Werewolves Be Damned

Chapter Four


A glass balcony wrapped around the upper level of Crimson Rose. The walls of the dance club were painted black with a crackled blood-red faux finish. Steel tables were scattered around the large rectangular room and candles on top provided a warm glow. The dance floor was straight ahead with a large, gold cage hanging from the ceiling that held two female vampires grinding to the techno music.

On a Friday night in Salt Lake City, clearly the vamps in attendance were looking for fun. Too bad Kyden wasn’t here to indulge, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying himself. He leaned against the bar and turned to the source of his amusement.

Nexi’s mouth had dropped open the moment she spotted the crowd on the dance floor, and ten minutes later, it still hadn’t shut. Up until this point, she hadn’t seen this many supernaturals gathered in one place. Even in the Otherworld, the Council’s Guard was typically working or sleeping. It wasn’t often everyone gathered at the same time.

She currently eyed a vampire and a mortal groping each other. Kyden, though, was tempted to do the same with her. At the images racing through his mind, he shifted on his feet as the shorts under his kilt felt too tight.

Leaning an elbow against the bar, he considered Nexi’s appeal. He preferred women with a bit of bite to their personalities. This woman had more than enough to tempt him. For the past month, no matter what had come out of his mouth, even if he’d been gentle, she’d practically removed his manhood with a few sharp words.

Maybe that was why he found her so alluring. Perhaps that was even why he’d offered to train her. He’d be fooling himself if he didn’t admit he wanted to explore his interest in her, and he’d taken the chance to ensure he could.

“I’m so confused.”

He blinked out of his thoughts, discovering Nexi’s eyebrows were furrowed over her pretty eyes. “Confused?”

“Human’s can’t see the fangs, right?” She finally glanced to him, her expression tight with confusion. “The glamour you have on your whole getup works for vampires, too?

He nodded.

She pursed her lips, giving the crowd another look before turning to him again. “I just saw a mortal lick a vampire’s fang. Meaning, he wasn’t using his glamour on that human.” Her frown looked adorable. “I thought humans didn’t know about supernaturals?”

“Most don’t.” He admired her soft-looking skin, the sweet freckles on her nose, and the gentle curves of her face. Forcing himself to look her in the eye again, he focused on her question. “The mortals in the club are either in love with their vampire, or are addicted to the high they get from them.”

“The high—like a drug?”

He chuckled at her wide eyes. “When a vampire feeds, it’s intensely erotic. I’m sure you can imagine how addictive something like that could be for a human.”

She hesitated, gave him a long look. “Actually, no, I can’t imagine that.” She shuddered with a disgusted expression. “Besides that bit of grossness, aren’t they worried they’ll tell everyone about…you know…their secret?”

Kyden glimpsed to the dance floor and watched a human woman stare adoringly at a male vamp, wondering how to explain. “The blood sharing can create a bond. Think of the mortal as the vampire’s pet. They’re extremely loyal to their vampire and would keep this secret if it was asked of them.” When the crease between her brow lessened, he added, “More importantly, vampires live by strict rules enforced by their leaders, which keeps things safe.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Now you’ve lost me, which is actually surprising since I didn’t think I could possibly be more confused.” She pushed off the bar, turning to face him dead on. “The Council doesn’t rule over vampires?”

“In a way they do.” She stared intently at him, and his damned fingers twitched to grab her and make her forget these thoughts altogether. “But vamps and wolves have their own leaders who preside over them, just as Briggs explained to you with the Patriarch. Vampires, though, are governed by Mistresses.’”

Disbelief flashed over her expression, so he added, “Think of it this way: the Council protects the mortal lives in gratitude for allowing supernaturals to flourish in this realm—a treaty made back at the beginning of time—even if mortals don’t know it. The supernatural leaders in the Earthworld provide safety to the supernaturals that live here.”

She gave her head a bewildered shake. “Sort of like the government and police force, but just weirder?”

He chuckled. “Much like that.”

She exhaled and looked out to the dance floor, as the music switched to a slow, seductive song. Her eyes were inquisitive as she studied the crowd. He liked that about her; she held a tenacity to find answers. No matter how crazy this must be for her, she took it all in stride, and that he respected.

He also liked how her jeans hugged her lower half, as well as the tightness of her black tank top showing off enough cleavage to keep his interest. She had quite the sexy, toned body, a body that he currently couldn’t stop looking at while imagining what lay beneath those tight clothes. He knew his type, and Nexi was his type, and then some.

Kyden had always stuck to more casual relationships than anything he’d call meaningful. Nexi, and her fiery personality, made him rethink that choice of lifestyle. In fact, he intended to start pursuing that avenue to see if this chemistry with her could lead somewhere.

Her sudden sharp inhale jerked his focus to her face, then he realized she had caught his examination. Her cheeks were pink and she nibbled her lip, drawing his attention to a lovely mouth.

“I…” she hesitated, then said on a quick, raspy breath, “Why do you think the vamp who killed the guy is here?”

With her one-liner, all the heat rushing his veins fled, replaced with cold frustration. “Consider this another lesson: vampires can hear you in a noisy club.”

She slowly turned to the dance floor, as did he.

Every pair of vamp eyes was fixed in their direction and the crowd was now quiet. The mortals on the dance floor stopped dancing, looking around, confused and panicked, since clearly they hadn’t heard what Nexi had said.

“You know,” obvious irritation made her voice snappy, “you could’ve mentioned that a little earlier. Then I wouldn’t be looking like an all you can eat buffet.”

Kyden regretted that he hadn’t thought of it, too. Until Nexi had voiced their reasons for being at the club, most would’ve assumed they were here for pleasure since he hadn’t acted yet. Now with the real purpose exposed, the vampires parted, clearing off the dance floor. No one wanted involvement in the Council’s troubles.

The second a path cleared, displaying the tables at the far end of the dance floor, Kyden locked onto one vamp. From experience, he knew well enough that only someone guilty would hold his stare so intently, and he was pleased the tracker, Alazar, hadn’t been wrong about the vamp’s location.

Pushing away from the bar, the vampire also stood from his chair, then he bolted for the door. Kyden rushed forward and called to Nexi, “Stay with me.”

The crowd moved out of his way swiftly and when he brushed past the bouncer at the door, he heard Nexi behind him. Once outside, the warm air engulfed him and he sprinted toward the parking lot. When he spotted the vampire, who stood between two parked cars, he slowed to a brisk walk.

The night was quiet, the stars above him were bright, and the parking lot was empty except for the cars, which pleased him. He didn’t want to have human memories to deal with afterwards. Clean and simple, that’s how he preferred his assignments. Especially considering he had Nexi, an untrained guardian, with him.

An odd sensation of protectiveness filled him as he approached the vampire. One thing was certain: he didn’t like this vampire anywhere near her.

Part of that reaction only confirmed his interest in her, since he’d never been protective over a female guardian before. The other part of him wondered if the level of confidence the vampire radiated was the reason.

He’d never seen a supernatural not regret taking a mortal life. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single time it’d happened. However, what bothered him more was how the vamp stared at Nexi behind him. Hot rage flickered through his veins, and if the vamp thought he’d get close to her, he thought wrong.

To garner his attention off her and onto him, Kyden said, “State your name.”

The tall, thin vampire grinned. “Silas.”

Kyden sensed an odd difference in this vampire, though he couldn’t tell exactly what was off. Silas’s cropped black hair, crooked nose, and slanted dark eyes lent him an unnerving air, but Kyden’s instincts flared with a warning that he needed to proceed with caution. “You will answer for the life you’ve taken.”

“I have nothing to answer for,” Silas said, noticeably satisfied.

That brought Kyden to a dead halt only a few feet away. He didn’t bother to draw his sword, but he tightened his muscles in preparation. He studied Silas for a moment longer before awareness simmered over him, and he recognized the difference in this vamp.

An odd sense of power emanated from Silas and raised the hairs on Kyden’s arms. Not age necessarily, but something almost authoritative… “Do you deny you took a mortal’s life tonight?”

Silas peered over Kyden’s shoulder to Nexi, his eyes positively glowing. “No, I don’t deny it.”

Kyden’s muscles twitched, a burn filling his veins to extract retribution for the life Silas stole. Not only had Silas not regretted the kill, but he didn’t deny it either. Kyden hadn’t seen that in all his eight years as part of the Guard. Which was a good lesson for Nexi to learn, and why they couldn’t only depend on the trackers. A scent wasn’t enough proof a supernatural committed the murder. Now, he assumed, Nexi realized exactly why Haven had been protected since birth. Her magic had made the Council’s Guard stronger.

While Kyden could’ve pissed around with Silas, he’d learned long ago that listening to excuses was pointless. Take a life and die—that one Otherworld law ruled his life, and soon it would rule Nexi’s, too.

Kyden reached for his sword, and Silas’s smile turned dark, the vamp’s focus sliding to Nexi when, without any warning he vanished. Kyden heard Nexi’s gasp before he managed to exhale himself. He scanned the area in a fast sweep, only greeted with a dark night and an empty parking lot.

Nexi rushed to his side. “What. The. Hell?” She spun in a tight circle, then stared up at him with frantic eyes. “How did he do that? Is there a portal around here?”

Kyden approached the area Silas had vanished and he squatted down, pressing his hand against the rough pavement. A tickle rushed up his arm and raised the hairs, which indicated magic. “No portal.”

She blinked, her expression portraying the same concern he had within himself. “Vampires don’t have vanishing abilities, right?”

He shook his head. “Vampires don’t possess magic.” He pondered, knowing there could only be one logical assumption. “It’s possible a witch is helping him, but most witches stay out of trouble.”

She snorted, looking down at the spot where Silas had stood. “Well, apparently not anymore.”

“Apparently not,” he agreed.