Danarius hadn’t only brought Sergio; he’d brought Bran. Bran was one of us. His father was leader of Doyle’s clan when The Great War began. When he was killed in battle, Bran thought he would take his place. The wolves in his clan had other ideas though. When they backed Doyle, a younger wolf who Bran saw as inferior, he turned on all of us and gave Sergio the one thing that could give his curse the strength to bind our beasts - the blood of a traitor. Without that, Sergio’s spell never would have taken hold. Blood magic was very powerful and very difficult to circumvent. Our hatred for Sergio was nothing compared to how we felt about Bran.
For tonight though, we would eat, drink and be merry, just as Dragon asked us to do. Tomorrow would be another story. Tomorrow in the arena, we would let the darkness within our souls have free rein and finally get a taste of revenge.
Chapter Nine
~ Solomon ~
When the banquet ended, most of us headed over to the Supernova dance club where the real party was already in full swing. The bars and dance floors were packed but I eventually grabbed a seat at the bar in front of the main stage. As I watched the dancers go through their routines, I was thoroughly impressed with their skill and the choreography. Renee had really outdone herself this time mixing just enough classic dances with modern themes to come up with something entirely unique. As always, her work was a reflection of her inner beauty and the vibrant energy that surrounds her.
“You’re looking a little peaked Solomon,” Gina remarked sliding onto the recently vacated barstool beside me. “Care to have a drink on me?”
She brushed her long blonde hair behind her shoulder as she tilted her head to the side, making it clear she wasn’t offering to buy me a drink from the bar. Gina was a sex demon who worked as a dancer in Mystique. Sex demons fed off lust, so she’d benefit from the arrangement as much as I would. Gina wasn’t however, the most discreet woman I knew so I thanked her for the offer and sent her on her way.
Several more women dropped into the seat beside me with offers of their own before I finally decided to look for Renee. Using the locator spell, I determined that she was most likely backstage, which made sense when I thought about it. She was clearly still avoiding me, but she wouldn’t want to miss all the excitement.
On my way to find Renee I ran into Simone, a close friend of mine who transferred to Myths and Legends a few months ago when I asked her to take over Clarissa’s old job. Clarissa had been in charge of the dancers at Mystique until she was recently imprisoned for treason. Simone was another sex demon but one I knew I could trust to keep my business private.
Leaning in and practically shouting in Simone’s ear, I tried to explain what I needed but had to give up and lead her out of the club. It was just too loud this close to the dance floor and far too crowded to have any kind of meaningful conversation. So with my hand on the small of her back I led her through the crowd and out the main entrance into the cool night air.
~ Renee ~
“Nothing ever changes does it Renee?” Dimitri observed stepping up behind me. I was standing in the shadows behind the curtain on the main stage watching Solomon leave with a curvy brunette that I’d never seen before.
Dimitri eased my sweater off my shoulder and I let him do it because I knew what he was looking for. “Even with his mark stamped on your body he leaves you behind to fulfill his needs with other women.”
His fingertips skated lightly down my neck then over my bare shoulder. I shivered and his arms wrapped around me, holding me against his hard body, comforting me with his warmth.
I knew from the very beginning that Solomon would never be satisfied with one woman. In the two months that we worked together back in Arthur’s studio, he slept with at least twenty different women and the numbers only grew once I joined the supernatural world. So many times I wanted to be one of those women, but I knew sex without a commitment would never be enough for me. For thirty years I stayed by Solomon’s side, all the while trying not to let myself fall for him, but somewhere along the line he became the most important person in my life. That’s why I had to protect him when I realized we were mates before he did.
Every second of the past six months felt like an eternity, but I thought I was saving Solomon from a fate he wouldn’t choose on his own. I figured after thirty years together if he hadn’t chosen to give up all the other women for me then he never would. And if it took magical intervention to make him mine, then I didn’t want him.
Then I woke up this morning and the mating marks were almost completely colored in. I knew what that meant but I couldn’t let myself believe it. I needed more. I needed to feel his emotions through the bond, but since the spell was still tattooed on my back and the fox eye that should have been there was missing, I knew I needed Solomon’s help to make that happen.
I came here tonight to ask Solomon if he could remove the spell but then I was distracted by the endless stream of women propositioning him. They were all beautiful and it was obvious they were making themselves available for anything he had in mind, but he politely turned each and every one of them away. For that short period of time, I was happier than I’d ever been in my life.
Then he met up with the walking wet dream and promptly left to get his rocks off.
Now I was so confused I didn’t know if I was coming or going. Last night I told Solomon he should walk away from me and the mating bond, and at the time, I meant it. Then he touched me. With that one simple act he started a fire that I feared would never be contained. Even now while I was furious with him, I ached to feel him inside me again. I tried to tell myself it would pass, that with enough time and distance the fire could be doused, but a growing part of me didn’t want to put out the flames. A growing part of me wanted to track him down and make sure he never looked at another woman again.
Then I remembered that he lied to me. Last night he said a lot of things that obviously weren’t true because if they were he wouldn’t have walked outside with Miss I’m-too-sexy-for-my-dress.
“I have to go Dimitri,” I said shrugging off his hold and pulling my sweater back in place.
Before I could get away, he reached out and spun me around to face him. With his big hands gripping my upper arms he growled, “What are you going to do, run and hide? Or worse yet, chase after him? You’re too good for him Renee, come with me and leave all of this behind. Let me show you how a real man treats his woman.” Red flames consumed his blue eyes, searing me with their intensity.
I shook my head to clear it. “Dimitri I have to settle this with Solomon. If I leave, I want him to know why I’m doing it, and I want to make sure he won’t try to follow me.”
“Do you honestly think he’ll let you go Renee?”
“It’s not his choice to make,” I said, knowing I wasn’t fooling anyone but myself.
“If you won’t leave with me then fight fire with fire. Show him you won’t sit idly by while he sates his lust with everyone but you.”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he grabbed my hand and started dragging me out onto the dance floor. I struggled at first, digging in my heels and trying to free my hand, but Dimitri just picked me up and carried me onto the dance floor. Once we were surrounded by the heaving crowd of dancers, he set me down and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. His body moved to the music while I glared up at him. When it became obvious that he wasn’t going to give up, I shook my head and started dancing.
I knew Solomon would be furious if he saw me dancing with Dimitri, but I told myself I shouldn’t care. Dimitri was a big boy, he knew he was openly challenging Solomon and if he didn’t care why should I? And why should I feel guilty when Dimitri’s hand moved up to squeeze my breast, or when his lips came down on mine and his tongue slid into my mouth? Mating obviously wasn’t synonymous with monogamy in Solomon’s mind so why should it be in mine?
I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned to see Rook standing beside us.
He leaned in and shouted over the
music. “I need you to come with me Renee.”
Dimitri started to push me behind him but then everything froze. The blaring music was suddenly gone and in the silence, I was surrounded by lifelike mannequins that had been bumping and grinding only seconds before.
“Holy shit,” I gasped looking around. “I heard you’d gained some new powers but damn, I had no idea you could freeze time like this.”
“Do you know what you’re doing Renee?” Rook asked.
I raised my chin and looked him in the eyes. “I’m dancing with my friend Dimitri.”
Rook shook his head. “If you want to play this game that’s up to you, but I must insist that you come with me now. After you’ve talked to Solomon, you can pick up right where you left off and I won’t interfere again, but you should know that if you do, this will only end when one of them is dead. Think about that Renee before you make any more impulsive decisions based on hurt feelings or anger.”
“What if I don’t want to go with you now?”
“I can hold this indefinitely Renee. Solomon is in the back hallway near the service elevators. Doyle is keeping him there. Once Doyle comes out to tell me you’re with Solomon I’ll restart time for everyone else.”
I knew by the set of his jaw that Rook was serious, and if I ever wanted to get back to my life I’d have to talk to Solomon first.
“Fine. I’ll go talk to Solomon.”
As I wove my way through the club, I laughed at some of the comical expressions frozen on the faces around me, and by the time I stepped through the door to the back hallway, I was shaking my head at the number of people caught in the midst of orgasm.
When Doyle saw me coming he whispered something to Solomon who was leaning back against the wall, then he walked past me towards the club.
When I was only a few feet away from him Solomon pushed off from the wall and got right up in my face. “What the hell were you doing out there Renee?”
“Me?” I growled, putting my hands on my hips. “I’m not the one who left with the Brunette Bimbo. What the hell were you doing Solomon?”
I was so angry with him but at the same time I wanted to cry. Why couldn’t I be enough for him? I felt tears welling in my eyes and looked away before he could see them. I couldn’t bear the thought of letting him see me cry again.
“Look at me Renee,” he demanded. When I only shook my head, he grabbed my arms and shook me. “I said look at me Renee.”
This time I did meet his eyes with fury blazing in my own and hissed, “Let go of me and don’t you ever touch me like that again Solomon.”
He released my arms and I took a few steps back.
“Look at me Renee,” he said again.
“I am,” I shouted back at him, the tears rolling down my cheeks now.
“No you’re not, you’re eyes are pointed in my direction but you’re not seeing me at all. Now please, just look at me and tell me what you see.”
I started to ask what he was going on about but then I realized what he wanted me to see. The dark circles under his eyes were back and so was the sickly pallor that I’d been so worried about just yesterday morning. Normally we only needed to feed once or twice a week but the storm must have taken more out of him than I thought.
When he knew I’d finally caught on he said, “I took Simone outside because it was just too loud inside to have a conversation. I wanted her to know that we’ve recently mated and I didn’t feel comfortable feeding from anyone without you being present. She said she understood and had no problem with that. We came back in to find you but then I saw you on the dance floor with the fire demon. Why would you do that Renee knowing how I would react?”
“What was I supposed to think Solomon? I watched you walk outside with a sex demon.”
He closed his eyes and seemed to be counting to ten. Finally, when his eyes opened again he asked, “What do I have to do to convince you that I don’t want any other women? I have no intentions to have sex with Simone or anyone other than you. I need blood and Simone is willing to donate it. I want you to be there while I feed because I don’t want to experience sexual pleasure without you. I know Simone’s presence might make you uncomfortable, but this is something we will have to work out. I’m sorry it can’t wait a few more days but I need to get my strength back before the tournament begins tomorrow.”
Looking into his nearly black eyes, I knew I needed to make a choice. Either I was going to walk away now or I was going to jump in with both feet and see where this mating thing takes us.
I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly very dry. “If we take this step there’s no going back Solomon. We could part now as friends, but if we go our separate ways later we won’t even have that.”
Ever so slowly he closed the distance I’d put between us. Then with one hand going around my waist and the other threading through my hair to the back of my head he pulled me close and whispered, “I made my choice three decades ago when I asked you to follow me through that portal to Liberty Island. The only thing holding me back was not knowing if the fox would accept you. Now that he has, there will never be another woman for me.”
His lips pressed gently against mine and I molded myself to him with a sigh. Tightening his hold on me, his tongue swept into my mouth, teasing and tempting me with slow, swirling licks that stole my breath and made my heart skip a beat. I went up on my toes, deepening the kiss, holding his face between my hands.
This kiss was so different from the one we shared last night when nothing mattered but the throbbing need between my legs. I still couldn’t feel his emotions coming through the bond but this was better. What I felt now was raw human emotions. It was normal, and it was honest and there was nothing supernatural about it. I felt his love for me with the soft caress of his lips, with the gentle slide of his tongue against mine, and with the way he held me close savoring the feel of my body pressed against his.
I felt like a cherished treasure.
When the kiss was over Solomon rested his forehead against mine and whispered, “If ever you doubt what you mean to me you only have to look into my mind to know the truth. Someday we will share everything through the mating bond, but for now my mind is an open book that I invite you to read.”
“I don’t know what to say Solomon,” I whispered just as quietly as he had.
“You don’t have to say anything Renee.” He kissed my lips then lifted his head. “Let’s go find Simone and get this over with.”
This was going to be very awkward. With introductions out of the way, we were all sitting on the ground in a nearby grassy meadow. Simone suggested we go to Solomon’s suite but I vetoed that idea right off the bat. I knew that no matter what our intentions were, once the blood started flowing, the sex demon pheromones would follow and we’d all be swept away in a wave of desire. I hoped that the fresh air and wide-open space would help our brains stay in control when our bodies would otherwise dive right in and let us drown.
Solomon was kneeling behind Simone and I had to fight the urge to grab a handful of her hair and snatch her away from him. Being a sex demon, Simone naturally oozed sex appeal from every pore on her body. From the way her silky dress accentuated her voluptuous curves to the way she sat so gracefully with her long, lean legs curled beside her, everything about Simone was meant to draw in her prey. I didn’t want Solomon to be her next victim even if it was supposed to be an equal exchange of energy - her life force for his lust.
With an elegant toss of her head, Simone’s hair fell back over her shoulder in a cascade of brunette curls, giving Solomon free access to her throat. His eyes met mine, black ringed with gold and I knew what he was asking.
Was I ready for this?
I swallowed hard then nodded and he leaned down to sink his fangs into Simone’s slender neck. They both moaned and I immediately felt the effects of her pheromones. She was obviously trying to minimize her reaction, but some things were just impossible to contain. Just like drinking blood caused overwhelming lust for vam
pires and nightshifters, absorbing lust triggered a burst of pheromones from sex demons.
Solomon’s gaze held mine as her blood rushed into his mouth and the pheromones invaded our senses. The lust created by sex demon pheromones was purely physical and though it affected humans more than supernaturals, no one was immune to the effects. Combine that with drinking blood and you had a one-way ticket to the land of mindless orgasmic pleasure.
As I watched his mouth work, my nipples tightened and the fire already burning inside me flamed to life, readying my body for the thrust of a long, hard shaft. From the looks of things, Solomon was right there with me. He was gripping Simone’s shoulders so tightly I was surprised he wasn’t drawing blood with the way his fingers were digging into her flesh.
And his eyes...
They were still locked with mine, but with that much lust burning in their depths, I couldn’t be sure if he was really seeing me or not.
Normally we couldn’t get into supernatural minds, but our donors left themselves wide open when we fed. If sex was involved, we only projected the physical sensations caused by feeding into our donors. It added to the pleasure we were already sharing and made the sex hundreds of times better. If sex wasn’t involved our donors usually wanted us to create some kind of fantasy in their minds while we drank. It was one of the reasons so many people were willing to donate their blood to us. The fantasies we created were very real with not only visuals but also tastes, smells and sensations to satisfy all the senses.
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