Freak Show (5 page)

Claire and Maxwell were the Vegas vamps who had come to Edmonton for Shaz and me after we had killed Harley together. The way they saw it, we were their ticket to taking over Harley’s position of power in Vegas. They figured that, by handing over Harley’s killers, the rest of his vampires would reward them for their efforts. Now they were dead.

“Stay calm, pup. I can assure you, the vampires here are not missing Harley.” Arys tipped his glass up and sipped the crimson contents. His tongue darted out to capture a drop from his bottom lip, and I found myself longing to lick the scarlet smear.

“Maybe not, but if they know his killers are here, that may change. If all hell breaks loose, it’s all on you.” Shaz shot Arys a look that was all wolf, pure predator. Then he offered his wine to Jez, refusing to take even a sip. She shrugged, downed the rest of hers and accepted.

“Oh, Shaz…” Arys forced an exasperated sigh. “It is
so
good to have you back.”

Despite my nerves, I had to smile. The two of them had been so over the top polite to one another since Shaz’s return, I’d begun to get suspicious. This was more like it. Oddly enough, I found their banter comforting.

Jez added, “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. If anything happens to either of you, Shya will be here in a flash kicking some ass.” Clinking her glass against mine, she gulped down the wine and deposited her empty glasses on the floor.

I peered into my glass. It was warm but cooling quickly. Did they have some human cattle they bled for this? Ugh.

The lights went out, and the chatter of voices immediately hushed. The audience of two hundred or so fell silent. Their excitement created a buzz that made my skin crawl.

“Here we go,” Jez whispered at the same time Shaz muttered, “This should be painfully interesting.”

A spotlight lit up center stage. A vampire stood there, staring out at the audience. It was Jenner. I felt it, an echo of a memory that wasn’t mine.

In dark pants and a black V-neck t-shirt that revealed his tattooed arms, Jenner’s pale blue eyes stood out with an eerie glow. They fell upon me, and I froze, afraid even to breathe while he watched me. His gaze lingered for only a second before passing over Arys and, finally, the rest of the audience.

His dark hair was short and trendy, slightly longer in front and gelled as if he’d merely pushed it around on his head and left it. Average height and build, he had a bit of facial scruff that gave him a rugged attractiveness.

“Good evening,” he addressed the crowd. “It’s a pleasure to have you all here tonight. What a fine looking group of people.”

A few women at the other end of our row giggled when he flashed them a brilliant, fang-revealing smile. He was smooth, making eye contact with several audience members.

“Tonight is ladies night.” He paused when a small cheer went up from the women gathered. “For those of you who have been here before, you know what that means. For the newcomers, let me welcome you to The Wicked Kiss. This is the place to make your darkest fantasies come true.”

“I thought that’s what upstairs was for,” I whispered to Arys, knowing Jenner’s sensitive ears would hear me.

“Let me make it clear. This is not an experience for the timid. What you see here may shock you. It may also excite you. It’s up to you to decide if it’s real or not.” Jenner’s smile grew impossibly wide. “Now, which of you ladies would like to make your vampire fantasy come true tonight?”

Ah, it was starting to make sense. I could see where this was going, and I didn’t like it. This wasn’t like the blood and sex fest going on upstairs because this was a performance. I sat stiffly, nervous about what was to come.

Jenner descended the steps at the front of the stage. Several women raised their hands and shouted their willingness to be his victim. He ambled up and down the aisles, pausing here and there to take a closer look at the volunteers. He passed before our seats and paused. Arys stared daggers at him, a challenge on his face.

Jenner leaned in, breathing deeply of my scent. “How about you, darlin’? Interested?”

I smirked, feeling unbearably uncomfortable. The sensual touch of his power sent a tickle down my spine, but I sat stiffly, refusing to show it. “Thanks anyway, but my vampire fantasy has already come true.”

“Fair enough.” With a nod, he moved on, but his unreadable gaze stayed locked on mine until he disappeared high in the crowd.

A high-pitched squeal rang out as Jenner made his selection. He led the excited brunette back to the stage. She pressed a hand to her mouth, glancing around nervously. The tense energy oozing from the audience thickened as they waited in restless anticipation.

In various colors and strengths, several spotlights blinked on at the same time, bathing the stage in a warm glow. The light chased the dark back, revealing a chaise lounge. Black velvet with silver trim, it was a pricey piece of furniture. Also on the stage stood a table with a bottle of champagne.

Jenner pressed a glass into her hand, encouraging her to drink. I could see her hand shaking from where I sat. Her energy was frantic and jumpy. It drew me the way wounded prey draws a predator. Everything about her screamed “easy target.”

“Are you afraid, my dear?” Jenner asked, capturing her hand as it fluttered. He raised it to his lips, kissing her upturned wrist.

She nodded, her eyes darting around the room. She was like a deer in the headlights up there. “A little bit. I’m not changing my mind though.”

“It’s too late for that.” Jenner’s wicked chuckle rubbed me the wrong way. It grated on my nerves. I gritted my teeth and tried not to squirm in my seat. He sniffed her wrist, inhaling the aroma of her blood. “You’re mine now. That’s why you came here, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes.” She giggled when he kissed her wrist.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” Jenner cast a smirk our way, ensuring we were watching every move he made.

“Layna.” The one word was a sigh. It didn’t take much for a vampire of Harley’s bloodline to seduce a woman. I knew firsthand.

Again, she peered out anxiously at the crowd. Jenner took her face in his hands and kissed her, a deep exploration of her mouth that was a hot display of passion and hunger. “They aren’t here,” he murmured against her lips. “They see you, but you no longer see them. All you see is me.”

My stomach clenched, and I crossed one leg over the other, finding it hard to sit still. I was uneasy with my growing curiosity. I despised the fact that I wanted to see this.

Layna forgot all about the watching audience. She fell heavily under Jenner’s thrall, seeing him as the undead master he painted himself as. Her eyes took on a strange glazed appearance. She moved robotically as he guided her to the chaise lounge. I don’t think she even blinked.

Jenner’s movements were smooth and calculated. He brushed the hair back from her face, smiling when she quivered at his touch. “Tell me how I make you feel.”

A blush colored her cheeks. She sipped the champagne and giggled again. “You make me feel nervous but excited. I have butterflies.”

“More like bats,” I snickered. A woman in the next row shushed me. Jenner slowly swung his gaze my way; unspoken promises glittered in his strange eyes. I clamped my mouth shut and focused on shielding against the onslaught of feverish energy.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You want this. Tell me you want this.” Jenner plucked the empty glass from Layna’s hand and set it aside.

“I do,” she gushed, reaching for him. “I want it.”

I rolled my eyes but kept my snide comments to myself. This was ridiculous. The people seated all around me were eating it up. When Jenner began to undress his victim, I realized why. A few gasps filled the silence, most likely from other newbies like me. Everyone else watched expectantly.

Layna welcomed his touch. With each caress, he freed her of another piece of clothing until she stood bared to us all. Jenner eased her back against the large, rounded arm of the chaise lounge. He sat between her legs and pulled her arm across. We all watched in silent wonder as he dragged his tongue over her wrist.

When he bit into her flesh, I flinched. The sudden intake of breath sounded all around me. Layna swooned, throwing her head back with a moan. She tried to pull him to her, spreading her legs wider in invitation.

“Patience, my sweet.” Jenner laughed softly, licking the blood from his lips. He got up on his knees, leaning over to kiss her while sliding a hand up to cup her breast.

I tore my gaze away to stare into my glass. Maybe I would need it after all. Just to take the edge off. The scent of Layna’s blood and arousal was tearing through my shields, stirring my bloodlust to life.

She paid no mind to the blood running from her wrist. All she saw was Jenner. I could relate to both of them, the predator and the prey. I had been both. He was a dark god to her in that moment, and she would allow him to do anything he wanted.

Jenner rose up to peel his shirt off, revealing a heavily tattooed but firm body. He was decorated in ink. A tiger snarled from its place on his back. Music notes adorned his side. There was more than one chunk of lettering that drew my curiosity.

The cloud of desire thickened as the women in the crowd reacted to him. It was his intent. The way he pushed his hypnotic power out in a wave made it difficult to resist. What made it worse was that I didn’t want to. There was pleasure in that power, and I was as much a sucker for it as any hot-blooded woman.

A peek at Jez revealed she too was feeling it. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but there was awe in her eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder how it felt for her to have a man manipulate her like that without even a touch.

Arys caught my eye and gave a slight shake of his head. He wasn’t impressed with Jenner’s blatant abuse of power though he himself was guilty of doing the same damn thing. Thankfully, without an audience, as far as I knew.

“I want to feel you, Layna. I want your legs wrapped around me while I make you cum. How does that sound?” There was absolute quiet as he took her nipple into his mouth. Her back arched, and her lips parted in a silent cry.

“Yes, yes please,” she gasped.

My discomfort level rocketed off the charts. I searched the edges of the theatre, seeking an exit. I didn’t want to watch this vampire porn despite the growing heat between my legs, which said otherwise.

The fire burning between the two on stage grew from a spark to a blaze. Jenner continued to draw her deeper under his spell. After decorating her body with small bites and kisses, he finally descended between her thighs.

“Oh my,” Jez whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Similar hushed words echoed from several others.

I snuck a glance at Shaz, finding his shoulders stiff and his expression blank. Only his eyes betrayed him. They glowed with the jade fire I recognized. That same lusty flame had burned for me once. How I missed it.

Jenner’s oral attention had his victim writhing and shrieking. Her cries echoed inside the theatre, sending a shiver down my spine. I was ready to head back to the wolf fight, ready for anything to escape the overwhelming sensations.

Jenner was brewing a storm of energy. As he stirred the lust of the audience, he also fed upon it, creating a cycle of power that would carry us all higher. The mortals stared in hypnotic wonder. I could feel every nuance of the push and pull he created, despite my shields, which were weakening. With an inward groan, I dropped them completely, allowing the full effect of the rush to hit me.

I fell hard into the tornado of power twisting through the place. There was no controlling my response. The essence of vampire in my core rose up like lava to overflow in a wash of scorching energy. My four fangs filled my mouth, and my fingertips glowed blue and gold. The lust for body and blood was undeniable.

I watched Jenner make a show of removing the last of his clothing, and I panicked. He wasn’t going to stop until it was all over. If I had to sit through that, I would end up killing someone. The scent of so many humans was tantalizing.

Without another thought, I lifted the glass in my hand to my lips and took a long swallow. The blood was cooling but a poor substitute for taking it straight from the vein. So much was missing, including the warm body it pumped from.

With a devious glint in his ice-blue eyes, Jenner revealed his body, naked and ready. It was difficult not to look at his erection. He was clearly proud of it, allowing everyone a chance to drink in the sight of him. Sure, it was nice, but I’d seen better on each of my men.

“Are you ready for me?” He knelt over Layna on the chaise lounge, caressing her face. She nodded, speechless, kissing his fingers.