And that’s the true horror.
My darkest fears come to life.
The men are slowly being tortured, but the vampires have not only messed up their bodies, they’ve messed up their heads. The humans are dying, clearly, but they’re probably loving every second of it. Experiencing pleasure instead of pain.
Behind the counter, the vampire acting as the bartender dips his head in respect as we approach and says, “Sire.” Gaze sliding over me and quickly dismissing me, he picks up an empty glass. “Would you like a drink?”
Nikolaos pushes me, nudging me forward until my stomach is against the counter, then presses into my back from behind. “No. Not tonight.”
The bartender’s attention returns to me, moving over me with more interest as Nikolaos places his hands on the counter and cages me in with his bigger body.
“Have our guests arrived yet?” Nikolaos asks, resting his chin on top of my head.
Smirking, the bartender sets the empty glass down. “No. They’ve been delayed.”
“Oh?” Nikolaos says with interest.
“They’re being given an extended tour of the city. Depending on the traffic, they may arrive before sunrise…”
Nikolaos snickers. “I see. And our little captive? How is she holding up?”
I stiffen at the mention of the other cursed woman. In the car, focused on remaining calm, I didn’t give much thought to her. My own predicament at the time taking precedence.
But if she’s in this building… maybe I can find her. Maybe if she’s like me, we can work together to get out of this alive…
“She was getting a little too spunky to handle so we were forced to calm her down. She’s secured, though, and shouldn’t cause any problems.”
Nikolaos makes a thoughtful sound, his chest vibrating against my back. “I suppose that’s for the best. If we’re lucky, she’s the one Asher is looking for and they’ll both be quickly on their way.”
The bartender blinks in surprise then scowls in confusion. “You want Asher to take her, sire? I thought we were trying to prevent that…”
“Yes, well, that was before I chanced upon this little surprise.”
The bartender’s attention snaps to me and his scowl deepens. “Who is she?”
“What is she, is the proper question,” Nikolaos says before he chuckles. “But don’t worry about that. Since the situation has changed, so do my orders. Inform everyone that Asher is not to be impeded. I want him in and out as quickly as possible. Provide assistance if necessary.”
Looking even more confused, the bartender nods his head sharply.
“And keep Asher and his coven away from my playroom,” Nikolaos adds, his tone sharpening with authority. “I am not to be disturbed.”
The bartender nods again and stares hard at me as if he’s trying to see through me.
“Now,” Nikolaos snaps in irritation.
Startled, the bartender jumps a little then he bobs his head up and down while backing away. “Yes, sire. Sorry, sire.”
Nikolaos sighs, his breath tickling the top of my head as the bartender scurries off to do his bidding.
“What is it about you…” he murmurs thoughtfully before his chest expands and presses against my back.
I feel his nose pushing through my hair and dragging down toward my neck, only to run up to my hair again.
Breathing in deeply, he holds his breath for several heartbeats before releasing it.
Pushed uncomfortably against the counter, I grip the edge, attempting to keep my stomach from being crushed.
Dragging his mouth over to my ear, he purrs, “Your scent grows more enticing by the second.”
A slice of cold fear cuts through me. The cinnamon oil is no doubt fading, and he’ll be able to smell me, the real me, soon.
This charade can only go on for so much longer.
If an opportunity to slip out of this doesn’t appear, I’ll be forced to face the music…
Something wet suddenly touches my ear and my soul nearly leaves my body in fright.
“You have no idea how bad I want to taste you,” Nikolaos growls. “If I didn’t think I’d have to fight off every motherfucker here, I’d have you right here, right now.”
Shoving away from the bar, he roughly grabs my hand and begins to drag me toward the dance floor.
Tripping after him, struggling to keep up, my head spins and I get the crazy idea that he’s going to force me to dance with him.
The thought is only reinforced when he comes to a sudden stop near the vampire with long white hair.
But then Nikolaos slowly turns and says, “Took you long enough.”
Twisting around to see who he’s talking to, I watch Knox stalk up to us. His hand is gripping Charity’s arm and dragging her like Nikolaos was dragging me.
“The damn driver parked the car in the garage,” Knox says irritably when he reaches us.
Nikolaos snorts as if that’s not a good enough excuse.
Releasing Charity’s arm, Knox places his palm against her shoulder and gives her a shove toward Nikolaos. “Here’s your toy, have fun.”