I couldn’t figure out what species he was. Maybe that was it. The mystery of him intrigued me, but I didn’t come here to solve a puzzle.
I came here to feast.
Chapter Four
Pulling my gaze away, I fumbled with the straw in my drink, stirring the ice in the glass. My inner demon was ready to taste something other than sweet liquor. It was time to mingle. I spotted a cute little blond with blue eyes standing alone in the corner. He was just what I needed to forget about dark and smexy still staring at me.
The floor vibrated as I moved across the room, keeping my gaze locked on the lonely boy. Even from here, I could smell the sweetness of his soul. This guy probably spent long hours at home with his Xbox and would be an easy target.
So what was he doing here?
I was oh so glad he was. His essence was just what I needed to kick this party off.
With a sway to my hips, I made it halfway across the room when a body intercepted my path.
Seriously.
I would bite the head off of whoever was standing between Lonely Boy and me. I took hanger to a new level.
My eyes lifted, and I faced the guy with the ocean eyes. I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back. His nearness had my body waking up. “Bored with the blonde already?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
His lips twitched. “Would you believe she’s my sister?”
For the love of Hell, his eyes were beautiful. Don’t get me started on the rich and smooth quality of his voice. I wanted to melt at his feet. “If you dance with your sister like that, then you have problems. Not even I want to be a part of that.” I liked clean souls, not dirty freaks… okay, only occasionally.
One side of his lips curled up. “I’m not surprised that pretty mouth of yours comes with a sharp tongue.”
“Wait until you get a feel of my fangs.”
He tipped his head to the side. “Is that a promise?” The suggestive tone in his voice did something to my chest that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Don’t you smirk! I tried to keep a straight face, I really did, but damn if that wasn’t something I would have said.
His chin dipped, bringing our faces closer. “She isn’t my sister in case you’re wondering.”
I blinked, my pulse quickening. “I wasn’t.”
“How about I get you a drink?” he suggested, glancing at my empty glass.
“Maybe later. There’s someone I need to see.” I handed Aqua Eyes my flute and sidestepped to walk past him.
“He won’t give you what you need.” His voice stopped me.
Spinning, back around, I raised a brow. “And what is it you think I need?”
A lopsided grin curved on his lips as his eyes glimmered. “Come find me later and I’ll show you.”
My fingers slipped into my dark hair. “I don’t chase men; they chase me.”
“I bet.”
I gave him a view of my fine ass as I walked away. Dwell on that, sucker.
I was happy to find that Lonely Boy hadn’t moved an inch. He was still leaning against the corner, slowly nursing his drink. His eyes lifted at my approach. They were soft grey, and a flicker of surprise sprang into them.
“Hey,” I crooned. I pegged him for a newbie wolf shifter who had been a boy scout growing up. He was oozing good intentions.
“Hey.” He looked around as if he was making sure I was talking to him.
I held out a pretty manicured hand. “I’m Alice,” I told him, giving him an alias.
“Uh, Trent.” A bemused expression crossed into his features.
“Well, Trent, how about you and I turn up the heat in here?” My inborn succubus charisma kicked in. “Let’s dance.” I grabbed Lonely Boy by his lapels and dragged him onto the dance floor.
He blinked as I weaved my arms around his neck like he didn’t know what just happened. “I don’t really dance,” he muttered, standing awkwardly in front of me.
I gave him a reassuring smile to ease his anxiety. “There’s no better time than a party to learn.” Swaying my hips, I intentionally brushed my body up against his.
He moved his feet back and forth, not really doing much. Trent hadn’t been lying about the lack of dance skills. “Your wings are magnificent. Are you a fallen angel?”
“Something like that.” I trailed a finger up his chest, feeling the muscles ripple. I bit on my lip, lowering my lashes. “What are you hiding under here?” I asked, teasing the top button of his shirt.
He swallowed, caught up in my seductive aura. I had him in my web from the moment I opened my mouth. The soft glow of the purple lights cast shadows over our faces. He stepped on my toes once or twice, apologizing sheepishly as the color in his cheeks deepened, but he had nothing to be embarrassed about. It was I who should be ashamed of what I was about to do.
But I wasn’t.
I got so lost in the beat of the music and the sway of my body that the sudden raising of hairs on the back of my neck annoyed me.
My stalker was back.
After I got a taste of poor Trent here, I would hunt down that asshole and skewer his eyeballs out. He was screwing with my game.
I pulled Trent closer, giving my stalker the stink eye. Aqua Eyes raised his brows in a condescending challenge as if he knew just how much he got under my skin. I’d barely spoken to the guy, and somehow he could raise my blood pressure with only a glance.
Gah.
I blew out an aggravated breath.
He noticed and laughed. Although he was across the room, I could hear the sound of his laugh, husky and playful. My gut twisted, and the air in my lungs became labored.
What the hell?
“Did you come here alone?” I murmured near Trent’s ear, letting my warm breath tickle over him. I wanted to know if I should expect a crazy jealous girlfriend to come flying onto the dance floor and rip my hair out by the roots. I was pretty fond of my silky locks.
Trent shivered. “No, I came with my boyfriend.”
Hm. My gay radar must be off. This usually wasn’t a problem for me, but I would make it work. “Oh, sorry. I hope I haven’t caused any problems.”
“Nah, Dagger isn’t the jealous type,” he assured. “But I am wondering where he has run off too.”
If I didn’t make a move soon, I would lose him as his interest had already begun to wander to Dagger. What a name. And he expected me to believe someone with a name like Dagger wasn’t the jealous type. Please. I batted my lashes, and Trent refocused his gaze back on me. “Can I ask a favor?”
He nodded.
I wrinkled my nose, letting vulnerability seep into my expression. “My ex-boyfriend is here.”
Trent’s back straightened. “Seriously?”
“Don’t look, but he’s been staring at us.” He behaved like a good little pup, keeping his eyes on my face. “I ended things a few months ago, and he’s been stalking me ever since.” I glanced over Trent’s shoulder and gave aqua-eyes a devious glower.
The wolf instinct inside Trent flared up just as I’d hoped. “Did you need protection?” he offered.
Awe. How sweet of him to ask, but this girl could take care of herself. I shifted my hand to his shoulder. “I was thinking if he thought I was with someone, he would get the picture and move on.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Just a kiss.”
His lips curved, and when Trent smiled, like really smiled, his cuteness was off the charts. I wanted to take him with me and keep him as a pet. “You wouldn’t be the first girl I’ve kissed.”
But I would be the one he always remembered. “Oh, my God. Thank you. I owe you a drink or another dance.”
He laughed. “I’ll take the drink.”
I grinned in return. “Deal.”
“Uh, so…” He appeared awkward and nervous as he blundered through trying to figure how to go about kissing me.
Taking charge, and because he sort of reminded me of a skittish cat, I slowly descended my
lips to his. This was just about survival. It had nothing to do with a certain guy with aqua eyes watching me. I refused to let him ruin a perfectly good night with a perfectly good guy. I wasn’t trying to make him jealous.
Nope. None of those were driving factors behind the kiss.
Lies! My mind screamed.
I told it to shut up.
His lips were soft and gentle as they moved over mine. I weaved my fingers into his hair and kissed him deeper, slipping my tongue between his lips. Trent’s soul was sweet, like a blue raspberry lollipop. Shifting slightly, I wedged my leg between his and made a sexy purr in the back of my throat.
The kiss ended too soon, and I was tempted to push him for another. The life force I’d gotten from him was a quick fix but wouldn’t sustain me more than an hour.
His eyes slowly batted open. “Wow.”
Dissatisfied, I wiped my lips with the pad of my thumb, erasing the lingering remnants of him. “Thanks again, Trent.”
I patted his chest and left him on the dance floor. As I walked off, the chuckle of my stalker echoed in my head. Exhaling roughly, I scrunched up my nose. I’d given up wondering how it was possible I could hear his ridiculously sexy voice. Why couldn’t he have a voice like Kermit the Frog?
Chapter Five
Weaving through the crowd, I searched for the bathroom because even members of Hell had to pee, and I needed a moment to collect myself. My feathers were ruffled.
Strolling to the far side of the room, beside the bars, I located the door to the ladies’ room. Just as I was about to push it open, a hand suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into the darkness of the tunnel, the one we had taken to get into the castle. I picked up the faint smells of seduction wafting in the air.
I didn’t need to see his face. I never forgot a person’s essence. Stalker guy was back, and I hated the tingle of anticipation that rippled down my spine. I channeled those strange emotions into one that was as familiar to me as the underworld.
Hell hath no fury like a pissed off demon. “Let go of me,” I growled, ripping my arm from Aqua Eyes grasp. What was his deal? I spun in the dark, shifting my weight to one leg as I lifted the other to drop kick him in the balls.
But the asshat outmaneuvered me, which never happened. Ever. I was more than a pretty face. Ruthless killer was bullet pointed on my resume in bold.
His hand snatched my ankle in midair, whipping me around so my back was against the wall, and the entire length of his firm body was pressed to mine.
I should feel nothing… nothing but extreme wrath.
And yet…
I was kind of turned on.
Jackass.
As if he could read my mind, that stupid grin split over his lips. “What are the chances we could have a conversation that ends with neither of us bleeding?”
“Zero to none,” I answered, lifting my chin.
His laugh rumbled against me. “Tell me your name.”
The effects from Trent were already starting to wane. “Are you always so demanding?”
“Are you always so evasive?” he countered, tipping his head to the side.
My brows knitted. “Yes. It’s part of my genetic makeup.” I wiggled, trying to get out from being trapped by his body. Wrong move. Electric sparks radiated from contact.
“It is only a name. Is yours a secret? Are you an underworld spy?”
“Allie,” I replied, just to keep him from spewing any more obscene theories about me.
“Your real name,” he insisted, surprising me.
My lips pressed together in a hard line. “Are you calling me a liar?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “We all have our talents. I can see through the little white lies. Well, all lies really.”
Freaking great. He was a human lie detector. “Must come in handy. What are you, a demon hunter?”
The hands holding my wrists to the wall loosened enough that if I wanted to send him flying down the tunnel, I could have. From the arrogant expression on his face, he knew it as well. “If I were, I’d have to kill half the people in here, Alexis.”
Including me. I scowled. “If you knew my name then why all the theatrics?”
The pads of his thumbs rubbed along the pulsing vein at the inside of my wrists. “A test.”
Frustration snapped inside me. “I was never good at school. Now it’s only fair that I know your name.”
His lips slid into a cocky grin as if his name was the greatest thing since sliced bread. “Breckin Hastings.”
“Hmm,” I uttered, pretending I found his name boring when truthfully, the sound of it sent a bolt of static humming through my veins.
Why?
I shuddered to think what would happen if his name fell from my lips.
His eyes narrowed as his fingers moved from my wrists up my arms. “Do you feel that?”
A flash of warm energy skated over my skin. His body was still pressed against mine, and I took a different tactic with my response instead of admitting the truth. I did feel the strange connection between us. “I’m not sure.” I let my eyes shift downward. “It’s kind of small.”
I was getting tired of amusing him.
Once again, his lips twitched. “Funny. I meant the thread of energy between us, but I’m up for showing you just how small I’m not.”
I rolled my eyes. Spoken like a true ass with insecurity issues, but I didn’t need a show and tell. He definitely wasn’t lacking in the manhood department. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He dipped his chin, the blue glow at the mouth of the tunnel glancing off his cheekbones. “Liar,” he whispered.
Floored, all I could do was stare at him for a moment. “Even by supernatural standards, you’re insane.”
“I’m many things, sweetness.”
My nose wrinkled. “There is nothing sweet about me.”
“That remains to be seen, but for now…” He laced his fingers with mine and lifted our hands up in the air. “I’m only interested in what this means.”
An invisible energy, like a vine of power, wound its way around our arms. “Unfortunately, I don’t share your interest.” I jerked my hands from out of his. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to powder my nose.”
He took a step back, allowing me the room to brush past him, and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. The sudden lack of his warmth against the front of my body left me feeling empty, but it gave me a chance to see the rest of him, notice any of those details I might have missed. Like the tattoo covering his right forearm. There wasn’t enough light in the dim tunnel to make out the details, and unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, the ink was magic. The scene seemed to move. It was subtle, making me want a closer look.
My hand moved toward his arm with the intention of tracing the marks, but Breckin twisted so I could no longer see the tattoo. I glanced up.
All humor had slipped out of his expression. “Save me a dance.”
“Not if your life depended on it,” I spat.
He laid a gentle hand on my upper arm, stopping me at the mouth of the tunnel. The music and laughter filtered into the passageway. “Be careful. Not everyone here is a friend.”
My sultry eyes tapered. “What do you know?”
He shrugged, leaning back against the wall in a lazy stance. “Stuff.” He was baiting me.
“Like who is hosting this eclectic event?”
He paused. “Sorry to disappoint, sweetness. I think that is one secret we’ll never know, but there are other forces here.”
“I appreciate the warning, but I’m not too concerned with the fairies and the vampires. I can take care of myself.”
Breckin stood mostly in the shadows, just outside the blue light spilling onto the floor. “In those boots, I don’t doubt it.”
At least he got something right.
I emerged back into the ballroom, accidentally bumping into one of those fairies I wasn’t concerned with. I didn’t mess with the fae world,
and they stayed clear of the underworld. Grumbling an apology for my clumsiness, I headed to the bathroom before my bladder exploded all over the shiny floor.
After a quick trip to the toilet, I gave myself a succubus refresher, enhancing my eye makeup, darkening my lip color, and extending my lashes to brighten my icy blue eyes. The basics, but using my powers didn’t fill me with the grounding I was looking for tonight.
My encounter with Breckin had left me troubled and confused. The inside of my wrist still tingled from his touch. I didn’t want to feel anything, especially this magnetic pull to him. I could lie to myself, but the sensations were still there.
Anger and annoyance were simpler emotions to drum up than dealing with a virtual stranger making you want to have sweaty sex for pleasure, not work. When was the last time I wanted to have sex for fun?
I couldn’t remember.
It had been my job for so long that it had lost the glow of connecting with another person. I got so wrapped up in the high of their soul.
“Fuck,” I cursed, staring at my reflection.
This was not turning out to be the night I had anticipated.
Not only had I just tasted one measly soul, but I also had to figure out what to do about Breckin Hastings. Surely after tonight, I’d never see him again. So it brought up the question… Do I or don’t I sleep with the mysterious, egotistical, too-hot-for-his-own-good jerk?
Lucifer would be so disappointed in his favorite pet. If this night wasn’t going to be a total waste, I needed to get my head on straight. And that began with forgetting about Breckin-freaking-Hastings.
For the moment.
Chapter Six
Next target.
Back inside the ballroom, I let my eyes sweep over the possible prospects. I had grabbed myself another drink from Impira as I weeded out the cozy couples, the demons, and looked for someone who was alone with a pure heart. Not an easy task when nearly everyone here was a monster of some kind.
The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 27