Unbound (Forbidden Bond Book 1)(9)

He jerked his hand away and stood, staring at Dani intensely, as Jared  wound an arm around her waist. She didn't know why, but she leaned  against Jared and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes still locked  with Chase's, and she saw the flash of anger he couldn't hide. Good, at  least she wasn't the only one who looked pissed.

At the door, Vince wouldn't make eye contact with Dani, but reminded her  to come straight to the front of the line on their next visit. He  apologized for interrupting the dance with Chase and said again, "Come  back anytime, and Vince will hook you up."



Earlier that evening Chase Deidrick had parked his Mercedes in front of  Thirst and tossed his keys to Vince, the new head of security. "I don't  know how long I'll be staying, so keep it close."

Vince nodded and opened the door for Chase to enter.

Chase's father had bought the nightclub for a very practical purpose. It  was a good front for a feeding ground. With a college down the road,  the students flocked to the club nightly. Instead of stalking their  prey, they just sat back while students filed in the door and paid  nicely to be there.

All the young vamps for miles around came to feed, and as long as they  followed the rules, they were all welcome. There was no feeding allowed  in the building, due to the risk of witnesses. It was no problem for  vampires to enthrall humans into following them. No one killed or  injured the humans, ever. Last but not least, the humans were not to  remember anything. This was also no problem, once they were enthralled.  Keeping their kind a secret was the utmost priority.

Chase occasionally broke the "no blood in the building" rule, but he had  a private room in the back at his disposal. No witnesses in there.  Those who violated the rules faced the judgment of the ruling Council  for North America. Chase's family, the Deidricks, was one of the three  ruling houses that made up the council. Everyone who entered Thirst  carefully obeyed the rules. It was, after all, a House of Deidrick, and  nobody wanted to cross the council.

Chase glided through the door past the line of humans waiting to enter  the club. The crowd parted for him as he made his way to his regular  table. The need to feed was an itch under his skin, nagging him for  attention. He surveyed the room for potential donors. On a Saturday  night, business was good, and there were plenty of suitable ladies from  which to choose.

While he scanned the floor, an odd scent caught his attention-sweet, yet  floral, like vanilla and lavender. He wondered where that delicious  smell originated. It was another vampire, for sure, but was nothing like  anyone he'd ever met before. Chase moved to search for the owner of the  lovely aroma. Vampires were naturally attractive to their human prey,  which made searching the crowd difficult, because every girl he passed  wanted to dance and talk with him.

In the middle of the dance floor, he saw her. She was a living goddess,  dancing among her worshipers. Every other woman, vampire and human  alike, suddenly wilted in his eyes. She was perfection. A beautiful dark  mahogany mane with unusual white streaks and eyes so pale, they  reflected the light like mirrors. He had only ever seen hair like that  on one other vampire. She was petite, yet perfectly curvy at the same  time.

Chase could do nothing but stand and gawk at her for a time, worshipping  the sight of her, along with her followers. He returned to his table to  observe the goddess from a better vantage point. His friend, Kayden,  arrived and put a hand on Chase's shoulder, making him jump. The rest of  the club had seemingly disappeared while he watched her dance and  smile.         

     



 

"Chase, you alright, man? You look lost." Kayden stepped into Chase's line of vision.

"Do you know that girl, Kayden?" He cocked his head toward the dance floor.

"Which girl do you mean? The house is full of ladies tonight." Kayden flashed a bright white, wolfish smile.

"You're not catching that?" He inhaled deeply. "The scent is absolutely unique."

Kayden turned to find the object of Chase's current obsession. "I'd  remember if we'd ever crossed her path. Her scent is off somehow, but  still altogether intoxicating." Kayden sniffed the air. "I assume you  don't know her?"

"Not yet, my friend, but I'm about to correct that injustice." They both hit the dance floor.

He found her leaning against a railing, looking rather winded. Chase  stopped and watched a little longer. What was this? Vampires didn't get  winded easily. He inhaled again. She was definitely a vampire. Kayden  was getting a little too close to her, and his proximity was pissing  Chase off. Stepping up to the railing next to the goddess, he leaned  down.

"Hello. Would you like to dance?" She turned her eyes on him, and Chase  was caught momentarily in the web of her scent and the beauty of her  eyes. Gathering himself, Chase tried again, "I'm Chase, and you are?"

She extended her delicate hand to him, and the combination of her touch  and scent was a shock to his system. She didn't answer until he'd  guided her to the nearest corner, noticing how her eyes searched the  floor along the way. Maybe she wasn't alone. He hadn't seen another  male, but he hadn't looked for one, either. A flash of jealousy had him  searching the floor as well, but he didn't see any competition. When  they reached their destination, she looked up. "My name is Dani."

Dani wasn't a suitable name for a goddess, at all. He'd have to come up  with a nickname. As they danced, his head swam with unusual and frankly  unsettling urges. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to hold her. He had  to know her. Chase preferred to keep a safe emotional distance from  females. But at the moment, even the very short space between them felt  like way too much distance.

"Do I know you? Lovely as you are, I'm sure I would have remembered you."

"No. I just started school at the university last week. Do you go to school here?"

Chase blinked stupidly. Did she really not know who he was in his own  house? "My family lives in the area, but I have friends at the college. I  frequent the grounds regularly."

Just then, Chase had to deal with a rude interruption by an employee.  When he returned his attention to his dance partner, her body tensed,  and she began to pull back.

"Thanks for the dance. I gotta get back to my friends. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

She had dismissed him. Stunned, he grabbed her arm, leaned in, and tried  to persuade her. "Don't you want to stay with me, Lovely? I really want  you to stay."

She began to lean in toward him again, and he smiled victoriously. She  stopped cold with her lovely face slightly tilted. "No, I actually would  rather be with my friends. Catch you later, maybe." She stalked away,  leaving icy confusion in her wake.

Chase had never been rejected in his life. He stood with his mouth agape as waves of disbelief and fury washed over him.

"I never thought I'd see the day Chase Deidrick got shot down. Man, I'm  glad I came out tonight. Tough break, Chase, but now that she seems to  be available, I think I'll go take a stab at her myself." Kayden was  clearly amused by Chase's expression as he started toward the girl and  her friends.

Chase stepped in front of Kayden. His vision sharpened and Chase knew  his eyes had blackened with anger. It was the second time that night  he'd lost his temper needlessly, but he couldn't hold it back when he  growled through his teeth, "Don't touch her, if you want to keep all  your fingers."

Kayden just chuckled. "Dude, would you relax? Alright, I'll leave the  girl alone, but it's a shame to let her get away. I just thought she  might like me." Kayden raised his hands in defeat.

Chase returned to his table and sat, brooding. He was annoyed by his own behavior when he'd snarled at Kayden.

Kayden made his way back with several girls on his arms and hailed a  waitress. Vampires couldn't get drunk by drinking themselves, but if  their hosts were drunk, it had the same effect. For that reason, Kayden  liked to treat the girls to a few drinks before he led them away.

One of Chase's regular girls had been trying in vain to get his  attention, but he only had eyes for the lovely creature who'd rejected  him. She stood on a sofa with a human girl as they danced suggestively  together. Chase couldn't help smiling at her playfulness, but his smile  disappeared when she climbed down from the sofa and into the arms of a  tall blond human. His veins burned with pent-up agitation while he  watched the boy's hand, placed way too low on her back.         

     



 

What is wrong with me?

He went out the front door to get some air. Walking around the side of  the building, he punched the brick wall, causing the brick to shatter  into red sand that blew down the alley.

Vince followed him into the alley. "Vince is really sorry about that  earlier, Boss. He was admiring your lady friend when she entered. He had  no idea she was with you."