Chapter Fifteen
Erik looked around the club, his eyes narrowed. It wasn't at all what he had expected by the outside. He already didn’t like what he’d found: vampires at the door and all around the inside of the place, like some sort of goddamn vamp nest.
Leif and Erik made their way up to the bar. He flagged down the man that was working there, likely one of the few who would be willing to help them out. His regular breathing and normal coloring suggested he was a human.
"I'm looking for an Anca," Erik said. "She comes in here from time to time we've heard. Seems like she hangs out with a guy with really blond hair."
The bartender's eyes shifted from side to side. Erik could tell the other man was trying to think up a good lie.
"I don’t think I've ever seen anyone like that," the bartender said dismissively.
Erik pulled out his wallet and slid several twenty-dollar bills across the bar to the other man. "You sure you've never heard of the people I’m looking for?”
The bartender leaned forward slightly as he wiped the bar. "Look, I'm just trying to earn some money here," he said. "I don't really give a shit what you people do as long as no one gets hurt. I’m not involved in any of your special shit.”
Erik frowned and looked over at Leif. It wasn't often that a human knew about the supernatural lurking below the everyday. This guy was skirting on thin ice, especially considering the that vampires rarely allowed loose ends, and that’s exactly what someone like him was.
"Look," Erik growled darkly. "I'm just looking for my friend. Now you're gonna tell me where the hell I can find—"
"You threatening my good buddy Sam here?"
Erik turned and found a tall, thin pale man glaring at him, a walkie-talkie on his belt and an ear piece in his right ear. Security probably. His wide mouth opened just enough to reveal the glint of his fangs in the light. Another shorter vampire stood right beside him.
“You know who I am?” Erik said.
“Oh, I know, little doggie.”
Erik snorted. "I'm trying to find out information about someone who comes in here," he said. "A woman named Anca has been spending time with one of my men. I'd just like to talk to her for a few moments." He held up his hands. “Don’t want any trouble. Just need some information.”
The tall vampire glanced at the other vampire before looking back at Erik. They knew something. No question in his mind.
"Anca isn’t here, and if she were, she wouldn’t want to talk to a couple fucking mutts," the smaller one said.
Clearly a vampire who hadn’t been picked for his good looks like some of the others had been. The man was just past twenty when he’d been turned by the look of him, and his unruly curly brown hair made him look even younger.
Erik leaned forward and growled loudly. "Or maybe you tell Anca that it’s in her best fucking interest if she finds me.”
The larger vampire lunged forward, but the smaller one stepped in between the two.
"You better watch yourself, dog," the smaller one said. “This is our place.”
Both vampires stopped. Someone had likely contacted them on the earpiece they wore. Clearly something was going on.
The taller vampire sneered. "You’re lucky we have things to do, or we’d have to shut your big fucking mouth up.”
Erik glanced beside him. Leif’s face twitched. His shoulders were tense. He was ready to spring into action if need be. It didn't matter that the Council had brokered a treaty. There was no way in hell he was letting some bloodsucker take him out and not defending himself.
Fortunately, the two vampires hurried away and made their way through the crowd. They both glanced back at Erik and Leif before climbing the steps to the VIP lounge.
"What you want to bet that Anca is up in their special little clubhouse?" Leif said.
Erik nodded. As he turned back the other direction, his eyes landed on a woman in a red dress moving seductively in the crowd, her light blonde hair a beacon to him from across the room.
"What she doing here?" he said aloud.
He watched Lillian for a moment as she danced on the floor, body swaying back and forth slightly as the people around her bounced around. A tall man with dark hair was her partner, but his back was turned to Erik. She talked as she danced, a small smile on her face.
Jealousy coursed through him. He couldn't get her out of his thoughts all day long, and she was here dancing with some other man.
"Go to her," Leif said. "I'll see what I can find out about Anca."
Erik nodded and made his way to the crowd. Despite how close she seemed, he had to fight his way deeper into the crowd. It wasn't until he was nearly on her that he saw who she was dancing with.
He growled. "Corso.”
The vampire grinned at him and let his hands drop away from their previous position on Lillian’s waist. "We were just chatting," he said playfully.
Erik narrowed his eyes. The damned vampire wanted banter, but Erik wanted to rip his fucking throat out.
"And now you're not," he said firmly.
Corso held his hands up and gave a little wink before turning the other direction.
Lillian turned to stare at him in total surprise. "You know you aren’t my father," she snapped at him.
“Yeah, I know that.”
Erik could feel the wolf in him pacing, very close to breaking free in a very crowded room. Not the way things were supposed to go down this evening. He needed to find an outlet for his feelings and fast, before he ended up acting out. Even if he didn’t go berserk, losing control in public even for a moment, would be huge trouble.
"We were actually just talking about you—" Lillian said.
He couldn't handle any more of this, being so close to her after seeing her with that vampire. Erik did the only thing he knew that would satiate the wolf.
He kissed her. Not a soft kiss. It was a kiss worthy of all the pent-up lust he’d been carrying for her since the first day they met.
She gasped in surprise, and he took the opportunity to delve his tongue into her mouth, sliding against her own tongue in all the ways he wanted to slip into her body.
For a moment, he thought she might push him away, or slap him. Any of those things would've been perfectly acceptable. They would've been things the wolf would have understood. However, what he didn't expect was that she would wrap her hands around his neck and pull him into her body to deepen the embrace.
Her soft breasts pressed against his chest. She groaned against his lips, swirling her tongue against his as his hands found purchase against her ass, grinding her against his full-blown erection.
Jesus Christ, she felt great. She tasted like peaches and alcohol and smelled like everything he ever wanted.
After a moment Lillian pulled back to stare at him, her lips red and raw from their aggressive kiss.
"Hi," she said softly, swallowing once.
Erik stared down at her pale blue eyes. He didn’t understand what she was doing to him, this beautiful woman in front of him that he could never quite explain.
"Hi,” he said.
They didn't say anything else to one another, just stared at the other as their hips started to move in time to the music.
Lillian turned in his arms and leaned her back against his chest, pressing her firm ass against his throbbing cock.
A low growl escaped from him, but no one around them seemed to notice the sound.
She moved against him in a way that made him ache to be inside her. Erik was desperate to run his hands all over her body but kept having to remind himself how they were in a very public place.
That wasn’t how he wanted things to happen between them. He wanted a room where he could hear every little sound she made and could make her scream over and over again.
He opened his eyes and stared down at the small woman in front of him. He was surprised to see a silvery tattoo peeking out from the straps on her back. She didn’t seem the type to have a tattoo. Just another mystery.
What he wouldn't give to have that dress off and have her bent over giving him the perfect view of her tattoo and that perfect ass as he slid deep inside her. He looked out across the way and stilled.
Light blond hair peeked between several people near the exit. It was Hall.
“That’s the guy,” said a voice in the distance. He only picked it out because it was one of the vampires from before.
Erik turned the other direction and watched as Leif pulled Gwen from the club, and the two vampires from before made their way over.
He groaned. Worst possible timing. He quickly turned Lillian around and placed his hand on her soft arm.
"Look," he said. "I've got something I need to do, and I'm going to need you to get out of here right now."
Lillian frowned at him. “Why?”
“It’s not safe.”
He glanced over to where the blond head had disappeared down the exit hallway. He didn't have time to wait.
"Just bring the woman,” said a familiar voice. “If you’re leaving, that’s your best bet.”
He was surprised to find Corso standing not far from him. The other vampires were moving through the crowd quickly. Leaving her there might put her in even greater risk.
"She's not involved in this," Erik ground out.
Damned vampire trying to tell him what to do.
“I don’t understand,” Lillian said, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?”
“I disagree.” Corso shook his head. "I think she might be."
Erik stared down at the small woman. He didn't have time to debate where she fit into all this. He would have to take her.
Besides, Corso might be right. Whatever else was going on with Hall, there was still the strange incident with the dead worker and the feather. Not the mention the feather he’d seen in the basement.
Without hesitating further, Erik grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd to the exit door. Corso took advantage as they were leaving and turned off the lights. He smashed the panel on his way out. The room fell into darkness, an advantage for his kind.
Lillian clung to Erik as they made their way toward the dark exit Hall had used.