Strangely, I felt really bad. What was wrong with me? A few days ago I didn’t care about anything and now I wanted to care about people. What did Jenga do to me?
“Where are you going?” I asked.
Janet loved the fact that I seemed interested in what she was doing for her birthday. As soon as I asked, she perked up. It reminded me of a puppy having a ball waved in its face.
“Well, my friends and I usually go to The Darkside, but tonight we were thinking of going to The Soft Kitty.”
“The Soft Kitty?”
“Yeah, I know it’s a strip club, but it has cheap drinks for females and you don’t get harassed by seedy guys.”
Shit. I was going to go to The Soft Kitty tonight to see if I can track down Famine. If things hit the fan, I didn’t want Janet getting hurt. I mean, she’s annoying and vain, but she didn’t deserve to be caught up in crossfire between angels and demons.
“Are you sure you want to go to The Soft Kitty? Maybe try a backpacker bar or stay home and drink like teenagers do? That’d be more fun.”
“Nah, The Soft Kitty is where we want to be. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
Damn it. I gave her a tight smile. “Sorry, maybe next year.”
She smiled back at me and her green eyes beamed with happiness. “I can’t wait. Come see me before you go back to the other realm, okay?”
I nodded unconvincingly, but she seemed to be content with that. I got out of HQ as quickly as I could. The last thing I wanted was to speak to Cole Nark. I was not in the mood for his shit today and he’s certainly roast me for not filling a report out after my last mission. The morning sun was hot, leaving me feeling slightly claustrophobic in my suit as I waited outside The Soft Kitty. I figured I’d kill Famine in the morning before Janet got to the club. That way we both got what we wanted. She got her birthday night, I got my demon and Janet stayed safe. I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. It was a few minutes to noon and the strip club would soon open. Regularly, I looked over my shoulder, just waiting for Lucas to spring out and attack me. He never did, and by the time twelve p.m. came around, I assumed he had no idea I was even here. Good. I slid out of the car and the gravel crunched beneath my feet. For someone who was meant to be loaded, he sure went stingy on a proper asphalt parking lot. The Soft Kitty exterior was black, excluding the big, pink cat sign at the front. The cat was licking its paw and winking. On its collar were the words ‘The Soft Kitty.’ The front door opened and a furry pink curtain was put up on the entrance.
“Classy,” I scoffed to myself. I headed toward the club. Now would be my best chance at getting the least amount of civilian casualties, if any. I felt dirty walking up to the club, let alone entering it, but I bit my tongue and went through the pink, fluffy door anyway. Inside was dark and seedy. The furniture looked like I expected—fluffy, comfortable and tacky. Pink booths that looked like vaginas lined the walls. What the hell was this guy thinking? Whoever he hired to do the decorating needed to be shot, it was god awful. Music began to play as a girl walked onto the stage. I stopped to watch for a moment, not because I wanted to see a girl slowly grind to the club beats, but because she had the biggest, fakest boobs I’d ever seen. How she managed to lug them around was beyond me. She noticed me gawking and smiled. Crap, this is awkward. I returned her smile with an I’m-not-a-lesbian smile of my own. I turned to the bar. The man that tended it was at least fifty years old. Behind me, a few drunken men entered and cheered at the girl with the basketballs strapped to her chest and the two security guards that waited at either side of the stage turned their sights onto the rowdy men instead of me.
“What can I get you, love?” the bartender asked. He slapped his towel over his shoulder. He was Irish. I could tell by the way he rolled his ‘r.’ I slid onto a bar stool.
“Um, nothing to drink. I—”
“Sorry, we aren’t taking auditions right now, but if you show me what you’re packing underneath that sexy catsuit of yours, I’ll pass on my recommendation for when we’re hiring.”
My mouth opened in shock. I definitely wasn’t expecting that. The man looked so sweet with his gray hair and short moustache… apparently he was a pig. He definitely wasn’t a demon, that I knew for sure. I cleared my throat and gripped the sides of my bar stool. I had to busy my hands and prevent myself from slamming his face into the bar. “That’s not what I’m after, either,” I replied, frustration clear in my voice.
“Then what do you want?”
“I’m looking for the owner, Fa—Mikael. I’m a friend of his.”
I noticed the bartender stiffen, but he cleared his throat and started wiping down the bar. An odd thing for him to do, considering it just opened and no one had ordered a drink yet. “Mikael doesn’t have friends.”
I rested my elbows on the bar. “Okay, I lied. We aren’t friends. We’re business partners.”
He rolled his brown eyes. “Yeah, okay. Look, if Mikael took you home and didn’t call you again, let it go. You aren’t going to track him down. Although you’re definitely someone I’d call again after a one night stand, Mikael isn’t that kind of guy. He’s probably had ten more of you by now. Sorry to say it, darling.”
My frustration was growing stronger in my chest. I ran my hands over my face. “Again, I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m after exactly.” I reached across the bar and pulled him toward me by his shirt. He tried to pull away, but I was too strong. He swung his right fist at me, but I caught it with my hand, still holding onto his shirt tightly. I could hear the guards chuckling.
“A-are you a demon?”
“No, darling,” I said. “But I’ll show you just how demonic I can be if you don’t tell me where Mikael is.”
“I-I don’t know. I swear.”
I studied him for a little while. His brown eyes pooled with fear and I could feel him shake. He was telling the truth. “You’d want to hope that’s the truth because if I find out you’re withholding important information from me, I’m coming back for you.” It was a bluff on my part. I wasn’t going to hurt this guy. I let him go and he fell backwards, cowering into the corner of the bar. I left The Soft Kitty and climbed back into my black Jeep. I’d wasted so much time waiting for this godforsaken place to open Famine could be anywhere by now. Suddenly, I remembered that Jenga had given me a head piece. I clipped it onto my ear and switched it on. Immediately, it beeped.
“Jesus Christ, Violet. I thought you were going to keep it switched on.”
“Sorry, I forgot.”
“I chewed my nails down to the bone worrying about you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Relax. I’m okay. Famine wasn’t at The Soft Kitty.”
“So go to Big, Busty Babes.”
I leaned my head against the head rest and sighed. “I was only inside for five minutes and I’ve already had enough of strip clubs.”
“Well, I’ve been stuck in HQ all day, fetching information for Govlonsky’s mission all day, so don’t complain because you’re sick of running around different strip joints, staring at nice boobies and sipping martinis.”
“I’m not staring at nice boobies or sipping martinis,” I protested.
“Still. My life sucks and you need to fix it.”
“Fine, I’ll go to the other strip club.” I started up the car and an annoying chewing sound filled my ear. “Are you eating?”
“Yes, it’s lunch time. I’m eating an apple.”
My stomach grumbled. I was so hungry my chest burned and I felt nauseous. One hundred yards up the road I spotted a burger drive through place. I pulled in and ordered a large cheeseburger with fries and a Coke. As I drove, I wolfed down my meal and it was disgustingly satisfying.
“At least with your figure you can get away with eating a cheeseburger meal,” Jenga informed me through the ear piece. Was she kidding me? Jenga was in perfect shape. I mean, I was more muscular than she was, but she had that classic, slim build that most girls would die for.
“Whatever
, your body is perfect.”
“Ooh, is Violet Ashton hitting on me?”
I rolled my eyes and hung up on her, throwing my ear piece into the back seat. She’d hate that, but I thought it was funny. I even laughed at myself.
***
Big, Busty Babes was marginally classier than The Soft Kitty. It wasn’t painted black—that was a start. The building was made of a subtle mahogany brick and I didn’t have to walk through any weird furry curtains to get inside. Compared to The Soft Kitty this club was much nicer inside. There was no furniture that resembled any body parts, only sleek black leather couches. The floor glowed white as LED strips ran underneath. It gave me a headache, actually. I made my way over to the bar and a big breasted blonde manned it. She wore a tight black dress that stopped just underneath her bum cheeks. I glanced at her nametag, Barbie. You’ve got to be kidding me.
“What can I get you?” she asked as I leaned on my elbows on the glass top of the bar.
“I’m looking for someone. Mikael?”
“Mikael Cross? The owner?” She scoffed. “Good luck finding him. He hardly ever comes here. I’m the manager, though, is there something I can help you with?”
“Do you know where I might find him?”
She shrugged. “Nope. Sorry.”
Ugh. I slumped onto a barstool. “Give me a shot of tequila, please. No lime. No salt.”
Barbie poured me a shot and slid it over. I downed it quickly and bit my tongue against the burn. Barbie’s blue eyes watched me in amusement. “You want a job? We could use a red head.” She flicked her head to the main stage and three blondes in g-strings grinding chrome poles to the club music.
“No thanks, it’s not really my thing.”
“But catsuits are?”
I felt so stupid walking around Earth in a catsuit, but I wanted to have optimal protection. “Apparently. It’s a long story.” I tapped the bar. “I’ll have another one.”
She slid the shot over to me and I reached for it. Only my fingers never came into contact with it. I hit the ground hard, and for a few seconds I couldn’t see where I was. I didn’t get the chance to jump to my feet. Instead I was pulled up by the throat, my feet never coming in contact with the floor. I gasped for air and my vision returned. The dark man that had me by the throat was massive and he was wearing his security t-shirt. Figures.
“Is this how you treat all your guests?” I managed to squeeze out. “That can’t be too good for business.”
He squeezed harder, cutting off my oxygen completely. “Why are you looking for him?”
Barbie jumped the bar, ran to the front door, and pulled it shut.
“I asked you a question, you angel piece of shit!” The man boomed. His black eyes flashed red and I opened my mouth to speak, but it was impossible. I grasped at his hand desperately. He was getting madder and madder and I couldn’t tell him that his hand was preventing me from talking. Demons can be so dumb. I kicked him in the balls and he dropped me immediately and I stumbled.
“Fucking bitch,” he groaned.
My head spun as oxygen flooded back into my lungs, but I didn’t have time to sit around and wait for my breath to come back. I was hunched over a barstool. The man’s cornrows bobbed against his shoulders as he ran at me. I grabbed the wooden bar stool and smashed it into tiny pieces over his head. Not that it did much damage. He stumbled back a few steps and pulled out the thick splinter of wood that embedded itself into his forehead. A thick line of blood ran down his face and over his full, brown lips. He ran at me again and I jumped over the bar. He grasped the bar and pulled the surface clean off. I watched in shock. This guy was strong, but not the strongest I’ve fought. He plowed through the bar as I grabbed the cup hanger above me and swung my legs around to kick him in the face. His thick, strong hands grabbed my legs before impact and yanked me. My hands slipped off the holders. As I swung down, I pressed my hands to the floor, preventing my head from slamming into the cool tiles. The brute let go of my calves and I pulled myself through his legs. He turned around and I kicked him in the balls again. He keeled over and I threw my elbow into his face. Stunned, he fell backwards. His large body made the floor shake as he slammed into it. I grabbed a bottle from the bar and smashed it over an unbroken surface. I jumped at the brute, slamming the broken glass into his chest and directly into his heart. Blood spilled from his mouth as he slowly disintegrated into a thick, black sludge. I kneeled in the sludge, my chest rising and falling heavily. When I stood up, I saw Barbie out of the corner of my eye, cowering behind a leather couch.
“P-please, don’t hurt me.” She sobbed.
“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” I ran my arm across my forehead to clear off the thin sheet of sweat. “But next time, tell me when someone is behind me.”
She nodded quickly.
A smoky scent filled my nostrils as thick arms seized my waist. I lunged forward, but before I could break free, the feeling of being weightless consumed me. The bar disappeared and I appeared somewhere else in a black haze. Somewhere familiar. I saw the big, glass window that overlooked the city and the bed I was handcuffed to before I had been compelled. Lucas’s touch tore through me as he spun me around with tremendous force. He grasped me by the shoulders with such intensity that it hurt. My eyes traveled upward; loose jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and finally a pair of cold brown eyes. They were eerily dark, like the time in the parklands, and suddenly I was scared, but I didn’t want him to know that.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growled, his eyes wildly searching mine. His nostrils were flaring
I shrugged out of his grasp. “How dare you use your stupid demon powers on me!”
I paced the room, from the bookshelf to the window and then back. Lucas watched me with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his denim jeans. It’d been a while since I’d seen him so casual. The white t-shirt he was wearing clung nicely to his well-formed chest. I sighed. I needed to get out of here and I doubt he would let me go, even if I asked nicely. I stopped at the bookshelf and pulled out a book. Anger filled my chest and I launched the book at his head. Wasted effort on my part though, he caught the book and pointed his long, tanned index finger at me. He was still pissed. “Please don’t throw my things.”
I threw another book and another book until Lucas got too frustrated to stand there and catch them all. He dropped the books in a pile on the floor and ran at me. I jumped before he got to me and sprung off his shoulders, just like I did once in training. When I hit the floor, I low kicked his legs, but just like that time in training, he didn’t fall. His legs buckled and I grabbed for his shoulders, but he used his stupid demon teleportation powers and disappeared. I rose to my feet. I was alone. I took a step forward, but was slammed into the wall behind me by something I didn’t see coming.
His brown eyes flared with frustration and his chest rose and fell with deep breaths. “Stop!’ he snapped. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I groaned. “Just kill me and get it over with.”
He stared into my eyes and I couldn’t tell what exactly he wanted from me. A low growl escaped him as he pressed his nose to my throat. Every nerve in my body stood to attention as his hot breath warmed my skin. He pushed off me and turned around, running his fingers through his short black hair in exasperation. “I don’t want to kill you, not anymore. I wasn’t myself,” he said, coming to face me. “I want to be with you. I want to hold you and touch you and—” He exhaled. “I. Want. You.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. My words were stuck in my throat, but more importantly, I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.
“What were you doing at Famine’s clubs?”
“Looking for him.”
“Are you insane?” he yelled, startling me. “I’ve bent over backwards trying to protect you from them! Don’t you know how much you mean to me?”
“I shouldn’t mean anything to you anymore. You don’t mean anything to—”
He grabbed
my wrist and pulled me toward him with incredible force. He pressed his firm lips hard against mine, cutting my words off. He pressed the base of his palm hard against the warmth between my thighs and I squeezed them together. “Don’t you fucking say it…”he snarled, “…because I know you don’t mean it.”
I swallowed the moisture from my mouth as we watched each other, waiting for the other to start the battle up again and we did… only it was with our tongues and not our fists. Lucas buried his tongue in my mouth eagerly and I reciprocated. What is wrong with me? Why am I so turned on by a guy that tried to kill me? And why is he so turned on by a girl that tried to kill him? We hated each other… or at least we were supposed to. We were enemies, plain and simple. What we were doing wasn’t allowed. Being caught would mean death on my side—victory on his, probably. But I guess underneath all that obligation and hate, there was old love. And passion. And trust. As long as one of those was showing, so would the others. Reaching to my backside, he grabbed it, causing me to gasp against his mouth. He pressed a thigh between my legs, completely pinning me to the wall and I liked it. He set my hair free from its tie and it bounced around my shoulders. His fingers tangled in my hair and yanked my head back slightly, burying his nose in my neck and growling softly. Lucas found the zipper to my catsuit and unzipped it, exposing my skin to the air. He pulled back for a moment to admire me and I was thankful I wore a nice, black lace bra and matching underwear. Wait. No, I wasn’t because I couldn’t let this happen. I am not going to have sex with a demon. No matter how delicious they taste or how good their hands feel on my skin. He nibbled at my bottom lip and desire pooled between my thighs. He remembered how much I enjoyed being nipped by his teeth.
“Lucas,” I breathed, pulling away. “We can’t do this.”
“We can do whatever we want.”
A slight pang of nausea rolled through me and a smoky taste lingered at the back of my throat. When the hazy smoke evaporated, I took in my surroundings. I was still in Lucas’s room, only this time I was positioned on my back… on his bed. Lucas lay on top of me, watching me in amusement and waiting for me to cuss him out for teleporting me again. I was going to until I became painfully aware of his body pressing against all the right places. His mouth curved into a cocky smile and the sexually deprived being inside me took the reins. Desperately, I urged Lucas’s mouth onto mine.