Electric Storm(63)

If she could just treat the men like a job, then maybe she could prevent the episode back at the house from happening again. She feared it’d be a lot easier said than done.

But the best place to start was now. “First thing we need to do is stop to get you some clothes.”

Taggert’s eyes glittered in the darkness. “Have you ever been to a bloodhouse?”

“No.” The silent amusement in his question made her uneasy, and she shifted in her seat. Being alone with him after what happened only made her feel more awkward. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react after what happened between them. Part of her wanted to inspect his injury and the horrible mess she made of his arm, but she was afraid to touch him. Afraid how she would react to his touch. Could claiming him have made her craving for his touch worse?

“Then you’ll be in for a surprise. And believe me, for where we’re going, I’m overdressed.”





Chapter Nineteen





A LITTLE BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Raven parked the car a discreet distance and walked the rest of the way to the club, ignoring the urine and rotten cabbage smell of garbage wafting from the alley. When they reached the door, the bouncer, a huge vampire who must have been a Viking in a past life, spoke.

“Donor or visitor?”

Raven grimaced at the thought of donating her blood and what it would do to a vampire. “Visitor.”

The giant grunted and tossed a disbelieving look at Taggert and his collar that raised her hackles. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes, and resisted the urge to step in front of Taggert. The bouncer just grunted and heaved a sigh.

Once inside the darkened entryway, she glared at Taggert. “You could’ve warned me it’d be so expensive.” One hundred fifty dollars each, triple the normal fee for bringing a shifter as a visitor instead of donor. No wonder vampires were rich. Blood suckers, ha! More like the visitors were the suckers.

“You would’ve come anyway.”

True. She turned away without giving him the satisfaction of agreeing out loud. She didn’t bother to bring a picture of Jason. Being Lester’s son made him a celebrity in the vampire world.

“Stay close.” Anxiety wrestled away the calm she fought to maintain, and she wondered if this was such a bright idea with their bond so new and her emotions so shaky. She didn’t know if she could analyze the situation clearly if Taggert was threatened.

She needed muscle, not food. And Taggert was food. He was too far down the dominance pole to be anything but subservient. Shifters had an allure to vampires. They were like liquor, some more potent than others, but all tasty and all very addicting.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fear clung to her. What if she couldn’t protect him?

“You’re not going in alone.” He gave a simple shrug. “I know what to expect.”

That didn’t reassure her. She debated ordering him home. Something must have alerted him to her thoughts. He lifted his chin mutinously, clearly not going to let her get away with it, and stepped closer.

“Don’t.” She immediately countered and drew away. She wasn’t falling for that trap. No touching. No emotion. She wouldn’t be persuaded or seduced by his touch.

At her retreat, all expression smoothed away. “I have no qualms about telling the others your plan.”

She hadn’t noticed how much he’d begun to relax around her until she saw the blank mask he used when they first met descend over his face. That he’d use it on her stung. She hadn’t realized how much she relied on him to always be on her side. The least she could do was return the favor. She took a steady breath. “Fine.”

“Fine?” Taggert’s face slowly softened. “You won’t regret it.”

Maybe not, but she had a feeling she’d pay for it later.

When she opened the door, Raven blinked, taken aback by the club scene. She couldn’t tell what surprised her more, the near naked bodies twisted on the dance floor or the slap of power that bit along her skin. For some reason, she never expected to have so many vampires probe her mind at once. They adhered to protocol, not pushing but waiting to see what she was: visitor or shifter, food or rival.

“It’s not what it appears.” The velvet voice to her left thrummed with power.

The man who spoke wasn’t conventionally handsome, but he had that magnetic quality that drew humans. Brown, curly hair tumbled around his shoulders, softening his appearance, a trick that made him appear less like a vampire and more approachable. All the more dangerous to the unexpecting human.

Taggert crowded her back, hampering her movements and she resisted the urge to take a step away in case she needed the space to defend them.