Lured (3 page)

With a compelling look, he said, “You need to be more careful, more cautious.”

“Of what? Vampires?” Her voice was low and breathy. She wondered what he’d say if she told him she wanted him to fuck her. Not that she was the type to say something so brazen. It was just another fantasy that took up residence in her mind.

His gaze remained on her, steady and intense. “This isn’t the place for a woman like you.”

Her brows knitted together. “What do you mean, a woman like me? Am I not dressed appropriately?” She glanced down at her skimpy outfit. Hell, she was almost as naked as the rest of the women in this club. She was certain she fit in quite well.

“Let me drive you home,” the vampire said, taking her by surprise.

Disappointment set in. He wasn’t even hitting on her. He was treating her as though she were a teenager disobeying her curfew and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

He looked way too intense. His muscles were rigid, his jaw was set. He was serious about getting her out of the club, but Cass sensed it wasn’t for the purpose of getting her alone. He wasn’t looking to ravish her, which was a damn shame.

She contemplated this unexpected predicament she’d found herself in. The tingling in her shoulder had spread down her arm. The sensation wasn’t uncomfortable, it just tickled a little.

She thought of that pinprick she’d felt on her shoulder when the pirate had tackled her. Had he somehow managed to shoot something into her, so quick she’d hardly noticed?

Or was she just being paranoid?

“At the very least,” Marcus continued, diverting her wayward thoughts, “let me call you a cab.”

Okay, he
really
wasn’t looking to hook up with her. She could see the writing on the wall. Even if the rejection sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach.

“I don’t think so,” she told him, though a little prickle in the back of her brain told her it might be a good idea to call it a night. It wasn’t exactly panning out the way she’d hoped, after all.

Yet she wasn’t inclined to give up so soon.

I have a mission
. She reminded herself as she stood and straightened the hem of her short skirt.
I must not let the ultra-hot vampire keep me from it
…

She needed to find Darien. He was the man she’d come here for originally. He was the one who’d invited her. The one who wanted to meet her in person. Maybe this encounter with Marcus was meant to tell her she should focus on the man she’d initially come to meet, not let herself get distracted by someone who was clearly not interested in her.

“Thanks for the water,” she said.

Leaving the vampire behind, Cass wandered into an antechamber, passing a sign that read “VIP Entertainment”. The room was dark, save for the hypnotically flashing neon lights. Plumes of smoke billowed out of a machine at the opposite side of the room, creating an eerie effect. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. She found a plush chair and sank into it.

Cass absorbed the atmosphere and the dozens of people enjoying themselves. She tried to kick her disparaging feelings over how the evening was shaping up. Everyone else was having a spectacular time, it seemed. Perhaps if she could shake her discouraging encounter with Marcus, she could regroup and start anew.

Her gaze swept over the bar along the wall. Two men dressed as grotesque, scaly aliens, or perhaps they were supposed to be demons—she couldn’t say for sure— slammed shots of liquor, chasing them with bites from sliced limes. Aside from the shooters, they looked a little too real for her taste.

She shifted her gaze. In the far corner, she saw two women dancing together. Gorgeous blondes, with curvy bodies and large breasts. They had long, manicured fingernails and wet, glossy lips. Both women were dressed in red lace bras and matching G-strings, garter belts and stockings. Their tall, voluptuous bodies were practically entwined as they moved as one.

Cass was mesmerized by their beauty and the way their bodies fit together. Clearly they knew each other intimately. They touched openly as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Cass felt instantly drawn into their world, envious of their blatant sexuality and their lack of inhibitions. A part of her wanted to cross the room and join them, to be as free as they were.

Maybe the sexy vampire had pegged her as a bore when he’d met her.

Oh Christ
.

She groaned as another distressing thought occurred to her. Likely, Darien had as well. He must have seen her at some point during the night and decided he wanted nothing to do with her.

Tears suddenly threatened her eyes and she had to blink them back. As she considered this new development, she watched the two women, now joined by a muscular, bare-chested man.

The threesome was a welcomed distraction as she fought to get her emotions under control.

The man stood behind one of the women, his large hands clasping her hips as his pelvis melded to her bare ass. His mouth grazed her long neck, his tongue tracing a line upward from the nape to just below her earlobe. Her head fell back against his shoulder. The woman in front of her lifted a hand to her partner’s breast. Slowly, she pulled back the lacy cup of the bra, exposing a full, perfectly round breast. A fingertip drew a full circle around one areola before a long nail grazed the nipple, bringing it to a hard point.

Cass stared, captivated, a scintillating thrill returning to her body, overriding the tingly feeling slowly spreading throughout her. As the woman pinched her friend’s nipple, the man’s hand continued south to the apex of her legs. His fingers slid behind the tiny triangle of material that covered her. While he stroked her pussy lips, the other woman dipped her head to the exposed breast and drew the hard nipple into her mouth.

The woman receiving all the attention lifted her arms and placed her hands on the bald head of the Vin Diesel lookalike. He removed his hand from her panties and swept aside the loincloth that was part of his native costume. His thick cock nestled between the woman’s ass cheeks. He whisked away the thin strand between the crevice, not letting her G-string get in his way. When he thrust into her, her entire body spasmed.

His large hands palmed the undersides of her breasts, offering them to her companion. The other woman licked and pinched the nipples, keeping them tight little peaks. Then she eased down to her knees before the other woman and pushed aside the lace at her crotch. While the man fucked the first woman from behind and massaged her breasts, the second woman licked her pussy.

There was a break in the music just as the woman came. Her erotic cry echoed throughout the room, jolting Cass in her seat.

Damn it, was she the only one at this ball incapable of finding someone to enjoy the evening with?

She shook her head, which turned out to be a mistake as it suddenly started to throb. The strange sensation inside her intensified, as though there was some sort of time-release effect occurring within her, now kicked into high gear. It even clouded her mind.

It was entirely possible she really had been drugged. Perhaps Marcus had been right. Maybe she really did need to get the hell out of there.

Pushing herself out of the chair, she stood, though she wasn’t sure how she’d managed to get to her feet. An anesthetized feeling crept through her veins and seeped through her mind, making her brain hazy. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, as if that would help to stop the wicked beats inside her head.

The pounding continued, causing her to make a slow yet steady beeline for the restroom. She needed to splash some water on her face and maybe sit in a quiet room for a few minutes to collect herself. Then she’d have the bouncer at the front door call her a cab.

Her steady progress, however, became hindered by her foggy mind. She stumbled past a few people as she headed toward the sign above the bathrooms. Eyeing the long line at the ladies’ room, Cass swore under her breath. A man passing by, dressed as the Grim Reaper, told her there was a unisex bathroom at the opposite end of the hallway. She watched him rush off, weaving his way through the throng of people.

The Grim Reaper…

She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Why was that so familiar?

Damn it.

Things were way too fuzzy, alarming her. She needed to sit back down and ask someone to help her. But over the loud music and with the way she was easily jostled about in the crowd, she couldn’t get anyone’s attention. She found herself at the opposite end of the corridor and relief washed over her. At least, she thought it did. Hard to tell over the prickly sensation.

With great effort, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. She staggered inside and closed the door behind her, then ran her hand over the smooth wall, searching for the light switch. She didn’t find it.

A sliver of moonlight filtered in through a tiny window in the far corner of the room, but it offered only miniscule lighting. She swayed on her ridiculously high heels as she groped for the doorknob. When she found it, she pulled the door wide open. It was definitely time for a cab home. Yet the door instantly slammed shut. A large hand splayed in front of her face. Cass gasped in shock.

She turned on unsteady feet to confront the person behind her. Her stomach lurched and her panic escalated.

“What the hell did you do to me?” she demanded as she tried to get her gaze to focus on the blond pirate standing before her. The man who was blocking her exit. “Let me out,” she insisted.

“I can’t do that. I need you.” His hand moved from the door. Suddenly, his strong fingers wrapped around her biceps, holding her tight.

“Hey, joke’s over,” she said, her voice cracking. She could also hear that her words were slurred. “Lego of me.”

The haze in her brain made it difficult to concentrate on what was happening to her, though her instincts were waving all kinds of red flags. Fear crept up her spine. She had trouble processing how to extract herself from this dangerous situation, but was cognizant enough to have a bad feeling about all of it. The pirate really had drugged her, and Cass had the terrifying suspicion she was about to become a rape statistic.

Behind the big blond brute, the shadows shifted and a soft gasp escaped her parted lips. Not only was the pirate going to rape her—he had friends. Cass attempted to struggle against him, but her body had turned limp and languid—a huge contrast to her erratically beating heart.

She screamed for help, but the sound barely registered in her own ears, it was so faint.

“No one can hear you,” he said. “Not above the music and the party noise.”

“Please let me go,” she said in a hoarse voice, fear seizing her insides.

Her predicament worsened. From out of the shadows emerged four creatures. Head to toe, they appeared to be covered in slick black seal-like skins. Or perhaps she just couldn’t see straight. Their bodies were freakishly long, seemingly dragging on the floor as they slithered toward her. Pronged tongues flicked out of their mouths. Their sinewy arms ended with three incredibly long, decrepit-looking appendages.

Cass’ mind reeled, her eyes crossing.

Holy shit. What kind of costume is
that
?

A flame glimmered in the darkness and then several more flickered. Someone in the far corner, whom she couldn’t see, had lit candles. The soft light revealed a long table. In the middle of it sat a small gold bowl. The candlelight caught the metal and it shimmered almost hypnotically. For a moment, Cass was mesmerized. But a movement behind the table drew her attention to a man. Another normal-looking guy, like the pirate who held her captive.

“What is this?” she dared to ask.

“A sacrifice,” the man behind the table said. “We’re paying homage to our master and you’re going to help us.”

“Like hell I am.” She struggled some more, to no avail. Cass knew she was in trouble. Big trouble. And not the fun, sexy kind she’d come looking for tonight.

She groaned inwardly. She was too weak to fight off anyone. Terror gripped her as an inescapable reality registered in her too-fuzzy mind. This had turned into one ghoulish night she couldn’t save herself from.

Or maybe they just meant to scare her. Maybe this was just some bizarre Hunter’s Moon Ball madness. A hoax.

She wasn’t one to send up prayers to the heavens on a regular basis, but felt inclined to do so now. This all had to be some sick joke. An initiation since this was her first time at the ball.

Yeah, that’s it. You keep telling yourself this is all some scary-ass prank.

Meanwhile, the slithering creatures drew closer to her. Their eyes were absurdly large and fixed on her. The slimy-looking things made hissing noises as they approached.

If those were costumes, the designer deserved an Oscar. They looked much too real.

Cass tried to scream again, but no sound escaped her. Not even a breath.

“It won’t hurt,” the pirate whispered in a placating voice. “I promise. Just let them have you. You won’t feel a thing.”

Cass wanted to cry but was too horrified to even muster tears. And her body was almost completely numb from head to toe now. The pirate holding her upright was the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the floor.