Page 22 of Touched By Darkness

He bares his teeth. “If it were up to me, I would fuck you senseless,” his voice lowers to a whisper only I can hear, “until all you could say was my name. Until I would have to carry you outside because your legs wouldn’t hold your body. But there are vampires around, and they won’t like it.”

I swallow hard. Yes, the receptionists. The whole town is made of vampires. I should keep my lust on its leash for a while. At least until we get back to Donatello’s place. With some luck, he’ll be back by then and able to join our little fun. Something tells me Apollo wouldn’t like it, but I don’t feel like choosing right now.

Apollo steps away from me, slowly, like it’s torture for him to distance himself. “Pick your clothes, and let’s leave.” He licks his lips one more time before he turns around and closes the door behind him. I’m alone once more, but my knees tremble beneath me. I cup my mound with a hand, shuddering to the pressure of my finger against my clit.

Fuck, I’m so wet it would be easy and fast to get me off here. I never touched myself in a dressing room. How would the vampires react if they heard me? I don’t want to become a snack because I couldn’t keep my hands out of my own underwear.

Quickly, I make my way through the clothes until I settle into black leggings that match the boots and the most unique shirt I’ve seen in a while. It’s a crop top with a piece of fabric that ties around my waist. One arm is sleeveless while the other is a long sleeve with a twist, the top part made of two crisscrossed straps and the lower part a regular sleeve. A high collar with a front clasp makes me feel like I should be wearing a cape, though I’m no hero. The black and red of my outfit make me feel part of this shadowy world.

I leave the rejected clothes behind and make my way out to Apollo. This time, I’m completely dressed. Pants and boots and one arm covered. His eyes shift with desire, either way, becoming hooded. Hell, is that because of the mate thing? No doubt there’s a crazy chemistry rolling between us. But then, I feel chemistry with Donatello too. And I can’t be a mate to both, can I? I should Wikipedia this. If I had a phone.

Apollo pays for my stuff, and we leave, Donatello’s jacket draped around my shoulders, my dress forgotten behind me. I shove the heels inside the first trash can we pass, wishing I could burn them. We walk together, his arm brushing mine, and I know he’s watching, staring at everyone who crosses us with a challenge on his face.

“You make good money for a cop,” I tell him when we take a turn into an avenue. Wide sidewalks have all sorts of people mingling about, snacking on cafés, and chatting. Even when the buildings are slick, black glass and steel and neon lights, the clothes are anything but. The entire rainbow struts around in the most different and most colorful sets I’ve ever seen. Pretty sure vampires just stop caring about fashion after a while.

“Not a cop,” Apollo points out, his eyes studying the crowd with much less curiosity and more threat. “Special Shifter Division.”

“What does that mean?”

A vampire with long fangs, a cloud of curly blond hair, and clothes straight from the seventeenth century leans closer, taking a whiff of me. He smiles. “Sweet little thing you have there, friend. Care to share?”

Apollo bares his teeth androars. It’s not a growl, not a purr — it’s a full-out roar that makes me jump out of my skin. He slides his fingers between mine and tugs me onward. I slide a glance over my shoulder, catching the vampire looking as shocked as I am.

“Fucking bloodsucker,” Apollo mutters under his breath.

I tug him back. “Chill out. He’s just another guy hitting on me. Or on my blood, for that matter.”

Apollo narrows his eyes. “Am I supposed to like that?”

I tilt the corner of my lip in doubt. Possessiveness was never my thing. I’m a feminist through and through. Then why the hell does Apollo makes it sound so appealing? I shake my head. This must be the lust haze.

Waving a hand, I motion around us. “Forget it. Take us to a club. In the meantime, tell me what Shifter Division means.”

“It’s a special division within supernatural police. Being a shifter, I have better senses, so I take over the special investigations. It’s harder, more time-consuming, but it pays well too.”

I nod him on. “What sort of investigating do you do?”

He looks around us, suddenly more suspicious than before. “There’s this guy. The Collector. We don’t know his name, but he has plenty of money. He’s a kidnapper. Likes to traffic children. We assume he enjoyscollectingthe unique ones. Hence the name.”

My jaw drops. “What the fuck, are you serious?” I drop my voice, looking around us as suspiciously as he did. “And you think he might be here? That’s why we’re whispering?”

Apollo chuckles, his serious face splitting with a smile. “I don’t know. No one knows where he hangs out. That’s the whole point. But this place is so full of dark fuckers like him, I’ll keep my ears preened for any clue.” And we stop.

I raise my eyes to Apollo, then to the place we’re standing in front of. A club, definitely. The neon lights are back, circling around the entrance in an intricate design. The name of the club shines overhead in orange,Sunrise Blvd. Haha. The door is a dark, gaping hole, but that’s not what makes my heart race.

A bouncer. And he’s staring straight at me.

CHAPTER11

CASSANDRA

It’s a good thing I went with the boots. Maybe I’ll have to put them to use sooner than I expected.

My hold around Apollo’s hand tightens. Fuck, did this bouncer recognize me or something? The man stands like a statue there, eyes unblinking as he gapes at my face, then at Apollo. He’s in a dark suit, just like the bouncers in the human realm, but the way he dresses it makes it look like armor.

I swallow hard, but Apollo steps forward. “How much to get in?”

The bouncer arches an eyebrow, looking between us again. “Where is your vampire?”

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