Page 20 of Entangled (Guardian Academy 2)

Jax captures my arm. “Are you sure you want to do this? Because I can just go in.”

I nod. “And for future reference, you never, ever have to double-check with me when we’re about to take down the bad guys.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” he says, releasing my arm.

“You have no idea.” I climb out of the car, bursting with excitement as I meet him around the front of the car. “I’ve missed this.”

“Missed what?” he asks distractedly as he checks his phone.

“Doing this kind of stuff.” I gesture at the bar across the parking lot. “Going into these places and taking the bad guys down.”

He puts his phone away and focuses on me. “Have you done this a lot?”

“Not as much as a Keeper.” I tighten the knot on my jacket, securing it around my waist. “But I’ve been in my fair share of bar fights.”

“Really?” he says, his voice thick with sarcasm. “That’s shocking.”

“I know. It’s crazy,” I retort, loop my arm through his, and tug him toward the entrance of the bar.

He stumbles, obviously shocked by my move, and I smile in satisfaction.

The gravel crunches under our boots as we walk side by side across the parking lot and toward the building.

When we near the door, Jax warns in a low tone, “Keep your guard up.”

The few guys hanging around outside stop talking and fix their attention on us. I don’t have to see their mark to know they’re vampires; I can smell the foul stench of blood oozing off them.

The taller of the three men steps in front of me as I’m about to walk through the door, moving so quickly I just about crash into him. Jax steadies me by the shoulders as I trip and nearly run into him.

Vamp dude folds his bulky arms across his broad chest, his skin strikingly pale underneath the florescent lighting of the sign. “There’s a cover charge to get in.”

I mentally roll my eyes, already seeing where this is heading, but I decide to play along … for now.

“And how much is it?”

He grins, flashing me his set of sharp, white teeth. “Well, that all depends on how good you taste.” He breathes in deeply, his chest expanding. “My bet is you taste as delicious as you look.” His hands shoot out, and he folds his fingers around my arm. Gripping tightly enough to leave a bruise, he jerks me toward him and dips his head to bite my neck.

I lift my knee, planning to knee him in the balls, but he suddenly gets jerked away from me. I turn around just in time to see him sail across the parking lot and collide with one of the bigger motorcycles.

Jax dusts off his hands and flashes me a cocky grin before he focuses on the other two guys who are moving in on us.

His eyes glow silver as he snarls, “So, which one of you’s next?”

My heart does this stupid fluttery thing as I get a brief glimpse of his werewolf side. But even more shocking is how easily the other two vampires back down and run away, disappearing into the darkness of the parking lot.

Turning toward me, he reaches behind my back and opens the door. “Ready?”

I nod, too stunned to find my voice. I mean, holy fiery, hotness, that was hot.

He must read my turned-on expression because he lowers his lips to my ear. “I don’t think that’s how a friend is supposed to look at their friend.”

I gently push him back, stifling a shiver. “Friends can find their friends hot when they do hot things like kick a vamp’s ass.” Not bothering to watch his reaction, I whirl around and march inside.

The second my feet land on the other side of the threshold, my senses are assaulted by the scent of sweat and blood. The muggy air causes my skin to dampen as I make my way deeper into the club, weaving around groups of vampires and the occasional human. While Jax chats with a vampire guy wearing leather pants and a black shirt, I keep going, searching the room for my first target.

The hypnotic beat of “Bad Blood” by Bastille begs me to join the crowded dancefloor, but I resist the desire and push my way toward the bar where three vampire guys are sitting. They look around my age, although they’re probably way older, conversing and sipping from glasses filled with a thick, red liquid.

When I approach the counter lit up with neon blue lights, all of them stop talking and stare at me. Their silence and withering stares cause uneasiness to stir inside me, but I hold my chin high and approach the bartender, a taller woman with wildly brown curls and the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Can I get a shot of tequila?” I plop onto the stool and nod at the vampires staring at me. “And I want to buy them a round, too.”

She gives me a tolerant look. “Can I see an ID?”

I rest my elbows on the counter and give an insinuating look toward the vampires who appear around the same age as me. “You’re really going to ask me that?”

She considers this before slamming four shot glasses down on the counter. “Fine.” She grabs a bottle of tequila, fills the four glasses to the brim, and shoves one at me. “Drink up.” Then she turns to the three vampires beside me and places a shot down in front of each of them. “She bought you a round,” she says with humor in her tone.

The three of them trade an amused look, pick up the shot, and turn to me.

The one sitting closest to me flicks his shaggy, blond hair out of his hazel eyes and smiles. “I think a gesture such as this requires a toast, especially coming from such a beautiful girl.”

The shorter one wets his lips with his tongue as he nods.

“I completely agree,” the third says as he hops off the stool, walks over to where I’m sitting, and raises his glass. His hungry blue eyes shimmer against the dim ceiling lights. “To beautiful, violet-eyed girls.”

I fake a smile and tap my glass to his. “To gorgeous guys with pretty blue eyes.”

We clink glasses, and I down the shot. He sips his slowly, sucking the liquid out until he empties the glass. Then he sets the empty glass down on the counter and bites on his lip hard enough to leave indents in his lips as his eyes zone in on my neck. “I think you and I should dance.” He offers me his hand, expecting me to take it.

I nod and place my hand in his, pretending to be dazzled by him, pretending I’m just a normal girl who just accidently wandered into a club chalk-full of vampires.

His icy cold fingers wrap around mine as he lifts me to my feet. Then he guides me to the center of the dancefloor beneath the shimmering lights, spins me around, and tugs me backward until my back is aligned with his chest. He starts jiving his hips, practically dry-humping me, and I pretend to be flustered, clumsily moving with him, even though I can rock sexy dance moves when I want to.

“So, how does a sweet thing like you end up in a place like this?” he asks, sweeping my hair over my shoulder.

I roll my eyes. Cheesy much? But it’s a good line to get my plan in motion. “I was actually told by a couple of people that I should come here, that the music was great and the drinks were to die for.”

“Oh, they are.” His lips brush against my shoulder.

Gag me.

“I guess so. The tequila tasted pretty bitter, though,” I say, rolling my hips into his.

He glides his hand down my side and molds it around my waist. “You should ask for something stronger. If you do, you might like it.”

“That’s what one of the people who told me to come here said,” I murmur, my head bobbing backward as he slips his knee between my legs. “I bumped into her at this other club I was at a few nights ago … I can’t remember her name, but I was hoping she’d be here because she had this cool tattoo, and I wanted to ask her where she got it. I’ve been wanting to get a tattoo, but it’s so hard to find someone you can trust to permanently mark your body like that.”

“What’d she look like?” He grazes his teeth along my shoulder, and I have to fight not to turn around and bash my knuckles against his face. “Maybe I can help you find her.”

“She’s

a little older than us and has long, black hair. Oh, and her lips were pierced, and she has this tattoo of a red raindrop with a T at the bottom of her neck.” I lean against him even though I want to pull away. “The colors were so vivid, like the ink was really good quality.”

“I think I know who you’re talking about. Her name’s Nadene.” His teeth nick the arch over my neck, right below my pulse, as he delves underneath the hem of my shirt. “If you want, I could show you where she hangs out.”

I tip my head to the side and allow him to nibble on my skin. “She doesn’t hang out here?”

“She does, but she usually doesn’t come in until later.” His teeth are at my pulse as his hand reaches the bottom of my rib cage. “I can drive you to where she is now. My motorcycle’s out back. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

I place my hands over his hands to stop them from moving higher. “Yeah, I don’t think I want to do that.”

“Yes, you do,” he growls against my neck. “I can feel it.”

I roll my eyes. He can’t feel a damn thing, or he’d know how repulsed I am by him.

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