Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(15)

My stomach clenched, and I crossed one leg over the other, finding it hard to sit still. I was uneasy with my growing curiosity. I despised the fact that I wanted to see this.

Layna forgot all about the watching audience. She fell heavily under Jenner’s thrall, seeing him as the undead master he painted himself as. Her eyes took on a strange glazed appearance. She moved robotically as he guided her to the chaise lounge. I don’t think she even blinked.

Jenner’s movements were smooth and calculated. He brushed the hair back from her face, smiling when she quivered at his touch. “Tell me how I make you feel.”

A blush colored her cheeks. She sipped the champagne and giggled again. “You make me feel nervous but excited. I have butterflies.”

“More like bats,” I snickered. A woman in the next row shushed me. Jenner slowly swung his gaze my way; unspoken promises glittered in his strange eyes. I clamped my mouth shut and focused on shielding against the onslaught of feverish energy.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You want this. Tell me you want this.” Jenner plucked the empty glass from Layna’s hand and set it aside.

“I do,” she gushed, reaching for him. “I want it.”

I rolled my eyes but kept my snide comments to myself. This was ridiculous. The people seated all around me were eating it up. When Jenner began to undress his victim, I realized why. A few gasps filled the silence, most likely from other newbies like me. Everyone else watched expectantly.

Layna welcomed his touch. With each caress, he freed her of another piece of clothing until she stood bared to us all. Jenner eased her back against the large, rounded arm of the chaise lounge. He sat between her legs and pulled her arm across. We all watched in silent wonder as he dragged his tongue over her wrist.

When he bit into her flesh, I flinched. The sudden intake of breath sounded all around me. Layna swooned, throwing her head back with a moan. She tried to pull him to her, spreading her legs wider in invitation.

“Patience, my sweet.” Jenner laughed softly, licking the blood from his lips. He got up on his knees, leaning over to kiss her while sliding a hand up to cup her breast.

I tore my gaze away to stare into my glass. Maybe I would need it after all. Just to take the edge off. The scent of Layna’s blood and arousal was tearing through my shields, stirring my bloodlust to life.

She paid no mind to the blood running from her wrist. All she saw was Jenner. I could relate to both of them, the predator and the prey. I had been both. He was a dark god to her in that moment, and she would allow him to do anything he wanted.

Jenner rose up to peel his shirt off, revealing a heavily tattooed but firm body. He was decorated in ink. A tiger snarled from its place on his back. Music notes adorned his side. There was more than one chunk of lettering that drew my curiosity.

The cloud of desire thickened as the women in the crowd reacted to him. It was his intent. The way he pushed his hypnotic power out in a wave made it difficult to resist. What made it worse was that I didn’t want to. There was pleasure in that power, and I was as much a sucker for it as any hot-blooded woman.

A peek at Jez revealed she too was feeling it. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but there was awe in her eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder how it felt for her to have a man manipulate her like that without even a touch.

Arys caught my eye and gave a slight shake of his head. He wasn’t impressed with Jenner’s blatant abuse of power though he himself was guilty of doing the same damn thing. Thankfully, without an audience, as far as I knew.

“I want to feel you, Layna. I want your legs wrapped around me while I make you cum. How does that sound?” There was absolute quiet as he took her nipple into his mouth. Her back arched, and her lips parted in a silent cry.

“Yes, yes please,” she gasped.

My discomfort level rocketed off the charts. I searched the edges of the theatre, seeking an exit. I didn’t want to watch this vampire  p**n  despite the growing heat between my legs, which said otherwise.

The fire burning between the two on stage grew from a spark to a blaze. Jenner continued to draw her deeper under his spell. After decorating her body with small bites and kisses, he finally descended between her thighs.

“Oh my,” Jez whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Similar hushed words echoed from several others.

I snuck a glance at Shaz, finding his shoulders stiff and his expression blank. Only his eyes betrayed him. They glowed with the jade fire I recognized. That same lusty flame had burned for me once. How I missed it.

Jenner’s oral attention had his victim writhing and shrieking. Her cries echoed inside the theatre, sending a shiver down my spine. I was ready to head back to the wolf fight, ready for anything to escape the overwhelming sensations.

Jenner was brewing a storm of energy. As he stirred the lust of the audience, he also fed upon it, creating a cycle of power that would carry us all higher. The mortals stared in hypnotic wonder. I could feel every nuance of the push and pull he created, despite my shields, which were weakening. With an inward groan, I dropped them completely, allowing the full effect of the rush to hit me.

I fell hard into the tornado of power twisting through the place. There was no controlling my response. The essence of vampire in my core rose up like lava to overflow in a wash of scorching energy. My four fangs filled my mouth, and my fingertips glowed blue and gold. The lust for body and blood was undeniable.