“Alright, alright!” she shouted, then glanced around frantically to make sure nobody was listening. “I’ll take you to him. Just please settle the hell down. He really is busy at the moment. That’s not a lie.”
“That’s fine.” Arys surveyed the club, a mischievous grin adorning his handsome face. “I have plenty of time. Why don’t you give us the grand tour? I’m sure Alexa would love to see it.”
Sloane pouted as if we were crashing her party. Her extreme unease mirrored my own. Accepting defeat, she turned to lead us through the maze of tables. “As you can see,” she said between gritted teeth. “This is the main floor where our guests enjoy entertainment, gamble and meet with their prospective dates for the evening. I’ll show you the second floor.”
We followed her through the crowded room, to the grand spiral staircase in the back left corner. Pale pink lights adorned each stair, lighting the way up. We passed a couple coming down, a female vampire and her male human toy. Bites covered his neck, and he wore an expression of confused joy.
I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Shaz. Not so long ago, he had been one of those lost in the pleasure of the vampire’s bite. I hoped he was strong enough to resist this place. I hoped that I was too.
“As I’m sure you can see, the second floor is where our private rooms are. The club operates twenty-four hours so this floor is always busy.” Sloane sauntered down the hall like the proud madam she was.
There was vampire security at each end of the hall. My skin prickled as the atmospheric energy marched over and through me. The scent of blood and sex tainted the air. It caused something low in me to tighten with arousal. I sent a panicked glance Arys’s way, finding him watching me intently.
The doors had little gold name plaques stating such things as “Lady Angelina” or “Sir Antonio.” And there were so many of them. I was willing to bet the inside of each room was far more lavish than at my own club. My club was beginning to look like a real dump compared to this place.
Returning to the main floor, Sloane led us to a well-concealed elevator hidden beneath the staircase. To access it, she produced a swipe card from within the bosom of her dress. The door opened, and we all stepped into the small metal container.
“Last chance to change your mind,” Sloane offered, holding a finger over the elevator buttons. When Arys stubbornly shook his head, she gave an exasperated sigh and punched the down button. “Oh Arys, you will never change. You’re still a conceited ass.”
His laughter filled the small space. “Guilty.”
For the first time since we arrived, I began to feel the telltale signs of trepidation. Arys was unmoved, showing no concern for whatever we were descending into. Jez and I exchanged a look and a shrug. I grasped my power, my fingers humming with readiness. I didn’t give a damn who felt it.
The elevator stopped, and we entered an entirely different kind of party. The heavy vampire and werewolf energy overwhelmed me. The place reeked of it. The supernatural made up a lot of the crowd, though there was a heavy human presence as well.
The red carpet continued, but the entertainment had changed. The room was smaller than the main floor upstairs, leading me to believe we weren’t seeing all of it. I would have looked around for a door or hallway, but the MMA-style ring in the center of the room captured my attention.
The crowd gathered around, shouting and cheering. The noise faded into the background as I realized what was taking place. Two wolves circled one another inside the cage. Lips peeled back in a deadly snarl, they lunged, meeting one another in the middle. The snap of jaws was audible over the crowd. The wolves went hard at one another, and the blood sprayed.
I was disgusted. Shaz and Jez wore matching expressions of shock and distaste. Arys watched with disinterest. I half expected him to feign a yawn and check his imaginary watch. This wasn’t a surprise to him.
“What the f**k is this?” I turned my angry glare on Sloane, letting her see the wolf behind my eyes. My beast was not happy to be here.
“It’s exactly what people come to this city for,” she replied coolly. “Not every high roller is content to sit in the casino and play cards. Some of them come here for a taste of something a bit wilder.”
“It’s vile,” Jez said, flashing cat eyes at Sloane.
“It’s business.” Sloane’s flippant retort incited my wolf’s rage.
Shaz was quiet, but the wolf eyes he was sporting indicated how he really felt. It was impossible not to react while two werewolves were tearing each other apart for the entertainment of humans and vampires. It took all of the self-control I possessed to keep from lashing out. Acting rashly would land my ass inside that ring; I was sure of it. So I fought back the surge of power that threated to burst forth.