Page 3 of Malcolm

“I’ll be loyal and won’t let it slip to Tiller; what you really have going on here.” Malcolm agreed, his tone relaxed. “The sex, gambling, and blackmailing, he knows about, butIknow that’s only the tip of the iceberg, especially if one were to take a look at what you provide the vampires and werewolves?—”

“You have a lot of guts,” she said, her eyes returning to normal as she turned around fully to face him.

Malcolm cursed at the flash of lust that hit him as he smelled her womanly scent intermixed with her magic as it spiked

He bit back the words he wanted to say as she walked towards him with long strides. “I wondered how long it would be before one of you, Jackals, came here demanding things,” she said, stopping an arm's distance from him. “One would think you’d be a bit more concerned with the security of Veil City and not,” she drew her eyes down, “your dick.”

Lanias grinned, “So be it.” She walked around him, “Come with me.”

With that, she faced forward and waved her hand; the office walls wavered before they fell away and were replaced with a comfortable room with cushy couches and black-painted walls. People lounged here and there. The most glaring thing about the place was how each person was barely dressed and the glowing prices hovering in different colors over each person's head. They also all carried with them a folder. Malcolm wasn’t sure what was inside of them.

Madame Lanias was greeted warmly by men and women alike. She walked over to a feminine-presenting male with light blue hair. The man was occupied with speaking with a waitress when said waitress pointed to something behind him. He flashed them an irritated expression until he seemed to realize who was behind him; with a gasp, his feline eyes widened, and his annoyed expression turned into fondness.

“Madame Lanias, darling, I wasn’t expecting you to inspect us tonight?” His voice held a weary note as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

Madame Lanias popped her lips in amusement.

“Linc, no need to worry. I’m not here to rip you a new one for changing the fabric for their costumes yet again.” She drew back and motioned to the slightly confused Malcolm, who’d remained where he’d been standing. “I have a werewolf who needs someone who’s okay with the physical demand of a heat,” She gave a cursory look around. “Do you have anyone?”

He crossed his arm, his brow creasing as he thought over it. “Male or female? Because Bianca is out tonight, she got invited to Senator Ressen’s orgy. And you know how he can be?”

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to explain.” Madame Lanias waved him off, “He’s just a typical asshole. Anyway, I will assume our werewolf here would prefer a female.”

She spotted one of the women near the bar. “How about Tasia? She’s accustomed to serving on heat nights.” She quirked a brow when the lithe female sighed. “And she looks like she needs dick.”

Linc followed her line of sight and nodded. “Yes, lord, her boyfriend broke up with her. I told her not to mess with those humans, and here we are. I’ll book her.”

“I can pick my own mate for tonight,” Malcolm said, drawing the attention of both Linc and Madame Lanias. He wasn’t expecting the two to give him a look of dismissal.

Madame Lanias spoke up first, “Darling, as amusing as watching you approach my staff would be. They wouldn’t give you the time of day.” She gave him a long once over. “You’re handsome, and there is certainly a wild element that makes even me interested, but It’s not enough. They like one thing and one thing only.” She snapped her fingers, and a wad of bills appeared in her hands. Her brow popped up, “and you’re lacking it.”

She held it out to Linc. “Take care of our little puppy.”

“Of course,” Linc drawled as he took the money from her. “Anything else?” he asked, slipping the money into his pocket.

Malcolm's fingers curled into fists; he had nowhere else to go to scratch this itch from his unanswered mating call. He hated his need to sleep with strangers, and it was clear from the exchange of money that happened right in front of him that he’d been brought lower than ever before. “I wish for her to come to my bed willingly.”

An odd emotion flickered across Madame Lanias’s face, and she looked away from him, her eyes darkening. “Malcolm, I know you’re still adjusting to Veil City, but these girls and boys are here for their own reasons. They aren’t dragged here and given no choice; they are doing this because they want to, so—don’t worry about it too much.” With that, she turned on her heel and left him standing there as the Linc fellow went to approach the female at the bar.

Fractured Bonds

Eliza

2 years before Bk 1

“Dammit, I am tired of this shit.”

Eliza stared at her boyfriend in stunned silence. Eyes stinging from the tears she’d been unable to stop, she pressed her hand to her cheek and from him to the bitch that remained in the bed.

When she’d ended her shift at Apple Bee’s early and headed home to the apartment she shared with her boyfriend of three years, she wasn’t expecting to find him fucking their neighbor, yet here she was. The room she’d worked so hard to decorate, with her things, as she’d finally felt like she had a home, was a mess.Clothes were strewn across the carpeted floor, and the smell of her favorite candles mingled in the air with the scent of sex.

The bed covers she’d giggled about with her best friend Kathy as they hunted down the best smooth sheets were wrinkled and covered in the sweat and essence of her boyfriend Carl and his fling.

“Tired?” she repeated, lowering her hand, “You’re tired now, but you weren’t tired when I asked you to move in?” she snapped, her shock abating as she grew angrier, “you weren’t fucking tired when I told you we should wait. You were all energetic for fucking and moving in together when you had nothing.”

Carl rubbed a hand through the thick blonde hair she’d always loved running her fingers through. The lips she’d loved to kiss, he licked, and the hazel eyes she’d always melted into were now cold like ice chips; he pressed his lips together till they turned into a thin line. “Look, I’m just sick of playing second fiddle to your shit. Everything is about Eliza, what about me? What about my needs?”

A sharp pain hit her in the chest.

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