Chapter 6
Alicia shivered as the cool water showered down on her head and shoulders. Reaching down, she turned the hot all the way up… it wasn’t like a cold shower was really enough to help her anymore. She blinked feeling like she’d missed something. Honestly, she didn’t even remember getting into the shower. She reached for the necklace satisfied it was still there then searched her memory.
Oh yeah… she remembered now. She’d finally told the truth. She’d come clean about everything and it had felt good. They weren’t mad… it had been a misunderstanding… all of it, and she could stay. She placed her palms and forehead against the cold tile wall as she remembered what had happened with Nick… poor guy. It hadn’t been his fault. If only she had someone to talk to who knew what to do.
Alicia’s eyes lit up and she quickly got out of the shower, grabbing a towel and running to her bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she picked her cell phone up off the nightstand. She did have someone to ask. Scrolling through the numbers Micah had programmed into her phone, she saw Mrs. Tully’s number and called.
“Hello Alicia,” Mrs. Tully answered having seen the caller ID. “Are you all right?”
“No,” Alicia said but couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. If anyone would be able to help her it was Mrs. Tully. “But I will be if you can answer a few questions for me.”
“Okay,” Mrs. Tully smiled into the phone glad it didn’t sound like blood was involved. She almost dropped the phone when Alicia made an announcement.
“I’m in heat,” Alicia said quickly. “I have been for…” she thought about it for a moment, “a week or two… I’m not sure exactly. But it’s getting worse.”
“I see,” Mrs. Tully recovered quickly. This was strange because usually heat only came on after the girl had met her mate and been marked. “Have you chosen a mate?” she asked hopefully.
“No.” Alicia answered quickly. “And I’m starting to attract people I don’t want to attract.” She wouldn’t tell her about Nick. “And I feel like I’m losing my mind. So… how do I make it go away?”
Mrs. Tully rubbed her temple. Of course Alicia didn’t have a mate… no, that would have been too simple and easy. Her lips parted remembering having the same conversation with Alicia’s mother… her real mother. Her tired eyes gazed up at the ceiling knowing she held a lot of secrets. Alicia’s mother had come to her in labor the same night Nathaniel’s child had been stillborn.
Nathaniel had been the only one to know of the switch and once his wife had died he’d simply carted the child off to boarding school. But now that Alicia was of age… she needed to know her true history and the warlock who was behind it.
When the line stayed quiet for a little too long Alicia started to fidget, “Mrs. Tully?”
“I’m here child,” she sighed, “Listen, sleeping with just anyone won't work. It needs to be someone strong… someone you’re at least attracted to and, if you do not chose them as your mate, then it needs to be someone who will let you walk away from them.”
Alicia nodded, “A one night stand.” That’s what she’d figured, “How many times will I…?”
Mrs. Tully closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for the child, “If you choose carefully, then only once.”
“Thank you Mrs. Tully,” Alicia whispered and started to hang up.
“Alicia dear,” Mrs. Tully gripped the phone a little tighter. “Will you come by and see me soon? We need to talk… it’s important.”
Alicia bit her bottom lip wondering if she was about to get a lecture from the family doctor. “Sure, just give me a couple days.” She quickly hung up the phone. The hunger obviously wasn’t going to go away until it was fed.
Standing up, Alicia looked in the mirror critically, wondering if she could go through with it. As she gazed at her own reflection she frowned seeing the two tiny scars where Damon’s fangs had sank into her the night she’d tried to kill him. All the other injuries were gone. Reaching up, she touched them with her fingertips. Maybe a vampire’s bite never disappeared.
Deciding she didn’t have time to worry about it, Alicia searched her closet until she found what she was looking for… a black leather and lace miniskirt with a matching top. Taking a deep breath, she went back to the bathroom to get ready.
Damon leaned back against the cross on the top of the church staring broodingly across the street at Michael’s house. He wasn’t worried about Michael… he couldn’t have cared less right now. What had him so moody was the fact that Alicia had kissed him… it had been real. It was real. Only, she turned around and told Michael she’d felt nothing. That she’d kissed him only to prove her heat didn’t work on vampires.
“Not even a spark,” Damon repeated sarcastically. “Little liar.”
He leaned forward when he spotted her coming back into her bedroom. What the hell was she wearing? His eyes narrowed as he watched her examine herself in the mirror, turning around several times before picking up a long black trench coat.
Alicia tied the trench coat tight, not wanting anyone to see her leave the house wearing what this outfit. She didn’t have to answer to anyone, but why give them the ammunition they needed to ask? She nodded at her reflection then tucked her cell phone into the coat pocket. Now she just needed to leave before somebody came home.
Damon put a hand on each side of the door frame and leaned in a little when Alicia opened it. The guilty look on her face when she glanced up and saw him was enough to set his nerves on edge. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t need a babysitter...”
“Because you’re not a baby,” Damon finished for her.
“Right,” Alicia pushed him backwards so she could get out of the door.
“And the Ice Queen is back,” Damon smirked as he watched her head toward her car. He’d let her leave, if that’s what she really wanted to do. But after what he’d seen Nick try, there was no way in hell she was going alone. Besides, he didn’t have anything better to do tonight.
Alicia opened the door and hurriedly slid in the car. Before she could stick the key in the ignition, the passenger side door opened and Damon got in with her.
“You never take me anywhere anymore,” Damon said as he settled back in the seat.
“Where do you want to go,” Alicia said in a deadpan voice. “I’ll be happy to drop you off.” ‘Or push you out’ she added mentally.
“Do you really think you’re getting rid of me that easy?” Damon flipped the mirror so that he could see the way her trench coat had gapped open at the top because she was sitting down. It was now reveling enough breasts to make any guy's mouth water. He nodded at the reflection, “It looks like we’re going out on the town, so let’s go.”
Alicia tried to stop herself but couldn’t help it and looked down to see what had caught his attention. She squeezed her eyes shut the second she saw cleavage. “Fine,” she reached up and readjusted the rear view mirror, “but once we get there, you’re on your own.”
‘Oh, you think so do you,’ Damon said inwardly.
Alicia cranked the car and turned the radio up loud enough to feel the thump of the bass through the car seat. She was trying to think of somewhere to go where there wouldn’t be any shifters… a place where no one would know her. Plus, it needed to be a place big enough to where she could ditch Damon before she did something desperate… with him.
She smiled as she got a really bad idea. The vampire groupie bar called Love Bites would be the perfect place. It was the biggest bar in the city as far as she knew. All those humans dressed up and role playing. As soon as they saw Damon they would probably pee their paints and be all over him because he looked exactly the part… tall, dark mysterious, and broody. That would be distraction enough for Damon and maybe she’d be able to give him the slip.
Pulling into the parking lot she smiled as she spotted a group of Goth dressed people around her own age heading toward the door and hoped this was the night all her problems would be solved… or at least a major one.
“Have a fetish for vampires do we?” Damon smirked.
“No, I just thought since you were feeling so unloved that I’d bring you to a place where you could be worshiped.” She smiled sweetly at him and fluttered her eyelashes before rolling her eyes and getting out of the car. She sighed when he was standing beside her before she could even stand all the way up. “Careful Damon or you’ll give yourself away.”
“I’m not the one here to give myself away,” Damon said in a cold voice.
Alicia looked up at him with a frown. Knowing what he’d meant, she took off the concealing trench coat and tossed it in the front seat.
Damon felt a surge of unwanted jealousy. Shaking his head, he turned and started through the parking lot toward the door.
Alicia narrowed her eyes on his back then slammed the car door. She wasn’t going to let him ruin this for her. She caught up with him just in time to see him paying for the both of them.
Damon turned around leaning down over her. “That’s for the ride,” he said suggestively.
Alicia swallowed as his voice did something to the butterflies in her stomach. Two could play at that game. She closed the distance between them and sweetly gazed straight up into his amethyst eyes. “And that makes us even,” her voice was saucy as she slid past him and into the club.
Damon straightened to his full height then looked over his shoulder at the man collecting the cover at the door. The reason he’d kept Alicia from paying her own way was the wolf she would have been handing the money to. So, she thought they were even did she? The corner of his lips lifted in a smirk knowing this man wasn’t the only werewolf inside these walls. He wondered how long it was going to take her to realize she needed him in more ways than one.
Titus walked outside the club having already gathered that the parking lot seemed to be just as big of an attraction as the inside of the club was. He didn’t mind working the parking lot. He’d take the outdoors compared to four walls any day. There was something about the smell of the outdoors that called to any animal regardless of breed.
He’d told Boris to keep it on the down-low that he was the owner of anything for now… much less this club. It was annoying enough that the other wolves listened to every order he gave as if he were already alpha. His father had walked away from this life with good reason and Titus wasn’t sure he wanted any part of it.
Titus clicked the comlink in his ear. This one was set up on a one way frequency, he could hear everyone but Boris was the only one that could hear him, “Boris, we’ve got trouble.” His sharp gaze slowly traveled the crowed parking lot.
“What is it?” Boris responded.
“You might want to call in the reserves. I’m getting all kinds of scents out here… everything from vampire to human… and something else.” Titus scanned the shadows finding the usual humans and their make out sessions. That wasn’t it… he could smell heat and it wasn’t from a werewolf but a feline. “Not good.” So far, between him a Boris, they’d kept these wolves from following the example Lucca had set. “There’s a cougar here and she’s in heat.”
Boris’s lips thinned having seen firsthand what a vampire was capable of. Knowing it was too late to announce they were closing early for the night he clicked on the main com-link, “Everyone stay on high alert… we’ve got uninvited guests tonight.” Clicking the comlink between him and Titus, he asked, “Do you think you can find her and get her out of here before the bouncers catch her scent?”
“I’ll try,” Titus rubbed his temple as he turned and headed back into the club.
“I like this,” Alicia whispered as she appraised the interior. The first thing she wanted to do was get to know the area she was in… where all the exits were. “I’m going to explore,” she said over her shoulder. She didn’t have to check behind her to see if Damon was following as she moved through the building. She could feel his presence pushing against the crowd. Trying to ignore him was harder than she thought so she focused on her surroundings.
The color scheme was mostly black and blood red slashed with gold trim... the perfect persona of what a sexy vampire lair should look like if you weren’t talking ab out the soulless type. The bars rimmed most of the walls while the four corners of the massive building held lounge areas that were partly partitioned off and the further back those areas went, the darker and more private they became.
Moving further into the shadows, she could smell the sex that went along with the red and black sheers that hung from the ceiling to surround private little make out nests. Listening through the sultry music she detected the sounds of passion and felt her heat flare as she saw silhouettes of bodies within the sheers. She could see Michael, Damon, and Kane in an erotic room like this.
The moment Alicia thought it… Damon was there within inches of the sheers as a female body slithered across it sensually. His hand reached out, letting whoever it was feel his touch without seeing him. The breath left her when his amethyst eyes turned to spear her with his hot gaze making her feel her heartbeat in her lower regions.
She’d already taken a step toward him before she caught herself. Turning, she fled the room wanting nothing more than to feel Damon touch her like that. She wanted to cry knowing it was forbidden.
Damon’s mood darkened as he watched her run from him. When he noticed the soulless who was only a couple steps behind her, he knew he was about to get his wish. Staying within the shadows, he broke the leg off a chair and moved so fast there was no way human eyes could have seen him. He reached from that darkness and pulled the man into one of the vacant privacy nets.
“Looking for love are we?” Damon tossed the man down on the black bean bag that was made for two. The man paled, and that's a neat trick for a vampire. “I know the true way to a man's heart.” Damon smirked evilly, “It’s five inches of wood between his ribs.”
Alicia kept her eyes on the main room of the club. A red dance floor lit with black lights took up the center and it was surrounded by cushioned benches that were shaped like coffins. Spread out from there was rows of high tables and tall chairs. She was glad this place was nothing like Night Light. Where Night Light was sophisticated… this place was more like Moon Dance but with a vampire tilt.
She silently wondered if she’d become one of the groupies. Truth was she loved the vampire tilt and the Queen of the Damned type music that was playing.
Alicia leaned her elbows on the padded railing that separated the dance floor from some of the other areas and switched from gazing at the layout of the bar to checking out the people who came here. Some of them looked like normal party goers and some of them looked like every weekend was Halloween.
She felt a brush of power and turned to see what it was. She didn’t have to look very hard as she spotted a bouncer pushing two guys apart. The bouncer paused and she could see him inhale long and hard as something caught his attention. Her eyes widened and she quickly turned back around. What the hell was a werewolf doing working here?
Feeling a cold chill she looked again at her surroundings and suddenly they didn’t seem as tantalizing. The drunks here looked a little more drunk than normal and desperation showed on the faces of the humans as they groped each other. Another fight had broken out just a couple tables down from the last one making her shoulders hunch a little.
Damon tried to relax seeing that she hadn’t thrown herself at the first guy she’d seen in his absence. He decided to keep his distance for a few more minutes when he noticed she kept looking over her shoulder as if she was worried. Good, it wasn’t like he was going to let her little manhunt work anyway.
Alicia saw the bouncer making his way through the crowd toward her but could tell that so far he was just following her scent. Luckily, there were too many girls in the same area for him to pinpoint her yet. Since he was coming from the right, Alicia took off to the left only to stop short when she saw two more bouncers heading toward her from that direction.
She swallowed as the tall one with the buzz cut locked gazes with her. Even from this distance she could smell his musk. Were all the bouncers working here werewolves? She’d known some werewolves at boarding school and even liked them, but after what happened with Micah, Alicia couldn’t help the hate that flared within her.
Several thoughts entered her mind at once. The cougars ran Night Light and because of that, a lot of the people who came to Night Light were cougars… same thing with the jaguars at Moon Dance. If this place was run by werewolves, then she was probably standing in a freaking mosh-pit of them and had been so distracted that she hadn’t even noticed.
She inhaled trying to decide which way smelt the safest to run but the scent that hit her wasn’t what she expected. She smelled blood right behind her… old blood. Swinging around she took a step back from the gothic looking man leaning on the railing only a couple feet away. It was amazing how the monsters fit right in with the rest of the crowd.
Alicia quickly darted under the railing and maneuvered her way through the dancers hoping their sexual frustration would be enough to cloak her own heat from the wolves.
*****
Misery felt like she was bathing in power as she let her body form from the darkness of one of the back rooms… this time choosing the well-endowed form of a lusty woman. Pulling open the red sheers, she slipped inside and smiled down at the vampire who was sprawled out on the black bean bag. Crawling up on him, she reached out and caressed the face that still had the frozen look of horror on it that he must have made during his death thrall.
Zeb was feeding her a banquet tonight. All he had to do was simply walk through the crowd letting his presence entice their greed. Pulling the wood from the vampire’s body, Misery tossed it aside not caring when it rolled out from under the curtain.
*****
Stepping up behind the soulless who had sent Alicia scurrying onto the dance floor, Damon quickly snapped his neck and disappeared into the crowd before he had time to hit the floor. He’d seen the fear in Alicia’s eyes and knew his point had once again been made. Now it was time to find her and get the hell out of here.
Alicia shoved at the hands that tried to grab at her as she made her way through the withering mass. She’d quickly decided that coming here had been a stupid idea and not just because werewolves were running the club. Human males had never had the ability to turn her head much less turn her on and being touched by so many all of a sudden was only grossing her out. She’d never be able to have a one night stand with someone weaker than her.
When a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around Alicia felt the wind being knocked from her as she was nearly slammed into the chest of a very big and powerful wolf. Slowly raising her gaze she was surprised to find herself in the arms of what could only be described as a Greek god.
Titus leaned down over the cougar that he’d caught a whiff of outside and spent the last twenty minutes tracking. Hearing the others talk about her scent driving them crazy on the comlink had let him know that if he didn’t find her first then she was going to be in a world of hurt.
Alicia tried to pull away but if it was strength she’d been looking for, then she’d found it. “Let go of me.”
Titus shook his head and growled next to her ear, “Dance with me while I try to figure out a way to get you safely out of here. Some of the wolves looking for you right now will give you what you need, but they’d probably make sure you regret coming here to find it.”
Alicia blinked realizing he was there to help her… at least she hoped he was. She sighed thankfully, now there was only one person touching her instead of many. Speaking of touching her… there was something big and hard pressing against her belly where he was holding her so tight. She jerked her head back up and glared at him. She’d kick him in the balls if he would just relax his hold on her long enough.
Titus tried to put a lid on his baser instincts as he clicked his comlink, “Hey Boris, tell the bouncers that cougar girl they’re smelling just ran past me in the parking lot.” As soon as he finished the sentence a fist came out of nowhere and the room spun.
Damon grabbed Alicia as the man hit the floor and he couldn’t stop himself from giving the pawing wolf one last kick as he picked Alicia up and tossed her over his shoulder.
As Damon spun her around Alicia couldn’t help but feel sorry for the good-looking guy who had tried to help her. As for Damon tossing her over his shoulder, she really didn’t mind. The second she’d seen him standing there she’d wanted to crawl up him anyway.
It didn’t take long to get off the dance floor and spot the double doors in the back of the building labeled exit but the three wolves blocking it gave him pause. Damon set Alicia down not wanting her to get hurt. “Have you had enough of this place yet?” he asked.
“Three of them, two of us… I feel sorry for them.” Alicia smiled and headed straight for wolves at the same time they spotted her.
“From ice queen to spit fire,” Damon shook his head as he flashed around her and took them all out with one punch each. Seeing specks of blood hit the wall as the last one fell he knew they needed to get the hell out of here before it wasn’t just werewolves they were attracting. Opening the door, he motioned to her to go through it.
“Did your mommy never teach you to share?” Alicia pouted with a sense of humor as she stepped past him.
“I thought you didn’t like it when I shared?” Damon retorted as he wrapped his fingers around her upper arm. “Come on.”
“I’m coming,” she tried to snatch her arm back but it didn’t work.
“Not yet you’re not,” Damon smirked as they crossed into the parking lot of the restaurant behind Love Bites.
“What about Micah’s car?” Alicia complained slowing down.
“Do you have a fetish with seeing me get shot?” Damon questioned, “I’m sure after what your boyfriend back there told them on the comlink, that they’re combing the parking lot for you right now. But if you insist, I’ll be more than happy to call Micah and tell him where his car is.”
Alicia shot him a warning glare but kept walking. Damon smiled inwardly when her steps quickened. Within minutes he turned them into a huge hotel and whisked her toward the elevator.
“Where are we going?” Alicia asked looking through the glass doors of the elevator as the hallways skipped past.
“I need to make a phone call.” Damon answered cryptically.
“From where? The roof of the most expensive hotel in the city?” she was trying to sound sarcastic but she was just so happy to have gotten out of Love Bites without being bit or worse yet… taken.
“No, from my penthouse,” he answered as the doors opened up to another set of doors… his apartment. He punched in the pass code so they could get out of the elevator. “And I’d stop being so cocky right now because every instinct in me wants to turn you over my knee and give you the spanking you deserve.”
Alicia felt her need spike and wondered if he did it deliberately. “And why do I deserve a spanking?” she asked as she stepped into the lavish living room.
Damon stepped in front of her and leaned down in her face, “For being a danger junky.” He rose back up but kept his eyes locked with hers as he shrugged and added, “And because I can.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to make a phone call?” Alicia reminded him.
When he turned away she frowned and watched as he made himself comfortable on the sofa and picked up the cordless phone from the end table as if he’d done it a million times. Slowly walking around the room, she searched for proof that Damon actually lived here.
When she stopped looking for the obvious things like self-portraits on the wall, she found her proof. The black candles that adorned the mantel of the gas fireplace were the same type Michael had sitting on his. Her eyes strayed toward the open bedroom door seeing the thick black comforter folded back to reveal the red sheets. She arched an eyebrow knowing she’d been right about the color scheme of Love Bites.
Glancing back toward Damon, she caught him watching her closely so she moved away from the bedroom toward the huge windows that covered one side of the room from top to bottom. She could see most of the city from here and it was breathtaking.
Damon started to dial Michael’s cell phone number but changed his mind and dialed Warren’s instead. Besides, telling Warren was almost the same thing as telling Michael. Hell, he’d bet money that’s where Michael was right now. When the jaguar picked up, Damon told him everything he’d seen at Love Bites… including the way the humans were acting a little off.
He kept his eyes on Alicia as he recounted the part about him killing two soulless vampires right there among the humans. He was rewarded by the shocked look she was trying to hide from him. She hadn’t realized yet that he was watching her reflection in the glass.
The only thing he didn’t tell was the little fact that Alicia had been the reason he was at the bar. As a last parting gift, Damon warned the jaguar that the bar was being run by werewolves. He knew Warren would be smart enough to send Michael and Kane instead of sending shifters in to investigate.
