Page 62 of Blood Bonds

“She’s with me,” he stated firmly, and their eyes widened before nodding. The line complained when the doormen unhooked the rope barrier and, honestly, I felt just as shocked as they looked.

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” I told the big man, his eyes so dark they looked black in the low light of the entrance hall.

“No problem, but can I ask if you’re meeting someone here?” he inquired. I noticed that he shook his head as we got closer to the hostess where it was time to pay to get in. The beautiful stylish blonde woman looked surprised for a moment, especially after eyeing up my outfit.

“Erm, yeah, well kind of,” I added, looking back at the hostess who had just let us through, to see her asking the next people for payment.

“Do you work here?” I asked, making him grin down at me and say,

“Bingo.”

“Oh wow,” I said, looking around the place and seeing the pure opulence for myself. Although the massive glass chandelier in the center of the room had me shivering because it looked like giant blood droplets of all different lengths falling from the ceiling. The whole front of the building was tinted glass that curved around in a spherical shape, and the rounded bench seats in rich red mirrored the design contours perfectly.

Even the dance floor looked like it was made from red glass, no doubt it was some sort of resin because it had swirls of black running throughout it. This was the same as the curved bar set off to one side, with the matching resin front. The smoke effect came up off the floor, like raising fumes and swirls of darkness curling within the red crimson color. Lights set behind the bar illuminated the whole thing, giving it a sinister touch.

“So, you were saying that you were looking for someone?” the guy next to me asked, making me only just realize that he hadn’t left me when I started standing gaping at the whole room like a guppy.

“Oh yeah, a fortune teller, she is erm… working an event or something here.”

He narrowed his eyes as if this was the first he was hearing about it.

“Let me check for you,” he said, slipping his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. I didn’t know who he called but he started speaking in a foreign language. It sounded French, and I was thankful it wasn’t Greek because I would be out of there. Gone. In fact, I didn’t think I would ever be able to hear Greek being spoken again without freaking out.

“What’s your name?” he asked, again drawing my eyes away from the incredible space.

“Vanessa Cadell,” I told him, and he nodded once before ending the call.

“Here, let me take you,” he said, holding out an arm for me to follow as he led me toward the back doors. These ones were more like a burnt red color, with a thick black frame.

“Is there a private party back here or something?” I asked as he nodded to the two doormen guarding the door, who promptly opened it without question.

“Yeah, just down the corridor and through the end doors that are black.”

“Oh, okay, thanks a lot,” I told him, making him wink at me with a smug grin.

“You’re welcome, Nessa,” he replied as I stepped inside, but after a few steps I turned to find him on the phone once again. I also realized something… even in my drunken haze.

“Hey, I never told you my name was…Nessa.”This last part was muttered in a barely-there whisper as the doors were promptly closed.

“Well, that was weird,” I muttered to myself before hurrying down the hallway. I continued to look back at the doors on my way, half expecting security to come through them as if realizing their mistake at letting me in here and intent on kicking me out. Which was why I ended up practically throwing myself through the doors, miscalculating how easy the heavy looking things would be to open.

“Oopsie… I think I must have…Oh, son of a bitch!”I shouted after swinging around the door, holding on so I wouldn’t fall on my ass. Looking up, my heart didn’t know whether to sink or swim when I found the two men who I had been trying to avoid seeing tonight. Their eyes scanned the length of me, heating as they took in the sight of my outfit.

And even in my drunken state, I knew that it was time to run because, Jesus Christ, it looked like they both wanted to eat me. Like hungry wolves in sight of their prey. Even their friend Andras looked shocked and a little bit… well,hungry.

Still having enough sense to recognize danger, I quickly rounded the doors and started running back down the hallway, looking behind me to see them both emerging. I even stumbled on my heels and my knees hit the floor. But at least I was saved the pain thanks to alcohol and carpeted floor. I scrambled quickly to my feet, knowing I didn’t have far until I reached the doors that would get me back into the club. However, when I gripped the handles and started to tug with all my strength, they wouldn’t budge.

They were locked.

I turned around to see Victor and Talon both storming down the hallway toward me. Good God, they both looked soformidable, I swear, I couldn’t breathe. I turned again, banging my fists on the doors, screaming,

“Let me out! Open the doors!” However, it was pointless because this ended with a scream of fright when I felt them reach me. It started with a hand at my lower back and a hand wrapped gently around my bruised wrist. That grip belonged to Talon, who pulled my hand down from where I was still pounding it against the door.

As for Victor, I felt his hand slide up to the back of my neck, gripping me with enough pressure to know that he could hurt me if he wanted to. Especially when he did the same thing his brother did, taking my other bruised wrist and pulling that from the door too.

“Nessa, stop,”I felt Victor hum in my ear in a gentle tone that had me trying desperately not to panic. Because that was his dangerous voice. The one that I knew could make me do things. Silly, stupid, foolish things. Things I would only end up regretting. Just like when Talon asked,

“Now, are you going to fight us, little Peach?”

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