Page 31 of The Clash of the Damned
“Love what you’ve done with the place.” He motions to the lone chair and dead body amongst the cold concrete walls.
“What can I say, it’s easier to clean up.” I walk past him and back to the centre of house as he follows.
“I didn’t have the heart to interrupt. I rarely get to see you in action, and it was very entertaining.”
Turning to face him, I finally notice his tux. “Surely you didn’t come here to ‘see me in action’?”
“Did you forget about the bachelor’s?”
Fuck. I did.
Most people would try to forget that the love of their life is marrying someone else; it’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
“Go, get ready for the bachelor’s and make it quick; we don’t want to be late. We can catch up on everything from Thanksgiving in the car. I race upstairs, throwing together the quickest fancy outfit I can find. The invite didn’t say much other than a night formen only, which to me, usually means strippers, a sex party, or both.
Running back downstairs, I find Logan standing with her hand on her hip. “Were you going to tell me there was another body to dispose of, or was I just supposed to discover it when he started to smell, like the others?”
Leaning over, I peck her cheek. “I’ll owe you one if you get rid of it for me?”
Logan stalks off, muttering about how loving us brings her extra admin. I can’t help but feel a swell of love for her in return.
Amelia waltzes into the room in a leather outfit that would make most biker girls envious with Clark on her heels. Amelia air kisses Dom as he says, “Pity you can’t join tonight; it would have been fun with you there.”
“No matter.” She smirks. “I have a new toy to play with, courtesy of my brother dearest.” She jingles car keys in my direction.
Leaning around her, I make eye contact with Clark. “Aren’t you coming?”
“I think I’m going to give tonight a skip and use this as an opportunity to bond with our little sister. I’m thinking of getting a Maserati for myself since I’m going to be around for a while.”
I shrug in response. As we leave and drive to the party, I explain to Dom that I owed Amelia an apology after almost dying in front of her, twice. He catches me up on his sisters’ theory about the Siphoner’s magic. The camaraderie between us is like the old days. Running an empire leaves little time for fun.
“The Rogues were blamed for the park explosion, and the way the cult’s attacks keep escalating…what’s next? This has to be more than just revenge.”
“Remember I told you about my father’s notes? Well, I found a new one today. I think…we were responsible for Sloane’s mother’s death.”
When Jude and I became romantic, Dom and Luca weren’t thrilled, but they accepted it, wanting to see us happy. But the night of the sit down broke us in a way that none of us thought it could. I may not be able to fix what’s been broken, but I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.
I whistle as another piece of the puzzle falls into place. “Chances I can get in line for that antidote? Spell? Blocker?”
“Jude’s first, after what we did to her, but yeah, if anyone can get it right, the twins can. And I’ll get some to you as soon as I can.”
***
“I thought we were going to a strip club?” I ask as Dom pulls up to Tao. Considering my history with Jude, it’s not exactly like I’ve been included in the arrangements for tonight.
“Business is slower than usual. We need to keep the Undead happy, and we owe Luca, so we changed venues at the last moment.” It makes sense that Dom would know that. “To help with the venue staffing, Luca hired some extra girls from the Human Faction.” Translation, the Human Faction girls specialize in sexual favors for whomever needs it tonight. Luca is a business woman after all.
Tao looks nothing like the club we’ve come to know and love; tonight it’s transformed to accommodate the Supernatural, exclusive event. We rarelyall come together in this capacity, especially considering the circumstances. One of the Druids shouts through the mic that we don’t run and hide from humans, and the crowd cheers, the response appropriate.
“Aren’t you concerned that we’re all sitting ducks in this room for those cult people?” I shout at Dom over the crowds as we wait for our drinks. Spotting Satine, my favorite waitress at Tao, I frown. While I know she’s part of the Human Faction, I’ve grown fond of her over the years, and I don’t like seeing her here. It’s not safe for humans like her to be working with the cult at large, but that doesn’t stop her from hurrying to clientele, carting drinks back and forth. I swear the Tao uniforms are skimpier tonight. Satine bends over, the curve of her buttocks sticking out of the hem of her black jumpsuit.
“I am, but sitting in my house on my own isn’t the solution either. I’m hoping that Sloane’s feelings for me will cause a delay while the twins do their thing. Also, I don’t think Sloane will try to take on all of us at once.” Completely oblivious to my musings on Satine, Dom peeks at his phone, and his white teeth glow under the neon lights. “Time to celebrate!”
“Good news?”
“The best. It’s not news on the blocker, but it’s other good news. At least one part of my life is going better than I could have ever dreamed.”
We order bottles all around, and while we socialize with the Supernaturals, I feel trapped, like everything is a big lie. One of Ryder’s girls approaches me, her lacy little number barely covering anything–she may as well walk around naked. She cups my dick, whispering seductively into my ear, “I’ll make you feel good, baby. I’ll give you the time of your life.”
