Page 72 of Livewire Witch

“Well, I guess I better head through to the other room,” Ember says.

“See you in a bit,” Hanna says with a little shoulder shimmy. “I’m gonna see which of my dance moves works best as bait.”

Wait. What?

Bait?

I grab Rook’s arm just as he takes off after her with a shake of his head and another pained look in my direction. “Take care of her.”

“Always do.” He squeezes my hand and then he’s gone.

The last time I was here, my time in the main part of the club was limited. This time, though, we’re exposed to all its true delights. The dancers in the hanging cages. The vamps feeding in corners and behind the discreet curtains. The dance floors which are full of people letting loose and having a wild time.

“Fuck, this is a nightmare,” Zeph grumbles in my ear.

A wave of heat rolls through me. Not the good kind either. The kind that says I might throw up any minute.

I grip Zeph’s hand and squeeze tightly. He grips me in turn, as though I’m a lifeline he’s clinging to.

“Maybe we should dance, since I don’t think any of us are gonna risk drinking tonight,” Roscoe says. “Might look weird if we’re not drinking, dancing, or fucking.”

While I don’t think anyone’s going to be paying any attention to us, it’s better not to risk it. The four of us weave our way through the throng and I dip in and out of conversations, both those that are audible and the ones going on inside people’s heads.

No one’s really considered that while Ember and I can listen in, it’s freaking hard to telepathically eavesdrop when the room is so damn loud and packed with people. Focusing on just one conversation is almost impossible, and we have to keep alternating between the dance floor and the booths at the side of the room, moving from group to group in a way that looks natural.

Unsurprisingly, listening to the thoughts of vampires mid-feed is a pretty gross affair. Same with the ones that are mid-fuck. It’s a lot of:deeper, oh just like that, just a bit more.

The nausea doesn’t abate. Luckily, Roscoe finds a bunch of mints from somewhere and he feeds them to me periodically, which seems to help settle my stomach somewhat.

By the time we finally take a break, we’ve been at it for at least an hour and my head is throbbing.

The four of us head back through the main doors, into the quiet stairwell, and I let out a long relieved breath.

“That was a bust, right?” Zeph says.

“Yep. I don’t want to repeat the shit I just had to listen to, but absolutely none of it was useful.”

I slump back against the wall and close my eyes for a moment.

“Shit. Hanna’s still in the other room.” I twist on my heel, cringing at the thought of having to head back into that hot, sweaty room again. “I’ll grab her and then we can talk things through.”

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom,” Roscoe says in my ear.

“See you outside, then? I’ll just grab the others and then we can head out,” I repeat.

“Good.” He grabs my hips. “Can’t wait to get you home so we can practice some of those dance moves in private.”

Taking a deep breath, I glance at Fabian and Zeph and straighten my shoulders. “I guess we better get back in there. A two-minute dash in and out and then we can head home.”

Fabian and Zeph flank me on either side as we head through to the other room of the club. This one has even more of the booths to allow for some privacy where people can fuck without anyone watching.

The music is thumping a sexy, slow beat and my nose tingles at the scent of something faintly fruity and sweet. Like cotton candy.

That’s all I notice before my heart begins to pound in time with the music and a smile lights up my face. It’s as though all the tension in my body leeches out of me. We join the throngs of people swaying to the beat and fingers squeeze my hip with gentle pressure. I’m vaguely aware of the movement of bodies around me. Of the moans and slapping of skin on skin and curses from the edges of the room.

My eyes lock onto an intense, dark gaze and I feel like I’m falling into them. Losing my mind and any awareness of the room around me as I step closer to the giant, stormy perfection in front of me.

He kisses me, both massive hands cupping my jaw and sucking my lower lip into his mouth with a groan. All my thoughts melt away.

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