Blood Moon Box Set

by Natalie Aejaz

  His cock hardened again at her words. When he stood to take off his trousers, she kept hold of his hand, refusing to let go…as if she thought he might disappear, even though he wasn’t a supernatural who could pull off that kind of trick. He somehow pulled his pants down with his free hand and would have been pissed at her clinginess if he wasn’t raging with need. He pressed her back on the lounger, and when he grabbed her panties, she lifted her hips so he could pull them down and over her ankles. They joined his clothes on the floor. And then he was on top of her, kissing her hard. As his tongue pressed inside her mouth, he edged between her legs. “I can’t wait to be inside you—” She’d truly brought out the urges buried for so long.

  She murmured something against his lips as she spread her thighs. When his shaft prodded her entrance, she released a loud whimper, making his horns sharpen into points. When he pushed inside her, pleasure clenched every muscle in his body. He’d gone long without a female, and now he felt her warmth, he realized what he’d been missing. He pulled out and pushed back in. The cry that escaped her lips…heaven. He did it again. “Yes, Blade. Again.”

  He rested on his elbows so he could watch her as he pumped between her legs. With each thrust, her face tightened. Her arms went around his waist, her nails digging into that tattoo on his back. He moved faster, wanting to push his cock deeper into her. What was it about her that caused his inner demon to take over? “I want to fuck you harder,” he panted.

  A low moan escaped her lips in response. “Do it, demon. I want it.”

  He let go of his body and mind, everything going out of control as he shoved harder into her, again and again. Her cries of pleasure drove him as he grabbed her hips, pressing them down so he went deeper. When she came around his cock, screaming his name his release soon followed. He collapsed on top of her with his eyes closed as he tried to process what had happened. What the fuck was that?

  He moved off her and lay by her side, spent but sated. Very sated. Once recovered, he lifted his head to stare into her wide green eyes. They had a hypnotic effect, didn’t they? She wasn’t a supernatural, but the pull she had was almost otherworldly. Damn, he wanted her again. He pulled his gaze away, breaking whatever spell she’d cast over him as he stood to fasten a towel around his hips.

  “I’ll get cleaned up.”

  Her voice was small. “Sure.”

  As he walked away, he felt her eyes boring into his back.

  He felt like shit for getting up so suddenly and breaking that moment between them, but this…it was just a transaction and nothing more. He’d paid her for her services, hadn’t he? That somehow made him feel better than the thought that he’d been unable to resist her.

  Inside the bathroom, images of being inside her went through his head again, making his cock hard. Should he call her here? How damn good would it be to take her under the shower...what the hell was wrong with him tonight? He doubted it was the effect of the unspectacular female—there had to be something else that caused him to behave out of character. Or perhaps the fae was right, and he just hadn’t been laid for far too long, and this was the damn result. Whatever it was, it had pushed away the stress of all the shit he had to deal with. All those negotiations, threats, arguments…everything had released from his body and mind. An urge burned deep inside his belly…to fuck her again. Hadn’t she said that the money he gave her would cover more than a night’s worth of fucking? But I’ve always been against paying for it. But she had enjoyed it, too—she couldn’t fake coming that hard—so why not go for it while he had these rare urges? That thought had him leaving the bathroom.

  But when he reached the pool, she wasn’t there. He glanced around him, looking for a sign that she might have popped to the rest room. But no—all her stuff, down to those scruffy heels and cheap bag, gone. She’d left? A strange sense of emptiness wafted around the place, and an unfamiliar sensation rose to his throat…loneliness? Impossible.

  It was only when he sat on the lounger, where he’d fucked her a few minutes ago, that he noticed the wad of cash.

  The money he’d given her.

  His lips curled up in a smile as he picked it up. That female was full of surprises.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * * *

  WHEN ALYSSA MADE HER way back to the dingy apartment, for once she didn’t feel the need to take a shower. In fact, she wanted the demon’s scent on her. He’d really been something, hadn’t he? As they sat by the pool, she’d felt the urge to be with a male for the first time in long, and she seized the chance to be someone other than the hooker she was…until some madness overtook her and made her push him into the pool. Even now, the thought of how that stupidity could have resulted in more injuries on her body caused anxiety to churn inside her stomach. But he hadn’t been angry, far from it…

  She’d heard enough crap about the Eclipse owners and their dealings with the mob—the demon was even rumored to have meet-ups with her boss James, but he’d shown no sign of the asshole she’d imagined him to be. Still, she’d lied when he asked who she worked for, because she wouldn’t take the risk of him knowing the truth. Judging by the extra security outside Oasis, and the fact that the guy with the goatee had threatened to hand her over to James if he saw her again, she didn’t imagine that Blade would have been too chuffed with having her hanging around him. She’d felt some guilt at lying, sure, especially since he was so damn nice to her, but all that dissipated after what followed.

  He’d wanted her, not because she was some random prostitute he could buy. He had wanted her.

  She’d been tempted to hang around after, but she guessed he wanted her out of there when he suddenly got up and left, despite the awesome sex. So she figured it was best to leave on a good note, before he decided she was a mistake. She’d been in two minds about what to do with the money, though. It would have come in damn useful, but she didn’t want payment for what happened between them. It was a long time since she’d been with a guy because she wanted to. Demean that experience by changing it into a transaction? No way.

  Getting out of the villa had been easy enough, because she’d had a newfound confidence when she walked out of there. A security guard had approached, but when she told him she was with the demon, he asked no more questions. And for the first time, someone like him didn’t look at her as if she was something he’d wiped off his shoe.

  When she reached the apartment, Daisy still hadn’t left. Instead, she paced up and down the threadbare carpet in the living room, a cigarette between her shaking fingers. What had set her off? Again?

  “Where the fuck have you been, Alyssa?”

  “For a walk—”

  “I don’t give a damn about whose cock you’ve just sucked. James’ men came around again tonight. And you know who was with them? That bastard Damien.”

  Shit…he was the hardest of the thugs that James employed and rumored to enjoy hurting women nearly as much as his sadistic boss. “I told them I’m not interested.”

  “You don’t fucking get it, do you? James isn’t the guy you tell you’re not interested. Each time you say no, he’ll get even more pissed off. Your best bet is to go over there and get your pussy beaten and then thank him for it.” Alyssa wasn’t about to become James’ plaything. The few times she’d been with him were more than enough to put the fear of hell into her. She couldn’t go through that again. She thought of the last time he booked her, when he handed her over to two of his friends. After they roughed her up a bit more, he’d had another go.

  “Alyssa? Damien said to call him as soon as you get back.”

  “I’m not calling him.”

  Daisy started to shake, although it was difficult to tell if it was because of fear or the effect of whatever drug she’d taken. “Fuck you. You are calling him.” She took her mobile from the scratched wood table and bashed in a number.

  “Daisy. Don’t…please.”

  But she was already talking into the phone. “Yes, she’s here. Talk to her.”

/>   Fear struck Alyssa’s heart. She didn’t want to hear Damien’s voice, but she brought the phone to her ear. This thug did some of James’ dirtiest work, like breaking limbs: and he enjoyed it so much, he sometimes did it for free. “You whore…why the fuck are you wasting my time?” For a moment, she couldn’t speak. “Talk, you bitch.”

  “I’m really sorry, Damien. But I can’t go with James.”

  “Fuck that. Now you be a good little girl and don’t step out of the apartment again. James has an order for you. From now on, you do not fuck anyone without James’ permission. You’re reserved for the boss and his special friends, so keep your pussy nice and clean for them. Next time we come over, you better be at home. And before I take you over to him, I’m going to try that cunt of yours and see what James is so enamored of.”

  Big words for someone with such a small brain. “I can’t do it.” She bit back the tears. “I don’t want to—”

  “You won’t say that when you’ve got my big dick inside you, you fucking whore. I’m going to prepare you well for the boss, with his permission, of course. Even before he ties you to his bed, you’ll be bleeding buckets, the way he likes. Like I said, I’ll be around one day soon, and don’t you go anywhere before then. Stay in the apartment like a good little hooker.”

  And with that, he hung up.

  She held the mobile out to Daisy. “Here, take it.” It wasn’t right to be pissed at the other woman because it wasn’t her fault, but damn, who was she supposed to blame for this shit situation? She sat on the sofa and when tears sprang to her eyes, she wiped them away, angry.

  What the fuck was she going to do?

  THE MEETING WITH THE OTHER supernaturals took place on a Friday evening. Usually a good time for an informal gathering. Many of them were in corporate jobs or had their own businesses, and Friday evenings were a time when they wound down. Blade had chosen the blue VIP room and arranged for tables to be laid out with sofas around them so that everyone could sit in one circle. When he entered the room, the meeting was set to go, with over forty supernaturals ready with drinks in their hands. Thank fuck, Shaun was here, too. He shook his hand. “How’s Angie doing?”

  The shifter smiled. “She’s great.” Damn, since he’d met that human, even his features had changed. His face seemed softer. Despite the issues that had arisen over that woman’s property, she’d been good for his friend. “Her antique shop’s taken off well, even better than she’d hoped.”

  Blade chuckled. “So all that drama with the mob was worth it, then?”

  “Yes, more than worth it.”

  Who would have thought it? The property magnate falling for a woman so hard that the idea of his business being negatively affected wasn’t enough to wipe that grin from his face.

  The most powerful supernaturals of Manhattan had turned up for the meeting, and among them, some of Eclipse’s partners. Leke had taken time off from a government sponsored hit-job, sending a member of his horde to do that task instead. Ethen, the fae, looked suitably bored. Hari, the cat shifter, wore that pissed expression that had become permanent since the first girl was reported to James. Even now, her dark hands clenched the table, as if she wanted to drive a hole through it. The berserker Rahul had turned up, too, as had the wizard Zane. The remaining five partners were taking care of the club.

  Blade took a seat next to Shaun before speaking to the group. “As you know, this meeting has been called in relation to some stuff going on with James. He doesn’t want his girls at our clubs or lounges.” Each of the attendees here unofficially managed an area of Manhattan, so whatever they agreed would be communicated to every non-human in the borough by tomorrow.

  “What about the fact that his drug dealers come to our clubs?” Lily’s nostrils flared. The elderly fairy owned a small dance club that had got into trouble with the cops, courtesy of James. One of his guys had sold a client the wrong drug, and she ended up in hospital. “Did you remind him of that shit?”

  “When James’ dealers hit places where they shouldn’t have been, it didn’t go down well with any of us,” said Blade. “But he has taken steps to pull his guys back.”

  A witch spoke up. “Is that what you think? One of his guys got caught at my place last week.”

  “Like any system, it will take time. But he’s working on it.”

  And now Ethen joined in, his ice-blue eyes flashing. “Those humans make money from these clubs and bars. Why the hell would they stand back?”

  He was right, but Blade had to play the mediator. He needed to keep this together and prevent things from kicking off. The tension had been going from bad to worse, and now that supernaturals were in many businesses where the mob had interests—clubs, properties, massage parlors—it meant that the potential for something to kick off kept increasing.

  “I’m not involved in all this shit anymore,” said Shaun, “And since going straight, I have to say, I’m not sad about that. Why don’t you all just separate your businesses out from the mob? Yes, it would be less money, but believe me, the lack of stress is worth it.”

  So much for Shaun backing him up. But since cutting all ties with the mobsters, the shifter had been a lot happier. Not as loaded, but the guy already had more cash than he needed. As did the rest of the supernaturals around the table. But it wasn’t just about the money, was it? Blade leaned forward. “We need to invest in harmony. Between the human criminal groups and us, we have fingers in nearly every enterprise in Manhattan. We can’t be at each other’s throats.”

  “I’m not talking about being at each other’s throats,” said Shaun. “I’m just talking about a separation of interests.”

  There were a few nods around the table.

  “You know that James and other powerful humans will never agree to that,” mentioned Leke. “He’ll see it as us giving the middle finger to his power.”

  “So let him,” said the fae. “I, for one, am fucked off with having to tiptoe around humans. Not that long ago, they were picking up our kind and throwing them in cells. Shouldn’t we show them what we’re capable of? Come on, Blade, we own one of the biggest businesses in Manhattan. We’re essential to this city. And we’re supernaturals. We’ve got power and money on our side.”

  He got what they were saying, but if territorial disputes kicked off, they would never stop. “That power and money will continue to grow as long as there is peace. If we start fighting each other, money will be the first thing to dry up. Peace is best for them, and it’s best for us.”

  “And while we worry about peace, there are human gangs shooting up all over the place.” Ethen glanced at Leke. “What about that crazy Veronica chick? Even the government’s concerned about her, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. It’s as if she can’t get into enough trouble.” Veronica came from the same family as James, but she’d separated from the mob boss when he refused to take her seriously because she was a female. She set up her own gang and immediately got into a problem with a rogue wolf shifter group, because as she said loud and regularly herself, she hated any kind of supernatural. But they weren’t here to discuss her issues with non-humans. “Shall we get back to the business we are here to discuss?” Blade kept his voice steady. “We’re here to talk about James’ girls.”

  “The hookers?”

  A jolt went through Blade at the disdain in the wizard’s voice. A disdain directed toward women like the one he’d met at his pool that day. An image went through his mind, as it had so many times over the last few days, of them kissing in his pool…him dragging her out of it and then…he forced his mind back to the bloody meeting. “I’ve already made arrangements at our venue, which means the women will stop coming to our place. But then they’ll spread out and target other clubs and bars. I want you all to take precautions.”

  “Some of them are good for business.” The angel who spoke didn’t own a club, but he had friends who did and spoke on their behalf.

  “Good for some businesses but not for James. They’re his g
irls, so he works them. We don’t get involved.” Blade narrowed his eyes as he glanced around the table. “I’ve promised him that his girls won’t step foot in my place and said I’d speak to the rest of you. Are you guys with me on this?” A few of the nods were reluctant, and Blade got it. There were supernaturals who weren’t present at the meeting…the ones who hadn’t achieved the success his partners and he had. They worked on a lower level, with small bars, and barely got by. The girls who went there were sometimes the only reason downtrodden customers pulled together the cash to spend in the venues. “There’s enough tension between humans and us already. We don’t need to take on the bloody mob, too.”

  “It’s fine for people like us,” mentioned the angel, “But what about the smaller guys who weren’t invited here, the ones with cheap venues?”

  Blade nodded. “Maybe now’s the time for us to give help to those who need it.”

  “You’re right,” said Shaun. “I am open to investing in businesses with prospect, and I have associates who will do the same. I can’t promise much, but I’ll take a look if any of the small business owners are up for partnerships”—he grinned at Blade—“Especially now that I’m a few properties down, thanks to my lack of communication with the mob.”

  That suggestion made the angel’s expression perk up. “That would be great if you could do that, Shaun.”

  “We’re all agreed, then?” asked Blade. Murmurs went around the table, but there wasn’t much anyone could say against the decision. It didn’t matter how much they fucking hated the situation; they had to do what they could to ensure that gang warfare didn’t kick off in Manhattan. If that happened, the tiny bars would go down first. “I’ll leave it to you guys to filter the information to others.”

  “It will be done,” said the fairy, and others nodded their agreement.