*Ryan
It didn't seem to take as long to get back to the hotel as I thought it would, and we both sighed tiredly as we climbed out of what had to be a town car. I looked the pull through over and realized that everyone was staring at me.
I looked away, moving so Kevin could join me. The car pulled away behind us, and someone moved to pull the hotel doors open for us.
I felt sort of important.
I grinned a little foolishly as we moved back into the cool air of the casino floor, looking around. A woman was watching me, the same sort I'd been seeing all day. She was tall, all voluptuous curves and confidence. I smirked at her, wondering if maybe Kevin and I could afford a second room, and she smirked back, walking over to me to offer me a card as she looked me up and down.
I looked down at it, expecting it to be one of those hire-your-own stripper things. There seemed to be a hundred people along the strip passing them out. I had to blink at a pristinely white card, though, with words printed on it in navy blue ink.
Please join me in suite 726.
I blinked at it, realizing that the rest of the information was the hotel. I considered what that likely meant, then looked up to the woman.
"Coming?" she asked happily, snatching the card back from me and tucking it between her breasts before linking her arm in mine. "My name is Jessica, and they told me to bring friends."
I looked to Kevin, but he was busy being flirted with by a slightly shorter model. She had her bare thigh against his, and he was trying hard not to touch it.
This was probably not going to end well, but I started walking with her as I thought over ways to get away without being rude. It was hard to think, though, when she was leaning into me and breathing like that. Her neckline was low, and her fingernails were long and blood red as they rested against my chest.
We moved through the hotel, where she passed the card to a security officer. He looked her over disinterestedly as he studied the card, then looked our group over. He marked something down in a binder as he passed the card back to her, then smiled a bit wanly at me.
Yeah, I most likely looked a bit pole-axed.
I blinked as we moved to the elevator bank and she hit a button. She moved to lean into me, sliding a thigh up between my legs as she tilted her head.
"I don't know if I should," I cleared my throat as she continued moving her leg. "I don't...I wasn't invited."
"No, they said for me to bring friends," she persisted, considering my chest as she moved her nails along it. "You're not going to make me go up there by myself are you?"
I was going to be the butt of a joke; I was fairly certain of that. I blinked at her as she shifted against me.
"It's fine," she persisted quietly. "Please?"
I'm pretty sure my brain exploded or froze or something, because I couldn't think of a reason not to do exactly what she wanted. She started asking about my work as we entered the elevator, and why I was dressed so casually. Kevin started laughing as one of the girls crawled onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist as I saw a flash of her ass. Jessica shifted between us, looking at me before asking how long I was in the city. I forced myself to talk to her as she asked if I'd ever been invited to a personal suite before, and wondered if this really was a trap. If the dragon had done something to the kids, if he wanted to cover it up...
We moved into a quiet hall when the elevator stopped, and the girls around us started giggling more. I wondered why I wasn't jealous that they were all falling on Kevin, since he had one on each arm as one teased him forward...
Venus damn fly trap.
I frowned, slowing.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked curiously, her hand moving down my abdomen.
"I'm pretty certain we're being played here," I explained. "Why did you bring us?"
"I can't like a man?" she asked, leaning in close as she studied my face, winking as she kissed my cheek. "The guy who invited me proceeded to invite about ten other girls. He said for me to bring friends, and I decided that if he wanted to play, I would, too. Don't worry, I'm sure you and I can find somewhere quiet."
I was probably going to die tonight.
I followed after her as she tugged at my waistband, and Kevin caught my eye. He was smirking, but I could see the same worry there.
I looked around, feeling a moment of anxiety. The halls all had the same patterned carpet. The doors were set at exact intervals, and I could no longer see side halls.
"Besides," she whispered as I realized music was coming from ahead. "At the very least we can go find your pretty car."
Pretty car? My car was...oh.
Oh.
I smirked in relief, deciding to really give the party a brief shot. That car we'd arrived in was expensive, and we'd been dropped off at the main doors as it drove away. We weren't really the right sort of person for this party, but they didn't know that. I was in Vegas, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to try and see a suite when a pretty girl had her hands half down my pants.
When we got there, there were double doors, and they were open. There were people in there, and most of them looked like models. It was definitely more women than men. A few of them greeted Jessica happily, and she whispered something at me before vanishing into the group. I had a heartbeat of being alone before different girls showed up.
What the hell?
I laughed and joked with them, wondering if there was something about the way I was dressed that made them think I was rich, or maybe the smell of the dragon's house had invaded my clothes...
Or maybe this really was a trap.
I blinked, looking around. The music, the laughter, even a tv with videos playing at random. It looked like one of those tv parties that never really happened no matter how hard you tried. I wandered around until a few of the guys called me over to a bar against one wall. They poured me a drink that consisted of clear liquid, and I hesitated before taking a sip. The guy seemed proud of himself, so I smiled since it wasn't a bad flavor, and then they tugged me off over to the pool table.
The night settled after that. There were more people showing up, and one of the girls came up to me and told me to follow her. I did, and we went into an empty room...and, well, I got laid. These people had somehow been fooled by the car. I had no idea if Jessica had told them all about it, or if there really were some other cue they were picking up on, but returning to the main room had me yanked back to the pool table and given another drink.
I sighed as I finished it, realizing that it was going on four in the morning.
Oh. Shit.
I stared at the clock, turning to look the room over again...until I saw a girl. She was pretty, girl next door pretty. She didn't look like a model, and she didn't look...well, rich.
She met my eyes, smiling as she moved over to me. "Hello."
"I've heard that's the best pick-up line," I noted, feeling like an idiot even as the words left my mouth. I was winning the table, and the guy pouring the drinks didn't seem to want me to have an empty glass.
"You can't tell me it's not funny to have someone tell you your ass is out of this world," she protested brightly.
"I've never had the pleasure," I retorted, settling so I could stand without falling over.
She shifted, and I realized that she was looking at my ass. I started laughing, turning away from her.
"Really?" she gave me a happily perplexed look.
Wait a minute...it was...the girl, from the mall.
With the vampire.
I let my smile fade as I looked up and around.
"Calm down," she protested happily. "I'm really not the sort to judge. Are you having a good time?"
"Yeah, but I need to get going," I noted, looking around for Kevin as my heart pounded harder in my chest.
"It's only four," she protested happily. "Dawn's in an hour, you're good."
I pointed at the far window, where the sun was actually rising already.
She laughed happily, and a stir went through the room. She shifted and wandered away from me without a backwards glance, and I couldn't help but focus...on him.
His eyes were silver.
I stared in disbelief as that man from before sauntered out of the back room. I could tell he was only wearing a pair of jeans, and he laughed as he talked to the girls. They all flocked to him while the guys looked less enthused, but we were all drawn in anyway. We were all pulled toward him, and I swore as I tried to back away.
Kevin was standing at the entrance, and he wasn't smirking anymore. He looked a little ruffled, and I watched his eyes widen.
I looked back...to see the bloody white walking toward me with an interested expression.
"Uh, hi," I muttered lamely, trying to think of the fastest way to back off as my body shifted nearer.
He moved directly up to me, studying my face, then looked around. The silver of his eyes was terrifying, and the air around him seemed icy. I was starting to feel my own pulse, and every second he felt even colder as he looked around. I felt an insane urge to bring his attention back to me, just a touch of his arm. I wanted his attention on me, even as I started panicking internally. I looked around quickly trying to figure out what he was looking for, and realized it a moment later.
...that girl. He could probably smell her or something, because he looked me over and smirked. His hand rested briefly on my shirt, then turned to walk toward her.
Well, that was uncomfortable.
I turned to start away, knowing I shouldn't be so obvious, but not able to help it. I neared Kevin, following his gaze
The girl had turned to the vampire happily, but she wasn't touching his skin and he wasn't touching hers. He leaned in close to talk to her, walking her backwards to the wall. She bumped it and burst out laughing, then swatted at his shoulder. I could see the energy almost spark between them as he leaned in. He was obviously about to kiss her, but she avoided it with a naughty giggle and ducked away. He gave immediate chase, and she joined the group Jessica was in, and neatly ducked around the girl. It peeled his attention off of her and onto the other girl, and Jessica moved nearer to him like a moth to a flame.
So this was his party.
I stared at him as my heart hammered in my chest, then felt a touch on my arm. I turned to see Kevin, and he turned to stroll away from me.
I followed him, setting my cup on a table as I went, then moved into the hall.
I let out a gasp of relief as I leaned against the wall. That insane pull toward the white almost seemed to vanish.
"We need to walk away," he said seriously, pulling at me. "Because we have survived a vampire this far, and that's not going to happen if he actually notices us."
"He actually noticed me," I complained. "He noticed me at the mall, he nearly touched me, and my senses are frazzled."
He yanked me after him, and we headed down the hall quickly. We waited until we were out of the immediate view of the doors to run, and I felt a moment of relief as we slid into an elevator.
"So," he muttered happily, "how's it feel to be sucked in by an incubus?"
"Like you've lost your mind, and your instinct to run is working backwards," I retorted, leaning into the wall. "Like your skin is on fire; it was like breathing ice and needing it like oxygen."
He grinned at me. "How did you let him get that close to you, idiot?"
"That girl," I complained. "She was at the mall with him. I didn't realize it at first, she started talking to me, and then I realized it, and then he came out of the room."
"Considering that it's been hours and we hadn't seen him at all," he noted, "I wonder if anyone died."
"I doubt it," I returned, hesitating as the doors opened and moving out onto our floor. I hadn't been in the main room the whole time, and considering that I'd lost Kevin before that...
"He went directly to you," Kevin noted, studying me. "You really okay?"
"I said it was the girl," I pointed out. "He only got that close because he could sense her or smell her. When he saw her, he went after her."
"I actually saw it all," Kevin retorted. "Probably clearer than you did."
I made a face at him, starting to feel clearer in the head again...at least a little. I stumbled, blinking.
"How much did you drink?" he asked blankly.
"I have no actual idea," I retorted. "The last time I noticed the time was around eleven. I thought we should get going soon, and then..." I trailed off, smirking at him.
"We just survived a vampire," he noted, looking around. "How did we survive a vampire?"
"I think because he was in that room most of the time," I reminded him.
"He marked you," Kevin noted, indicating our room with a wave of his hand.
I groaned at him, pulling out the room key and sliding it into the lock.
Nothing happened.
I slid it again, then again. I checked the room number, then looked around to Kevin.
The door opened and Jeffrey looked out at us with an intensely unimpressed expression.
I moved into the room, then turned immediately into the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before throwing up, and I had a feeling my night was not going to end well.
*L
There were sleeping people all over the suite, and I moved into the room I'd claimed as mine with some trepidation. I'd noticed people going in and out of it all night, but the bed was still made, and I was not going to look at the carpets or the walls. I yawned as I climbed into the bed, and smirked as the door opened behind me.
"You alright?" Josh asked curiously as he moved nearer to me. "You have a good time?"
"Yes," I agreed, yawning at him. "I want to sleep a few hours at least."
"Noon at the earliest," he agreed, stretching and dropping next to me on the mattress. "I had a good night."
"Do you have to feed like that every night?" I asked skeptically. He really had spent most of the time in that room.
"Nah," he yawned. "It was just the thing to do tonight. You have fun talking to the wizard?"
"Huh?" I asked blankly.
"The wizard," he repeated, opening his eyes to blink at me. "The last time I came to get someone I couldn't find you. You'd been talking to him right before."
"How would you know that, and how would I know he was a wizard?" I protested. "And aren't your two...nations...at war? Why would they come up?"
"I'm not sure," he admitted happily. "But he was and you talked to him, and he was panicking as I walked up to him. It was great, I wanted to touch him, but then you were by a pretty boy, and that needed attention."
"Why?" I retorted, rolling my eyes. "We both know you're king shit, so why are you so insecure?"
"All kings are insecure," he retorted happily. "I have an ego the size of the ocean, and you're the only girl who turns me down. What did he have that I didn't?" he smirked at me briefly. "Don't actually answer that, I want you to see how little logic I had going on."
I snorted at him, shifting and climbing under the sheet with another yawn.
"Anyway, the war ended a while back," he added. "And the only reason this area hasn't gone up in flames is because the dragon."
"The huh-what?" I demanded, actually looking at him. There was no way in hell he was talking about a giant magical lizard.
"Yep, giant lizard," he agreed, almost as if reading my mind. "He's in human form most of the day, but I'm pretty sure he spends his nights wandering here as a giant magical flying lizard."
I started giggling in spite of myself, realizing how intensely tired I was.
"I'm almost positive he could swallow me whole," he added.
"So...what was a wizard doing here?" I asked blankly.
"I think he was brought by one of the girls," he noted thoughtfully. "I mean, I saw him at the mall yesterday," he yawned. "But there was no reason for him to be here."
I nodded, sighing slightly.
"I'll ask..."
"Joshy," I muttered happily, "stop talking."
"But I can be by you and think properly," he whined.
"And I love that, but I'm tired."
He snickered slightly, shifting up to lay at the pillow properly. He flopped over so his back was to me, and I flopped the same. I pressed into his back, appreciating that he'd put his shirt back on, and we both yawned.
*Josh
Waking up as the afternoon shifted slowly by outside was pleasant, and I flopped over to watch L. I'd glutted myself as much as I possibly could, and that meant that we could go to a movie or do anything. It's the thing I should have done before picking her up in the first place, and I was realizing that the day would be good.
She stretched languidly, opening her eyes to blink at me. I watched her focus on me, and she smiled immediately before swatting at me.
"Good morning," I returned. That was actually a fairly normal greeting from her. "How you feeling?"
"Good," she shoved herself up and looked around. "You?"
"Good," I agreed, sitting up and yawning. "Let me brush and we can go do something."
"I need a little more time to wake up than that," she retorted happily.
"Fine," I retorted, moving to wander into the main room. There'd been people all over when I'd gone to bed, but they'd all vanished. I moved into the main bedroom and appreciated that it was empty as well before wandering into the bathroom.
Waking up was pleasant, and we both wandered into the main room to flop together on the couch. L brought over a leftover pizza, and we flicked the television on. It was nice to have the casual intimacy back, and it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't had that party.
"What do you want to do?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know, we should hit a mall or something," I returned. "Run around and pretend that we're both normal twenty-somethings. I'll pretend I'm trying to impress you."
"Your king's ego?" she asked happily.
"It's much more fragile than it looks," I agreed brightly, looking around to her.
She laughed happily at me, climbing off the couch to stretch.
*Ryan
I was never going to hear the end of getting dragged off to a party. We had to call and report what had happened with the dragon, and then I had to own up to how we'd been distracted from reporting in immediately while my entire body rebelled against me. I opted not to mention that it was a party thrown by a white, which made me look that much more like an idiot.
I groaned as I lay back on the bed, staring across the room. Jeffrey and Selena had wandered off to see the casino at least, and I'd stayed to try and sleep it off. Kevin was only better than me by a margin, and that margin was that he hadn't puked.
It might have helped him if he had.
I forced myself up and headed into the bathroom again, rinsing my face. I needed to drink more water, and I'd asked Selena to bring me back some sort of sports water, but I didn't know if she would, and she'd been threatening to be gone until four in the morning, too.
"So," Kevin muttered happily. "We're going to have to do work today."
"I can't really think," I retorted, staring at the room's windows. "And I don't know what to do anyway. I believe Bui. He said they left."
"And as we were picked up by the vampire, they might have been as well," he pointed out. "Those girls told me that they saw your car. I'm not sure why it's yours instead of mine, but they saw your car."
I blinked at him.
"Jessica claimed you," he agreed with a smirk. "The rest of them were trying to claim me. I felt like a side of beef that they all wanted."
I snorted slightly.
"Those guys pulled you to the pool table, and everyone was giving us drinks. I was almost positive we were about to be drugged, and then you didn't care."
"I figured out the car thing," I shrugged back. "And since neither of us knew about the vampire part, I figured we may as well party."
"I wish you'd have mentioned it to me. I thought that woman had somehow got you under a spell. I was trying to get you away from her and no one was letting me. It was creepy, and then one of the girls got me to take a drink. It was...intense."
"Yeah, I'm not sure what alcohol that was, but it wasn't something light."
"It was a good time," he admitted.
"Until it wasn't," I retorted. "Until it was a vampire's party that we joined without real permission."
"Until you were marked by a vampire," he agreed happily. "You have all the fun. The only attention I had all night was from two pretty girls."
I snorted at him. "You think I only got that white?" I demanded. "Because I really didn't. I'm sure it was because they all thought the car was mine, but I did not lack for attention."
He started laughing.
I sighed, moving to grab a water bottle. There was food on the table, and I peeked into the containers to see french toast.
"So we need to eat," I noted, opening the second container to see the same thing. I passed him a package and a plastic fork, moving back to sit. "I need a lot more water. Do you have any ideas?"
"We'll have to get the staff to answer us," he shrugged. "I have pictures of both of them. We can tell them enough of the truth...I mean, they were sent here as a special prize, they're barely twenty-one, we need to find them to be sure they're okay."
I sighed and nodded my agreement. I'd really hoped the dragon would have the news for us in the end, but wish in one hand...
*Josh
There he was.
I focused on the wizard as L continued talking. He was talking to the staff at a little side-booth, and I waited for him to finish. L was telling me about something inane, and I was listening well enough to her that I could track it. I followed the wizard, realizing that I was doing this to be vindictive. There was no other reason to antagonize him, but I'd seen his fear.
Actually, I realized with some amusement that there was a way to get a few moments of intimacy with him, I wouldn't even have to do anything distasteful, either. I could invade his space, stop him. He'd have to acknowledge the fear, and he'd know damn well that I was causing it. Not my normal style, but intimacy I could use to my advantage. L would probably be furious with me for it, but the vindictive thing was winning out.
We followed a group to the elevators, and L seemed to recognize him as the group in front of us disappeared into one car.
He turned casually to look at us, then froze as he noticed me. He stepped back, but I leaned into L and ignored him. She seemed to understand, because she didn't try and talk to him, either.
The elevator opened, and I followed him into it. We were the only ones waiting at that bank, and I caught his arm before he could turn and slip out, holding the door-closed button.
"Hey," he snapped, backing away from me warily as he looked to L.
"Hello," I greeted him happily as I hit the button for my floor. "How are you?"
He turned to hit the button for the next floor, but I slapped his hand away. "Floor?"
"The next one," he snapped, trying to get past me again. I shifted to stand in his way, and he grudgingly said a number. I hit the button for him, then turned and moved at him. He backed off from me toward the corner, then flinched when his back hit the wall.
"Josh," L sounded alarmed. "Not in here; come on!"
I knew she had a point. It was just the three of us...but I was not passing up this chance. I raised my hand and traced his jawline. He huffed slightly, looking away from me as his jaw clenched. I ran my fingertip below his ear, feeling that connection as I took just a little bit from him...before he slammed into me. Hard.
I lost my breath as he shifted toward the far side of the elevator, breathing heavily.
I laughed wickedly, moving to follow him.
"What the fuck," he snapped, trying to keep back from me. He finally stopped behind L, and I blinked at her as I reminded myself that I wasn't Hungry, and neither of them were really food.
"He's being an asshole," L explained, keeping between me and my prey. "Josh, you're a dick."
"I can make this real fun real fast," I promised her, grinning wickedly. "You'd even like it."
"Why are you doing it?" she retorted.
I looked down at her, tilting my head slightly. "Because I can."
He made an uncertain noise.
L, though, moved forward. Before I could react, she'd cupped my face in her hands, leaning in close to study my eyes.
I lost my control that fast, kissing her deeply. I'd wanted to for so long it wasn't funny. She moved into me, wrapping her arms around my neck and making a noise that I enjoyed incredibly. I pulled away as fast as I could manage, and realized in disbelief that he had his mouth on her throat. I wanted to attack him as she turned into him instead, but the elevator dinged.
We all stopped when the machine's jerking nearly knocked them over, and he looked between us in absolute disbelief. He ran from the little room and disappeared down the hall. I stopped myself from immediately running after him, and I looked back to see L was about to dig out my eyes with her beautiful little fingertips.
Well, shit.
*Ryan
Why the fuck had I ran from a predator? Stupid move! Stupid!
I darted down the hall toward my hotel room, trying to control myself when the new key actually worked. I stumbled into the empty room and moved to drop on the bed, burying my face in the pillows as I tried to figure out what I'd actually done to make that thing focus on me like this. The girl, she'd stepped in to distract him from me, and she obviously knew how he was. She'd pointed out the elevator was too small a space, and when he'd said it was because he could, I'd seen her annoyance.
The rest? Well, I had no idea. I could tell he'd fed on me, and it made feel...scared. It was like someone had come and taken my wallet at gun point, that helpless frustration and anger. Vulnerability.
I sighed tiredly, curling up on the bed. If he started coming at me again, I'd have to start the fight. I probably couldn't win it, but he was a predator, if I could startle him hard enough he'd run. Considering that he hadn't ever really talked to me, this little battle between us should just be between us. With any luck, the council and the rest of the court would stay out of it. I had to hurry up and find those kids...unless he'd taken them. He was a white. I could probably come up with any number of ways for him to win gain from that.
All the information the staff had given me was that the pair of apprentices had been there, sharing a room. They'd stayed a few nights, then checked out. I had the date and time, but they noted I'd have to get the cops involved for any further information.
It was frustrating. Dead ends all around, and now a white court vampire. It was like a three ringed circus; Scooby-doo and the gang in center stage, Gable Bui the dragon on the right, and the white court sadist on the left. Come one, come all! Laugh at the lack of skills, be enthralled by the ice cold bastard, and share a cup of tea with a semi-immortal lizard in a man's body.
I sighed, relaxing slightly and trying to ignore my shaking hands. I'd shoulder-blocked that asshole with all the skill quarterback could manage, that sort of thing usually made a difference. I'd barely gotten him a few steps away, and then what did I do? Hid behind the girl.
Well, that sounded terrible. It wasn't that a girl couldn't protect me, it was that stories usually had the hero rescuing the girl from the vampire.
It took a while for me to calm back down. I was scared, honestly. I didn't understand why that had started happening, but I would rather have it be me than Selena or Jeffrey...but what was I supposed to do? Sure, I protected council members from attack, I'd fought in a war that had left our organization crippled...I'd seen things, I'd seen some terrible things.
Those things weren't personal; this. was.
What the hell was I supposed to do?
*L
I wanted to hurt him. Joshua had no right to turn on that man like that, there was no actual reason for it. He just did this sort of thing, though, and I imagined it was the privileges his family took with everything.
I wanted to kiss him again.
I stormed away from the male as we exited the elevator, turning immediately for his suite.
"L," he protested, giving chase. "Hey..."
"Don't touch me," I snapped at him, not slowing.
"Hey!" he protested in an angrier tone.
I ignored him as we reached the suite and used the key to get in. I stormed across the room to my little guest room, moving to cram my little bag of items into the larger bag we'd picked up from my apartment earlier in the day.
"Please," he protested, stopping in the door. "I know you're mad at me, don't leave."
"I could stay," I snapped back, turning on him. "But then you might eat me."
Hurt flickered through his eyes, then anger. He moved toward me, but I turned instead. I hadn't let my bag go, so I swung it at him.
His reaction was shock, then even more anger. He yanked it away from me and dropped it, then grabbed at my wrist. I wasn't sure what he was actually trying to do, but I couldn't help the fear when I realized I wasn't actually strong enough to pull away.
He pulled me into him, hugging me hard without touching any skin. "You're not supposed to feel that," he hissed.
I huffed, leaning into him and making sure I didn't touch his skin as well.
"I can't have this be my only world," he informed me in a tight voice. "All the lies at home, all the games with my family...empty night, Ella. You're the only person who knows me."
"I will not accept you provoking and antagonizing people for a laugh," I informed him, pulling away to glare at him. "He didn't do a damn thing to you."
He looked away, something like anger flashing briefly in his eyes.
"Why the hell are you jealous of him?" I snapped, swallowing as I studied him.
"Because in a party full of model equivalents," he hissed, not looking at my face, "you went to him."
"A party full of models influenced by you," I agreed, studying his face. "A party full of yes-men and loose skirts who would do anything you said for the simple reason that you said it."
He frowned, meeting my eyes. "They all seemed nice."
"How would you even know?" I retorted. "Did you actually talk to them?"
I saw the brief flash of embarrassment in his eyes as he started avoiding mine again.
"I barely talked to that guy, you know," I informed him seriously. "He was out here playing pool and having a good time with the others, I saw him go off and screw one of the girls. He looked at the time later, and sort of stopped. I went to tease him about it. I realized you were coming out and walked away because I didn't want you to pick on him...and then what did you do?"
He hung his head.
I hesitated, then rested my hand along his chin so he looked up at me.
"Stop terrorizing him."
He nodded, studying my eyes.
It was weird to touch him without feeling that tingle of pleasure, to be this close to him and emotional...and not feel the stirrings of lust.
I sighed, moving away from him before the proximity triggered him, looking down to my bag. "I want you to know," I noted quietly as I studied it, "that when you're with me, it's not okay to do anything you want."
"I don't do..."
"You embarrassed him because you could," I snapped, meeting his eyes. "There was no actual reason for what just happened."
"If I did anything I wanted," he hissed, leaning in closer to my face, "then..."
I glared up at him, deciding not to move. I usually moved away, because this was his intimidation. He normally did it to remind me that he wasn't wholly safe, and I was realizing more and more that I was some sort of refuge for him...but not this time.
His breathing changed very slightly as he studied my eyes, and I started to feel that pull, that...lust. I wasn't going to lie, both of them kissing me in the elevator had felt good. I'd felt like a woman and a queen. This...ridiculous thing we had made me feel special, and I knew for a fact that he considered me special.
I felt a coolness rising on his skin, swallowing slightly as desire warred with reason. I wasn't sure I could undo it, and I knew for a fact that I didn't actually want to.
He broke away, huffing and storming from the room.
I sighed again, moving to sit on the bed.
Chasing that love, that ideal relationship...I wanted that. I didn't get that, though, not with Joshua Rossi...Joshua Raith. Loving him would be fine, but if he actually loved me, I would literally cause him nothing but pain.
He moved back to the door to the room, his eyes dark as he looked me over. "You coming?"
I swallowed again and nodded, tossing my things onto the bed and following him from the room.
*Ryan
Kevin had gotten us a lead.
I followed him with Selena and Jeffrey, listening intently as he explained what he'd learned. Evidently, he had talked to a waitress who'd been working a few nights before, when the apprentices had checked out. She'd noted that she had seen the pair, and thought they were an adorable couple.
That seemed to correlate with what Bui had said, though it was seeming less like a random comment and more like something to notice. I shook my head as we headed through the casino.
At any rate, the woman said she'd heard them talking as they left, and they'd been arguing about where to go. She thought they'd said Travelodge, but she hadn't heard clearly.
So, time to find the nearest location.
We move out together into the dark night; it had taken me until about two before I could get up and do anything, and we'd eaten lunch. We'd separated around the casino to get what information we could, and I'd had the run-in with the white court bastard around five. I'd met the others for dinner at about six, and that was when Kevin had went to talk with a woman who'd started her night's shift.
It took a while of us searching for a phone book before we finally realized there were piles of fliers around that advertised other hotels. We'd walked past that Travelodge on that first day.
Well, once more into the fray.
*Josh
Ella had been entirely furious with me, and we'd both been more than let down by the argument's conclusion. I wasn't sure if we'd stopped fighting because we'd come to an agreement, or if it was simply because she'd had a reaction. It didn't matter either way, because we could both move on from it.
"I'm hungry," she sighed finally, pushing away from the corner she'd been snuggled into on the couch.
"Hungry?" I asked, focusing on her and trying not to smirk.
"Starving," she agreed, evidently not noticing.
I blinked slowly at her until she actually looked at me again, then noticed the comprehension in her eyes. She smacked me hard.
I started laughing, shoving myself up and darting toward her face with my tongue out. It made her squeal as she threw me off, and the rest of the tension broke as she started giggling. I continued trying to lick her as I wrestled her arms down, then realized I was touching her skin as she stopped fighting me.
"Heh, sorry," I muttered, letting her go and backing off.
"You are a grade-a dick," she noted, sitting up with a flushed face and pulling the strands of hair from her face.
"Wanna quality test?" I asked.
She looked at me.
I started laughing as she smacked at me, then had a moment of confusion as she lunged in...and licked my jaw.
I squawked at her as she laughed and dived off the couch, darting away. My instinct to chase her was base, but this was the sort of thing that we'd always done and there was no one here who'd judge me. I pelted after her through the hotel room as the game turned a little more serious. She was still having fun, but it was catch. We stalled on opposite sides of the pool table, and watching her eyes sparkle as she made pretend lunges made me...happy.
I shouted as I jumped onto the felt, climbing across the table as she squealed and laughed in disbelief, turning and running off again.
I caught her just inside the main bedroom, snuggling her against my chest as we both laughed...and noticed her throat. That spot below the ear...my arms around her. I wasn't sure if it had been the tension between us, or me losing control, but things with Ella could change damn quick. I could feel her heartbeat, and she turned her head very slightly to look at me as I kissed her neck.
She gasped, relaxing back against me, and I kissed a little higher up. I was holding her to me, but she wasn't fighting it. Her heaving breaths grew a little quicker as she made that noise again, and I leaned forward to kiss her properly as she spun and pressed into my chest. Her hands went around me, and I felt a shudder of pleasure as her nails moved across my skin. It hurt, and I wished she'd push harder, lifting her to move her to the bed.
"Nails," I hissed as I laid her down and started kissing her throat again. "Lots of nails."
I pulled my clothes back on, feeling better than I had in a long time. It was a different sort of satiation than I expected with sex, and Ella hadn't bothered to climb back out of the sheets.
"You are a bastard," she informed me, studying her nails.
"It's not my fault they weren't married," I retorted happily, moving to sit next to her to touch her leg.
She snickered, thinking a moment as she focused on that hand and her leg.
"Hm?" I asked.
"I'm almost let down," she informed me seriously. "But at the same time, it means that what we have can stay."
I realized that she was thinking about love, and removed my hand. I hadn't been feeding on her there, just enjoying the feel of her body...the idea of feeding on her had always been repugnant, and I realized that...maybe this would actually be alright.
...though, I realized with a sort of shock that if she ever were to burn me...she'd just have to...
I blinked, looking down at her as I realized that I could...deal with this.
"Hm?" she asked, stretching languidly as she finally sat up.
"Nothing," I muttered as my heartbeat accelerated. "Um...are you okay?"
"Tired," she sighed, extending a hand to me.
I smiled, reaching out to pull her up, then cursed and yanked my hand back.
"What?" she asked, blinking at me.
I looked at the raw red skin where her hand had touched mine and shook my head, smiling slightly at her. "I have a paper cut."
She guffawed at me, climbing off the bed and meandering into the bathroom.
I swallowed, looking down at my hand again as my heartbeat quickened.
This was...bad.
The water started, and my urge to go to her faded off as I considered my hand again. I moved across the room and ducked my head into the bathroom. "I'm going to run downstairs," I called. "Want anything?"
"Something to drink, asshole," she agreed.
I smiled at that, turning and moving from the room as I considered the burned spot. If I could manage to keep from feeding on her...this would be alright. I needed to, and she was going to kill me for this, but I needed to get someone else to bed her.
My mind went to the wizard, and I snickered at the very idea. I could go invite him up and apologize, influence them both and watch the fun...or she would walk out on me again and probably actually leave.
I could bring up any buck, though, and she'd made me promise to stop torturing the wizard. Bringing him up to apologize to him could be an excuse, but it seemed flimsy. I honestly didn't think she understood that jealousy was irrational. I had picked a load of bucks that fell into her definitions of attractive, and she'd gone to talk to the one freak that I hadn't invited. Sure, she'd barely talked to him, but still.
I snickered as I headed into the elevator. I just needed to throw another party, she'd accept that...and I could work the rest out from there.
*L
I wasn't sure where he'd gotten the lounge clothes.
I considered my butt in the mirror as I turned slowly. The wallet in my pocket looked dumb, but these pants had pockets. The phone in the other pocket would also look ridiculous, but...well, I felt damn good, and wondered if he'd ever realize that I'd decided to give up the fight to bed him. I was still disappointed that he could touch me. He'd been talking long and hard about how love burned and it was a worry, but being able to be with him again...and not even in the bed, I simply meant the time we spent together. I'd missed that. The bed thing, that might be a necessity, but we'd have to discuss it.
I stretched as I turned again, smiling at the stupid pristinely white t-shirt he'd given me. He'd even ordered me a nude bra. I had no idea how much these clothes cost, but then, when had money ever been an issue to him?
I turned and headed through the suite to the main room, wishing that I didn't have to go home Sunday night. I'd like to take a vacation, and since this was Vegas, it'd be a stay-cation, right?
Stupid school.
I snickered slightly as I spotted him near the bar, and moved over to lean against the wall by it...and realized that that was not Joshua.
I froze.
"Why in the world are you in more clothes?" Andon asked, turning to look at me.
"How did you get in?" I demanded, shoving myself away from the wall and crossing my arms over my middle. I didn't like how close we were, and the entire damn suite was empty.
He moved around with a beer in one hand, looking me over with smug interest. "You caught my attention, Miss Ella."
This was one of his damn manipulative cousins.
"I think you should leave until Josh gets back," I noted as calmly as he could manage. "I certainly am not here to entertain you."
His eye flashed wickedly as he looked me over again. "I think I disagree with that."
I decided not to stay. I turned and headed out the door into the hall. I knew he could run fast, and kept myself focused on my anger. I needed to be as casual as I could manage or he would chase me.
"Ella," he chided from behind me. "Come on, now, doe."
I ran for it, turning into the inlet for elevators as a door started to close. I slid into it and hit the button for the lobby, hearing something in the hall.
I didn't, however, have my damn phone.
It only took a few minutes to reach the ground floor, and I moved from the elevators nervously. I had no idea why Andon was in our suite, but I had the feeling it couldn't be good. I had no idea why he thought it'd be a good idea, either.
Josh was, fortunately, leaning against the closest of the bars with his back to me. He had his phone to his ear, and I moved immediately to him, raising a hand to touch him as...I realized it was not him.
He turned to look me over with near disinterest, then blinked at me.
I smiled slightly at him, then turned and walked away. I could feel his eyes on me, and wondered if this was that other cousin he'd said was in town...or hell, maybe it was part of the king's group.
I swallowed as I turned down another hall, then moved across the way. It only took me a few minutes to reach the moving sidewalk, and I darted down it as I tried to remember my friend's stupid cell number. I'd always known I should have it memorized, but hadn't actually taken the time to do it.
The air outside was hot, and I wondered how ridiculous I looked compared to the girls in heels. Worse yet, I was alone, and there were unfriendly looking people on the air bridge.
I ignored them, moving across into another casino. There was a bar near that entrance, and it had loud music playing. The crowd outside of it was cheering, but I ignored them and moved into a shopping area. I took the escalator stairs two at a time as I looked around for someone I knew. None of my friends came down here, though, not unless we had guests.
Shit.
Well, with Josh, the best thing would be to find somewhere I could wait. He knew how I thought.
I moved across the casino floor, no longer amused by the laughing and chattering crowd. It took several minutes for me to get onto the sidewalk outside again, and I waded through everyone as quickly as I could.
I wanted to be somewhere he'd think to check for me. It'd probably be best to hit up one of the places we'd been before, and I didn't want to be anywhere too close to any of the roads. I supposed the strip itself would be fine, but there was a definitive chance that I didn't actually have to run. Granted, with his family and the games they played, there was also the chance I could be a hostage.
I'd been fed on enough for one day, though.
My happy relaxed bubble had popped, and I grew annoyed with the people I had to wind through. It seemed to take twice as long to get anywhere with the groups blocking the sidewalk and being oblivious.
So...that shopping center we'd been in. I could go over to that bagel area because it was a large lounge that didn't close.
I hoped he realized where I'd eaten at to come find me.
I sighed as I moved toward the next air bridge, looking around to see if I was being followed obviously or not. No one was actually paying me any attention, which was good. I worked my way past a driveway, it was empty and creepy, then up to the next building. There was a bit of a distance between the air bridges here, and I realized as the crowd started crossing the boulevard ahead of me that I didn't have to go all the way to the next bridge.
Once inside that mall, I found one of the random convenience stores. I took a moment to get myself a water and snack, then blinked as I noticed a display of thin sweaters; with the air conditioners, inside any of the buildings was cold. It'd cost an arm and a leg, but Josh had given me a couple hundred dollars for that bagel, hadn't he?
I picked one that fit and moved to pay, smiling at the woman as I considered a small selection of pay-as-you-go phones. If he didn't find me in the hour, I might buy one. Actually, I might have one of his stupid business cards in my wallet. They were the fun kind that had nothing printed on them but a cell phone number. I believe he'd called it an emergency hotline at one point. I tossed the thing on the counter, smiling at the woman.
"What in the world?" she asked happily.
"Mine vanished," I sighed. "I think I left it somewhere; I need to call my friends to come rescue me."
She laughed at that, wishing me a good luck.
I put on the sweater, then took my bag of things and turned to find the lounge. The area was dark, and I realized there were actual padded chairs near the windows. I wandered over to one and plopped down, digging out the water and phone. I wasn't sure how I'd open the phone package, but the first thing was hydration.
Maybe I could nap again. Damn, I was tired.
I yawned as I drank, sitting back to fuss with the packaging. I was finally able to relax, pulling and cranking at the plastic.
"Can I...help you?"
I looked up at the voice, then blinked at the damn wizard.
He blinked back at me.
"Here," he sighed, passing me...a fricking knife.
I stared at the blade a moment, then took it from him.
"I'd offer to do it," he noted, pulling a chair over from a nearby table to sit in, "but then your little toy would stop working. Are you alright?"
"Not really," I returned, swallowing slightly. "Are you following me?"
"No, my friends and I..." he gestured toward the hall. "Well, we're here. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I don't usually...I..." he frowned at me, looking away.
"You don't make a practice of joining in spur of the moment elevator three-somes?" I asked happily. "What a prude."
He snorted at that, looking me over without meeting my eyes. "You alright? You look a little out of it."
"I just had a marathon sexcapade with my damn incubus; I should steal your knife and gut him with it."
He blinked at me.
"He said you're a wizard," I added as the plastic finally gave. I closed the knife again, looking back to him. "So you know about vampires, right?"
"Yeah," he sighed, avoiding my eyes.
"You can meet my eyes," I informed him dryly. "I don't bite."
"I really can't," he retorted, his eyes flicking briefly to mine. "I don't think you wanna know me that well."
"What?" I asked, blinking at him.
He waved it away taking the knife. "You need anything?"
"Company," I suggested. "We had an unwelcome guest in our suite, and I'm not sure if I'm the intended target or an innocent bystander."
"Wooha?" he asked, blinking at me and looking away immediately.
I snorted at him, amused. "You...know the courts?"
"More than you'd think, less than you, I imagine."
"I don't know much more than whites are a bunch of politicians," I shrugged, powering the phone on and keeping it on the far side of my chair from him. "But he has these two cousins who've been hanging around lately. I'm pretty sure they both showed up at the hotel today, and since I was alone in the suite, I'm sort of worried about intentions."
"Don't want to be a second course?" he asked curiously.
I made a face at him as I skipped through the set-up options.
"What are you...doing?" he asked.
"I scampered like an intelligent bunny," I supplied. "Instead of running, I stormed away. I got to the main floor and thought I saw him again and it was someone else. I don't know where Josh is, so I'm going to call him. My phone is on the bed in the suite, though."
He sighed. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Terrified if I'm honest," I admitted.
He nodded, looking around.
"I'll walk with you," I decided, realizing he was looking for someone. I gathered my things and tucked them into the bag, then made sure to yank the tag off my sweater.
He smiled slightly at me, then stood slowly and started to walk. "I'm actually only in the city to look for a couple kids," he noted with his hands in his pockets. "I screwed up last night bad, and recovering after the elevator ate another hour. My friends are pissed at me—well, not Kevin. Here," he added, gesturing down a side hall.
I made a noise, digging out the special little card from Josh before heading down a lonely looking hallway with a stranger. I was typing the number in as I went, and...an incredibly pale hand circled my wrist from the wrong side. I squawked as I saw that second-guy smirking at me, then watched as he yelped and yanked his hand way.
"Oh, he loves you?" he asked, his eyes lighting up with a sort of vicious hatred. "I love this."
"What?" I demanded as he shook his hand out, confused as hell.
"Don't just stand there," the wizard snapped, moving up behind me and pulling me to him and away from the influence of the damn white.
I saw the vampire look at the wizard's arm around me, between my breasts, and a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes. The wizard was pulling me, though, and I managed to remember that I did have free will. I turned, yanking back at the wizard's arm as he tried to start running.
"Predator's chase," he agreed with me, as if he hadn't been trying to run. He wrapped his hand in mine as we walked quickly.
"I am chasing," the male called from behind us. "I'm just enjoying my hunt. I can smell your fear, freak."
The wizard turned with his hands busy...and threw a small thing behind us.
"What was that?" I asked blankly.
"Perfume sample," he supplied happily, pulling out a handful of tiny vials from his pocket and passing me a few as he dropped a tiny black cap. "They stink to us, right? Imagine the intensity to a creature with three or four times our senses?"
"Depends on how many parts," I pointed out. "Might not be so bad for them."
I heard a choked cry from behind me, then tucked the handful into my other pocket. "Right."
"Run," he agreed, grabbing my hand again. We turned and darted up the hallway, passing myriad closed shops until we reached an intersection, at which juncture he happily uncapped more perfume and flicked it at a pillar.
I started laughing, turning with him to run.
