Effie snorted. “I’d be scared if I was you. Chloe’s life mission seems to be keeping you safe and happy. When she thought you wouldn’t recover from your wounds, she refused to leave your side. She literally sat by your bedside the entire week. We had to force her to eat.”
“Yeah, that’s no surprise though. You’re like a sister to her. The shocking thing was how Chloe kept mumbling about how she should have made you call him to you before it happened. That he could have prevented it.” Yvonne looked at Effie. “Who the hell was Ava supposed to call?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Ava stretched and hit a wall of muscle, remembering Donatus was close. “Ohmygods, tell me that you thought to block him from hearing us. I mean, I’m assuming you did. Right?”
Effie’s eyes widened. “Shit. Umm, excuse me, hella hunk, but you don’t really believe any of this, do you?”
Donatus remained silent and still as a statue.
Yvonne shook her head and forced out a long laugh. “Oh, we kill me sometimes.”
Pulling her cell phone off her hip, Ava handed it to Effie. “Call Chloe and tell her I’m coming home. I’m sure I’m fired for being crazy and make sure she comes and gets me if he has me locked up. Oh, and deny any charges I was stalking him. I didn’t know he’d be here tonight.”
“Yeah, right,” Yvonne huffed. “You want to talk stalkers, talk Buite. That man is like a bloodhound when it comes to you, Ava. I half thought he’d show up and demand a dance.”
“Right before he called Daddy to tell him that he found her and was claiming her.”
Ava smacked Effie’s arm lightly. “Buite has never said that.”
Effie sighed. “How can you hate the big baddy yet tolerate one of his sons?”
“I hardly call what I do, tolerating. It’s more like…hmm…okay, I tolerate him.”
“Buite?” Donatus asked.
How she’d again forgotten he was there was beyond her? That wasn’t something she did. Feeling comfortable around people she didn’t know wasn’t common. In fact, it was unheard of. “Yvonne, you aren’t helping the situation.”
Turning slowly, Ava stared at the snug black T-shirt that showed off the chiseled chest hiding beneath it. Swallowing hard, she forced a smile to her face. “Hi, Professor Manlian, I thought I’d use the old ‘hug him and toss bizarre friends and comments at him’ approach to breaking the ice.” As her gaze moved over his full lips, she couldn’t seem to tear it away. “Did it work?”
He bent down quickly and captured her lips. Ana opened her mouth to protest and he slipped his tongue in. Heat flared through her body. The sweet invasion of his tongue in her mouth left her moaning softly as she moved to her tiptoes.
The second Donatus lifted her off the ground, she gave in to his pull and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. His tongue swept across hers, making her body tighten. Ava returned his kiss, licked the inside edges of his lips and sucked gently on his mouth. Her nipples hardened against his solid chest. They scraped over him, a mix of both pain and pleasure for her. They needed attention and they needed it now. As her abdomen tightened, Ava’s pussy began to demand the same thing. It wanted his hard cock. So did Ava.
From the feel of the steely erection pushing against her body, his cock wanted to be in her equally as much, maybe even more than she wanted it in her. He let out a low, sexy growl and started to untie her top.
“Okay, kids, I think a room may be in order,” Effie said with a chuckle.
Ava stopped kissing Donatus and pulled back from him, her eyes wide and her face flushed. “And now I just kissed my boss.”
A slow, sexy smile splayed across Donatus’ handsome face. “You didn’t.”
“Oh good.”
He lifted her slightly, leaving her feet dangling. “Your boss just kissed you.”
Instantly, Ava pushed off his chest in an attempt to get down. It didn’t work. “Down. Put me down.”
Biting his lower lip, he shook his head. “I like being able to look you in the eyes. I love how blue they are.”
“I can never look you in the eyes again.” She continued to wiggle in his arms. The second his bulging cock rubbed her mound just right, tweaking her clit in the process, Ava stopped moving. Moisture pooled at the apex of her thighs. She gasped as pleasure shot through her entire body.
“You fight demons, huh?”
Oh gods, he thinks I’m crazy.
“Of course not.” She smiled broadly. “I teach Norse mythology and sneak protection charms into unsuspecting men’s desk drawers.”
Effie and Yvonne gasped.
Ava ignored them. As she went to speak to Donatus the feel of evil crept over her slow at first, then fast. She drew in a sharp breath when she realized it was close. “Donatus, put me down. Please.”
“No.”
“Effie, whammy him now!”
Effie tossed her hands out and hit Donatus with a blast of power. He let go of Ava instantly. Dropping to the ground, she kissed her hand, releasing power into it, and pressed it to his lips. “I’m sorry.”
Yvonne giggled. “Why are you apologizing? He can’t hear you. To him and other humans here, time isn’t moving.”
“Better question is, why did you make me slap him with that?” Effie asked.
“We’ve got at least three vampire Host in the club with us. Two are guarding the back door. They haven’t sensed us. They’re scouting for something, someone—but not me.” She gasped when an image flashed in her mind. “Effie, find a man here who is the about same size and build as Donatus. He’s got short dark blond hair. His name is Gunter. Yvonne, read me and help her find him. Kal, quite the self-proclaimed ladies’ man, will be with him. Dark hair, similar build. Get them to a safe spot then mask their presence. Take Donatus with you.”
“What? The Host are looking for your boyfriend?”
Ava shook her head. “No. Well, I don’t think so.” She waved her hands in the air. “He’s not my boyfriend. I know they’re hunting for Gunter for sure. I get the sense the three men are inseparable. If I sense that, the Host will as well. They’ll not hesitate to kill one to bring out the other.” She pointed at Effie. “Keep them safe. Block what’s going on from the humans. Yvonne, quick—make me sexy, alluring, every man’s wildest dream come true.”
She stood before Yvonne and waited for the magikal transformation to occur. It didn’t. “Yvonne. Do it now. I need to lure five Host to one area quickly. Looking like a porn star would really help right now.”
Yvonne bit her lip. “Umm, you own a mirror, right?”
“Now is not the time to start—what? Of course I own a mirror.”
“When you get home stare in it for a while.” Yvonne ran behind Effie. “I’ve got an image of the men we need to find in my head. Let’s go before two and two click for Ava and she realizes she really is that hot.”
“What?”
They ran off fast into the frozen crowd. Ava let out a deep breath. “Wonderful, you forgot one of the men you’re supposed to keep safe.”
Glancing up at Donatus, she sighed. “What in hell did you do to me? I don’t kiss just anyone. I don’t worry all day about men I just met and certainly don’t think about how many ways they can please me.” She let out a soft laugh. “Remind me to ask that again when you’re coherent.”
As she went to walk, she noticed Donatus’ lip quivering as though he were biting back a laugh. Ava stepped closer to him and poked his chest lightly. When he didn’t respond, she exhaled. “Don’t do that. I’m already going to have to cast one hell of a powerful spell to make you forget everything except saying hi to me. I really don’t want to walk around thinking you’re immune to it.”
She froze when she realized that Donatus was now her responsibility. “Shit, seduction won’t work if I’m dragging a six-foot-five barbarian with me.” Ava shook her head. Think, Ava. Think. You’ve been out of the game two months. Not a lifetime. You can’t leave him alone… Think of something else.
The sound of tr
ouble filled her ears. Listening closely, she caught the echo of a woman begging for her life that seemed to be coming from outside. Ava sensed something else. Tossing her hand in the air, she spoke softly, knowing the message would go straight to whom it was meant for. “Son of a bitch—Yvonne, do not let Kal or Gun out of your sight. Two vampire Host have an innocent pinned down. I think they’re doing it to draw Gun out. I’m not sure why.” What the hell do they want with a human? “They’re thinking about him while they’re cornering her. Send Effie for Donatus now and then have her meet me out back with the other three. Tell her she can pop a nipple if she wants to lure them. I know how much she likes to do that.”
Grabbing hold of Donatus, Ava pulled him toward an isolated table to await Effie. She waved her hand in the air and the music level reached eardrum-piercing proportions. Ava bent down, seized the wooden chair next to her and slammed it down fast, smiling as the sound of it breaking was drowned out by the loud music.
She glanced down at herself and groaned. “Great, the one night I decide to dress like a girl, I need a place for weapons.” Eyeing Donatus, she let a slow smile move over her face. “I’d steal your T-shirt right now if I wasn’t one hundred percent positive that I wouldn’t be able to stop undressing you at just the shirt. Heavens help you if I decided to have my way with you. I’m not sure you’d make it out alive.”
Yanking her flared pant leg up, Ava slid a broken piece of the chair into her boot. She repeated the steps on the other leg. It was then she felt the woman’s fear again. “Don’t move.”
Turning, she moved through the crowd with a speed humans didn’t possess. Pushing through the back door, Ava did her best to appear intoxicated. “Susie? Susie, are you out here?”
Spotting two men near the far end of the building, Ava knew they had the woman pinned. One turned and stared at her. A slow smile played across his pale face. He chanced a glance at his partner and nodded. “Come,” he said to her, putting his hand out.
Ava did her best to pretend to be under his spell. It was difficult considering she’d never actually been enthralled by one before, but she had seen enough humans put under to at least imitate them. The victims normally looked as though they were moving through molasses and only seeing the vampire in question.
The vampire glanced at his friend as he spoke. “Call the others. This should prove to be most interesting. Two wonderfully delicious snacks. Though I’m thinking I might do a little more than whet my appetite with the new one.”
The woman they had pinned to the wall stared at Ava with wide, terrified eyes. As much as Ava wanted to shout out that she was coming to help, she couldn’t. She needed the vampires away from the woman first. Even with her supernatural speed, she’d never make it in time to aid the woman if they struck out.
Ava sensed the other three vampires before she saw them moving in from behind the two before her. They’d apparently taken the front door. Effie would no doubt be extra-pissed when she got her hands on them. Ava giggled and kicked a foot out innocently, doing her best to look like a horny, drunk woman hell-bent on getting laid. “Mmm, no one told me that all the sexy ones played out here. I would have come sooner.”
It took all she had to not choke on her own words. Ava waited, smiling softly as the group of vampires walked away from the woman, concentrating on her instead. They flashed fang at her and she used that opportunity to play the victim. “What…”
They looked at one another and laughed. “Something the matter?”
Sensing another presence behind her, Ava glanced over her shoulder and found Donatus there. Instantly, Ava turned and rushed at him, needing to know he was safely away from the vampire Host members. The back door opened. Kallimoch and Gunter rushed out, heading straight for her.
A flash of red shot out behind them, taking them quickly to the back wall of the tiny alley. “Damn, you men do not listen!” Effie shouted as she held them to the wall. It was quite a sight, the thin five-foot-eight redhead pinning two men who were almost a head taller than her. Somehow, Effie pulled it off. The buzz of her power moved through the air, holding Kal and Gunter to one spot.
Yvonne ran out and joined them in the alley. “The other three disappeared. I heard them mention a master. We should get word to Ava.” She glanced over and spotted her friend. “Or just let her overhear me saying it.”
Gunter and Kal looked at Ava with wide eyes. Kal tried to break Effie’s restraints. “What the hell are you doing, Ava? Get your ass behind Donatus, now!”
Ava would have responded but she felt the rush of evil behind her. Donatus went to move and Ava unleashed her power, pinning him in place. She pointed at him. “I will deal with you in a minute.”
Looking over her shoulder, Ava aimed at her target, a long-haired blond vamp. She twisted her waist, lifted her right foot and kicked it straight out. Her heeled boot came into contact with the vampire’s upper chest, sending him hurtling backward.
“Ava?” Kal sounded shocked.
“She’s not going to answer you,” Yvonne said with a laugh. “Right now she’s probably running heavy metal songs through her head or thinking up creative ways to wipe your memories clean.”
“Let us go. She needs our help.” Gun sounded winded.
“Gun, that’s what they call you, right?” Effie asked. “She does not need our help. In fact, if we step in, she’ll be pissed at us. Ava needs this. It’s been two months since she exercised her abilities.”
“Abilities?”
A second vampire moved at Ava fast. Smiling, she took a fighting stance and waited. As he sped toward her, she jumped into the air and changed out her front foot with her back one. The vampire wasn’t expecting that. The second Ava kicked out hard, she caught him in the head.
Reaching down, she pulled a stake from her boot and slammed it into his chest. A cloud of dust surrounded her, coating her quickly. Groaning, Ava did a full body shake, hoping it would fall away. “I forgot how much I hate that.”
“Oh, I know. It’s hell to get out of your hair, isn’t it?” Yvonne called from the sidelines. “I once spent an hour trying to get one of those gooey vamps out from under my nails. It makes you want to get to bring them back to life and kill them again just because.”
Ava glanced back and shook her head. Something rushed her from behind, slamming into her hard. It pushed her toward the wall at an alarming speed. Yvonne gasped. Ava locked eyes with her and sighed. “Have a,” she ran up the wall that the vampire was doing his best to ram her into and flipped high over his head, “little faith in me please.” The second her feet touched the ground, she thrust the stake through the vampire’s back, taking care to be sure she hit his heart.
The vamp burst into flames. Ava tossed power out quickly, coating herself in cold to douse any flames that attempted to touch her. “Effie, hold Donatus!”
Donatus watched with bated breath as Ava struck out at another vampire. It took everything in him not to fight the hold her friend Effie had on him. It would be easy to toss it off but it would also cause Effie great pain. That wasn’t something he wanted to do, if he could help it. Ava cared greatly for her and wouldn’t take kindly to her being injured.
Gunter tried to break the hold, thrusting out against it. Effie punched him hard in the face and snarled. “Do that again and I’ll kill you for the Host bastards that seem to want your sorry ass so bad.”
“You have to be the biggest bitch I’ve ever met.”
Shocked that Gunter of all people called a woman a bitch, Donatus stared at him with wide eyes. The second he saw the hungry yet determined look that Gunter had in his eyes, he smiled to himself. The man was taken with Effie, that much was clear.
Effie punched Gunter again, dropping her power for just a second. Donatus seized the moment and threw power out at the remaining vampires. They went to dust instantly, covering Ava in a large cloud she would no doubt hate.
She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around. “What the—”
A bright
flash of white surrounded Ava. Donatus went to run for her but found himself being held in place by an unseen force. The energy was different than Effie’s. Ava’s eyes closed as her body seemed to be cradled by the light. His heart thumped madly in his chest, unsure if she was merely sleeping or injured. “Ava!”
“Yvonne, Effie, return home immediately,” a soft feminine voice said.
Donatus looked around but found no sign of the voice’s owner. All he found was the typical dark, slightly damp alley that always seemed to draw the seedier side of the supernatural.
Effie snorted and punched Gunter again. “This asshole needs his memory wiped and his attitude adjusted. He had the nerve to grab my ass and tell me he wanted to see if my hair was as red on my pussy as it is on my head.”
Gunter growled. “That wasn’t me. That was Kal. I tried to tell you that but you were too busy kicking me in the gut.”
“Oh, would you stop whining about that already?” Effie nagged as she made a move like she was going to hit him again. Gunter jerked. She laughed.
“Effie, come home now,” the voice called.
Yvonne snickered. “Chloe, let me grab Ava quick. Way to put her to sleep. If she remembers any of this she’s going to be pissed. The last time you knocked her out she couldn’t remember anything that had happened to her two days prior to that. I think you did it to cover up the fact you ruined her favorite sweater.”
A soft chuckle came from nowhere. The sound moved over Donatus, radiating peace and harmony. “I remember, Yvonne. I didn’t hit her with quite as much energy so she’ll only lose hours, not days. But leave her there. Donatus, you take Ava and don’t let her fight anything else. Not even something as small as what she did tonight.”
“Small?” Kal huffed. “The hot voice thinks Host are small. I don’t know if I should thank her for giving me a dick so hard I can now hammer nails with it or laugh at her assumption that Host members are no real opposition.”
Sizzling Hot Alpha Male Paranormal Romance Box Set Page 16