Page 33 of Claimed By the Damned

He chuckled under his breath and headed into the kitchen to clean up the mess while she ate.

Chapter Fourteen

Drake

Music was playing loudly through the speakers, and the place was dimly lit. Shadows crept in every corner, a fact that Drake liked because it afforded someone a sense of privacy. However, all the puffy red seats were packed for the night, which annoyed him because he’d rather be at the strip club with fewer people than be amongst the many.

Several topless women were spinning around on poles, and a couple more were fully naked while they roamed around; giving lap dances, rubbing their tits in eager faces, and passing out drink orders to the drunk. Men were hooting and hollering from their seats, throwing money up onto the stage just for an extra second of attention.

If it weren’t for all the horny-ass people and the thick smell of their arousal, this place might actually be a good place to hide out like he was currently trying to do. Hide and wallow in his problems.

Drake sat in the back, tucked into one of the many shadows with a bottle of bourbon on the black table in front of him. The bottle was already half gone. He had gone to the strip club to try to get his mind off Amara, but it wasn’t helping as he had hoped. In fact, it was only making things worse. His mind and emotions were more muddled now than they were on the drive over.

His wolf was pissed off at him for even trying to look at another woman, and it appeared as though his dick was now a useless appendage for anyone other than his supposed mate because it was completely flaccid and uninterested in his surroundings.

He was sticking to his guns though. He was doing everything he could to stay away from her. The fact that he hadn’t seen her since the other night was telling for how much he meant it when he said she was a problem they didn’t need. While it felt as though he was nearly crawling out of his own skin, he knew it was for the best.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he’d also been avoiding Zeke and Knox as much as possible too. They were both smitten and hard to be around. That, and he couldn’t stand smelling her on them. He knew that one of them had her in the apartment earlier that day because her scent was prominent there. It drove his wolf fucking crazy.

He was pretty sure it had been Zeke who had brought her there. He was willing to bet that he marked Amara as well. The bond between the four of them was even stronger now, which made it difficult to ignore. He felt it the moment it happened, a tug behind his navel. His wolf had snarled at him, hating that he was now the only one who hadn’t marked her.

It was obvious that they weren’t listening to him when he told them that she was trouble, and that irritated him. They may not admit it, but they knew he had their best interests at heart. He looked out for them, kept them together, made sure they had food and a roof over their heads, and this was how they thanked him for it? He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to keep them together if they kept this shit up.

He hadn’t been paying attention; his mind wandered while he stared at the bottle, so when a familiar, sultry voice said, “Hey, Drake,” he startled.

He slowly lifted his gaze to the woman standing beside him.

“Vanity,” he greeted gruffly.

He didn’t actually know Vanity’s real name. He met her a few weeks after they moved to town when he decided to try out the strip club with the boys. Out of every woman there, she quickly became his favorite, but now, as he looked at her, he felt nothing. She was the exact opposite of Amara; long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Topless, of course, but her bold neon pink thong matched her high heels. Her fake boobs and too much makeup were always a turn-off for him though, but even now more so that he’d seen Amara without clothes. Even though their body shapes were vastly different; Amara was much thicker and Vanity was almost too thin.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” she purred, smiling at him seductively.

“Been busy.” He wasn’t intentionally being short with her. It was just all he could manage to get out.

He lifted his bottle to his lips as she slid closer to him, her intent clear when she rubbed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you. What’s kept you away from me?”

“Like I literally just fucking said, I’ve been busy.”

His bad mood didn’t deter her. “You seem stressed,” she cooed, now rubbing the muscles in his shoulder. “I can help you escape for a little while.”

Inside him, his wolf snarled at the fact that she was touching him. Externally, he fought to keep his claws from extending. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down. “Not tonight.” And at the rate things were going, probably not ever again.

She leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Come on, baby. Let me make it better.”

His claws pierced his palms, and a shudder zapped through him as he fought to maintain control of the beast within him. “Damn it, Vanity. I said not tonight. Fuck off.”

Abruptly, she stood upright as if his words had slapped her. “Asshole,” she hissed before turning and stomping off the way she came.

“Well, that’s a first. I’ve never seen you turn down Vanity before,” Zeke said, suddenly appearing at his other side.

“Jesus Christ,” Drake mumbled. He wiped a hand down his face. Will no one leave him alone? “What are you doing here?”

Zeke pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. “I think you know why I’m here, Drake. We need to talk about what’s been going on with you lately.”

He picked up the bourbon and took a long swig, relishing the burn that trickled its way down his throat. “Do I look like I want to talk?” he growled.

“Whether you want to or not, you need to. It’s clear this shit is eating at you.”

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