Ulysses Exposed (Blaire Thorne Book 1) Read online

  But, even with all his beauty, there was something vaguely sinister in the way he held onto his ‘food’, with an intensely possessive look in his eye. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he exuded a certain perilousness that I did not want to experience.

  Lastly, there was Esther. Her eyes were hazel, and she had long brown hair and a beauty mark on her right cheek near her top lip. Her ‘food’ looked like he was related to the Ian’s date; he too had a shaved head and long eyelashes, and he seemed very comfortable sitting with the predators. His name was Declan.

  I gave a smile that twitched at the ends, said, ‘Hi,’ to everyone and gulped down some cocktail. The half-moon-shaped sofa that the four couples were sitting on also had enough space for Sebastian and I. We sat at the far end, consciously leaving enough space between them and us, and I removed my jacket and draped it over the high-back of the sofa. The sofa reminded me of a space-aged booth from a nineties TV show. See, I was beginning to remember all these weird odd’s and end’s.

  The music was deafening, and I couldn’t hear the vampires or their ‘food’ speak, so I watched the people on the dance floor below us. There were women, adorned with neck wounds, who had lost their shirts to reveal their bras. Others were drenched in sweat and carried on drinking and dancing like their lives depended on it. There were a few holding onto their partners, offering their necks, and the vampires bit down and drank from them, just enough to quench their thirsts. I didn’t notice anyone fainting or being carried out. One thing was clear: everyone was having a good time. At some ‘humans only’ bars, they would drink until they were drunk, and that’s when the fights would break out. Not here; everyone enjoyed themselves.

  I stared at some of the humans, those with bite marks. They wandered aimlessly around the dance floor area or had their arms hooked around their vampire partner’s waist, the vampire keeping them upright. Was it the vampire making them delirious?

  There was another change in the music and then it stopped. The silence echoed in my ears as the room darkened. A beam of light shone on one person who stood in the centre of the dance area. I hadn’t seen the people move out of the way, but they surrounded him in a crescent. The man had long brown hair which hung to his shoulders and wore a suite that moulded to his body, revealing broad shoulders and a slim, muscled waist beneath. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but they looked dark and were framed by sharp features; a straight nose, high cheekbones, strong jaw. As he spoke, shadows played along his cheekbones. I watched him, keeping my eyes on his face and the way his lips moved as he spoke. His words slithered down the length of my spine and down to my toes, and all the hairs on my body stood on end. I couldn’t comprehend what those words were, but they made me quiver in my seat.

  Was this only happening to me? I tore my eyes away from him to look at the crowd. Everyone, men and women alike, stared at him. We were all spellbound, waiting for his pleasure to caress us.

  The only words that I heard from him, were; ‘desire’, ‘delight’, ‘enjoyment’ and ‘who wants a kiss?’ All the women near to him raised their hands. He walked through the sea of women searching for volunteers; some touched his shoulders, others ran their fingers over and down his back, while two tried to unsuccessfully wrap their bodies around his, his arm brushing them aside.

  He selected two women and brought them back to where he had first started. The brunette stood on his left, her mouth opened in a surprised ‘O’. He closed the distance between them, cupped her face between his hands and drew her in for a kiss. It was a chaste kiss at first. He pulled away to glance at her, and then at the crowd. He smiled before kissing her again. This time, it was hard, and he explored the inside of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around him so tightly that I couldn’t see where he ended and she began. When the kiss ended, her body went limp in his arms. Security assisted the vampire and carried her to the sofa against the wall. Her eyes were closed, and her face was slack.

  The other woman, a redhead, was staring wide-eyed at everyone with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes darted from the brunette on the sofa to the crowd and then to the vampire before her. With an index finger, the vampire touched her shoulder, and her arms dropped to her sides. He held both her arms, brought her closer to him until she was pressed firmly against his chest, and he kissed her; again, it was chaste, then aggressive, but still this side of enjoyable. Watching that kiss made things tighten down below, and heat crept up my neck and face.

  The vampire let go of the redhead, blood dripping down his chin. He wiped the blood off with a white handkerchief that he pulled from his chest pocket. The redhead licked her bleeding lip, then her knees buckled, and security caught her before she fell to the floor. They sat her next to the brunette to allow them both to recover. The crowd fell silent, my pulse raced in my ears, and then the crowd started clapping. I heard gasps of ‘Oh, My God!’ and a cascade of giggling.

  Someone touched my shoulder, and I flinched. It was Sebastian. The smile on his face suggested that he knew exactly what I had experienced along with every other women in the dance club, and asked if I was all right? I held my hand in front of my mouth as I giggled and nodded. I didn’t trust my voice at that moment.

  He was still staring at me when I could finally speak and said, “What’s the name of this club again?”

  “Kiss,” he said.

  I swallowed hard and felt my eyes widen. Kiss. Shit. I had found a ticket stub from this club in the car. I’d been here before the attack. I wished that I had checked the date on the ticket. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I downed the rest of my drink but kept the empty glass in my hands as I watched the rest of the people downstairs. I tried to think of other things; tried to get my mind off the car and the discovery of the torso, if only for a moment.

  I watched the vampire move through the crowd; he spoke to a few women while others tried to get a piece of what the two women had just experienced. He was a walking chick magnet. The men—the humans—had to be jealous. He must be Roland, the star of the show that Léon had mentioned earlier in his office. I shivered, but it wasn’t from being cold.

  Before I could think of anything else, Sebastian came in front of me again and asked if I wanted another drink. I nodded, but looking at everyone sitting near us, I didn’t want to be left alone with them. I rose when he did and grabbed his hand; he squeezed my hand in his.

  I stood on the side of the bar with the rest of the patrons while Sebastian poured another round. I had my back to the DJ stand, but when a song that I liked came on, I danced where I stood and turned around to face the gyrating people all around. Someone came from the right and grabbed my hand and pulled me toward all the bodies on the dance floor. I didn’t know who was pulling on my hand, but he held it tightly. He was large, at least six foot four, and wore a black fishnet shirt with tight leather pants.

  I yelled, “Let me go,” but he didn’t hear. Nobody heard me over the loud music.

  I glanced back at the bar, but there were so many people surrounding me that I couldn’t see Sebastian anymore. I tugged my hand back harder, but the man was strong, and he wasn’t relenting.

  Hair rose on the back of my neck. My ears thundered with my pulse. I had to get away. If this stranger got me out of the club and no one saw me, I would be gone for good.

  A glance at his hip revealed a gun underneath his fishnet shirt, and I pulled harder. There were ‘No guns’ signs plastered all around the club. How was he able to keep his?

  The man got me all the way to the other side of the club near to the ‘Exit’ sign and pulled me into his arms before he let go of my hand. With the movement of his pull, I fell against his chest but kept both my hands in front of me, so that my hands were pinned against his chest, providing some distance between us. He wrapped his arms around me and leaned in as if he wanted a kiss.

  I leaned as far back as I could. The more I struggled, the tighter he squeezed me, and my chest started to ache. Finally, I stopped struggling, and his mo
uth came close to my ear.

  “Relax, I’m not trying to hurt you. You don’t remember me?” he said.

  “No,” I said, yelling into his ear.

  “I’m sorry for grabbing you like that, but I had to get you away from him. When I saw you standing alone, I had to take the chance. I’m on your side.”

  He pulled a card from a pocket in the front of his pants and held it up so that I could see. It was a card with only a number on it.

  “My name is Ralph. Hide this, and call me if you need me, day or night. You can’t trust any of them. Not the vampire, not the were-leopard—none of them. To prove that you can trust me, ask them about their connection to each other.”

  He pulled away and regarded me. He had dark blue eyes, full lips, a beard and wavy dark brown hair that touched his shoulders. He had broad shoulders and a defined pectoral triangle; he was all muscle. Slowly, he started to loosen his grip and leaned in again. “Don’t believe what they tell you.” He let go of me and pushed through the crowd until he reached the ‘Exit’ door and left.

  I stood with my arms bunched up close to my chest. I tucked the card in my hand into the little pocket on the side of my satin skirt as a hand touched my shoulder. I flinched, spun around and hit the person who touched me. Cocktail glasses went crashing to the floor, and Sebastian looked down at me like I had sprouted a second head.

  The music was so loud that nobody heard the glasses shatter on the floor. Sebastian kept his distance, held his hands up and yelled over the beats, “I didn’t know you could fight.”

  The surprised look on my face must have shown because I didn’t know either. I put my feet together and stood straight. “I’m sorry I hit you. You gave me a fright.”

  “Who was that? One moment I was making us drinks, the next some man was pulling you away.”

  So, Sebastian had seen the mysterious Ralph. Given what Ralph had said to me, I wondered if him being noticed would mean anything to my ‘protector’, but if it did, I couldn’t tell from Sebastian’s manner.

  I decided to downplay my interaction with Ralph. “I don’t know,” I said. “I told him to leave me alone, and he did.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Uh-huh.” I nodded quickly and rubbed my hands together. They were stinging after hitting Sebastian.

  “Come, let’s get more drinks.”

  I stayed with Sebastian in the bar area while he made another round of cocktails. He gave me mine, offered me his hand, and we walked back up to the VIP area. There were more people upstairs now than before, sitting at the other tables, but our seats were still available.

  Ian’s ‘food’ had lost her shirt, and her head was against the sofa as he embraced her. He was drinking from her slender neck, and as we approached them, he glared at me. The thought behind those eyes told me he wanted to do awful things to her. I heard her moan as her eyes rolled back into her head. I felt my mouth part as I watched.

  It was only when Sebastian spoke to me that I closed my mouth.

  “Cherry seems to enjoy it,” Sebastian said as we sat down.

  So that’s her name; Cherry.

  Candy was straddling Jean-René’s lap. He was kissing her so hard that I thought he would come out of the other side of her. She had her hands in his hair while his cupped her ass.

  Charlotte was sitting in Mark’s lap, mimicking Jean-René and Candy as though they were competing for ‘Who wore it better?’.

  Esther stared longingly at Sebastian. I gaped at him as he took a long, drawn-out sip from his cocktail and watched Jean-René and Candy. Either he was ignoring Esther, or he had no clue how she felt. Were they an item?

  Declan seemed asleep against Esther’s shoulder. When she rose, Declan slumped over and fell onto Cherry’s lap. Cherry was completely in Ian’s grasp and didn’t seem to notice the man now lying on her.

  Ian stopped feeding, and Cherry’s head lolled to one side and fell on top of Declan’s back. Shit. I couldn’t see their chests rise and fall. I wanted to ask Sebastian if they were dead, but Esther pushed my drink to my lips and mouthed the word, “Drink.” She opened her legs on either side of Sebastian’s and waited for him to notice her. The music quietened a little, and I could hear the vampires on the couch. I took a long sip from my drink while I watched Sebastian’s face as he registered that Esther was standing near him.

  “Don’t you miss me, Seb?” Esther touched his hair.

  Sebastian grabbed her hand and moved it away.

  Seb. That was the first time I had heard anybody shorten his name. Did it mean that they were a couple?

  I downed my drink and placed the empty glass on the floor.

  Esther fell forward and grabbed Sebastian’s shoulders, her face painfully close to his. He leaned backward until his back hit the cushion, but Esther was persistent. She knelt on the couch beside Sebastian, her complete attention fixated on him.

  “What are you doing, Esther?”

  “I miss you, Seb,” she said, her lips lightly brushing his as she spoke.

  He moved his face away from hers so that they weren’t touching, grabbed her wrists and pushed her away from him. Undeterred, she straddled him and held onto his neck.

  Esther leaned into me and said, “We used to share a bed.” My suspicions confirmed, she also winked at me.

  Before she could utter anything else, Sebastian stood with her attached to his lap. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist as he walked with her to the other side of the couch and pushed her onto it.

  I felt movement beside me. When I turned to see who it was, Ian pressed his lips against mine. He was gentle at first, his warm mouth against mine, then he tried to open my mouth with his tongue. Ian held one hand against the back of my head to stop me from pulling away and the other around my throat. I froze. I didn’t want him kissing me, and I didn’t want to be a victim. I pushed against his chest but he was stronger; he had powers that I couldn’t fathom. But I still pushed as hard as I could. The more I resisted, the harder he forced himself against me until his tongue was inside my mouth. His kiss was hard and desperate. When his tongue came between my teeth, I bit down with every bit of strength I had. A metallic-tasting liquid filled our mouths, and I swallowed it. He pulled away, laughing, as blood trickled from his mouth.

  The kiss sent shivers down my spine and through my body. It was now clear to me that the hunger in Ian’s blue eyes wasn’t for food, but for lascivious desires.

  “You taste wonderful.” He touched his bottom lip with his finger and licked the blood slowly. “Can I bite you back?” Ian closed the gap between us, leaned closer, and opened his mouth, flashing fangs.

  Everything seemed to happen all at once. He was closing in on my neck when my elbow caught his jaw. With his forward momentum, I lifted my arms, pushing him away from me, and he fell off the sofa. The other vampires stared at us. Ian stood quickly, like someone had pulled on his strings, and he flew into me. We crashed to the floor, his long body pinning mine. He pushed my legs apart enough for his own to slide between mine. The more I struggled, the harder he pressed against me, and I could feel how happy he was to be there. I pulled on my arms but he held my wrists above my head, leaned in and kissed my cheek gently.

  “You smell wonderful,” he said as he breathed in my scent and nuzzled my neck.

  “Get off me,” I said, my voice strained.

  My pulse thundered in my ears, and my breathing became labored as Ian pushed harder against me. The ceiling above us swirled.

  “But I’ve only just started playing with you,” he said, laughing.

  He rubbed his nose against my cheek and brushed his lips against mine.

  “Hmm, you taste so good. Just one bite, please,” he implored, whispering.

  Ian lowered one hand to cup my face, to force me to look at him, then moved my head away to bare my neck. He opened his mouth and hissed, his fangs edging closer to my neck. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone quickly move, and that someone pulled Ian off me. I
an flew across the VIP area and crashed into the mirror against the far wall. Sebastian towered above me, offered me his hand, and pulled me to my feet.

  “Come, I think it’s time we left. Ian gets pissy when he doesn’t get his way, and I doubt you want to open a vein for him?”

  I took Sebastian’s hand and stood closer to him. The other vampires rose, edging nearer, leering at us.

  We ran down the stairs before Ian could stand up and fight.

  CHAPTER 7

  “I’M SORRY ABOUT what happened back there with the vampires. Esther and Ian are usually much more controlled than that.”

  I gave Sebastian the look that the vampires deserved, but because he was near, instead he got it.

  “I shouldn’t have taken you there. I’m sorry. Did he hurt you?”

  “Not much.” My side ached more than before, but I would live. “What was that, Sebastian?”

  “They’re vampires. It’s what they do. They were testing you, sorry.” A pained expression crossed his face.

  It wasn’t his fault, and he had helped me to get out of there, but why were they testing me in the first place?

  All I knew was that we had got out and nobody had died, although I couldn’t be entirely sure about the vampires’ ‘food’.

  We ran back to the warehouse. I honestly couldn’t describe it in any other way. It’s a warehouse made into a maze by its moving walls, which served its purpose of confusing the bad guy or good gal.

  I trailed behind Sebastian, with my hand still in his. His palm felt so warm. I’d only known him for a few days, during what could possibly be the worst days of my life, but somewhere deep inside, there was something. Whatever that was, did it mean that I could trust him? The scruffy-looking man in the fishnet shirt from the club had told me I couldn’t trust Léon or Sebastian, but could I trust him? I didn’t know who he was or how he knew me.