Page 50 of Of Mercury and Mist

The rest of the day went by with a lot less pain. I let myself into my apartment, still missing my penthouse I hadn’t seen in months. It just hadn’t been convenient, with my work schedule and everything else going on, to go home. What I really needed was a vacation or some rest, but that wasn’t likely to happen.

With pleasure, I noted Lester had kept my wardrobe up to date with dry cleaning, tailoring, and new options for me to wear. But, once again, he’d attempted to insert a white shirt into my rotation. I tore it out and tossed it in the garbage bin before I chose a dark purple one to wear under a new black Stuart Hughes suit.

Lester absolutely refused to listen to me on that one matter. It’d pissed me off multiple times, and then I’d come to just accept he wouldn’t give up and I’d be throwing brand new shirts away regularly. It wasn’t a money issue, rather an inconvenient waste of time.

“How the fuck did you get in here?” I was admiring my reflection in the mirror when Kiam appeared behind me.

He laughed. “You do remember my hacking skills, do you not?”

Letting out a long sigh, I turned to face him. “You clean up pretty well.”

He was dressed almost as finely as I rather than looking like, well, the hacker he was. He even had a vest on underneath his suit jacket and his hair styled into reluctant submission. I’d gotten used to him donning Henleys and khakis for almost every occasion.

“Dickhead,” he muttered, before adding, “Don’t look at me like that. I know you and Josiah have zero inhibitions but I do.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Just admiring the goods. I wouldn’t touch you.” Kiam didn’t seem to realize the intimacy between Josiah and myself was unique, and only utilized under certain circumstances, but I wasn’t going to explain it to him.

“Then why’d you agree to go to a flesh market with me tonight?”

After I grabbed a long coat from the closet, I said, “You’re not a demon—you wouldn’t understand.”

Kiam pursed his lips. “You’ll suck on the atmosphere. Got it.”

He was really pissing me off. “If you want to choke on my cock, just let me know.”

I brushed past him, shoving my arms in the sleeves as his laughter bellowed down the hall.

* * *

As expected,we didn’t have to wait in the line of patrons that snaked down the block. The music inside the bar couldn’t be heard outdoors, but the two of us felt the vibrations. A deep, pulsating beat echoed through the surrounding structures, traveling underground and infecting everything with an undercurrent of passion and desire.

The invisible tremors snaked up my legs, rattling my ribcage and settling into my gums. It was a sensation I doubted any human not under the influence of an illegal substance could ever understand or experience the joy of.

The combination of emotions and auras, enhanced by music were an injection of pure ecstasy straight into my veins. For once, I was looking forward to the evening—and to imbibing vast amounts of spiced up ether.

With Kiam leading the way, we blew past the bouncers and hostess, leaving the latter with a glowing tablet suspended mid-air when she tried to get our attention.

The hopefuls left outdoors weren’t subtle with their jealousy or longing, leaving a hunger-inducing appetizer in the atmosphere. I ignored it. Higher quality was contained within the establishment, and I didn’t want to ruin my dinner.

“I’m going to get myself a private dance and meal,” Kiam stated, walking away after we’d entered the main room. I tucked myself in a comfortable chair at a small table wondering why I hadn’t done this sooner.

The club had been said to offer services inclined toward all tastes, so I knew Kiam would be drinking his fill, among other things. After I requested a whiskey as well as a bottle of my favored blood wine, I let myself relax and take in the sights.

Kenneth, a mid-level demon Josiah and I had dealt with once before, appeared surprised to see me but I waved him off when he attempted to engage in banal conversation. We’d be wasting each other’s time, and I wanted to relax.

Here, in this club, I’d be able to lose myself for a short amount of time. It was much needed.

The room slowly filled with people to hold a mixture of humans, demons, vampires, and even a couple angels. The owner of the club was one of the latter, though I’d never met him. From what I understood, he had ties to Fulgere and the group associated with them. Josiah and I preferred a quieter life and shunned socializing for the most part so I didn’t seek him out.

A pretty redhead had been entertaining several men on the stage, clad in a long, thin white gown. She’d gone through two humans and one angel, so far. Her next partner was a young vampire. He was shirtless, barefoot, and wore a skintight pair of leather pants.

I watched him masterfully seduce her through gentle touches and caresses, until she was practically eating out of the palm of his hand. Her heavy breathing and panting reached my ears, making me yearn for that same type of connection.

Shifting in my seat, I adjusted myself before reaching for my glass. I should’ve been here with a collared Ashley, forcing her to watch the stage before pushing her under the table and shoving my cock down her throat. Would she be horrified by what she saw on stage? Or would she fill the air around us with the heady scent of her craving? I suspected the latter.

The young vampire had torn a small gash in the woman’s neck and blood was slowly spilling down her skin, fragrancing the room with its rich coppery scent. He was between her legs, one hand up her dress, clearly pleasuring her. His other hand was fixed against her face, pressing against her mouth as she shook either in the throes of bliss, or of pain. Chances were, it was both.

Where was Josiah when I needed him? Now that he had Della, I had to wonder how our torture methods would change. He used to regularly suck my cock, or I his, to induce either debilitating fear or absolute disgust in our victims as part of our torture methods.

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