“You can’t do this.” My protest is weak. He can do this, and we both know it. Who would stop him? “The laws of the underworld—”
“Apply to underworlders, Nora. You are human. You know the truth. You know my identity. It is too dangerous to allow you to leave.”
“But I won’t tell anyone!” I blurt as panic takes over my aching, exhausted body. “You’ve seen my life. You know I’ve never said a word about your world to anyone. I won’t tell people about you. You know I won’t.”
“You won’t,” Henry agrees, “because you won’t be leaving me.”
Henry reaches across the seat and pulls one of my hands into his. His voice turns to silk again. “I know you’re scared, Nora. You have reason to fear and despise my kind, but you will get over it.”
“Oh yeah, because kidnapping me is definitely the way to win me over. You are the worst kind of villain, because you actually think you’re doing the right thing here. You’re delusional.”
Henry pulls his hand away from mine and glares at me. “Delusional?”
I shrug. My peace spoken, I go back to glaring out the window. After a few minutes, Henry says, “Regardless of your opinion of me, your life is here now, with me and mine. You had better get used to it. Cooperate, and you will be treated well.”
I can’t help taking the bait. “Cooperate how? Am I just supposed to jump into your bed? Would that get you off, Henry? Knowing you were forcing me to be with you?”
Henry whirls on me in his seat, and his eyes begin to glow a scary red. “I would never disrespect you in that manner! When you come to my bed, it will be because you want it. I guarantee you will be desperate for me before I ever touch you.”
I scoff.
“I want you, Nora,” Henry says, still seething. “But until you are ready to become my lover, your role in my clan will be a different one.”
“What role?”
Henry takes a deep breath and sits back against his seat. Once he’s calm again, he says, “Your gifts. I need them. You will be of great service to my clan.”
Of course it’s about my gifts. I should have known. Vampires are all about power and politics. Henry, no doubt, wants to remain the big man on campus, and to do that he needs all the most powerful tools in his arsenal. I’m a shiny new toy that no one else has. Sadly, this news is better than the idea that he just wants me for my body or my blood. But not much, because I know he still wants both of those things as well.
Henry continues when I don’t respond, his voice becoming practical, businesslike. “You will help me in exchange for room and board and anything else you might need. I promise you will be better cared for by me than you ever have been before. You will be protected and afforded the finest luxuries I have to offer.”
Yeah. As if expensive dresses and jewelry could make up for my freedom. I meet his gaze again. “And if I don’t want it?”
Annoyance sweeps across his face, but he stamps it down and continues to speak calmly. “Then you will help me in exchange for your life.”
He says it so simply. So matter-of-factly. As if my life means nothing to him, and killing me would be inconsequential.
“Humans are not supposed to know about our world,” he continues. “I could kill you to keep my secret safe, and no one would care.”
“I would care.”
He smiles. “Then I suggest you accept your new life, my dear.”
His smugness is too much. Huffing, I turn back to the window, determined not to speak again for the rest of the ride. Henry must understand that I’ve reached my limit, because he leaves me be until we reach the club.
. . . . .
When we arrive at Underworld, it takes me a moment to realize what’s different. There’s no line out front and no cars parked in the parking lot except for a few near the back that must belong to employees. It seems odd for the place to be closed, considering it’s almost midnight.
Inside, the club is empty save a handful of employees running around. The house lights are on, and the music isn’t playing. The place is also completely wrecked. There’s broken glass and spilled liquor the entire length of the bar, the furniture is either ripped apart or upturned or both—a few chairs even stick out of the walls where they were clearly thrown in a fit of temper and went through the drywall. There are holes punched in the walls and doors are ripped off hinges—it’s a complete disaster area.
We walk into the main room, debris crunching under our feet, and a man working to clean the mess behind the bar shouts, “We’re closed!”
Parker ignores the warning. “Good evening, Wulf. I’m sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if we could take a look around again?”
When Parker leads our group toward the bar, the bartender jumps the counter in one lithe movement and stomps over to us. He’s a tall, ruggedly handsome man with golden tanned skin, brown hair, striking green eyes, and a dark five o’clock shadow. His eyes drift over our little threesome and get hung up on me. He frowns before shaking his head at Parker. “You guys need to leave.”
“Please. It’s very important. We need to speak with Terrance.”
Wulf shakes his head again and waves his hands in a refusing gesture. “Parker, now really isn’t a good time.”
Looking around the place again, I mutter, “No kidding.”
I barely speak louder than a thought, but the bartender hears me anyway. His eyes snap to me with enough fire in them to make me cringe back. “Sorry,” I grumble, and try to deflect his attention from me with a question. “What happened in here?”
“A couple of trolls got pissed off,” he says, voice completely flat. He turns his gaze back to Parker. “And they’re still not over it, so I need you guys to leave.”
Henry steps in front of Wulf, looking all arrogant and pissed. “You will let us stay.”
In the blink of an eye, the bartender’s hand is around Henry’s neck. He looks super mega scary pissed. His body trembles, and his eyes glow a dim yellow. He lets out a deep growl that sends a chill of terror through me. There’s no mistaking that noise. The bartender has got to be a werewolf. Wulf the werewolf bartender. I’m not touching that one. At least not while he looks about to rip out of his clothes.
“If you even think about using vamp compulsion on me, I will rip your head from your body before you can get the command out.”
Henry doesn’t appreciate the threat. He quickly transforms into a man similar to those who killed my mother. His eyes glow a bright red, his fangs descend, and his fingernails elongate into vicious claws as he hisses and snarls. Wulf growls right back. Without a doubt, these two are seconds away from ripping into each other. I’m both terrified and fascinated at the moment, and I have to admit, as violent as it is, I’m sort of hoping for Wulf to follow through on the decapitation threat.
Parker jumps between the two before the vampire and the werewolf go ape shit on one another. “Henry! Wulf! Wait! Please!”
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE?”
Everyone freezes at the roar that shakes the whole building. I know that thunderous boom. My heart lightens until I see the murder on Terrance’s face. It seems my favorite troll isn’t feeling nearly as friendly tonight. His frown is as big as his biceps, and his body is shaking with rage. Considering he’s a troll, that’s a bad thing. If he loses his temper too badly, he’ll rip everyone here to shreds in a matter of seconds. Just ask the club he trashed earlier.