Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(16)

I watched Jenner make a show of removing the last of his clothing, and I panicked. He wasn’t going to stop until it was all over. If I had to sit through that, I would end up killing someone. The scent of so many humans was tantalizing.

Without another thought, I lifted the glass in my hand to my lips and took a long swallow. The blood was cooling but a poor substitute for taking it straight from the vein. So much was missing, including the warm body it pumped from.

With a devious glint in his ice-blue eyes, Jenner revealed his body, naked and ready. It was difficult not to look at his erection. He was clearly proud of it, allowing everyone a chance to drink in the sight of him. Sure, it was nice, but I’d seen better on each of my men.

“Are you ready for me?” He knelt over Layna on the chaise lounge, caressing her face. She nodded, speechless, kissing his fingers.

I held my breath when he thrust inside her. The sound of my own heart pounded in my ears. Perspiration broke out on my forehead, and I swiped a hand through it. I was certain my companions could hear my heartbeat and smell my lustful hunger.

Arys clasped my free hand in his and squeezed. The quaking hunger raging inside me quelled but not nearly enough. Still, I was grateful for his presence. Thankfully, this time he was keeping my feet on the ground rather than sending me off the deep end.

‘You have to keep it together. Don’t let Jenner know he’s getting to you.’ Arys’s voice echoed in my head, his mental touch gentle and soothing.

‘How is this not getting to you? Don’t tell me part of you doesn’t want to go up there and join in.’ The desperation in my thoughts made me cringe.

Arys stroked his thumb over the back of my hand. ‘Are you kidding? Every part of me wants to. I’ve had centuries to gain control over that urge. He wants to have an effect. Don’t let him.’

Jenner claimed Layna’s body with total abandon. He pumped into her with furious, fast strokes that forced the cries from her. The lust rolling off the audience was enough to choke me. I half expected them to start humping each other in the aisles, even though they couldn’t feel it the way I could.

‘If we don’t get out of here, I may climb in your lap and ride you right here.’ I let him feel the immensity of the need driving me. ‘This is seriously disturbing. He’s a fool to do this shit in front of humans.’

‘Oh, he is many things. A fool is the least of them.’

I couldn’t sit still. Watching a vampire I didn’t know have sex with a woman I would never know was uncomfortable. However, knowing what was coming made it almost painful.

Shaz shifted in his seat, a small growl rumbled in his throat. This was bad. We should never have brought him here. He wasn’t ready for something this intense. I eyed him anxiously, waiting for him to lose it. He held himself together though. Lucky him, he also didn’t have to feel it the way I did.

A war was going on inside me. I had been the victim and the vampire. In that moment, I couldn’t decide which I wanted to be.

Jenner flipped Layna over, forcing her up on her knees. Gripping her hips, he pounded into her with an urgency I felt in my stomach. The sound of his hand slapping her ass echoed. She screamed and moaned, his name an unintelligible ramble on her lips.

I tapped my feet on the floor, nearly fidgeting myself out of my seat. I tried drinking more of the blood in my glass, but it wasn’t what I wanted. Setting it down, I stared anywhere but at the stage. My gaze kept coming back to it. Dammit, I wanted to watch Jenner bleed her.

He shoved a hand into her hair and jerked her head back. Baring her neck, he ensured the audience had a good view. I licked my lips, leaning forward. Arys’s grip on my hand tightened. Eroticism oozed from the stage. The  p**n ographic display was more than an act. It was an expression of true passion. To Jenner, this was performance art; to me, it was a gross glamorization of what we were.

Layna closed her eyes in bliss before Jenner leaned in for the bite. He sank fangs into her neck, and blood spilled down her chest. The hum of energy was loud in my ears, deafening. My breath came fast. I was losing the battle of temptation. Again. I didn’t make a conscious decision to leap out of my seat. Simply riding the high of Jenner’s power wasn’t enough. I needed the climactic release that came with the kill.

Arys was ready. He caught me around the waist and dragged me onto his lap, fighting to keep me in his chair with him. Rational thought had stopped. Between the power, the sex and the blood, there was no room left for me. I was all monster.

Jenner raised his head to survey the crowd. His mouth dripped scarlet. His gaze landed upon me, and he winked.

“Alexa, it’s all an illusion,” Arys hissed in my ear. “You’re letting him manipulate you. You are my wolf, and you are stronger than that. Resist him.”

Jez leaned away from us but watched with wide eyes. Shaz was tense, ready to help Arys pin me down like a mental patient. Arys’s touch was calming despite the power that sparked between us. I was stronger with him. I clung to that. I sat stiffly with Arys’s arms around me. The erection beneath me revealed that he hadn’t gone entirely unaffected either. We watched in strained silence as Jenner feasted in all ways upon his prey. I needed this to be over.

Layna collapsed on the chaise lounge, a dopey smile on her face. Jenner licked and sucked at the wound, encouraging the flow to continue. Just when I thought my head might explode, a large velvet curtain descended to hide the stage from sight. The spotlight blinked out and darkness fell.