by D. C. Gambel
Throwing my thighs open, Cam nipped at them. I writhed wiggling my hips silently begging for the feel of his tongue.
“Stay still,” he demanded kissing the inner part of my thighs. He didn’t go any closer to where I wanted making me growl in frustration.
“Cam,” I groaned turning it into a moan feeling his tongue swipe through my folds followed by a moan of his own. It vibrated against me making my eyes spring open with a gasp.
“Definitely love the taste of you.”
“Shh, less talking.”
He chuckled against me teasing lusty noises from me. “My only regret,” he began making me huff at his refusal to stop talking and focus on the task at hand. “Is wishing I had tasted you when you were still a virgin. I was in such a hurry to get inside you.”
“Get in a hurry now,” I commanded, but he didn’t do anything other than flick his tongue harder against my sensitive flesh. When I felt the pleasure rise, Cam stood. I lifted my eyes to him wanting to see him strip, but he didn’t do anything other than let his lustful gaze rake over my almost naked body. “Cam?” I questioned trying to bring his attention back to my need for him.
“I should leave you like this. At least then I’d now you were safe.”
“What?”
Ignoring me, he continued. “But then Ty or Derek might come looking and find you like this and the sight of you like this, aroused and naked, is just for me.” Reaching above my head he unbound my hands. “You should get dressed, Evie. We leave for the club soon.”
“Seriously,” I groaned realizing how carelessly I’d fallen into his trap. This was his punishment for going against him.
“I told you I was pissed about the Red Room. Now perhaps you’ll be in a hurry to get home quickly so we can finish what we started.”
“Or I could just finish myself,” I teased raising a single eyebrow to him defiantly.
“Try it and see how pissed I get,” he growled suddenly hovering over me. His face quickly morphed into a condescending smirk. “Plus BOB has already met an early demise.”
“You didn’t,” I feigned appalled when in fact it only turned me on more knowing that he was jealous over an inanimate object. BOB had been on vacation since Cam stopped denying me, so it’d been awhile since I opened the box where I kept him under my bed.
Leaning over me, Cam let his fingers trace up my thigh until they found my center making me gasp. I knew he was teasing and I should push him away, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I could feel my skin flush as my nipples hardened begging for attention. “Of course I did. This,” he slipped a digit inside me, “is mine.”
“But you’re leaving me hanging,” I moaned hoping to keep him talking until I could get off. I was so close. My toes curled and my fingers buried themselves in the bedding beneath me.
“Think of it as delayed gratification, but only if you’re good,” he explained withdrawing his finger.
“It’s punishment for going against you,” I growled in frustration, plopping back against the mattress. It shifted a moment later as Cam came to lie beside me.
“Can you blame me?” he whispered. The sincerity in his voice drew my attention to him. The gold flecks in his eyes sparkled replacing his anger with fear and longing. “You just got out of the cell in the basement to then go up against some evil version of yourself, which we still haven’t completely discussed yet. Do you really think that I’d enjoy the idea of you putting yourself in danger yet again?”
With a heavy sigh, filled with guilt over not considering his feelings when I made my choices, I replied, “I’ll take your punishment.”
He huffed, “It’s not…”
I placed a finger against his lips silencing him. “I didn’t think about how everything that happened affected you. I’m sorry. I was selfish.”
His lips tugged up hesitantly in the corners, but not even enough for me to consider it a smile. “I don’t think you have a bad bone in your body, but thank you and I promise,” he leaned in kissing my neck, “I’ll finish this later.” Lips traced across my shoulder followed by nips on my collarbone. “I’ve been dying to get inside you. Four days are four too many.”
“And who says I’m going to let you? After this stunt I may decide to just let you get me there and leave you hanging.”
He narrowed his eyes at me but I saw the humorous glint in them. “You can stick to that line, but we both know that you can’t resist me.”
Rolling off the bed I headed to the closest making sure to add a little extra sway to my hips. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The chuckle that followed me let me know he wasn’t buying my faux confidence for a moment.
My heart pounded against my ribs as I stood outside the Red Room. Flashes of one of my final encounters with Asher came rushing back, the night he pinned me to my bed and drank from me.
Cam reached over wrapping his arm around me. It wasn’t until then that I realized I was shaking. “If this is too hard…”
I shook my head. “I can do this. I just need a moment.”
“He’s dead Evie. He can’t hurt you.”
My screams had woken Cam up several times during those first few weeks after Asher’s attack. He knew about my nightmares. Even though they came less and less frequent didn’t mean that I was over the incident or unaffected by the memory.
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I know. I’m ready.”
Cam eyed me hesitantly for a moment hearing the crack in my voice, but seeing the resolve in my face he nodded at the others who stepped forward leading the way.
Going under cover wasn’t really an option. Too many people knew who we were and had some kind of run-in with us in the past. Broadcasting who we were wasn’t the sanest plan either. Instead, we decided on a little of both.
Cam’s arm snaked around my waist as Derek approached the doorman slipping him— My brow shot up seeing the bundle of Benjamin Franklins he handed the man holding the clipboard, whose eyes seemed to widen too as he stealthily slid the wad into his jacket pocket before lifting the rope. Derek gestured to the rest of us as we slipped in.
There wasn’t a line out front the way you’d expect from most clubs. The vampires were smart with this particular business. It was a hole in the wall. Something humans would glance over without a second thought. Even standing outside I couldn’t hear the steady beat of the bass as I had at any other club or bar I’d been to. It was like this place was a void to the outside world. It didn’t exist until you stepped over the threshold into the dimension that housed it.
The guys had made many attempts to acquire its location before I joined the group. They believed those they interrogated seemed genuine in the knowledge that they couldn’t share the clubs location, almost like they’d been spelled.
I’d only seen the club briefly when Asher had brought me here, to nervous to take it all in. When I left with Cam we’d been arguing so heavily that I’d only paid enough attention to get to the nearest exit.
My mouth fell open at the sight that greeted me. “I thought Phoenix was bad.” Where Phoenix was a safe haven turned demonic bar, the demons did little to cover themselves, dressing as erotically as possible. The Red Room seemed to believe clothing was optional as there were men and woman in various states of undress.
“This isn’t how it was before,” Cam stated clenching his jaw. I tracked his line of sight. My brow shot to my hairline as I watched a vampire woman on her knees between another woman’s legs. I couldn’t tell if she was feeding or… Ripping his gaze from them, Cam met my stunned eyes. “Drink?” he asked. Cheeks flaming, I nodded before watching him head to the nearest bar. Alcohol might be required for this particular mission.
“It’s a feeding den,” Tyler stated eyeing the vampires curiously.
“And possibly a prostitution ring,” Derek added staring at a man that was clearly buried inside a woman who was being held up by shackles from the ceiling. “I think we split. The goal is to see how many bare Maya’s mark. She’s
dominant enough to want all those who serve to wear it and proudly.”
Ty and I nodded before the guys drifted away. Interfering in the vampires’ activities wasn’t the purpose of this outing, even if humans were being fed on. If Maya were building an army exceeding the amount of vampire’s she was allotted for her territory, it would not only have repercussion but could bring down the vampire council on her. She wouldn’t risk drawing their attention to her over deaths of humans. There were rules for a reason. The vampire covens were at peace, but if one rose to a higher power it would throw everything out of balance. Not only would that make our lives harder, but bringing the council to our town was something we all wanted to avoid.
I leaned against the bar high table observing the crowd noticing many of the vampires wore Maya’s mark. I was trying to do the percentage in my head of bar patrons that wore it when the hair on my neck stood up.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before,” the voice sent chills down my spine. I glanced to the other side of the table where a man that I doubted was human, stood. His bare chest glistened under the dancing lights showing off his defined abs. Unconsciously my gaze raked over him assessing him, not in a seductive way. The man was a predator that much was clear with the way he studied me. What was yet to be determined was whether he was hunting for blood or sex, neither of which was I offering.
His head tilted to the side and his tousled brown hair moved with it. It was then I realized I hadn’t replied although he hadn’t really asked a question.
“It’s been a while since I was here last.” My eyes darted to the side before quickly returning to him not wanting to let my attention stray from him. “Things have changed.”
“Awe, so you haven’t been since Kane took over.” The man leaned in closer. I was suddenly grateful for the table between us. “I honestly prefer it to Asher’s BDSM style bar. This seems more… authentic.” He inhaled deeply breathing me in, making me crazy uncomfortable. “You haven’t been claimed.” In a blink of an eye he stood before me. He grabbed my wrist not letting me slip away. “An unclaimed human. Must be my lucky night.” He began drawing my hand to his face. I was unsure if he planned on smelling me or biting me. Just as I was about to unsheathe my knife at my thigh, a strong hand reached out abruptly halting the vampire’s assentation.
“She has been claimed,” Cam’s voice was authoritative and gave no room for rebuttal.
“War,” the vampire gasped fearfully releasing his hold. “I was unaware that this was your female.” His fear slipped momentarily replace by lust. “Perhaps we could share her.”
I gapped at the vampire. He either had balls of steel or a suicide wish. Seeing the glare Cam pierced him with, the vampire took a hesitant step back followed by another before he scurried away into the crowd. I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me at his hasty retreat. Cam was a scary guy when it suited him. He made the guy almost shit himself with nothing more than a look. Not that I blamed the vampire. I’d been on the other side of that glare my fair share of times.
“I leave you alone for a moment,” he stated handing me a crown and coke.
“Did you notice he was probably one of the few vampires here that didn’t wear Maya’s mark?”
He nodded glancing around. “One in every five I’ve seen has been brand-less or wearing another vampire’s mark.” He drew out his phone no doubt texting Ty or Derek. Setting it on the table we continued calculating the patrons that wore Maya’s mark. Randomly some of the partygoers would shoot Cam and I a challenging glare, but none approached us.
“This isn’t good, Evie. Ty and Derek probably can’t hear their phones in here.” Yanking his phone off the table he shoved it in his pocket before turning to me. “Stay here. Don’t move. I’m gonna make my rounds.”
I was going to mention coming with him but he was already gone. Not a minute later he was back by my side. “We gotta move,” he demanded. “Now.”
“What? Why?” But he didn’t reply. He parted his way through the crowd expecting me to follow, which I did. If Cam wasn’t giving me a response, there was a reason.
Noticing me falling behind as I did my best to avoid contact with everyone since, in my hurry, I was unable to determine vampire and human. Cam gripped my arm dragging me along.
I couldn’t explain it, but something felt off about the whole situation. He tugged me along towards a door at the back like he knew exactly where he was going. I wondered briefly if it was to find a quiet spot where Ty and Derek perhaps waited to discuss our next move. The moment we entered the room, I was struck with waves of lust. They enveloped me, coaxed me to strip naked before Cam and beg him to take me. Had someone spiked my drink? I couldn’t recall even taking a sip of it.
“Evie,” he moaned like he felt it too. His hands found my waist almost nervously before shoving me against the wall gently, which surprised me. It was unlike Cam. He moved to kiss me, but I tilted my head offering him my neck instead. He rained his lips over my pulse. Grunting he stopped when he felt the tip of my blade that I had unsheathed from my thigh holster. “Evie?”
“You’re not the first guy to impersonate Cam. Before I gut you, tell me who you are,” I demanded. Even now I fought against the lust that was trying to consume me. I wanted to give in, to let him strip me down and take me here at the back of the club and if I thought for second this man was truly Cam, I might have given in unable to fight against it, but he wasn’t. Knowing that dampened the heat coursing through my body.
The guy had the audacity to smirk. “You’re smarter than he said.”
“He?”
“Shane.”
My hand clutched the hilt tighter trying to stop from shaking at hearing Shane’s name. The Cam impersonator held his hands up backing away slowly.
Once he was several paces away, I spoke, “Don’t think that just because you put distance between us you’re safe.”
“I know all about your training with War so I don’t doubt that you’d be able to hit your mark if your threw that blade. I’m just here to talk.”
“Which is why you tried to seduce me?”
He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for making an attempt. It’s my nature to take advantage of an easy meal.”
I wanted roll my eyes but I refused to take my gaze from him. “Why are you here and disguised as Cam?”
“I told you Shane sent me and the War camouflage is for two reasons. One, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity at getting in Death’s pants. You were dripping with lust before you ever even entered here.”
“And two?”
“I don’t want you to know what I look like.”
“So you picked Cam?”
He drew his hand over his appearance. “It’s the form you most desired.”
The way he said that last sentence was familiar. Then it occurred to me, “You’re an incubus.” I waved my free hand in the air. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. Why did Shane send you?”
His genetics weren’t important. It had only been a day since I made my deal with Shane. If this guy was here to take me, I wasn’t going easy.
“Relax. I’m just here to relay a message.”
“And what’s that.”
He smirked looking so much like Cam that I almost forgot I needed to be on guard. “He wants to meet with you.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll pass.”
He chuckled causing his eyes to close briefly. I didn’t think I was that funny. “You made a deal with him, Evie. It’s not something you can run from. But he knew that’s what you’d say and told me to give you this.” He held out a flip phone. When I didn’t take it he set it on a shelf beside me just before the door burst open and Cam, the real Cam, stumbled in flanked by Ty and Derek. Cam’s gaze landed on me then his mirror image, where it darkened.
“Incubus,” Cam spat. Charging at his image, the real Cam slammed his fist against his pseudo counterpart’s face again and again. He continued until Ty grabbed him.
“Cam!” He
shouted. I was stunned silent having not seen Cam lose it like that. He’d been lost in a rage that had consumed him. “She’s fine.” Cam tired once more, but Ty caught him before his fist connected. If it had been anyone other than a horseman, they wouldn’t have been able to prevent War from striking his target. “She’s fine.”
Cam’s blue gaze pierced me making me stagger back into the wall gripping my knife tighter. It raked over me. Shoving off Ty’s hold, Cam stalked towards me and I lowered my blade. His hands wrapped around my hips burying his face in my neck.
“Evie?” Ty called out.
My gaze darted to him. “Cam needs to know that you’re okay.” Hearing his hidden meaning, I nodded.
“He didn’t touch me Cam.”
I felt his breath rush out against my neck making my hair flutter. “Thank God I got here in time.”
My brow pinched. I didn’t want to tell him that the incubus had tried to thrall me because I didn’t want him to go back to punching the guy.
“You didn’t actually,” the incubus spoke smugly wiping the blood off his face.
“Do you have a death wish?” Ty asked as Cam lifted his head eerily slowly from my shoulder.
“I broke through it Cam, before anything happened.”
“You broke through an incubi’s thrall?” Derek asked disbelief ringing in his tone.
“She truly loves you War,” the incubus smirked. “Don’t forget Evie. It’s either phone him or he might not be so understanding when he sends his next messenger.”
“What?” Cam asked, but both Ty and Derek’s expression suggested they too were curious. They moved to stop the demon from leaving.
“Just let him go.” I turned back to Cam placing my hands on either side of his face. “Take me home.”
Cam’s naked body enveloped mine covering me with a warmth no blanket could offer. My thighs hugged his hips squeezing him randomly just to ensure he made no attempt to move. His lips shifted against mine for no other purpose than to kiss me. Hands cupped my face as his tongue danced with mine in an erotic tango. It was unhurried, moving with a delicate precision that only made me feel loved and desired. His hips occasionally slammed forward creating friction where our bodies were joined only to serve his objectives to feel close to me. I kissed him matching his intensity and urgency.