Slade (Venom Series) Book Two

by Kristen Middleton

  I stuck my head out of the bathroom. “Yeah, I could use something clean, too. If… you don’t mind?”

  “I don’t have anything right now. But, I’m sure we can find you something on the way to the hangar. There should be some stores around.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, putting a hand on his forearm. She leaned forward. “You’ve done so much for us. If there’s anything I can do to repay you, just ask. I mean… anything.”

  She just wouldn’t give up. It was almost embarrassing.

  He frowned. “Melody, you don’t have to do anything. I already went over that.”

  She smiled. “I know. But I really want to. I’ll even wash your clothes or… your car. I also give awesome back massages.”

  He looked at me. “I hate to do this… but I’m going to go ape-shit if I don’t. And, it’s for her own good.”

  “Do what?” we both asked.

  He stared into Melody’s eyes and his voice was gentle, but commanding. “You need to keep your distance from me, Melody. Deep down… you know that I’m no enemy to you, but… you’re not quite sure of me.”

  Her eyes dilated. She let go of his arm and repeated what he said. “You make me a little nervous. I want to keep my distance.”

  “Yes. Now, go and prepare yourself for the drive,” he said evenly.

  Like a robot, she turned around and walked past me into the bathroom.

  He grinned and then looked at me.

  “What in the hell did you just do to her?” I asked, staring at him in shock.

  “I didn’t hurt her or anything. It’s just a form of hypnotism.”

  “Hypnotism? But why would you do that?”

  “It was for her own good. She’s basically throwing herself at me,” he whispered. “She needs to stop.”

  “Well, are you going to hypnotize me, too?” I asked coolly. “For my own good?”

  He grinned darkly. “Why? Do you want to throw yourself at me, too?”

  I scowled. “No.”

  “I could change that,” he said, tugging at my towel. “I wouldn’t have to do it with my eyes, either.”

  I gasped and stepped away from him. “Don’t you dare!”

  He chuckled. “You’re no fun.”

  “That’s right. I am no fun. Don’t forget that, either.”

  Opening the door, he looked back at me. “Get dressed before I hypnotize you into making you show me your mams.”

  My jaw dropped.

  “Something tells me they’re much prettier than your gams,” he said, winking.

  I STEPPED OUT of the motel and walked to my Firebird, where members of the band, Liam, Bradan, Jimmy, and Sean were all standing, talking amongst themselves. Everyone, except Liam, wore dark sunglasses and looked like they were recovering from a heavy night of partying.

  “The girls coming?” asked Liam.

  “Soon,” I replied, twirling the car keys around my pinky. “You guys can leave, you know. You don’t have to wait around. Where’s your motorcycle, Liam?”

  “I left it at Club Nightshade,” he answered glumly. “Everything happened so fast when the shit went down. I tried going back for it later, but someone had trashed it.”

  “Oh, man… I’m sorry,” I said. “That bike was wicked.”

  “It was bad-ass,” he said, sighing. “Someone’s going to have to pay for that, Slade. Maybe not now, but I won’t forget about Faye and those dumb-shits. I’ll take it out of their hide.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I said.

  “Maybe it wasn’t a Roamer,” said Sean.

  “It was,” said Jimmy, the redhead with the goatee. “They knew the bike was yours.”

  “If I ever get my hands on the asshole who did it, I’ll rip him to shreds for what he did. I loved that bike, and it loved me.”

  “You only had it for two weeks,” said Jimmy. “You couldn’t have been that attached.”

  “You’re not a rider,” he answered. “There’s no way you could appreciate the relationship between a man and his bike.”

  During our tour in the U.S., Liam had purchased the 2013 Softail Fatboy right after I’d picked up my Firebird. I wasn’t a rider either, but I loved my car. I’d have been just as pissed if someone had harmed it.

  “I guess not,” replied Jimmy. “But, I’m sure going to miss our bus. Did any of you contact the rental company?”

  Jimmy, Bradan, and Sean had spent most of their time in the tour bus we’d rented. We’d needed it for appearances and they’d preferred the luxury of it to my car. Unfortunately, the bus had been left behind in the club’s parking lot after our squabble and God only knew what had become of it.

  “I’ll call them later,” I replied. “Tell them it was stolen.”

  “Good plan,” replied Sean.

  Bradan glanced at his phone. “It’s getting late. What’s taking them so long?”

  “You in a hurry to get back to your mum?” I teased. It was a running joke that his mother, Bridget, who was also a vampire, had Bradan under her thumb. The fact that he’d agreed to a few concerts in the U.S. had shocked us all, since Bridget hadn’t been too keen on the idea.

  “Piss off,” he replied, scowling. “She’s freaking out, okay? Has told me some horrible things about Faye Dunbar. Personally, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her.”

  “How does she know Faye?” I asked. “Your mother has never even been to the U.S.”

  “Maybe not, but she knows Faye’s brother, Kane. Said he’s not someone you want to mess with. She heard that Faye is just as dangerous. She was going to fly out here, to help us out, but I told her not to.”

  “Should have let her come out,” said Liam, who was now leaning against my car and chewing on a toothpick. He smirked. “Your mother is one hot little number. One would never know she’s over two-hundred years old.”

  Bradan’s face turned red. Clenching his jaw, he jabbed his index finger at Liam. “Don’t you even think about it, Liam. You stay the hell away from her.”

  Liam’s eyes widened. “Settle down. I’m just choking your chain.”

  “Right,” continued Bradan. “She’s got enough problems going on as it is. Now that she’s lost Bella. I don’t need you screwing with her.”

  Bella had been her most recent dog a Golden Retriever. Being immortal, she’d had a lot of pets die over the years, and I’d learned that she’d taken each of their deaths pretty hard.

  Liam looked at me. “Damn, should I be offended?”

  I put a hand on Bradan’s shoulder. “Relax. You know Liam wouldn’t have a chance with her anyway. She’d laugh at him if he tried to make any kind of move.”

  “Oh, she’ll definitely have a smile on her face when I’m done with her,” replied Liam.

  I shook my head. “You really are a dick.”

  Bradan turned to Sean and Jimmy. “You guys want to leave?”

  “Let’s do it,” said Jimmy.

  “I’m ready,” replied Sean. He turned to me. “We’ll meet you at the hangar, then?”

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  “Later,” said Jimmy as he glanced around the parking lot before shooting off into the sky. Sean quickly followed suit.

  “Behave yourself,” said Bradan, staring at Liam. “I know it’s difficult for you, but try anyway.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” he replied, smiling crookedly. “Especially if we’re traveling with two fine looking babes.”

  “Exactly, Liam. They’re just babes. They can’t be over twenty,” said Bradan. “Right, Slade?”

  “They’re not. Don’t worry about him,” I said. “I’ll keep him in line.”

  “You shouldn’t have to. A male should know his own boundaries. No matter what breed,” he said before disappearing into the sky with the others.

  “Bradan and his words of wisdom,” said Liam.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  “Am I really that bad?” asked Liam.

  “If you have to ask, then obviously you
are.”

  He grunted.

  The door to Chelsey and Melody’s room opened and they walked out.

  Liam immediately turned on the charm. “Good morning. You two are a sight for sore eyes today.”

  “Why is that?” asked Chelsey, smiling coolly.

  “Besides the both of you being lovely, I’m hungrier than a bear. Now we can leave this dump and find a place to eat.”

  Melody smiled uneasily. “Uh, you’re the lycan, right?”

  Liam’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, but don’t worry, beautiful, you’re not on my menu.” He winked. “At least when it comes to food. My other appetites would beg to differ.”

  “That’s a relief,” she replied, laughing nervously.

  “Speak for yourself,” muttered Chelsey, folding her arms under her chest. She eyed me warily and I winked at her.

  “You girls are both safe with us. I think we proved it last night,” said Liam.

  “Oh really?” asked Chelsey. “What do you mean?”

  He chuckled. “You’re still breathing. If we wanted to harm either of you, we’d have done it already.”

  Neither girl replied.

  “Jesus,” said Liam, shaking his head. He looked at me. “Are they always this… uptight?”

  “You’d be uptight too if you lost your entire family,” stated Chelsey.

  “Settle down, lass. I’m just trying to make you smile,” said Liam. “Sorry if I’ve offended you.”

  Chelsey’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m the one who is sorry. I’m just… you know.”

  His eyes softened. “I know and I don’t blame you. Just remember that Slade and I are friend and not foe.” He opened up his arms and smiled at them innocently. “Would either of you like a huggy-bear? It might make you feel better.”

  Both girls laughed.

  “A huggy-bear?” repeated Chelsey.

  He put his hands down. “Yes, it’s just a big bear-sized hug. Me pa used to give them to me when I was just a wee-lad. Always made me feel better. Although, I have to admit, I might get a little more pleasure out of hugging you than you me.”

  Chelsey grinned again and I felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy. I’d been trying to win her over the last few hours and he was able to do it with ease.

  “Chelsey? Melody? Slade, you could probably use a hug,” he said, coming toward me.

  “I’ll pass,” I said, shaking my head.

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” he said. “Well, maybe later. Should we vacate this place?”

  “Quickly,” said Melody. “It’s disgusting.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Liam walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. Pulling the seat back, he looked at the girls. “I’d offer to sit in back so one of you could ride in the front, but my legs are too long.”

  “That’s fine,” answered Chelsey, getting into the backseat. “I prefer the back, anyway.”

  Liam’s eyes lit up and he looked at me. “She prefers the back,” he mouthed, giving me the thumbs up.

  Shaking my head but grinning, I opened my door and held the seat so Melody could also get in. She smiled politely, but the look in her eyes told me that the charm had worked well. There would be no more flirting.

  After Liam and I got in, I started the engine and peered over my shoulder at Chelsey, who was staring out the side window. I noticed that her clothes were damp. “What, did you take a shower in your clothes?” I teased.

  “No,” she said, looking down. “I just tried to clean them.”

  “We’ll get you some new ones,” I said, backing out of the parking spot.

  “And food,” said Liam, rolling down the window.

  I turned on the radio and we peeled out of the parking lot. “Yes. And food.”

  LIAM TALKED OUR ears off as we drove. He was a bundle of energy and I found myself laughing at a lot of his stories.

  “Sorry,” he said, after going on about how Bradan had insulted him earlier. “I’m sure you are all tired of listening to me complain.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  He flipped me off.

  “It’s okay,” replied Melody, who now seemed more enthralled with the blond, Nordic-looking drummer than Slade. “It sounds like he was treating you unfairly. I’d have been angry, too.”

  “I’m really not that bad of a guy,” he answered, crossing his arms under his chest. “Definitely not someone who is just looking to get laid constantly.”

  “I can’t believe you said that with a straight face,” said Slade, smirking.

  Liam chuckled and rubbed his shadowed jawline. “Have to admit – it kind of hurt.”

  I smirked. “So, you really aren’t to be trusted around Bradan’s mom?”

  “If you ask me, trust is overrated anyway,” he answered. “My theory is that a woman is more receptive to a man when she’s not too sure of him. It keeps her… interested. Turns her on because she can’t figure him out.”

  “I disagree. I think she’s more turned on when he’s aloof or mysterious,” I corrected. “But, untrustworthy? Hell, no.”

  “So, are you turned on by the unknown?” asked Slade.

  “We weren’t talking about me,” I replied.

  Liam looked back at me and smiled. “Someone’s blushing.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “Whatever.”

  “I have to agree with Chelsey,” said Melody, thankfully changing the subject. “I don’t mind a guy being a little mysterious, but if I can’t trust him, I’d just as soon stay clear.”

  “What if you’re just hooking up for sex?” asked Liam. “Does it matter?”

  “Wouldn’t that make it even more important?” she said. “How can you have sex with someone you don’t trust?”

  “It happens all the time,” he replied.

  “How many times did it happen last week, Liam?” asked Slade.

  Liam laughed. “More times than I can count.”

  “I think we can all trust you on that,” said Slade.

  “Seriously, I’m just messing with you, girls. I’m really not that bad,” said Liam, still grinning. “In fact, before we started touring, I broke up with my girlfriend. I knew there would be plenty of temptation and didn’t want to get into trouble. Not with someone like her.”

  “She was a little insane,” said Slade.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “That was another good reason to call it quits.”

  “Was she a lycan?” asked Melody.

  “She was. Besides being out of her mind, she was a full-blooded Irish lycan,” said Liam. “Not someone you could cheat on and live to tell about it.”

  “How long were you together?” she asked.

  He scratched his chin. “About four weeks. Damn, I need a shave. Touch my face, Slade. Is it too rough?”

  “Get out of here,” said Slade, as he tried to grab his hand.

  Liam laughed and pointed to the windshield. “Keep your eyes on the road, Slade. You’re going to get us killed,” he teased.

  “You’re such an ass,” said Slade, shaking his head.

  “I love it when a man has some scruff on his jawline,” said Melody. “It’s sexy.”

  Liam looked back at her and grinned. “You don’t mind a little chafing, huh?”

  “It depends on where it is,” she said. “Pain is sometimes good, right?”

  I stared at my cousin in shock. She was actually flirting with the lycan now. Had she no shame?

  Liam and Slade looked at each other and began to laugh.

  “Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “Just… wow.”

  She grinned wickedly. “Don’t worry, Chelsey, you’ll know what I mean. Someday.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled, embarrassed. I didn’t need Slade or Liam knowing I was a virgin.

  Noticing my irritation, she quickly changed the subject. “So, Liam, did you grow up in Ireland?”

  “Indeed. Lived there most of my life.” He then explained that his mother was originally from America.
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  “Was she also a lycan?” asked Melody.

  “Yes. She was visiting Dublin when my parents first met.”

  “What are the chances of that? Two lycan, from different countries, falling for each other,” she mused. “Are there many of your kind in Europe?”

  “Yes, but you’d never know. We try to keep a low profile. Most of us, at least.”

  “Some don’t?” I asked, intrigued with the fact that there were so many of them and still, they had to hide.

  “No. Some get out of hand,” he answered. “Cause a lot of problems.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Liam shrugged. “Having these gifts can make one… arrogant and foolish.”

  “And dangerous?” I replied.

  “Absolutely. They then become a liability, so we have to control them,” he replied. “Can’t have our kind running crazy and drawing attention, you know.”

  “Do you help with putting them in line?” asked Melody.

  “If I’m around, yeah. Our existence depends on our race remaining nothing more than a fairy tale. Imagine the reaction your world would have if they learned about us?”

  “I’m sure,” answered Melody. “It must be hard to have to live a lie.”

  He laughed. “I wouldn’t say we’re living a lie. Just staying elusive.”

  “Well, you certainly don’t seem… out of control or dangerous, like one would imagine a lycan to be,” she said. “Not that I’ve heard much about your kind. Or,” she nodded toward Slade. “His.”

  “I can’t speak for vampires, but most of us are like you. Just trying to survive. But make no mistake, you double-cross our kin or friends, and you’ll see how dangerous we can be.”

  “We noticed that the other night,” I replied. “It was pretty gruesome.”

  He shrugged. “Most of our enemies have to be dealt with in that matter. It’s us or them. You may not understand since you’re a mortal, but…”

  “Believe me, I’m beginning to,” I said dryly. “Especially when the local cops can’t be trusted.”

  “I heard about Caleb coming for you. Believe me, he would have handed you over to Faye and gotten heavily rewarded for it,” said Liam.