Annie Nicholas: Bait

“I really like that dress.”

I growled and released my pose to accept his hand. “You already complimented me on it.”

He chuckled as he helped me to stand and wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. “Maybe you had too much.”

“Too much what?” Was that guilt I just saw on his face? Before I could be sure, he turned us to go down the dark, little alley.

I ground my heels to a stop. “Why do we have to go down there?”

“That’s where the party is being held.”

“In an eerie alley? Isn’t that a bit cliché?”

His smile broadened while an amused twinkle came to life in his eyes. “Yes, it is. What can I say? I’m old-fashioned.” Rurik urged me to move forward. “We’re late, so hurry.”

I wasn’t in any state to put up a fight against a quorum of vampires. “I’m not going down there with you.” When was my cavalry going to swoop in and save me? The tracking device should help them find my location.

A tremor shook my chest when I took a breath and even with the cool night air, sweat trickled down my back. “No offense but I just met you. It’s kind of unfair when it’s three against one.” The slight quiver in my voice outraged me. I turned out of his arm and gracelessly tripped again. Freaking cobblestone and stilettos don’t work well together.

I leaned against the stone building and turned so it would support me. Even if I could run they’d catch me. I knew it wasn’t the alcohol that made me feel this uncoordinated. My mental shields never crumbled when I drank. That’s another gift from Colby’s training and my past drinking habits.

Rurik’s forehead creased with a frown as he collected me in his arms. “We don’t have time for this, Rabbit.” He pulled me close and I felt his power building up again. I was helpless as he wrapped a blanket of indifference around me, lifting away my worries and leaving me ... open.

“Ready to go to the party now?”

I smiled as I pressed my body against his and gazed into his pale blue eyes. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Then I snaked my arm around his neck to snuggle against his luscious body.

His eyes widened. “Ravishing.” He took my face in his hands and closed the distance between our lips, but shook his head before they touched. Sighing, he stepped away and laid his arm across my shoulders. “You’re not for me.”

We wove our way down the alley.

“But I like you.” The fog reflected the moonlight and made the stinking alley romantic. His strength and firm muscles under my hands bloomed desires I’d thought dead.

Rurik rang the bell next to a plain, steel, modern door cut into building. No lights or signs announced anything. I expected a secret knock or maybe a hidden peephole with someone asking the password. My disappointment must have shown on my face.

“What?” he asked.

“That was anticlimactic. I expected more than a doorbell at a secret party.”

He peered at me from the corner of his eyes but before he could respond, a bouncer opened the door. He nodded to Rurik and allowed us in.

We entered onto the landing of a wide staircase that led down to an open basement. Rurik stopped at the top and scanned the crowd. I followed his gaze through the narrow, long space, wondering who he looked for.

The sparse décor surprised me. A bare stone foundation acted as the walls, with similar pillars spaced evenly throughout the room. Small rectangular windows were set far apart, close to the ceiling and painted over in black. I couldn’t see the end of the basement since cigarette smoke veiled the room’s few lights, which obscured any clear view. The stale smell made me scrunch my nose and the music pounding from the back of the hall beat with the same rhythm of my heart .

People lounged in intimate groups on couches overflowing with cushions made of vintage fabrics in rich shades of brown, red, and gold. They conversed in low tones with each other, an occasional high laugh escaped . Some smoked, some drank, and, well, some made out.

A few turned our way and watched our arrival.

I caught myself tugging at the hem of my white dress then stopped, only to find my hands fixing my hair. Rurik’s control on me waned once more, his concentration focused on the crowd. The party’s theme seemed of darker colors and pleasures. My plan to stand out and catch Rurik’s attention backfired. I didn’t want to attract these people’s attention. I shifted over a few steps to stand behind him.

He reached back and took my hand, then gave me a gentle tug to follow him down the stairs. We drew closer to the groups. I observed several with pale skin, predatory grace, and the occasional flash of fangs. I’d never been around so many vampires before. It never occurred to me they met in social gatherings.

I knew enough about vampires to do my job. Otherwise, their way of existence was a mystery to me. Even after a year of experience, Rurik took me from that club without much effort. I’d never encountered anyone like him.

When Rurik turned his power at me it affected my mind like Valium. The more worried I got, the less it mattered. I just couldn’t care enough to be scared or fight.

My present situation grew worse and worse by the second. I should have been tearing my way out the door. Hell, I should never have walked through the door. Instead, I walked hand-in-hand with a mass killer as if we were on a stroll.

But as my grandmother would say, ‘shouldas and wouldas don’t count. ’

This was the biggest risk of my job—being caught. I’d known it. Life expectancy for bait was short. It’s why they paid me the big bucks. I stopped planning to have a long life before I joined Colby’s team.

Rurik kept his arm around my waist as we walked by his people and their thralls. Some nodded, but most bowed as we passed.

His people parted as a ravishing dominatrix moved to intercept us. She glided over the floor wearing a full-length, black, leather, strapless gown. Her straight auburn hair reached her waist, not a strand out of place. That much grace and perfection was unnatural, and unfair.

Rurik cursed under his breath.

She approached us and offered her hand. “Rurik.” She rolled the r’s of his name, making it sound exotic.

He kissed her hand.

“You’re fashionably late again, naughty boy. You’ve left me here to entertain myself among this tiresome retinue.” She ran her gloved fingers through his hair. “You know how I get when I’m bored.”

With a devilish smile, he replied, “I’ll have to make it up to you, Mistress Elizabeth.”

“Please do, darling. Come, join me.” She gestured to a seating area close to us. A gorgeous, young man lay sprawled among the cushions on the floor. He couldn’t have been older than eighteen, just a boy by my standards. He lay so still. A bite mark at the base of his neck cleared up what type of entertainment she partook.

I stepped toward the boy to check on him but Rurik held me tight. Then I noticed his bare chest move with a deep, slow breath. At least he lived.

“Soon, Lizzy.” Rurik gestured to me. “I need to deliver my gift to him. Do you know where he is?”

Rurik wanted to give me away, like a toy at Christmas. I glanced down at my dress and grimaced at my choice. It wouldn’t take him, whoever he was, long to unwrap me. Damn, damn, damn. I feared this unknown vampire would be much worse than Rurik. Better to stick with the monster I knew.

She nodded in my direction. “She’s a doll, so fresh and pretty.” It should have been a compliment but she pursed her lips, like she’d bitten into something distasteful. “Give her to me instead, Rurik. It’s been so long since you’ve offered me a gift.” She looked me up and down. I had the ridiculous urge to laugh. Now I knew what a hot fudge sundae felt like when I looked at it that way.