Page 6 of The Wolf She Shouldn't Desire

I lay in bed staring at my ceiling, contemplating these things and my interaction with the wolf for hours, feeling as if I’llnever fall asleep. But eventually my eyelids become heavy, and my dreams begin to play behind my closed eyes. All of them are filled with the wolf with the icy blue eyes and chiseled jaw.

Chapter 4

Talia

A few nights later, Danny and four other vampires we trust most in the coven—who are our closest friends as well—follow me into our favorite hangout spot, a club called Depraved. The interior is dark, only illuminated with dark red and purple lighting interspersed throughout, leaving plenty of dark corners for shady business deals to go down. The club air thrums with the dark, sensual music and the air is a mix of various smells each individual brings through the door or permeates once on the dance floor. Sometimes the smells are pleasant in the perfumes and colognes the occupants wear and other times it isn’t in the sweat they produce. The air does hint at cigarette smoke as well from the few that smoke inside. All the occupants belong in two groups though—vampires or werewolves. Depraved is one of the few places in the city where vampires and werewolves willingly mingle together as it’s a place where either can meet with those they want to conduct business with—whether it be legitimate and conducive to their pack or coven, seedy to where they are seeking to have someone killed, or find a dealer of illicit products. The club even caters to pleasures of drinking, sex, or anything you can think of. Hence the name Depraved. You can find it all right here.

Sometimes we come here to blow off some steam, while other times we come here to speak with someone specific to dobusiness on my father’s behalf. It’s also a great place to keep up with the happenings, drama, and gossip of vampires and werewolves in this city or outside at times as well as maintain or make connections beneficial for the coven. Today, we are here for business and looking for two vampires in particular.

Cassius and Alexandra are the power couple in this city who control most of the market when it comes to blood supplies for vampires. We still drink from humans, but we have to be very careful in this day and time with technology.Plus, having a blood supply we can purchase so as to have blood on hand at any time is very convenient. Our coven needs a new supply now, and we have a standing relationship with Cassius and Alexandra for the best blood they can give us along with being their biggest buyer since we are the largest coven in the city.

My eyes scan the club looking for their familiar faces while standing at the entrance. When I don’t see them, I start weaving my way through the throng of bodies packed inside the club. Danny stays by my side, but the other four fan out through the club. They are here for protection to cover Danny and I’s backs if needed, but also to keep their ears to the ground, listening to anything and everything.

To the right in the back corner, Danny speaks down the bond.

I swivel my head in the direction he indicated. Hidden in the shadows are Cassius and Alexandra with a group of people surrounding them.

Their usual spot,I chuckle back to Danny via the bond. I see Danny nod his head in acknowledgement out of the corner of my eye.

We make our way to them, looking to see if I notice any other familiar faces in the crowd.

“Ah Talia!” Alexandra exclaims as we make it to their table.

I smile at her. “Alexandra,” I state happily as we hug. “Cassius” I then acknowledge when I am done hugging Alexandra.

He smiles and nods at me. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

I sit down while Danny remains standing off to the side but still close to me.

“We require another shipment, and this one slightly larger if you can,” I respond.

We begin speaking about the finer details and agree upon an amount for the shipment along with a price and delivery date. Soon we start chatting about other things. Cassius and Alexandra are probably one of the few pairs of vampires that I can tolerate interacting with outside of the coven on topics other than business. They know who I am and what I’m capable of but don’t fear me enough to stop them from having somewhat of a friendship with them without crossing any lines. A while back, I learned that a lot of vampires didn’t understand this and attempted to become closer than friends or use me as a means of getting closer to my father. So, I stopped trying to interact with a lot of vampires outside of business to avoid the headache. Can’t mix business with pleasure, as they say. With the rare exception of a few like Cassius and Alexandra.

As we continue to speak, I suddenly hear my name called from across the dance floor from the opposite side of the room.

Fuck,Danny hisses mentally.

Glancing in the direction of where the voice is coming from as they continue to call my name over and over completely oblivious to how ridiculous and desperate they seem in the process; I realize fuck is right, and I groan. Davon.

The dumbass knows it is idiotic to yell out names in the club so loudly and openly as many people here prefer discretion. But of course, he has been trying for a year now to get me to goon a date with him or garner some type of interest between the two of us, so he tends to forget himself. I have no idea why he is so heartedly coming after me in a manner that is so pathetically desperate, but here we are.

“I’m sorry. Cassius. Alexandra. That’s my cue to go.” I quickly get up and move onto the dance floor in the opposite direction from which Davon is coming from in an attempt to get him to lose sight of me in the throng of people.

Take care of him and tell him to never fucking do that shit again in calling attention to me to the entire damn club. I’m going to mingle and listen.

With pleasure, Danny purrs.He’s still behind you though, so you better keep moving.

My face pinches in anger. I am going to have a little talk with Davon after tonight, and a harsh one at that to tell him clearly that I’m not interested and never will be.

I move towards a dark hallway off to the right and at the back of the club that leads to several rooms used for the pleasure aspect Depraved caters to and the bathrooms.

As I pass one door to my left with its door open and no lights on inside, I feel a shift in the air behind me. But before I can turn around quick enough to face whoever is behind me, a hand covers my mouth and a thick, muscular, and clearly male arm wraps around my waist from behind tugging me through the open door I just passed and into the dark room. I try to lash out and thrash my body in an attempt to get the upper hand, but the male has a tight hold on me and is significantly stronger than me. As I continue to thrash out, suddenly I feel warm breath against my ear and the side of his face presses into the side of my head.

“Easy, little vampire,” a deep voice whispers into my ear.

That voice. It’s familiar and sends tingles down my spine.

I stop thrashing but am still tense as I try to piece together whose voice I’m recognizing.

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