Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(36)

He broke away from his group and came toward me. Tall, with chiseled good looks, he was handsome, though that didn’t matter much. What I wanted from him was beneath the surface of that nicely wrapped package.

Before he reached me, I felt something move inside me, an awareness of sorts. My senses picked up another energy source so much like myself, and I knew Jenner had arrived.

I turned to see him sweep into the nightclub with an arrogant stride and a cocky sneer to match. A black t-shirt showed off the tattoos on his arms: a large spade with L.V. inside it and script written in a language I didn’t recognize, among other things, on one arm and a mash of images that made up a full sleeve on the other. It appeared to contain roses and blood.

Jenner didn’t just walk. He sauntered, exuding power that cloaked him like a fragrance and drawing stares from those nearby. He was hot, and he knew it. God, how I despised him.

“This better be good.” He greeted me with a grin and some blatant ogling. “I’m missing out on some quality male bonding at a hockey game right now.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I frowned, trying to discern whether or not he was messing with me.

“Not at all. Shaz wanted to go so Arys went with him. This seems to be kind of a thing now, the two of them spending time together. Arys is very protective of your wolf.” Jenner cast a glance at my would-be victim, who hung back, uncertain now at the vampire’s appearance. “What’s this? Your playmate for the night? You don’t actually think you can stop yourself, do you? I heard about what you’ve been up to. You’re a f*cking killing machine.”

I’d been lost in the idea of Shaz and Arys doing something normal together. Well, doing anything together really. It was baffling. Jenner’s last remark struck deep though, and I grabbed him by the throat, dragging him close.

“What the f*ck did you call me?”

Completely unfazed, Jenner chuckled. “Hey, I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

Against my better judgment, I let him go. “Watch it. My temper is short, and my fuse is always lit.”

“You don’t say.” Jenner’s pupils dilated dangerously as my high-strung energy washed over him. He motioned to the human I’d picked out. “Are you going to hit this or what? I can make sure you don’t kill him.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I studied Jenner, finding his interest to be piqued but his control firmly in place. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Yeah, actually. I would.” His gaze darted around the club. At first I thought he was criticizing my décor, but then I realized he was seeking out his own victim. “Just give me a minute to find my own playmate.”

I shot him a cautionary look and shook my head. “You’re not getting down and dirty with someone in a room with me. This is about blood. Not sex.”

He fixed me with an icy-blue stare. “Is it ever only about blood?”

Not for our bloodline it wasn’t. As folklore would have it, vampires were descended from demons, having various aspects of demon power. Vampires in our bloodline had the power of the succubus and incubus. With just a look we could have a victim in a state of desperate arousal and, in many cases, each other as well.

“Jenner.” His name was a warning.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

I laughed, amazed that he could look so serious when asking. “Of course not.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded and looked pointedly toward my chosen prey. “But do you trust yourself?”

Fuck. He had me there. I’d come here to have a chat with him, one that involved a few threats and dark promises. Surrounded by the sweaty bodies and the pheromones that flavored the atmosphere, all I wanted to do was bleed people and make them beg for it.

“No.”

Admitting defeat was tough, but Jenner didn’t make me feel weak for it. He merely caught the eye of a leggy brunette and beckoned her over. After exchanging a few words, she was all his. With an arm slung around her shoulders, he led the way to the back rooms while I trailed along with my chosen victim.

“What’s your name?” I asked him, finding that I didn’t really care. Going through the motions of pleasantries just seemed like the right thing to do.

“Hayden.” His reply was short, clipped. He was nervous. It trickled from him like a slow drizzle of rain, taunting me with each drop that splattered against my aura.

“Alexa,” I said, sticking out my hand. “Is this your first time here?” His hand in mine swarmed my senses with his delicious, human essence. I licked my lips in anticipation of tasting his blood.

“No, I’ve been here before. A few times. I wouldn’t say I’m a regular or anything.”

“So you know how this works?” The last time I’d thought to partake of the willing victims at The Wicked Kiss, my victim had ended up dead. Thanks to Kale.

Hayden eyed me as if he wasn’t sure if he should be afraid of such a petite blonde vampiress. “I do.”

“Good. I don’t do so well with first timers.”

As expected, Jenner led the way down the hall to the very end, Harley’s old room, the room that I’d awoken in as a vampire. The room mocked me; it represented everything I hated about this place and the fact that I’d become one of those things.