Cyril let out a gasping moan and his hands on her back slid down to cup her backside and tried to draw her closer. But because she needed access to the back of his neck, that wasn't possible in a standing position.
As Marcus watched he could see the energy crackling between them. Another person, a human, would not be able to see the electric exchange, but a vampire could. He felt himself swept up in the images of her taking from him or him taking from her…all of that lovely energy sparking between them instead of between her and this human. The very thought of it made him hard for her. And as if she were aware of his reaction, she cast her sensually pleasured eyes in his direction. She held his gaze as she continued to drink from Cyril, until finally neither of them could take any more and she disengaged from Cyril’s neck. She licked her lips as Cyril sagged against her. Marcus immediately stepped forward and caught the man's weight, even though Simone was more than strong enough. She broke from staring intently in his eyes to engage Cyril in a healthy dose of hypno.
“Cyril you are going to get undressed and get into bed. All you will remember from tonight is a lovely dinner with a friend and some nice conversation and drinks afterward. If you or anyone should notice the marks on the back of your neck you will dismiss them as bug bites. You will stay in and rest tomorrow to regain your strength and energy. Take care of yourself, Cyril my friend.”
She let go of him and he bent to kiss her cheek in what seemed to be a rather fond gesture. Simone smiled up at him before patting his shoulder and sending him off in the direction of his bedroom.
“Let’s lock up,” she said, her soft voice a husky rasp. She was literally vibrating with the energy she had taken in. It would last her for days, but she also would not be able to relax and sleep for a good many hours. She would be too wound up.
Marcus envied her that for the moment. His body was hungry…in more ways than one, he realized. He craved the sensuality of a feed. He craved the fullness that came with it when he was glutted. He also craved Simone, he realized. There was no use pretending otherwise or trying to ignore it. His queen was a dynamic, gorgeous woman. He would have to be dead not to crave her.
That didn’t mean he intended to have her. No. He must keep his distance. At all costs. His job depended on it. His peace of mind was another matter. And just because he wanted her did not mean she wanted him in return. He had no doubt this royal beauty was able to keep work and pleasures very separate. She was the consummate professional. Her history as a queen showed that.
He moved to fetch their coats and they put them on, locked the door and left Cyril to sleep and recoup his energy. Now it was Marcus's turn to hunt. But this would be a true hunt. They would have to stalk the streets or an establishment in order to find a target for him.
“Where shall we go?” Simone asked, shivering a little from the cold and keyed up energy.
“Where’s the nearest organic market or restaurant?”
“We just left a restaurant. And a market would likely be closed at this hour,” she said doubtfully.
“I thought this was a twenty-four hour city.”
“Brooklyn is not the city. It’s close, but not quite. It’s possible there’s a twenty-four hour market. Let’s go to a club. I think I’d like to dance.”
“All right. Maybe I can find a designated driver…someone who isn’t drinking. Or someone who isn’t drinking too much,” he amended.
Like most toxins, drunk targets didn’t agree with vampires. They tended to get tipsy when they fed off of a human who had drunk too much. But clubs were full of people and not all of them drank or drank too much. Besides, if he got a little drunk maybe he could forget about the stunning creature he was meant to protect.
Speaking of protection, as they hit the street he was aware of the two other authoritarians shadowing them. They had stood out in the cold at a discreet distance and now walked behind them as they made their way back to their car. As they went Simone accessed her phone and searched for a club in the area.
“Here’s one that looks like fun,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a gay club.”
“Mm, maybe another night. I prefer a heterosexual encounter this evening,” he said with a grin.
“Are you one of those vampires who are only comfortable feeding from the opposite sex?”
“Guilty,” he confessed. “I will feed from a man if I must, but I prefer the delicacy of a woman. The energy we receive is so sexually charged.”
“Mm. Tell me about it,” she said huskily.
She was stroking the luxurious feel of her coat absently…sensuously, almost as if she would prefer to be touching her skin instead. He had no doubt that was the case.
They got into the car and Marcus followed her directions to the club a short distance away and closer to the city. He knew their backup was following them. Still, he took nothing for granted. As they went into the club he was hyper-aware of his surroundings. He stayed close to her back as they waded into a dense crowd of people and found the VIP section of the club which was roped off from the rest of the place. They approached the man guarding the ropes.
“We’d like a table,” Marcus said, pulling out his wallet and flashing a great deal of money. He peeled a hundred dollars out of his billfold and handed it to the man.
“Right this way,” he said with a grin. He unclipped the rope from the stanchion and let them pass.
There were four table in this section, two of which were occupied. A waitress immediately came up to them.
“There’s a two hundred dollar minimum drink order to sit here,” she said.
“A bottle of champagne should do it. Something old and expensive,” Marcus said.
The waitress grinned. “How expensive? Our bottle service can be pretty high.”
“Let’s keep it in the two hundred dollar range,” he said.
“You got it,” she said, moving away from them to fill their order.
The club throbbed with music and all of the energy of the excited mass of people. If he could take energy in by osmosis he would already be glutted. The trick would be finding the right target, and then coaxing that target to go somewhere quiet and unseen with them. This was New York. People were not as trusting as one might find in other places. Still, a little bit of hypno could work around that. Provided the target wasn't drunk. Hypno didn’t work very well on drunk or high people. One would think that would make them more susceptible, but it simply didn’t work that way. There were exceptions, especially if the hunter was powerful and old…like the queen. She was one of the founders. One of the original two hundred. She was a creature of intoxicating power. Marcus was overwhelmed by her just standing close to her. His admiration and respect knew no bounds. Unfortunately that didn’t keep him from feeling the base and animal attraction for her that he felt so viscerally.
They sat down on the low cushioned seats that surrounded an equally low table. Everything was black. From the leather of the couch to the lacquer of the table, all of it was black. Even the carpet was black with dark purple paisley swirls.
“I want to dance. Come dance with me,” she offered as she wriggled out of her coat and left it and her purse on the couch. She tapped the shoulder of the fellow guarding the VIP stanchion and smiled at him as she sidled up against him. Her lithe and beautiful body stood out in contrast to him bouncer’s bulk.
“Be a darling and keep an eye on our stuff?” she coaxed, a fingertip sliding down the bridge of his nose. She had his full attention as her sexy and sensual air washed over him. She didn’t even need to use hypno on him. He was willing to do anything for her as it was. Of course, the hundred-dollar tip helped, but he figured even without it she would have been just as effective.
The bouncer smiled at her and nodded, reaching for her, putting his hand on her hip and drawing her close. He spoke in her ear and Marcus couldn’t hear what he said, but her laugh and admonishing slap on his chest told him all he needed to know. He stepped in, taking her arm and pulling her away and onto the
dance floor, a sudden surliness washing through him. He didn’t examine the emotion, as it faded quickly. They were out on the floor and dancing and the feeling disappeared as fast as it had come.
“I miss a good old fashioned waltz,” he shouted to her over the din of the pounding music.
She laughed and slid in close to him, just as she had with the bouncer. She danced sensuously, her body curving to the beat of the music. There was a Latin throb to the song that was playing and she threw herself into it. It was a marvelous thing to watch. The elegant sophisticate snaked away and in her place was a creature of pure sexuality and fun.
However, they were not there to dance with each other. With great reluctance he tore his attention away from her and let her engage with a man and a woman who were dancing nearby. He searched the dance floor for a target. She had to be clean. Preferably not drunk or overly influenced by alcohol. Definitely no drugs. He let his normal sight fade and instead let his vampire's sight come to the forefront. It allowed him to see the energy surrounding each person. Once he could see the aura of energy around them he could see whether or not it was a clean source.
Most of the crowd was working at different levels of contamination, but he found a few of targets that were worthy of pursuit, two of which were female. He observed them both for long minutes, moving off of the dance floor to follow one that appealed to him. She hooked up with a couple of girls, obviously her friends, and they began to shout a conversation to each other.
“Hello,” he introduced himself. “I saw you dancing and was wondering if you ladies would like to join me in the VIP section?”
“You have a table?” one of her drunk friends asked. “My god I need to sit down! Yes! We’ll come!”
Her friends seemed more hesitant and he turned to look his mark right in the eye. “Come on. I don’t bite.”
She laughed nervously, then shrugged and clearly threw caution to the wind. “I wouldn’t mind getting off my feet,” she said.
He reached out and took her hand in his and guided her around the fringe of the dance floor. They came to the VIP section where it was a little easier to hear one another and he encouraged the women to sit around the low table.
“Have a drink on me,” he invited as he snagged the attention of the waitress who had clearly brought a bottle and two glasses while they had been away. “More glasses for my friends,” he said to her as he poured champagne into the two glasses and handed them to his target’s two friends.
His prey was a pretty little thing, barely five feet tall without the heels she was wearing if he was guessing correctly, blonde and green-eyed as far as he could make out in the altered lighting of the dark club. She had a round face and a pale complexion and she was positively vibrating with energy. She promised to be a very tasty treat indeed. The idea of it appealed to him very much. He could just imagine the sensuality with which she would respond to his bite. There was a significant difference in their heights, which would make it easier for him to access the back of her neck. He could practically taste her blood on his lips and her energy on his tongue.
“I don’t drink,” she demurred and he was infinitely pleased. “I don’t need a glass.”
“Would you like a soda perhaps? Get whatever you like. It’s on me.”
She looked like she was debating whether or not to accept, but her friend, a semi-pretty brunette elbowed her in the ribs and made a stern face at her.
“I’ll take a Coke,” she relented, speaking to the waitress.
“More glasses and a Coke. Anything else?” the waitress asked.
“Another bottle of this champagne. We’re celebrating,” he said with a grin. The waitress lifted a brow, realizing that their bill had just gone up another two hundred dollars and clearly anticipating a hefty tip. To that end he took out his wallet and handed her his credit card.
She took it and left them.
“What are we celebrating?” his prey asked.
“My new job. I just got a promotion and just got into town. This is my first chance to get out and my friend and I are celebrating.”
“Where is your friend?” the third woman asked.
“On the floor. There. In the violet blouse and blue jeans.”
All three women craned their necks to see Simone and all three looked instantly crestfallen. He didn’t blame them in the least. Simone was a visually dynamic woman, gorgeous to look at and obviously intimidating to the average woman. At some point she had undone her braid and now her hair was floating about her head and shoulders in crimped waves. Gone was the casual beauty of early and here was a sexual beast. Another transformation, he marveled. Sophisticate to girl next door to red-haired vixen…all in the course of a day. Her changeability and her ability to blend in to wherever she was with whatever she was doing thoroughly impressed him.
As if she felt his attention on her she looked away from the man she was presently torturing with her gyrating hips and body and met his gaze unerringly. She went still for a moment, her lively body halting mid-dance, encouraging her partner of the moment to reach out and grab her hips between his hands and move them for her. She ran her eyes over him and assessed the situation he was in within moments. She turned and excused herself from her dance partner who let her go quite reluctantly. She made her way over to the group and sat down beside Marcus with a flounce and an exhalation of breath.
“Lord I need a drink!” she declared.
Marcus watched as jealous attention turned to tentative smiles. Simone’s easy attitude immediately relaxed their guard a little.
“We’ll get you one,” Marcus said. “What would you like?”
“Water on ice is good enough for the moment. Who are your new friends?” she asked, turning a sunny smile on the women strangers.
“Well…actually I don’t know yet. We hadn’t gotten to introductions yet.”
“Isn’t that just like you?” she said in exasperation. “I swear my friend has no manners. I’m Simone and this is Marcus.”
“I’m Candy and this is Rica,” the brunette said pointing to his blonde target. “That’s short for Erica.”
“And I‘m Elise,” the third woman said. “You’re British, right?” she asked of Marcus.
“Right,” he nodded.
“Just visiting or do you live here?”
“That’s what we’re celebrating,” Marcus said with a grin. “My new job here in New York.”
“Congratulations!” Candy said, smiling broadly. “I just love your accent.”
“Thank you. I was told you Americans like English accents.”
“We love them,” Candy said dreamily.
Marcus chuckled. “Well I’m happy to oblige. We can talk all night,” he said.
“Not all night,” Simone admonished. “We have work in the morning.”
“You work together?”
“You could say that. She’s my boss,” Marcus said with a conspiratorial wink and lowering of his voice.
“Oh! So…you’re not dating?” Erica asked, shyly speaking up at last. It was clear she was used to letting Candy, the more vivacious of them, do the talking and interacting.
“Not at all,” Marcus said, wondering why he almost choked on the words.
“Do you often go out and party with your boss?” Candy asked, amusement sparkling in her eyes. She downed the contents of her glass in several quick swallows. Marcus winced a little as she treated the two hundred dollar champagne like a beer.
“As I said, it’s a special occasion.”
“I invited him out,” Simone lied. “I figured I’d show him around a little since he's new to town.”
“That's very kind of you,” Rica said.
Marcus could tell he was going to have a task of it convincing this shy young woman to go anywhere with him in private. It promised to be a long night. The waitress returned and Marcus grabbed the bottle of champagne from her.
“Anyone for a refill?” he asked.
Chapter Eight
S
imone watch Marcus work with no little fascination. All vampires had to learn how to be charming and gregarious in their own way in order to better lure in their targets, but Marcus had it down to a real skill. He used every tool at his disposal to get close to the retiring young woman who literally glowed with her abundance of clean energy. When he fed from her, Marcus would be glutted for a week, Simone predicted.
She was flattered by his focused attention, that much was clear. And why shouldn’t she be? Marcus was far and away above this woman's station in life. She worked a dreary little job in some dreary little building in the city, something so unimportant that Simone had forgotten what it was already. She frowned at herself. It wasn't like her to miss the details. Nor was it like her to be a snob. She didn’t know why she should belittle Erica in her own mind. What purpose did it serve? What had the shy young girl ever done to her?
Simone was careful not to let her disdain for the other woman show. She smiled and smiled until her cheeks ached. She could tell Marcus was ready to close the deal When he rubbed his hands together and leaned in to the center of their group.
“I think it’s time to call it a night,” he said. “Can I drive you home?”
Rica blushed furiously. “All right,” she said with a shy smile.
“Come along,” Marcus said to Simone.
“You want us to go with you?” Candy asked her friend leadingly. She was giving Erica the opportunity to be protected by the presence of her friends. After all, they were all strangers.
“I’ll make certain he behaves,” Simone assured them with a laugh.
“I’ll be fine,” Erica said to her friends. “It’s better than taking the subway in the cold at any rate.”
“You shouldn’t be on the subway at this time of night. None of you should. Are you sure we can’t drive all of you home?” Marcus asked. “It would be a tight squeeze but—“