Sasha’s rebirth hadn’t happened upon her turning. No, she’d been reborn the moment she’d cast off the mantle of responsibility Saeed had thrust on her. She was done with playing it safe. Through with being the diplomat. So over her role within the coven’s structure. It was a new life. And she was finally ready to live it.
“Woohoo!”
She spun on the dance floor, giddy and drunk on blood. She’d found more than a few eager dhampirs to keep her company night after night and they’d all managed to keep her well-fed too. There wasn’t much more she could ask for. Except for maybe a refill. Sasha hated it when her glass was empty.
She left her dance partner—a particularly randy shifter—on the dance floor without explanation. Why offer one? She did what she wanted, when she wanted. Sasha answered to no one. Not anymore. Appreciative eyes followed her as she made her way to the bar. She enjoyed the attention. Welcomed it. Saeed had never bothered to look at her with anything other than brotherly affection. The males in the club observed her with open, unadulterated lust. She might take one of them for the night. If it met her mood. Maybe not. Sasha was in control of her own destiny now. She made the rules.
“Can I get another gimlet?” She’d made friends with the bartender, Ani, the sylph who’d offered up her very first cocktail here. Sasha made it a point to drink a different drink every night. It’s not like the alcohol did anything to her. Her supernatural liver was just fine, thank you very much, and the blood she’d taken earlier gave her a far better buzz than Tanqueray ever would.
“You’re on a tear tonight!” Ani flashed a wide grin as she mixed the cocktail. “What’s hot out there right now?”
Sasha leaned in conspiratorially. “Dancing with a sexy shifter right now,” she said. “I think he’s got a buddy. Want me to hook you up?”
Ani laughed. “Nah. Not tonight anyway. I’m off tomorrow, though. We can hunt for fresh meat together.”
“Deal.” Sasha took the drink from Ani’s outstretched hand and took a long sip. Delish. “See ya in a few. Time to see if the shifter’s got any moves he hasn’t shown me yet.”
“We can only hope!” Ani called as Sasha stepped away from the bar.
“You and me both, sister!” Sasha gave her a silent toast and disappeared back into the crowd.
She’d lost the shifter in the press of bodies on the dance floor but that didn’t bother her. There were plenty of decent prospects out tonight and besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted someone to warm her bed for the night yet or not. She did need a new dance partner, though.
A body brushed against hers and Sasha turned. She offered up a wide smile to the male who’d ground his hips into her ass, before puckering her lips over the straw poking out of her glass and taking a nice long sip of her gimlet. “Wanna dance?”
His bright smile was all the answer she needed. Sasha swayed to the beat of the music, her drink in one hand, the other brushing the male from his muscular shoulder to his wrist. Over the past several weeks, she’d become adept at identifying other supernatural creatures by her senses alone. She didn’t have to use her sense of smell or anything else with this one. Dhampir. One of her own. Well, sort of. And gods, he smelled delicious.
Sasha drained her gimlet in a few swallows and discarded the glass on a table near their spot on the dance floor. Why bother with a cocktail when there was something far more delectable for her to put her mouth on?
She gave him a slow perusal, raking him from head to toe with her gaze. She leaned in close and said next to his ear, “To what coven do you belong?”
“Siobhan’s.”
Interesting. The members of Siobhan’s coven generally stuck together. She ruled with an iron fist and forbade any of her members to interact with vampires. This one would be in big trouble if his mistress found out whom he was currently grinding his nether regions against.
“What’s your name?” Usually Sasha didn’t bother with names. Why? Her recent hookups had been nothing more than one night stands. She wanted to know the dhampir’s name, however. Mikhail didn’t trust Siobhan and frankly, neither did Sasha. It might be a good idea to become acquainted with someone on the inside.
“Jason.”
He flashed another wide, seductive smile that showcased the dainty points of his fangs. Siobhan rarely let any of the dhampirs who fed her pierce her skin in return. But she was feeling feisty tonight and it would give her a perverse sense of satisfaction to have offered her vein to one of Siobhan’s own.
Sasha bent her knees and dipped low in time with the beat of the music. She came up slowly, careful to brush the length of his body with hers as she thrust her hips forward and rolled her body upright. The scent of his desire bloomed around her and the dry fire ignited in Sasha’s throat. Her secondary fangs slid down from her gums, throbbing with the need to pierce the dhampir’s flesh. She wasn’t sure if it was her desire to make a little mischief that spurred her on. Either way, Sasha knew she wouldn’t be going home alone tonight.
“I’m Sasha.” She let her hand wander from Jason’s wide chest to the waistband of his jeans. She hooked her fingers over his belt and allowed her knuckles to graze bare flesh. She pulled away and gave him a half smile as she cocked a suggestive brow. Even though she assumed he was a sure thing, she had no problem flirting her ass off to guarantee he’d seal the deal.
“I know who you are.” They weren’t even really dancing anymore. They stood chest to chest and cheek to cheek as they spoke in each other’s ears. “I’ve been watching you for a couple of weeks now.”
“You have?” Okay, so that was a little stalkery, but with the way Siobhan had been rumored to spy on those Mikhail had turned, Sasha wasn’t surprised. “And…?”
“And you’re by far the sexiest female I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
A total line, but Sasha didn’t mind. She had no problem playing hard to get. Especially when she knew her reward would be so sweet. “Won’t your mistress be upset if she finds out you’re playing nice with a vampire?”
Jason’s hand wandered from her hip to the small of her back. His fingertips brushed her ass as he pulled her even closer. Showing his dominance? Sasha appreciated a male who went after what he wanted. “Siobhan doesn’t own me,” he said with a low snarl.
Oh really? Because Siobhan sure as hell gave a different impression. “Good.” Her hand wandered up his arm, over his shoulder to his throat. She brushed the delicate skin with the pad of her thumb before letting her nail scrape against him. Jason shuddered and the scent of his desire intensified once again. “Want to get out of here?”
“Absolutely.”
Sasha took him by the hand and led him through the club toward the door. Her night was looking up. Responsibility was definitely overrated.
* * *
Siobhan’s lip curled as she watched Jason leave the club with the vampire. He followed after her like a dog sniffing after a bitch in heat. The male had absolutely no self-respect, and when he returned to the coven after his night of play, she would be sure to punish him for it.
She tossed back what was left of her bourbon in a single swallow and set the glass on the bar with a little too much force. Her rules weren’t made to be broken. She didn’t tolerate defiance of any kind. Fraternizing with vampires was akin to fraternizing with berserkers as far as she was concerned. Neither one was better than the other. They were all bloodthirsty, violent, and without conscience.
“Who peed in your Froot Loops?”
Siobhan’s lips formed a reluctant smile at the sound of Christian’s voice. She supposed she was one to talk, setting down rules that she herself chose not to obey. The game she played with Christian was a dangerous one. She was bound to get burned, and yet she couldn’t seem to keep her distance from the flames.
“A foolish dhampir who lacks the good sense not to follow his dick.”
Christian chuckled as he bellied up to the bar beside her. His arm brushed hers and a jolt of excitement rushed through Siobhan’s bloodstream. He kept his gaze straight ahead as though they were nothing more than two strangers occupying the same space. That’s what they were, though, wasn’t it? Strangers? The thought soured her stomach. She hated that she wanted more than a stoic acquaintance with the cavalier werewolf. She never allowed anyone control over her emotions. And yet, Christian had easily wormed his way in to seize that power. Not that she’d ever let him know it. He didn’t need the ammunition.
“What do you care who he fucks?” His tone sharpened a bit and Siobhan couldn’t help but feel a little smug. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Siobhan snorted. “Hardly.” She wondered, would he be jealous if Jason had in fact been her lover? “He broke my rules.”
Christian snagged the attention of the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having,” he replied. “And she’ll have another.” He turned toward her, resting one elbow on the bar. Gods, he was insufferably good-looking. Especially when he adopted that nonchalant stance. “So, what? If you’re not getting any, no one can?”
He smiled brightly and it was all Siobhan could do not to kiss him before smacking the expression from his face. She’d never known a male who could push her buttons like Christian Whalen could. Further proof that she’d be wise to stay as far away from him as possible.
“I don’t care who he fucks.” The bartender set two fresh glasses of bourbon in front of them and Siobhan brought hers to her lips for a slow sip. “As long as it’s not a vampire.”
Christian grinned. He downed the bourbon in a single swallow and motioned to the bartender for another. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a little prejudiced?”
She cut him a look. “Against vampires? Yes.”
His confident smirk made her knees wobble. He was a weakness she couldn’t afford. Why in the hell couldn’t she just walk away? Because you love the game, that’s why.
“Where’s your bodyguard tonight?” Was that concern in his arrogant tone? Christian’s gaze scanned the crowd before circling back around to Siobhan. “I told you not to go anywhere without him.”
She laughed. It was cute that he thought he could tell her what to do. Their last encounter had ended with Christian confessing that Ian Gregor was looking for a dhampir that matched her description. Siobhan had thanked him by laughing it off and walking away from him. Honestly, she was surprised he was being so civil with her tonight. Especially after she’d promised him a more hands-on relationship in exchange for his information and failed to deliver. “Carrig has other business to attend to tonight. Worried for my safety, werewolf?”
His expression grew serious. “Yes. And you know why.”
A tight knot formed in Siobhan’s stomach. “Because you think Ian Gregor is combing the city to find me?”
Storm clouds gathered in his gray-blue eyes and he scowled. Apparently, Christian was the only one of the two of them allowed to exhibit a cavalier attitude. Sort of a double standard if you asked her.
“I don’t think, Siobhan. I know.”
He already knew too much about her, and she assumed he’d come to his conclusions through educated guesses. Shrewd bastard. Siobhan couldn’t allow herself to share in his concern, no matter how real the threat might be. Ian Gregor was a calculating son of a bitch, but he wasn’t smart. At least, not in comparison to Christian. Her werewolf was incomparable.
Hers? She let out a chuff of breath. Not by a long shot.
“So tell me, since you seem to have this all figured out, why would Ian Gregor possibly want me? He has bigger fish to fry. Trenton McAlister, for starters. Not to mention the number of vampires filling Mikhail’s ranks. If you ask me, Gregor should be readying himself for war. Not looking for a female who may or may not exist.”
“I don’t know why he wants you … yet. But don’t bullshit me either, Siobhan. I think I deserve more than your duplicity.”
“Do you?” Siobhan took another slow sip from the lip of her glass and savored the warm glow of the bourbon as it trickled down her throat. She hadn’t fed in days and she found her gaze wandering to the column of Christian’s throat more times than not.
The bartender set down a fresh drink for Christian and he tossed that one back as well before slamming the glass down onto the bar. “Whatever.” The word left his lips in an angry bark. “Play your games. Deny all you want. Let him track you down. If he gets his hands on you, not even Carrig will be able to save you.”
Siobhan had no intention of confirming or denying Christian’s suspicions. Information wasn’t a two-way street with them. At least, not yet. “He’d better have a good tracker if he has any hope of finding what he’s looking for.”
“He does,” Christian replied. “The best.”
“The best, huh?” Siobhan wasn’t interested in stroking Christian’s ego but truly, she knew of no better tracker. From what she’d been able to find out, the Sortiari valued Christian’s services above any of their other trackers. He was the best. And she wouldn’t deny that it worried her and solidified her plan to gain his loyalty. She couldn’t afford for Christian to turn against her. Not ever. “I’m impressed.” She allowed the pad of her finger to lightly circle the rim of her glass. “What else are you the best at?”
“Baby,” Christian leaned in close and Siobhan filled her lungs with his delicious, spicy scent, “my talents are many.”
Siobhan experienced another pleasant rush as her stomach clenched tight. They’d been circling one another for months and she was anxious for him to put his money where his mouth was. Would tonight be that night? Disappointment settled in her gut. Probably not. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to seal the deal with him. She usually had no problem backing up her brazen promises, but when it came to Christian, something held her back. Siobhan knew that once she crossed the line with him, there would be no going back. Once with him would never be enough. Her want and need would consume her and pull her focus. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Not when one wrong move would bring ruin down upon her.
But gods … how she craved him.
“I owe you payment for the information you’ve given me.”
“You do,” Christian agreed. “But don’t worry, I started you a tab. I’ll collect. Eventually.”
Christian had been forthright with her, coming clean about Gregor and the fact that he was scouring the city for a dhampir that he suspected might be her. She’d promised their look-but-don’t-touch relationship would change when he fessed up about who he was working for. Siobhan was a female of her word. One kiss wouldn’t hurt …
She let her gaze go molten as she stepped up to him. He was a good foot taller than her and she tilted her chin up to hold his gaze while she reached up and let her hand slide from his shoulder, down his arm, to his wrist where the pads of her fingers brushed against his palm. Christian’s pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. His enticing scent bloomed around her, awakening Siobhan’s own desire to a fevered pitch. Anticipation shivered through her as she leaned in closer … closer …
Her mouth met his and it was all she could do not to take him to the damned floor. His arms came around her as he thrust his tongue past her lips, demanding that she deepen the kiss. Dear gods. His mouth slanted across hers. There was nothing shy or tentative about the way he kissed her. It wasn’t a tease. It wasn’t playful. No, the way Christian kissed her was a promise and Siobhan hoped to the gods he kept it.
She pulled away with a gasp as she brushed her fingertips across her lips, swollen from his kiss. Her limbs shook and her breath raced in her chest. It took every ounce of willpower she had to walk away from him, but it had to be done. She couldn’t lose herself to him. Not now, maybe not ever.
“See you around, werewolf.”
Christian’s sly grin nearly brought her to her knees. “You can bet on it.”
She hoped so.