Page 22 of Vampire Savage

He pushes me up against a building’s stone wall, pinning me there with his forearm across my chest. I look towards the alley’s entrance even as I’m scratching at his arm, trying to get him to loosen up enough I can slip away. My eyes widen as I realize how far away the street is; whipping my head in the other direction, all I see is more darkness. A dead end.

The man laughs, his rancid breath washing over my face. I squeeze my eyes and mouth shut, gagging at the smell. It will serve him right if I vomit in his face.

“A pretty little thing like you should know better than to walk around by yourself,” his voice is raspy and spittle hits my cheek. “If you keep fighting, it might just work me up enough that I’ll take more than I planned.” His other hand goes to the belt on my coat and I freeze, finally meeting his eyes. “Now you’re getting it.”

He almost looks human, but his nose and mouth are elongated into a short snout, two tusks curling up over his upper lip, and an overly pronounced brow. He’s thin, but his arms and legs are long, with short but sharp claws instead of nails. One of which he hooks through the loop threaded through my belt to tug it open.

I drop my hands to my coat, fisting it hard to keep it closed. “What do you want?” I’m proud of how steady my voice is, despite the rest of my body shaking.

He tilts his head, and a passing car’s headlights reflect off of his eyes enough I can see vertically slit purple pupils set in black sclera and his hair is in a short, bristly mohawk. His clothes are shabby enough to suggest he’s not concerned about getting dirty.

“At first I just wanted whatever you got in that purse of yours, Topsider.” He must feel me flinch because he grins. “Yeah, you scream rich topsider. Like a pretty cake just asking to be eaten.” He eases his forearm back, twisting his arm until he can press two claws against my throat in obvious warning. “But then you showed how spirited you are. Now I’m thinking I want something more.” He closes his eyes and inhales deeply before opening them again, his pupils wider. “And you smell so sweet.”

My insides turn to water, fear making my heart pound again. I don’t know what he is, but he’s stronger than me by far. Faster, too. I’ve never been assaulted like this before, but growing up the way I did, I’ve always known it’s a risk. That I can be taken to be used for ransom, whether that be money or something my father has. I know what to offer people like him to make him reconsider what he’s suggesting. I know my lawyer will immediately authorize up to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be wired to any account with a promise of no authorities.

Except that’s not what I say.

“You’ll piss off a very powerful vampire if you do that.” My voice is cold and I stare hard into his eyes. All the panic has disappeared, replaced by confidence as I think of Landon. Even if I don’t know exactly who Landon is, I do know that he’s more powerful and dangerous than this beast.

The man pulls his head back, studying me in a new light. I will him to believe me, to believe that he’s making the biggest mistake of his life by having dragged me into this alley. It looks like he’s going to believe me and a drop of hope forms within me. Then he laughs, shaking his head.

“You almost had me, little human,” he says, a snide grin on his face as he closes the distance between us again. God, his breath really is disgusting. “Even if you are a vamp’s blood donor, they’ll just get a new one. Humans mean nothing to them, with how short your lives are compared to theirs. But I’ll play along. Who is this scary vampire I should be shitting my pants in front of?”

A gust of wind carries the scent of winter snow and warm fires, cutting through the stench surrounding the alley. The man and I look towards the entrance, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

Landon stands just inside the alley, half cast in shadows, the other half illuminated by the yellow streetlights, and snarls. His usually neat hair is out of place, a few strands falling across his brow, and his face is twisted in rage. He looks nothing like a savior, and even a part of me is terrified of what he looks like. A creature of darkness, hell-bent on destruction, his golden eyes bleeding into red, noticeable even to me from this distance.

“Me.”

Chapter Ten

LAN

My office at Lush doesn’t include a floor-to-ceiling wall allowing me to look over the activities going on below. Unlike Ambrose, I feel no need to loom. Instead, I have a bank of monitors, each one displaying a different security feed. Everything here has its place, its own use, and nothing is more than it needs to be. Instead of a grand desk, I have a simple modern glass-topped one and my computer chair is meant to be comfortable for long hours. File cabinets and bookcases are used as necessary, and in spite of Malachi’s continued efforts, I refuse to get a couch to set against the wall.

It’s bad enough he’ll linger in my office for close to an hour already. I don’t wish to encourage him to stay even longer by bringing in a couch.

Another difference between Ambrose and me is that I never play in my office. Even if the only woman he’s taken in his office is Eloise, my point still stands. This is my place of work, as much of my own dominion as one can have while a part of the Nightshades.

The image of Wren walking into my office dressed in one of her skirt suits, moving around to perch her cute ass in front of where I sit, before raising her skirt and spreading her legs to show me how much she needs me, jumps to the forefront of my mind. My cock begins to stiffen, and I look at the clock again before scanning the security feeds. She should be here any minute.

Malachi’s voice grates through the delicious image, effectively killing my growing erection.

“Which is why I think a burlesque restaurant is the perfect first expansion into Topside,” he says, still pacing in front of my desk. I think back over the last few minutes, recalling what he’s been saying. Malachi, the so-called general of the Nightshade’s foot soldiers, has been entertaining the idea of entering the business world like Ambrose and me.

“You hate business,” I remind him dryly. Wren still hasn’t appeared at the front door. Did I scare her away? Something twists around my spine, a sense of unfamiliar trepidation. Something I haven’t felt in centuries. “Kasar and Ashe don’t have businesses. Why do you need to all of a sudden?”

The trepidation sparks into a bolt of fear, only a flash, but it’s enough that I shove back from my desk and stand, startling Malachi. The vampire stops, his shoulders squaring.

“What is it?” He knows this has nothing to do with his business idea, and despite him and I giving each other shit frequently, I know he’ll fight at my side.

“Something’s not right.” I don’t bother to explain more, striding out of the office, before calling over my shoulder, “Lock up when you leave.”

I jog down the stairs, each step thudding through me increasing this restless uncertainty. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything like this that it scratches under my skin along my ribs, and the urge to claw it out has me clenching my fists at my side. My office had blocked out the music playing through the club, a heavy, sensual soundtrack of bass, drums, and tantalizing guitar or violin.

Or, like recently, hypnotic cello.

When I enter the main floor of Lush, I scan the room, cataloging every person and creature. Not even the darkest shadows in private nooks can keep them from my senses. If I can’t see them, I can hear them. The floor, filled with plush leather couches, armchairs, low tables, and a delightfully wicked amount of furniture designed for pleasure, is close to maximum capacity. Humans and supernaturals are indulging with one another tonight, focused inwards on their own play area unless they enjoy voyeurism.

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