Dark Awakening

Then it was done. Lily licked her lips, wishing for a bit of moisture in a mouth that had gone as dry as the desert. The tiny flicker of her tongue drew Ty’s attention for an instant, but she saw his jaw tighten as he looked away.



“What’s this for?” she asked, her voice sounding unfamiliar to her. Husky. Inviting. It was hardly on purpose, but the dark desire he’d stirred in her early this morning, that unfamiliar midnight creature she’d felt herself become beneath his talented hands, seemed destined to rear its head whenever he got this close.



“It means you’re a sura.” His voice dropped to a low murmur. “That would be a vampire’s—in this case my—uh… concubine.”



The ribbon suddenly felt tight enough to choke. “C-concubine?”



He didn’t look any happier than she felt, though it was small consolation.



Ty blew out a breath and shifted restlessly. “Look, there’s only one reason a mortal woman would be in a vampire club. She’d have to belong to someone there. Some keep only one human lover. Those who can afford to have a bit of variety in their lives have more. It makes sense,” he continued, a little defensively, “to keep a willing blood donor on hand, rather than risking your life with the hunt every night.”



“Uh-huh,” Lily said, glowering. “Then why do you look like you want to throw up?”



“This club we’re heading into, Mabon, is a bit rough. As I told you before, it’s a mixed club, which means plenty of lowbloods looking for a good time and a handful of highbloods slumming it and looking for women, trouble, or both. Don’t act shocked by anything, and for God’s sake, don’t stare. I don’t want the wrong vamps taking notice of you. Anura was never one to hide in the shadows, so let’s hope we find her quickly.”



She did hope. If she was risking her life by heading into a place full of people who might want to eat her, it would be nice if it weren’t for nothing. And anything that delayed her meeting with Arsinöe the vampire queen was welcome, since that was an event in her life she still hadn’t really wrapped her mind around. Still, this concubine business…



“So I’m supposed to, what, make goo-goo eyes at you and walk around like I’ve been partially lobotomized?”



He looked irritated. “That’s what a good thrall looks like, yeah. And if I could get one to work on you, believe me, I would. But as it is, you’re stuck acting. Think you can manage it?”



If he could get one to work on me… Lily remembered that intense pull she’d felt toward Ty that first night, the fuzzy-brained compulsion to throw herself into his arms that had taken her completely by surprise. She guessed that was what he was talking about, along with the fact that she seemed able to throw it off, though barely, where he was concerned. Damien had tried and she’d felt nothing. What he’d done to her this morning probably counted as some sort of mild thrall, but he’d needed her full cooperation, and it had hardly been mind control. Still, she’d need to be on her guard. Just in case.



“If there’s one thing I can manage,” Lily said, “it’s acting.” It might not have been in her blood, but it had been a big part of her life for a lot of years. And not in a good way.



But though she would never admit it, a night spent fawning over Ty wouldn’t be much of a chore to manage. At all. She might even get to paw at him a little.



Oh, she was a sick, sick girl. Lily hunched her shoulders a little and sighed, which Ty seemed to take for resignation. That was fine with her.



“Come on, then,” he said. “It’s the next alley over.”



She started to follow. “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m not that noticeable. I’ll blend.”



Ty didn’t look at her, but his voice was grim. “The hell you will.”



Chapter NINE



MABON WAS HIDDEN out of necessity, and it was cheap because its patrons insisted it be and grungy because it always had been. The club’s only entrance was down a small alley, through a nondescript door. A flight of stairs led down to what had once been the basement of a sprawling old building from the turn of the century, and despite its questionable reputation, the place was always packed with vampires looking for one of two things: blood or trouble.



Often, the unwary found both.



Lily was plenty wary by the time she and Ty pushed open a heavy metal door and entered the cavernous, dimly lit club. He’d told her not to stare, but it was hard not to be a little shocked at first glance. No wonder he’d chuckled over the human wannabes up above. Because it looked to her like vampires, real ones, were far more apt to make wardrobe choices as unobtrusive as her own. There was only one noticeable difference between them and the rest of humanity: these people were freaking gorgeous.



Eyes that shimmered and glowed faintly in the half-light turned toward them as they walked in, full of little more than polite curiosity. Two bouncers, muscular and intimidating, lounged just inside the entrance. One wore a sleeveless T-shirt, and a tribal tattoo, intricate and beautiful, coiled all the way down his arm. His eyes, a luminous blue, flickered over Lily with interest, and she saw him take note of the ribbon around her neck.



“Evening, beautiful,” he said with a lazy half smile. “Welcome to Mabon.”



“She’s mine,” Ty growled beside her, drawing the bouncer’s attention away from her.



Lily flushed at the hot possession she heard in those words. No one had ever sounded that way when they’d talked about her. She kept her eyes on his face, hoping she looked enamored enough.



“Humph,” the bouncer grunted. “Bet she’s not by the end of the night. Your mark, stranger.”



She watched Ty’s jaw tighten, saw the dangerous flash in his eyes. “Since when does Mabon check for bloodline? All used to be welcome here. Has that changed?”



The bouncer just glared at him, and it was obvious he wasn’t budging, so Ty bared his mark with an angry little jerk of his hand. She saw the other man’s surprise—and more than a hint of displeasure.



“It hasn’t changed as long as you’re not here to make any trouble. Anura told us to start checking marks after a few ankh-wearing assholes came in a couple of weeks ago and made a lot of trouble for her—and us. Ptolemy aren’t welcome here right now.”



“I’m not Ptolemy,” Ty said flatly.



“No? Looks to me like they own you. And cats don’t usually get to keep a sura like this unless they’ve been behaving real well for their masters.” The bouncer leaned in close, his voice dropping. “In fact, I’ve never seen a cat keep a sura at all. I know who you are, hunter. Tell your queen he’s not here, and go away.”



Lily’s heart began to pound as she felt the level of furious male testosterone go right through the roof. The other bouncer, who was just as huge as the one accosting them, was watching very closely. And she could see, out of the corner of her eye, that they were starting to generate some interest from some of the vampires near them.



Ty kept his voice just as low, and just as dangerous. “I don’t know who you think I’m looking for, but I’m not here on behalf of the queen. I came to see Anura, actually, for reasons that are personal and therefore none of your damned business. But if you’d prefer I make a scene, I assure you, I have no problem shedding some blood to get in, and it’s going to be yours. My reputation is well earned.”



They stared at each other for a long moment, and Lily worried that the bouncer wouldn’t back down, though she found she believed every word Ty said. But finally, she saw the bouncer’s shoulders relax as he stepped back. Still, his eyes were frigid.



“Fine. She’s dancing. But I’m warning you, if I catch wind you’re sniffing around for deserters, it’s your head. The Ptolemy have no power here,” he sneered. “The Dracul are in charge of Chicago, and they let the Empusae think they have a hand in running things, but all the Ptolemy can do is watch from a distance and dream about what they can’t have. No matter how much they want it.” His eyes shifted to Lily. “Take my advice, honey. Do some flirting, trade up. You can do way better than some gutter cat, no matter whose skirts he gets to hide behind.”



Though she was sure that was going to be the last straw, that Ty would stand and fight (not that she would have blamed him), he merely dragged her into the club with little more than a threatening, feral growl at the bouncer, who leaned back against the wall, satisfied.



She gripped his arm, hard, trying to get his attention. When he didn’t so much as look at her, she moved in front of him, and remembering what he’d said about appearances, pressed herself against him so that she could look enamored while whispering furiously in his ear.



“What the hell was that about? Why did you let him talk to you like that?”



He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. It was an intimate embrace, completely at odds with the anger she heard in his voice.



“Would you rather I’d ripped out his throat? I told you, Lily, things work differently here. I need to find Anura and find out what’s going on, if she’ll talk to me. Just stay close. And don’t look at anyone.”



He drew back with a warning look and then turned, grabbing her hand to lead her through the crowd.



It was telling, she thought, that he hadn’t even mentioned the fact that the bouncer had treated him with undisguised disgust. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, that wasn’t even what was bothering him about the encounter. He’d told her that his line were considered “gutterbloods,” but still, actually seeing it and Ty’s acceptance of it filled Lily with outrage. The only consolation was that the bouncer seemed to have a healthy amount of respect for Ty’s prowess, even if he had none for him as a fellow vampire. Otherwise, she was pretty sure they’d both be back outside right now trying to decide on next steps.



As it was, Lily found herself getting her first look at a vampire’s idea of a good night out, and even though Ty had told her not to stare, she found it hard to do anything else.