A Curse Unbroken (13 page)

“Okay. I can see you,” Agnes said in my ear. “When Umar opens the door, walk in like you own the place and everyone present is unworthy of your snatch.”

She had me until that last little word.

“Damnit, Celia. Don’t make that face. I can see you from here.”

“What took you so long?” I snapped at poor Umar, in an attempt to embrace my diva role. “I could have walked here in less time.”

I was escorted through the velvet ropes. Most of the clubbers waiting in line were locals. But I was recognized as American. That meant I had money, or at least men willing to spend it on me.

Men, women, even the bouncers at the door stopped to gape at me. The damn platform sandals exaggerated the cat walk my tigress naturally gave me. I hoped that was the reason they stared and not, absolutely
not,
because I was flashing a nipple.

Emme followed behind me, mimicking my movements…until she tripped walking in and landed face-first.

“Keep going,” Agnes urged. “She’s not worthy of your—”

“I get it,” I said through my teeth. “Just shut up and let me work.”

My eyes swept the area. Talk about sensory overload. The club was a massive sea of wall-to-wall people twerking. Red lasers cut through the dry-ice fog in time with a very obnoxious house mix. People screamed for the hell of it, or to seek the attention they desperately seemed to need.

I couldn’t wait to get out of there, but for that to happen I needed to find Dilip, and in this environment that was easier said than done. As much height as my platform sandals gave me, I couldn’t see over anyone’s head. Damnit, where was our inside man? “Agnes, I’m going to need some help here. Send in our guy.” She didn’t answer. “Agnes?”

“He’s gone.”

I played with my hair, trying not to react. “Out of the club?”

She huffed, but this time with worry. “I don’t know. He’s not responding.”

I tossed back my long hair, straightened within an inch of its life. “Are you sure he was already inside?”

“Yes. He was just on the line with Umar. But we can’t wait. Find Dilip.”

That was definitely going to be a problem. As it was, I could barely see past the wall of sweat-soaked clubbers dancing in front of me. “You sure he’s definitely here?”

“Yes. The mongrels spotted him walking in and are guarding all the exits.”

“Okay. Ten-four,” I said.

“Did you just say ten-four?”

“Oh, just cut me some slack, Agnes.”

Tye, a werelion and friend, passed me. He must have been one of those positioned to guard my back. Relief washed over me. I no longer felt so alone.

I didn’t think he noticed me until a deafening crash alerted me that he’d smacked right into a support beam. I glanced over my shoulder. Blood poured down his face and onto his gray T-shirt. He’d broken his nose, but he was too busy gawking at me to wipe it.

“Damn,”
he said.

“Shit,” I muttered.

I hurried away from him, blushing. That earned me a bitchy reprimand from Agnes. “For the love of everything holy. Dilip doesn’t want a fucking virgin. He wants someone to ride him until his balls dangle to his knees. Get into character or kiss Shah goodbye!”

“I’m trying,”
I hissed through clenched teeth.

I was moving so quickly I almost barreled into Shayna, who was carrying a tray full of drinks and wearing a small black skirt and tank. “Sorry, dude,” she said, apologizing. She skipped along without so much as a glance back to a table full of men waving to her. I paused. My own sister didn’t even recognize me. I must have dove headfirst out of Semi-Appropriate Street way into Slutville Lane with this damn dress.

“Celia,
move,
” Agnes snapped in my ear.

With a huff, I continued forward, using my annoyance to feign superiority. The horde of clubbers parted, allowing me through. When I was well into the center of the dance floor, I spotted Taran dancing in a cage elevated several feet from the floor. A tiny pair of leather shorts, a bustier, and thigh-high leather boots made up her uniform. Black elbow-length leather gloves covered both of her arms. If girlfriend was worried about chafing in those shorts, she didn’t show it. Taran wasn’t simply playing a role—she was owning it.

Several men circled the cage, urging her seductive shimmies when the sharp scent of fury stung my nose. I turned in the direction of the scent. Gemini and Koda sat at a table in the VIP section. Koda leaned toward him, saying something I didn’t catch.

His words to Gemini seemed to go unnoticed. Gemini was fixated on Taran, and furious at the men reaching in to stroke her legs. I knew he was moments from acting. I hurried forward to Taran’s cage.

I smiled and pretended to knock. She kicked open her cage and bent forward, draping her arm around my shoulders and allowing her long dark hair to partially cover us. The men around us cheered, assuming we were kissing.

Nice. Just nice.

She spoke fast. “Both our inside contacts are dead—including the guy who was supposed to bring you to Dilip. They just found their headless bodies covered with bite marks in the alleyway.”

“Vamps?”

“No. Small bites as if eaten by rats—it’s up to you to get Dilip’s attention. He’s in the opposite corner. VIP section. Right side.”

“Gemini’s watching you and he’s really pissed,” I warned.

“I don’t give a shit,” she said.

She abruptly released me and grabbed the guy closest to her by the collar, kissing him hard. The kiss was brief and closed-mouth, but it was still a kiss in front of her furious mate.

“Get me a drink,” she ordered. She scratched between her breasts and then returned to her seductive dance.

“Do you want a drink?” his buddy asked me as Taran’s new friend raced off.

I ignored him and moved fast. What the hell? I knew Taran was playing a role, but Gem was seconds from mauling someone.

I moved in the direction Taran indicated, taking my time to get into character. I licked my lips, added more sway to my walk, and tossed my hair. “Did you get that?” I muttered.

“Yes. And now we lost Umar the same way.”

My steps slowed. “I just left him.”

“I know. Shah must know Dilip’s enemies are here. He’s trying to protect him.”

“I can see that, but what’s up with the bite marks?”

“Who the hell knows? Dilip must be getting more creative with how he orders Shah to kill for him.”

“Asshole.”

“Yes, he is. But try not to see him as such. Your magic and your intentions for the greater good may be enough to keep Shah from recognizing you as Dilip’s enemy. But the more you want to hurt him, the quicker that can change. Focus on stopping him and snatching his phone and you should be okay. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I muttered.

“Just find Dilip, Celia. We’re running out of time.”

My tigress chuffed inside me, alerting me to Dilip’s presence. Two women were already with him, stroking his body, whispering in his ears, and running their hands through his hair.

Aric was in a slightly elevated booth behind Dilip, his arm draped over a beautiful Asian woman with long perfect hair. He laughed at something she said. She giggled, too, and hooked her finger to slide between the buttons of his white dress shirt.

He didn’t react to her tease. Not like he would have if those were my fingers, my touch. He was playing a role.

It was time for me to play mine, too.

Chapter 10

I strutted toward them. The seating was perfect. Aric was right there if I needed him, and I needed him then for what I planned to do. I couldn’t seduce a stranger. Who was I kidding? But I could entice the male who made me scream and beg for more every time we made love.

The edges of my mouth lifted and my tigress growled approvingly. She wanted to lure Aric’s wolf to her and encouraged me to make my steps more provocative. Those in my path parted, watching me closely. I wasn’t sure if it was my tigress’s surging presence that warned them to stand clear or if they realized that the almost naked woman before them was up to something. Whatever it was, they made sure I had plenty of space to work and great access to Dilip.

My bedroom eyes flashed at Aric. Dilip straightened, believing my inviting stare was meant solely for him. I swiveled my hips as the music alternated to a deep, thumping bass—a sexy and highly suggestive beat, and exactly what I needed.

Aric hadn’t recognized me right away, too many scents trickling into his nose and too much dry ice masking his mate directly in front of him. He continued to laugh at whatever the woman was whispering in his ear. I smiled impishly when his attention trailed my way. His little friend might have been having fun with him, but it was time she saw who this wolf belonged to.

Aric did a double take when he saw me. For someone playing a role, he totally forgot his lines then. His eyes widened, his muscular shoulders tensed, and, and— Oh
shit
. He was pissed!

Instead of panicking, I continued to rhythmically move to the heavy beat, focusing on him. He removed his arm from his date and leaned forward as if ready to pounce. Our eyes locked. That’s when I knew I had him, and that at least for the moment, he knew this dance was solely for him.

I turned and rocked my somewhat bare ass, earning me a low growl from Aric, and Koda’s presence suddenly beside me. Koda yanked a pretty girl from the crowd and pulled her against his chest. She was meant as a prop—something to use so he could get close to me and not lose his cover. She didn’t take it as that. She only saw a really big, frighteningly beautiful man giving her attention. She hooked her leg over his knee and ground against his supersized body.

Koda followed her, but his attention stayed trained on me. I could sense his unease with how Aric’s wolf would respond, but I couldn’t show fear or hesitate then. I had Dilip’s attention, despite more aggressive attempts from his dates to wrench his focus away from me. I caught him smacking their hands away and yelling something I couldn’t understand while I continued to play and tease.

My arms and body swayed in serpentine movements. I swung my hips, moving them as if my thighs were fastened to Aric’s waist. Down toward the floor and back up. I danced, envisioning the darkness of our bedroom and him wrenching me toward him to meet my mouth with his.

The scent of his arousal flooded my senses and incited me to purr. I lowered my eyelids, his desire for me fueling my movements. My body ached as his aroma surrounded me and begged me to climb on top of him. Oh God. The fact that we’d barely had sex lately did nothing to tame my actions. I couldn’t do this much longer if I was going to stay on task.

I needed Aric. So I opened my eyes and tossed an invitation to bed with my stare.

At Dilip.

I turned fast enough to toss my hair behind me, hoping he didn’t catch the look of repulsion spreading across my face. If I hadn’t been so turned on by imagining making love to Aric, no way could I have pulled this off.

“Well done,” Agnes’s husky voice rang in my ear. “Oh yes. Well done indeed.”

“Is he coming?” I asked.

“Hmm?”

Lord, help me. “
Dilip
. Is he following me?”

“Oh. Right. He’s…” She swore. “No, but your mongrel is.”

I glanced behind me in time to see Shayna dive on top of the girl Koda was dancing with. Koda grabbed her around the waist, trying to rip Shayna off. Shayna held tight to the girl’s hair. Shayna was angry, vicious, and wild. Except that without some sort of handheld weapon in her grasp, my sister couldn’t fight. Seriously. She sucked.

She and the other girl bitch-slapped each other like the end of world hunger depended on it. I continued forward toward the bar where Bren was mixing drinks and laughing his ass off. In the mirror lining the ceiling I watched Koda lug Shayna away.

The banging of metal had me veering in Taran’s direction. Three very limp and bleeding humans were stuffed inside the cage Taran had been shaking her assets in. I caught a glimpse of Taran’s body draped over Gemini’s shoulder as he stormed toward the exit. She was kicking, she was screaming, and there was not a damn thing she could do to get free.

Bren was still laughing when he poured me a martini and slid it down the length of the bar. He stopped laughing when Emme flopped onto the stool beside me. “I can’t do this. Seriously, I’m not meant for this type of work,” she said. “Some guy—Buster Hyman—keeps following me around, asking me what I charge for blow jobs. I didn’t even know what to say. I just sort of laughed and ran away.”

Buster Hyman? Oh God. “Emme, it’s okay. Just stay close.”

She peered over her shoulder and ducked, totally panicking. “Good grief. Here comes Buster. What do I tell Buster?”

“That if he gets anywhere near you, I’ll rip his fucking head off,” Bren growled.

I don’t know what shocked me more just then, the ferocity in Bren’s tone or his inability to tear his eyes from Emme. She lifted her chin, her lips parting slightly as she met his face. The intensity in her expression told me either something had happened between them or something was about to.

Oh shit
.

I lifted the martini and turned around. Now was not the time to deal with this. I needed to focus if we were going to survive this night. I took a sip of my drink as Aric approached. He wasn’t happy, especially when I ignored him to smile at Dilip. For a human, Dilip’s stare was extremely predatory. He beamed back at me, much like a cougar upon finding a plump rabbit.

Yeah. I had his attention. And I intended to keep it.

Aric leaned on the bar with his forearms. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he muttered.

I took another sip of my martini. “Playing a role,” I said, watching Dilip leave his women behind and move in my direction.

“And what role is that?” Aric asked under his breath. “A high-end prostitute?” He swore when I didn’t answer. “
This
was the vamps’ MO?”

“It’s what Dilip likes. How else do you expect me to get close to him?” I growled under my breath.

Aric mumbled something in wolf.

Martin appeared to my left. Bren, finally snapping out of his “Emme daze,” managed to pour him a glass of scotch and pass it to him. Martin tossed it back like water. “This is a perfect example of why we don’t permit mates together on missions,” he said. “Aric, stand down and allow Celia to do what she must.”