N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

She didn’t wait for Joshua to answer. “Alex,” she replied. “Alexandra Riley.”

The corner of one side of his mouth twitched and he gave her a short nod. “Welcome to Inhibitions.”

She jerked back as he said the name of the club. It was aptly named because a person seemed to shed all inhibitions here. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Damek. Was he powerful enough to put some sort of spell on the club? Maybe he was a wizard or something. Did wizards even exist? At this point, she couldn’t discount any possibilities.

“I need a vehicle.” Joshua got straight to business. Alex was glad. The quicker they got out of this place, the better. She was beginning to get a headache.

“So I understand.” He indicated the chairs in front of him. “Please sit.”

Alex felt compelled to sit, as if someone was whispering in her ear telling her she wanted to sit. It was disconcerting to say the least. She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll stand.”

Damek stared at her. She stared back. A slow smile spread across his face. “She is worthy of you, my friend,” he said to Joshua.

Joshua just glared at the other man, but she sensed her actions had pleased him somehow. “Thank you.”

“Ah, you’re in a hurry. A pity you won’t stay longer. It might be entertaining.” Damek slanted a glance her way. “I was enjoying the performance on the dance floor.”

Heat suffused her face as she realized he’d been watching her rub herself all over Joshua. Seen her grind her breasts against Joshua’s chest, her mound against Joshua’s erection.

A low growl of warning rumbled up from deep inside Joshua’s chest. “Tread carefully, my friend. This is James LeVeau’s daughter you’re talking to.”

Damek leaned forward and peered at her more closely. Alex felt pinned to the spot, as if she couldn’t move. The moment passed as quickly as it had begun. Damek inclined his head in her direction and sat back at his desk, suddenly all business.

Alex felt relief wash over her and the very air in the room seemed to lighten. She still wasn’t comfortable here and couldn’t wait to leave.

“There will be a truck waiting for you tomorrow morning.” He rattled off the location and Joshua nodded.

“How much?”

Damek shook his head and returned his stare to Alex. She felt as if he were trying to see all the way to her very soul. She didn’t flinch, didn’t give away anything, although she reached her hand out to Joshua. He closed his fingers around hers, linking their hands together.

“Nothing.” Damek stood. “I find I like the idea of James LeVeau being in my debt. We are finished here.” He glided from around back of his desk, coming to a halt in front of her. “If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.” He tucked a heavy vellum business card into her jacket pocket. “Just show this at the door.”

“Um, thanks.” She forced herself not to flinch as he reached out and touched her face. His fingers were cool as they brushed her cheek. Beside her, Joshua tensed. She could practically feel him vibrating with barely suppressed fury.

Joshua dug into his pocket and dumped a roll of cash on the desk. “This should cover it. I wouldn’t want myself, or anyone else, to be in your debt.” He turned to her. “Come on.”

Joshua tugged her away and Damek’s hand fell back by his side. Within the blink of an eye, he seemed to vanish, although she sensed him there in the shadows of the room.

Alex followed Joshua back down the short hallway and through the crowd as they made their way toward the entrance. She couldn’t get out of the club fast enough. The bouncer opened the door for them and they stepped out into the alleyway. Alex took a breath of fresh air, sucking it into her lungs.

“What was that all about?” She had no idea what just happened, but it felt as if something momentous had. “What is he?”

“Not now,” Joshua snapped. “When we’re away from here.”

Alex frowned. She knew he was upset, but she wasn’t quite sure why. He was the one who’d taken her to that club in the first place. Damek was his contact, not hers.

Even as she said it, she remembered the card tucked away in her pocket—the business card that came with an offer of help. That wasn’t something she was likely to use any time in the future. She instinctively knew that the offer of help came with strings attached.

She’d only just met him, but Alex didn’t think Damek was the kind of creature to do anything out of the goodness of his heart. With him, there would always be a price.

Joshua knew he was acting like an ass, but he couldn’t seem to stop. Jealousy was an ugly emotion and one he had no experience with. He’d wanted to rip Damek’s throat out when he’d touched Alex. The immortal being was more than a little fascinated by Alex, even going so far as to offer her future help. That wasn’t good. The last thing he needed was a war with a vampire. Those bastards were tough and, in spite of their deathly reaction to the sunlight, extremely hard to kill.

He could all but hear Damek laughing at him, the sonofabitch. They’d known each other for about ten years now, but he couldn’t say they were friends. They occasionally did favors for one another. The survival of their respective species was always paramount. The paranormal bounty hunters had given them a common foe, one that had made them reach out to one another in a way they wouldn’t naturally do.

Joshua didn’t know how Damek managed to live and work alongside humanity on a regular basis. But then, he was a much more social creature. There was the added fact that Damek needed blood to survive. Being close to the source was essential. He’d heard once that Damek was almost a thousand years old, although he’d never asked him if that was true.

“Where are we going?” Alex walked alongside him, stretching out her step to match his. He slowed immediately, suddenly realizing how fast he’d been going. He also loosened his grip on her hand. He’d been squeezing it so hard it was a wonder she hadn’t demanded he release her.

“We need to lie low until the morning.” His gaze went up and down the street, watching for trouble. He wished they were already on their way out of Chicago. He knew that the bounty hunters and groups of werewolves from other packs would be watching the roads, but he would almost be willing to take that risk if they had transportation.

It was getting more dangerous by the second for them to remain in the city. The place seemed to be swarming with werewolves. But leaving tonight was no longer an option. They’d have a vehicle in the morning and it would be safer then. There would be traffic on the roads and they’d be in a nondescript truck that couldn’t be traced to either of them. Right now, he needed to find them a safe place to stay for the night.

“That club,” she began. “It was different.”

That was an understatement. Damek ran a den of iniquity. If you had a vice, he could cater to it. But surprisingly enough, he had scruples, lived by his own code of ethics. Damek had no trouble taking the money of the rich and powerful and foolish who ventured inside Inhibitions, but Joshua had never seen him prey on the innocent. Not that many people who crossed the threshold of Inhibitions were innocent. Usually far from it.

“Damek is dangerous.”

“No kidding,” she snorted. “Is he a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“That place…it makes you feel out of control. Is he powerful enough to alter how people act?”

Joshua had often wondered the same thing. “I think it’s a combination of the club itself and the vampire’s mind-control abilities. It’s more of a matter of controlling one or two people. Once a handful of people let go of their inhibitions, others tend to follow.” He glanced at her and felt a cold sweat break out on his body as he noticed the flush of her skin. She was still aroused from their dance at the club. Now that they were away from the crowds, he could just catch a whiff of her sweet scent.