by Diane Nortje
“He’s here.” I whisper out, more to myself that to anyone else.
“Who is here?” Worry laces Faiths voice. But how do I explain Jacin to her, would she understand, would she freak the hell out? I would have if it was her in my shoes.
Before I can answer her, an arm snakes around my waist, I know it’s not Jacin, my body doesn’t react to this touch, not like it does with Jacin, but it none the less pulls me close in. I know it won’t be any stranger, Tray is but a few feet away, and wouldn’t let anyone touch me.
“There you are my little buzz kill. I’ve been looking for you!” Dax whispers in my ear, while playfully tugging on my long hair.
“I’ve been right here all along.” I say back to him, swatting his hand away from the tugging of my hair.
“I was hoping to get you shitfaced drunk and then I could take advantage of you.” He says to me jokingly, giving my hair one final tug before releasing me.
“I would have loved to have seen you try.” I say to him dryly.
“Would you have? I don’t relish my death. Not even for a night with you, even tempting as it maybe.” He says to me and winks.
I wink back. Only wishing that Jacin was as playful as his brother, and then I think of all the lipstick that has covered Dax’s neck in the last week, I kind of hope I never get to see Jacin’s playful side with women. Only if he was being playful with me. But one can’t live in dream land.
I turn back to see Faith and Eric staring wide eyed at me. First Tray and now Dax. Even with all his face paint still on, you can still clearly make out that Dax is gorgeous. Sent from heaven to wrongfully guide women to sin.
“Faith, Eric, meet Dax.” I say out loud, introducing them to one another.
“Ah, Faith, you work with Natalie. I’ve heard so much about you.” Dax’s smooth voice filters through the air.
“Well surprisingly enough, I haven’t heard a thing about you.” Faith says sweetly while smiling at Dax. But then turns to glare daggers at me. Like I’ve been hiding all these men from her.
“No, I don’t suppose you would have.” Dax says to her, pulling a thinking face as to why that maybe.
I roll my eyes at him, and he just winks once again. Always the charmer. I look over to Eric, who seems to be watching Dax more closely than normal. Does he know who Dax is, what he is, if he does, maybe he could answer the questions that have been burning inside of me to be answered.
“You have been summoned. Come, come, please let’s not keep him waiting.” Dax says to me cheerily.
“One day someone is going to have to pull the stick out of his ass, you do know that right?” I say out to him.
“We are waiting patiently for you to do so.” He replies to me simply, like he will broker no agreement when I do so.
“Me? Why me?” I ask him, shock lacing my words.
“Because he might just let you.”
I roll my eyes in response. Dax is delusional if he thinks I have any sway of Jacin’s actions. I turn my attention back to Faith, who is still looking between Tray and Dax. Could she not drool so much in front of Eric? Even though I trust him now next to zero, she could just close her mouth.
“I promise, once I’ve figured everything out, I will tell you everything.” I whisper into her ear while giving her a hug. I pull away from her, still holding onto her arms. “I have to go, behave.” I say to her jokingly.
“I’m holding you to that promise!” She whispers back to me.
I nod my head, I need to tell someone about all this crazy eventually. Or I myself might just go insane. I look over to Eric, who is still watching Dax and Tray with suspicion.
“Eric.” I say to him and nod my head in a goodbye.
“Wait Natalie, don’t.” Eric says out loud to me, while grabbing hold of my hand.
I look down to where he is holding onto me unnecessarily tight. I try to wiggle my fingers free, but he doesn’t let up. Dax and Tray have stopped, both zoning in on where Eric is holding onto me tightly.
Before I can respond to him. I hear Dax ask. “And you are?”
“Her friend from the city. And you are?”
“Oh, I’m the least of your worries if you don’t let up there man.” Dax small warning doesn’t go unnoticed.
Eric slowly releases my hand and I let it fall to the side. I want to wipe my hand on some part of my outfit. I don’t know why I have that reaction, but I do. Always listen to what your body tells you.
“Take some advice, man to man. He will never let her go, not in this lifetime or the ones to follow. Step back before shit gets ugly.” Dax warns Eric. If my jaw could unhinge, I’m sure it would have. I’m not sure what to say to that. I’m not even sure what Dax is on about.
He turns away from Eric, not giving him a second thought. “Come Natalie.” Dax shouts over his shoulder to me as he walks away. I start to follow him, with Tray flanking my one side. I look back to Faith. The best I can do is mouth “I’m sorry.” Before the crowd swallows them.
I look back to where we are going, we seem to be making our way up to what I can assume is the VIP section of the club. The stairs are guarded by bouncers on each side, who only nod as we walk passed. Dax stops half way up the stairs and turns to look at me. His form that already towers over mine, needs to bend down as he is a few steps above me.
“Two things before we go up there. One, let’s not mention your little friend over there to Jacin, he seems on edge, and that might just set him off.”
“Okay.” I reply confused. I seriously need to figure out what is going on.
“Good, and two, what you see up here, is not for the faint hearted, remember, you are protected, there is no need to fear anything you see up here.”
“Um, okay.” Now I’m really confused by what Dax is saying.
Dax turns back and continues to walk up the stairs and into the VIP section. Once I get to the top of the stairs with Tray, I scan the room. Leather couches dominate the room, which are occupied by strange looking people. My eyes run the lengths of the walls, where bar stools and tables run the length of the walls, also all occupied.
As I make my way into the room, I notice, they not so much human, but creatures. All types, some types I have never seen before, and I’ve seen my fair share. The creatures mingle with each other and other humans, like this is a normal occurrence for them. Maybe it is, I just need to get out more. But their presence doesn’t bother me. I’ve worked with worse.
My eyes travel the room again, noting the masculine way it is decorated, like it is some private gentlemen’s club. Complete opposite to the way downstairs is decorated. Leather, dark walls, large couches, this is Jacin right here. I notice some women, in little Halloween costumes, carrying trays of drinks to various tables.
I try to take it all in, but a sexy laugh distracts my thoughts. I watch as a woman puts down the drink she was carrying and hops up onto the arm rest of the couch. And slowly starts to rub her hands on the back of a man.
My attention snaps when I realize who the man is. My thoughts were so absorbed by my surroundings I hadn’t looked for Jacin yet. And all I can do is just stand there and watch as she runs her hands all over him. I watch how he doesn’t even seem to know, doesn’t seem to care, like this is a normal thing to happen. He doesn’t seem to know what she is doing, and he doesn’t seem to know that I’m watching it play out like some slow-motion show. I watch as the woman moves into Jacin slowly, I want to rip her head back with her long hair and pull her off the couch. I don’t, I control my violent urge and watch it play out, all really fucking slowly.
Chapter Eighteen
“I can’t stop myself from falling.” - Natalie
~Natalie~
I stand there and watch as their lips collide with each other. The loud constant music drowns out as it becomes a background music to the revenge, I will inflict on him or even her, depends what I’m in the mood for. I don’t know why I feel like this towards him. He has promised me nothing. But I feel it, he is mine
, even though we have never openly admitted it yet. No man wants a woman this close if it wasn’t meant to be more. Or maybe I’m as delusional as fuck and have this little fairy tale in my head where there is nothing but protecting his best interests.
I watch Jacin as he breaks the kiss with more force than necessary. What man wouldn’t want this woman, with legs for miles that are covered in white stockings and what I assume is supposed to be a nurse dress, even though it does little to hide what she has to offer. I watch as she sits quite comfortably on the side arm of his chair, like she has done this many times over. I look around the room, and the men that were lounging about on the couches have gone quiet, some watch me, others look nervously towards Jacin. Oh cute, they think I’m going to blow a gasket over this. I’m not his keeper.
I watch as he whispers something angrily into this woman’s ear and only then does he notice me, standing there, watching them together. I watch as his eyes darken, he can get angry all he wants, I’m not sure why he would be. What the hell did I do, all I did was come up stairs like Dax asked me too. I stand there, never breaking eye contact with him, whatever is his problem now, I won’t back down. I don’t know if I’m silently waiting for an explanation, not that he needs to give me one, or if I’m waiting for an apology to again, I don’t know why I think he would offer one.
He is a man, an extremely dominating one, that consumes the space he is in, and I’m sure I’m not the only female he effects like he does me, so I highly doubt he doesn’t act on the many offers he gets. The sudden sadness that hits me with the that thought is unexpected. Maybe I did it all wrong that night. It had been so long since a man had touched me like that.
The woman that was sitting on the side arm now notices me, after pretending that she was sulking at the scolding he gave her. It looks like she didn’t take it to heart as she looked me over with what I can make out as what a scorned lover would do. She takes this opportunity to curl more into Jacin. And he lets her, or he just doesn’t notice what she is doing. She thinks she won this round. Well she has, I’ve never had the opportunity to curl into him like that.
Without another look at them, I turn back around to go downstairs, clearly, he didn’t need me for anything important. As I take a step to turn around, I collide into whom I’m guessing is Dax since he escorted me up the stairs.
“Sorry Dax.” I say to him while taking a step around him. I don’t want to chance a look at him. I don’t want him to see how this has affected me, but then again, I’m sure they all know anyways as I’m not going to sit by Jacin, but I do chance a look.
I watch as he is shaking his head at his brother. I feel a swell of happiness that someone is reprimanding him, but as quickly as I feel it, it’s gone, because hell, he is a grown ass man, why would he need to get approval for anything.
I make it ten steps and about to make my way down the stairs when I feel a hand grip on my wrist. I know it’s not him, it’s not that soft caress of my skin, it doesn’t heat my body up like it would normally do by a simple touch of him. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or happy about this. For one, I won’t have to face him, but I’m still upset it wasn’t him. Men do fucked up things not only to our bodies but our heads as well. I turn to face Dax, who has an apologetic look on his beautiful face. A look I seldom if ever I see on Jacin’s.
“Don’t go, just come sit by us then, you don’t even have to look at him.” He says to me just above a whisper.
“No offence, I sit with you guys enough, I will go back downstairs. He is clearly busy anyways.”
“You know it’s not like that.” He pleads with me to understand.
“Like what? I’m not stupid nor naive. I’m not his keeper Dax, neither am I his girlfriend, or wife, he can do as he pleases.” I grumble back. Not wanting to say the words out loud, making them even more true now than they were before.
“No, you are just so much more than that.”
“What? The girl that lives on the other side of his house? Yes, I’m so much more.”
“That is for your benefit and not his.”
I look at Dax, I’m not sure what answer he is looking for or what he is trying to tell me. But I’m not going back to sit down with them and pretend. I’m so much more than what? A house guest? That’s is basically what I am, and Jacin is just looking out for his best interests until this whole thing is over.
“I’m sure it is Dax.” I grumble back at him, wanting this whole conversation just to end already.
“You don’t know what I know, you don’t know him like I do, just come back and sit.” He pleads with me again.
“No, you are right, I don’t know him. I don’t know him at all.” I say to Dax, while chancing at look at Jacin, who is watching us. I see him flinch when I say what I needed to say, like he could hear me from over there. Not possible. So, I turn to leave and make my way back down the stairs.
~Jacin~
Ever since they have heard that I have a weakness, they have been challenging me non-stop. They think the more they challenge me the better chance they have of weakening me, enabling one of them to have the chance to win. They have no fucking clue what they are doing. I can’t challenge them, only they can challenge me, or I would have taken all their powers already.
It’s been never ending nights in the pit with them, the constant bloodshed, the constant violence, the beast craves it, but not more than it craves Natalie. Living with her has become near impossible. Her smell is everywhere, her lingering presence is everywhere. He wants her, I want her. But to have her is to give her a life of this, constant nightmares.
One day I will give her the option, but for now, with her life in danger, all I can do is protect her from things like me. And I do, not for me, but for her, I want to protect her, want to give her a life I could never live, I want so many things for her, things I’m not even sure I can give.
For one night I won’t answer their calls. I have other matters to attend to, its Halloween at the club, and these towns people think this party is for them. Only if they knew what was lurking in the VIP section above them, they would high tail it out of here. I have been putting off these monsters I allow to roam long enough, distracting myself in the pit is not going to make them go away. When I arrive at the club, the fuckers that I allow to roam this world, bow as I walk by. I have no time for their conversations, their meagre attempts to grovel. I know Natalie is here somewhere, Weyland said she would be here tonight with Dax.
Apparently, my brother has taken it upon himself to be her entertainment lately. Can’t say I’m not grateful, but I’m not pleased with the idea, considering I know my brother better than most. I make my way up the back of the club instead of walking through it, I need a drink. I can somewhat distance myself from Natalie while she is in my home. Most days it’s a constant struggle not to take her to the floor and fuck her right there and get the submission the beast so badly craves, what I so badly crave.
When I arrive in the sitting area, everyone is there waiting, some dressing to the theme of downstairs, but most people in the VIP opt to go with normal attire. Most of my men are relaxing on the couches, but I know first-hand that they are even deadlier when people underestimate them. I take my seat, while the men talk amongst themselves. I look to my right to where Natalie should be sitting but its empty. That was the first thing I saw when I walked through the doors that she wasn’t there. I look to Dax who quickly gets up to go find her. I know the five are most likely with her, guarding her, but she shouldn’t be down there. But I don’t know if I want her up here with these fuckers, my options are limited now.
“Any news I need to know about?” I ask Weyland who is relaxing in the couch opposite mine.
“Nothing more. No more attempts on her life either, it seems they learnt their lesson the last time they tried.”
“Or they haven’t had the opportunity to have another go.” I growl back at him. Coming out angrier than needed. He knows what will happen to them if anything happens to Natali
e.
“Nate has also come back with nothing, he hears no whispers in hell, no attempts to over throw you, only that there is an increased number of challenges in the pit.”
“Tell him to keep listening and is Bishop here yet?”
“He got here about an hour ago, he is waiting for you.” Weyland says.
“Send for him, time is running out, and he needs to get inside that library.”
“Done.”
I look to where my drink has been placed in front of me, they are going to need to keep them coming if I am to survive the night. In my mind I sound like I’m afraid of her, I’m not, I’m only afraid of what I would do to her if I lost the little control I have on the beast. He knows she is coming, he knows she is his. That I cannot deny him, but I can deny myself a little while longer.
I didn’t even notice when Eve sat down next to me, my thoughts were too consumed by Natalie and the fact I’m going to need more to drink. I was so out of it I didn’t even notice when she started to touch my shoulder, stroking her fingers up and down my back. The women here know that most of the men need to fuck, hard, often and with any willing body. What they haven’t been told is that I’m no longer interested. When I did finally notice, I turn to tell her to fuck off, her lips slammed against mine.
Her lips tried to part mine, they normally would of, before the kiss could be anything more, I pull away from her. She shouldn’t have done that, the beast is now on edge, he wants blood, he can’t get it here and I can throw her back where she came from for this. I grip the back of her head and bring her closer to me to whisper into her ear.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” I whisper into her ear angrily.
“Pleasing you my lord.” She tries to whisper seductively into my ear, but I hear the underlying fear in her voice. I smell her fear, not a good combination.