the bite. He sank fangs into her neck, and blood spilled down her chest. The hum of energy was loud in my ears, deafening. My breath came fast. I was losing the battle of temptation. Again. I didn’t make a conscious decision to leap out of my seat. Simply riding the high of Jenner’s power wasn’t enough. I needed the climactic release that came with the kill.
Arys was ready. He caught me around the waist and dragged me onto his lap, fighting to keep me in his chair with him. Rational thought had stopped. Between the power, the sex and the blood, there was no room left for me. I was all monster.
Jenner raised his head to survey the crowd. His mouth dripped scarlet. His gaze landed upon me, and he winked.
“Alexa, it’s all an illusion,” Arys hissed in my ear. “You’re letting him manipulate you. You are my wolf, and you are stronger than that. Resist him.”
Jez leaned away from us but watched with wide eyes. Shaz was tense, ready to help Arys pin me down like a mental patient. Arys’s touch was calming despite the power that sparked between us. I was stronger with him. I clung to that. I sat stiffly with Arys’s arms around me. The erection beneath me revealed that he hadn’t gone entirely unaffected either. We watched in strained silence as Jenner feasted in all ways upon his prey. I needed this to be over.
Layna collapsed on the chaise lounge, a dopey smile on her face. Jenner licked and sucked at the wound, encouraging the flow to continue. Just when I thought my head might explode, a large velvet curtain descended to hide the stage from sight. The spotlight blinked out and darkness fell.
A soft moan echoed from behind the curtain. The twenty-minute show had felt like hours. Finally, it was over. If she wasn’t dead yet, she soon would be.
Chapter Five
Several seconds passed before the lights came on. Ushers appeared to herd everyone out a rear exit, opposite the way we’d come in. Except for us.
Roscoe approached from a door behind the stage. Leather clad and bearded, he strode toward us with a swagger that made me certain he owned a motorbike. He headed us off before I could follow the rest of the crowd. Too bad.
We were on our feet, looking at one another with wide eyes. Arys held tight to my arm, keeping me close. He pushed a calming energy into me, and I grabbed on as if it were a life raft during a flood. I vibrated so hard with the effort it took to hold myself together that my teeth nearly rattled.
“Jenner wants to see you backstage,” Roscoe said, the dim light glinting off his golden fang. He waited expectantly for us to get moving.
Arys fell into step beside the burly vampire, walking with an angry stride. “When the hell did he start this crazy train? Feeding in front of humans is ballsy. He should know better.”
“He does.” Roscoe shrugged. “He just doesn’t care.”
Backstage was a dressing room clearly designed for private parties of the bloodletting kind. Spacious and open, swanky sofas lined the walls. The carpet was dark and lush. But in my current state of mind, the vampiress feeding from a half-naked man captured my attention. This place was going to be the death of me.
Sloane looked up abruptly as we entered. She released her hold on the man’s bleeding arm and gave him a shove. “Go now. I’ll send for you later.”
He slipped by us and out the door without a backward glance. Sloane licked the small drops of blood from her lips with a dainty swipe of her tongue. She smiled and reached to smooth her hair.
“Have a seat.” She gestured to the sofas and matching easy chair. “Jenner’s just cleaning up from his performance.”
“Performance?” Arys refused to sit. He stood stiffly, arms crossed and jaw clenched. “Is that what he calls it?”
Sloane eyed him, amusement shining in her cerulean eyes. “Death is an art, baby. You know that. You do it better than any of us.”
“Don’t sweet talk me, Sloane. I’m not in the mood. You’re
Arys was ready. He caught me around the waist and dragged me onto his lap, fighting to keep me in his chair with him. Rational thought had stopped. Between the power, the sex and the blood, there was no room left for me. I was all monster.
Jenner raised his head to survey the crowd. His mouth dripped scarlet. His gaze landed upon me, and he winked.
“Alexa, it’s all an illusion,” Arys hissed in my ear. “You’re letting him manipulate you. You are my wolf, and you are stronger than that. Resist him.”
Jez leaned away from us but watched with wide eyes. Shaz was tense, ready to help Arys pin me down like a mental patient. Arys’s touch was calming despite the power that sparked between us. I was stronger with him. I clung to that. I sat stiffly with Arys’s arms around me. The erection beneath me revealed that he hadn’t gone entirely unaffected either. We watched in strained silence as Jenner feasted in all ways upon his prey. I needed this to be over.
Layna collapsed on the chaise lounge, a dopey smile on her face. Jenner licked and sucked at the wound, encouraging the flow to continue. Just when I thought my head might explode, a large velvet curtain descended to hide the stage from sight. The spotlight blinked out and darkness fell.
A soft moan echoed from behind the curtain. The twenty-minute show had felt like hours. Finally, it was over. If she wasn’t dead yet, she soon would be.
Chapter Five
Several seconds passed before the lights came on. Ushers appeared to herd everyone out a rear exit, opposite the way we’d come in. Except for us.
Roscoe approached from a door behind the stage. Leather clad and bearded, he strode toward us with a swagger that made me certain he owned a motorbike. He headed us off before I could follow the rest of the crowd. Too bad.
We were on our feet, looking at one another with wide eyes. Arys held tight to my arm, keeping me close. He pushed a calming energy into me, and I grabbed on as if it were a life raft during a flood. I vibrated so hard with the effort it took to hold myself together that my teeth nearly rattled.
“Jenner wants to see you backstage,” Roscoe said, the dim light glinting off his golden fang. He waited expectantly for us to get moving.
Arys fell into step beside the burly vampire, walking with an angry stride. “When the hell did he start this crazy train? Feeding in front of humans is ballsy. He should know better.”
“He does.” Roscoe shrugged. “He just doesn’t care.”
Backstage was a dressing room clearly designed for private parties of the bloodletting kind. Spacious and open, swanky sofas lined the walls. The carpet was dark and lush. But in my current state of mind, the vampiress feeding from a half-naked man captured my attention. This place was going to be the death of me.
Sloane looked up abruptly as we entered. She released her hold on the man’s bleeding arm and gave him a shove. “Go now. I’ll send for you later.”
He slipped by us and out the door without a backward glance. Sloane licked the small drops of blood from her lips with a dainty swipe of her tongue. She smiled and reached to smooth her hair.
“Have a seat.” She gestured to the sofas and matching easy chair. “Jenner’s just cleaning up from his performance.”
“Performance?” Arys refused to sit. He stood stiffly, arms crossed and jaw clenched. “Is that what he calls it?”
Sloane eyed him, amusement shining in her cerulean eyes. “Death is an art, baby. You know that. You do it better than any of us.”
“Don’t sweet talk me, Sloane. I’m not in the mood. You’re
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