. Some would love to rule over the humans, and that’s where the Vampire Council and Warriors came into play—why there were formed. To keep the peace so no one race ruled over the other, but lived in harmony. It was a bitch most days, but Viktor, like the rest of the Protectors, devoted their lives so they could live among the humans and not hide away in dark corners and shadows of the night like they had been doing for thousands of years.
“Tonight...” she continued with a deepening frown, “at the club, you guys were talking about demons.”
Fear was evident in her eyes as well as her voice. With everything he had, he wanted to tell her not to worry about it—demons were just part of one’s imagination and yet, he couldn’t lie. To lie would put her in danger. Ignorance never did anyone any good.
“Yes, we were,” Viktor said with a nod.
“So that woman on the monitor is really a demon?” Lacey visibly shivered, her arms coming uncrossed as her hands rubbed up and down her arms. “Demons belong in hell, right?”
“Demons have walked the earth since the beginning of time. Vampires for a few thousand or so,” Viktor said, his eyes staring into her beautiful round eyes. “Humans tend to only see what they want to see, want to believe. You’ve probably crossed paths with paranormal beings in your past and never really knew it. Do you know there are also shifters?”
“Yes.” Lacey walked toward the bar and leaned against it across from him. “I saw that one shifter change into a beautiful wolf on the news to save a vampire’s life. It was Jill and the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Viktor nodded. “Yes, that was their first outing, and it sure went viral quick.” Viktor remembered being in London on VC business when he saw it on the news there. “But there are other types of shifters.”
“Demons scare me,” Lacey whispered. “Probably because I love scary movies and saw too much of that, but still....”
“They should scare you.” Viktor didn’t sugarcoat it. “Demons have always stayed out of sight. They don’t want to be known. They prey on the weak and evil. If something bad goes down, you can pretty much bet a demon was behind it. Not always, but a big percentage, yes.”
“So they’ve always been here?” Lacey said, then cleared her throat. “I mean, I know they’ve been here... I think. Or maybe I don’t. It’s really hard to wrap your head around.”
Viktor nodded, understanding her confusion. “Did you know there are places so deep in the oceans that no one can go?” He waited until she nodded. “Do you think that there is a species that lives there that no one knows about?”
Understanding appeared through the cloud of confusion in her eyes. “I’m sure there could be.”
“Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Demons, like vampires, have been portrayed in movies, books, etc. and yet until we came forward, no one believed in us. There is true evil in this world, Lacey. It’s been a battle since the start of time.”
“The battle between good and evil,” she whispered as she hung onto his every word. “And you’re one of the good guys.”
“Some would argue that, but yes, I’m one of the good guys.” Viktor’s eyes searched hers. He knew if he didn’t leave now, chances were he wouldn’t be leaving until the first rays of dawn. He wanted nothing more than to reach across the bar and pull her to him. Instead, he leaned back slightly then stood, her sweet scent almost more than he could take. He had unfinished business to take care of before he made any type of commitment, and one thing he was sure of—as soon as he got a taste of Lacey Cruz, she would be his.
“Are you leaving?” She frowned, pushing away from the bar.
He loved hearing the disappointment of him leaving in her voice. Sad, but true. “Yes.”
“Oh, ah okay.”
Definitely disappointment. “I’ll make sure you get up to your apartment.”
Lacey looked around, then grabbed her stuff. He followed her out, took the keys from her and locked the door before following Lacey around the building and up the steps. He made sure to scope the area, searching for trouble—something that was bred into him. Everything seemed fine. Once again, he took her keys, opened her door, then stepped aside.
She dumped her stuff inside the door before peering up at him. “Thanks for the ride.” She looked like she wanted to say more but didn’t.
“Thanks for the beer and conversation.” He gave her a nod. “Make sure to lock up.”
She went to step into the apartment but stopped. He remained steady, waiting for her to close herself in before he headed down the steps. “You can... come....” She hesitated as if thinking about what she was trying to say, then shook
her head. “Never mind.”
Before she could close the door, he stuck his boot out, stopping it. Her eyes went from his boot up to his darkening eyes. He reached in and gently pulled her out. “Soon, if this invitation is still open.” Viktor’s voice was low as he stared into her startled eyes. He was going to be blunt and honest with her. She deserved no less. “Until I have confronted something from my past, I cannot. We both know exactly what will happen if I walk inside that door. It would be unfair to you.”
She sighed as she stared up at him. Lacey reached up and touched his cheek. “Are you real?” When he remained silent, she tiptoed up, touching her lips softly against his. “You are one of the good ones.”
“Compared to what?” he growled against her lips.
She laughed against his mouth. “All the walking penises out there.”
Their mouths met harshly, bodies crushed together until he pulled away. It was the hardest damn thing he’d ever done in his life. “I have to go.”
“I work here tomorrow night. The wings are to die for.” She once again walked inside. Slowly closing the door, her eyes remained on him. Just before it closed, she gave him a small smile. “And Viktor, there is no if. The invitation will be here when you’re ready.”
Viktor stood staring at the closed door battling greater than any good-vs.-evil fight he’d ever fought in his life. With a curse, he wished he was a real son of a bitch with no morals so he could kick in her door and fuck her like his body demanded him to do, but he wouldn’t.
Forcing himself down the steps and toward his bike, he stopped twice to rethink his motives. Without a doubt, he knew that before he could give himself fully to her, he needed to be at peace. And right now he wasn’t. Jesus, if Bishop could read his thoughts, he’d have to kill his brother. He sounded like the biggest pansy-ass pussy and wanted to punch himself in the face.
Once on the bike, he started it, then glanced up at the window. She was there staring down at him with the curtains pulled back. With one hand, she gave him a small wave, but continued to stare as if teasing him... no, daring him to leave. With a growled curse, he turned his bike and took off with only a nod in her direction. It was crucial he made peace with his past real quick, but a small part of him knew going back in time could be dangerous for him. That dark period in his life was no joke, and he had been someone even he hated.
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