Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)(84)

A quick glance over to her right showed that Mason, her werewolf bodyguard for the night and chief of her Maker’s security force, was still standing up against the far wall. He was a handsome enough man with red hair that curled slightly, giving him a roughish look, but werewolf blood tasted even worse than drunk-human blood so she’d have to be starving before she touched him, and that wasn’t the case. He wasn’t hovering, so to the mortals around her she should appear like a beautiful young woman clearly lacking company, but despite all the interested looks thrown her way, she couldn’t find anyone she actually wanted to come near her.

It made her suddenly aware of how very lonely she was. She’d been immersed among vampires for so long that she’d forgotten how damn vulnerable she’d been when she was human. Old feelings, ancient betrayals tried to surface in her thoughts, and she strained to keep them back. Across the room her bodyguard tensed, ready to come to her side if she needed him, but she raised her hand slightly, letting Mason know she was fine. Just a bit of the past trying to plunder the present.

Shit, when had she become so f*cking miserable? She wanted to kick her own ass for being so emo. Fucking hell. What she needed was a nice, strong human male to fall in love with her for one night. A man who wasn’t playing games, someone with experience and that certain something that made her blood sing. She needed to feel as though she belonged to someone, but there wasn’t anyone among the crowd that made her look twice. The feeling of needing, craving…something intensified until she hugged herself, wishing Sargon was still here so he could hold her.

As that last thought made her want to tear up, she met the gaze of a man in his early forties sitting in another area of the VIP section. He had close-cropped dark hair with thick shocks of silver streaking through it. A black cowboy hat sat on the table before him, and she had a sudden, vivid mental image of riding him wearing just his hat. He was sexy, so damn sexy it made her teeth ache to taste him. His tanned face had faint lines, and she could see the solid, muscular build of his broad chest and shoulders beneath his plaid shirt. Something about him radiated power and control, but it wasn’t in the way of immortals. No, this man was one hundred percent human and utterly delicious. All thoughts of anyone’s gaze except for the powerful man before her vanished as pure primal need filled her.

She wanted him.

Now.

He caught her staring, and his eyes widened for a moment before he smiled. She glanced around his seating area and deduced that he was alone in his section, just like she was. Did he want to sit away from humanity because he wanted the privacy, or was it for other, darker reasons? Was that mysterious man here to search for a victim of his own? Too impatient to reason out her best plan of attack, she stood and smoothed her dress over her curves, feeling his gaze following her hands like a caress. Being immortal had its advantages, like never having to worry about a sagging body part. The cowboy’s firm lips curved into an appreciative smile, and she shivered as energy surged through her.

Oh yeah, she was taking him home with her tonight. Maybe she’d even invite Sargon to join them if the desire moved her. One of her favorite things was to watch Sargon work his sensual magic on another man, and her Maker enjoyed indulging her kink. A very, very clear mental image of Sargon kissing the mystery man across the room from her flitted through her mind with the strength of a memory. As she tried to grasp onto that picture, it slipped through her fingers, leaving her even more aroused than before.

Slinking over to him, she paused before the handsome stranger and smiled down at him, letting a bit of glamour enter her gaze. He’d forget what she looked like tomorrow, but for tonight, she’d let him see the real her. His jaw dropped farther as her skin took on a shimmer like amber and her pale blue eyes sparkled with bits of silver. Being seen for who she really was, letting this mysterious man observe the effects of her vampire blood, was a drug like no other. She could pretend for a moment that she was something beautiful, something special. On the inside she was as dark as could be, but it was nice to feel like she had a bit of light inside of her somewhere.

Memories of what she’d had to do to make it this far sent a shudder through her, and the cowboy drew her down to his side without a word. He gripped her chin in his hand and drew her gaze to his. “I’ve got you, baby girl. Relax. I won’t do anything to you that you don’t want. Now, how much have you had to drink? Do we need to start getting some water and Tylenol in you?”

“What the f*ck?” She jerked her chin away. “You think I’m drunk?”

He shrugged, and she actually growled at him before she caught his little smirk. She knew just how to wipe that smug smile off his face. Sliding her fingers through his hair, she tried to stifle a moan at how silky it was. He did moan, and the sound was low, delicious, and made her sex wet as she gripped his thick hair in her hand and tilted his face to hers. He had lovely, deep brown eyes that she could easily see herself getting lost in. The oddest feeling of relief filled her as she stared into his eyes, like she’d missed him.

“Smell my breath. Do I smell like alcohol?”

Vampires actually smelled quite nice to humans and there was a tranquilizer in her kiss that would mellow his ass right out. But for some reason she didn’t want to kiss him yet. She wanted to hear what this * had to say. Was she drunk…what a dick! Goodness, why was it always the hot guys that were the biggest jerks?