4. Chara

Chapter 4

Chara

My right leg hangs over my left, my high heel swishing back and forth all the way back to the club in the cab. No matter that Mr. High and Mighty Master Bistrita thinks Natalia will be fine. What the hell does he know anyway? He's not the one who watched her fight for her life after Lucas tore her neck to shreds with those fangs from hell.

The big, bossy brute looking down his nose at me like he can't be bothered to spend two minutes to listen to what I say. The cab driver clears his throat, causing me to look up, embarrassed at the thoughts running through my head about the infuriating but sexy as fuck vampire. I'm hardly to blame; no one could ignore the heat of that gaze drinking me in like a tall glass of water on a hot summer day.

I shake thoughts of the dark-souled beast from my mind, frustrated with myself for even feeling that way, but the feeling of impending doom will not subside no matter what I try to think about. I stop to talk to Gregor for a minute at the door of the club after being dropped off. "Sorry I flew out of here so fast. Friend in trouble, or so I thought. Everything good here?"

His black eyes redden with heat. "You know more than you should for a human. Stop worrying. Your heart's beating a million miles a minute. Just take care of things downstairs, and let us take care of the rest. If anyone comes tonight, we're ready. You and Taylen get the clients to safety. Understand?"

I nod and pat his dark suit coat. "Yes, and thanks. Maybe I just needed to see my friend for myself. She's been through so much lately."

He gives me one of those rare Gregor smiles. The one saved for those he knows well, and seldom if ever seen by anyone who frequents the club. I make my way through the lounge. A few couples have wandered into the club and are doing some heavy petting on the couches, secluded by large palm trees and the like.

I slip off my sweater and put it and my purse under the bar. Taylen doesn't say a word, just waits patiently for me to tell her what happened. I shrug, slipping onto a bar stool on our side of the bar. "I got there, and everything seemed fine, but I can't shake the feeling that something horrible is about to happen to Natalia. Maybe it's because I saw her lying on her death bed, not knowing if she was going to make it or not. The vampires pretty much told me not to worry and to come back here. Have you heard of Master Bistrita? Bossy asshole?"

Her eyes widen. " The Master Bistrita? Where have you been, girl? I'm surprised you haven't worked when he's been in, but he does tend to keep to himself. He definitely likes the clubs, but usually goes to the Club Descallia over in his region." She lowers her voice. "I heard he's here helping Master Oradea and the others because they think the rogues are heading up the mountain, where the land between Oradea and Bistrita join. I've covered and trained over at the Club Descallia in Bistrita. Master Bistrita is a very sought-after sex club partner. A very good teacher, if you know what I mean. Not that he's my drink of preference."

I roll my eyes. "He's bossy, rude, and old enough to be our father." I don't tell her that getting the image of him paddling me over one of the benches in the lower level is going to be hard to get out of my mind, tonight or any night.

She laughs. "Someone's got their panties in a little twist. Master Bistrita is older but not that old. Just the perfect age to know exactly what you need."

I give her wide eyes, pouring two glasses of Descallia Red, a mixture of wine and blood, for one of the vampires who frequents the club and is heading our way with his slinky looking pet by his side. "Thank you, Chara. We're going to be in the lower level." He leans in close, stroking the naked skin of his mate's shoulder as she daintily takes a sip of the drink he's given her. "Push the alarm if you need help tonight," he tells me, guiding her away.

I swallow hard. Everyone in the vampire community knows something is going to happen. Everyone is on edge tonight, and I know exactly how they feel. How Taylen can be so calm is beyond me. We watch as the vampire tycoon leads his mate away, the leash attached to her collar loose in his hand as he parades his model-perfect mate through the club and to the door that will lead them downstairs to play in the dungeon rooms.

Taylen jabs me. "Lucky girl. I'm jealous."

I laugh. "You know I talk so smart when it's just me and Natalia. Before she moved in with Master Oradea, I would tell her about all the sexy couples who would come through the club. I can't say that I'm not intrigued with what goes on down there. I just haven't met the right person, you know. After all my relationship blunders, I'm still on a sabbatical. At least for a while. Besides, who has time to date? I'm trying to pick up as many hours as I can so I can find a new apartment. The one I had with Natalia is hard to swing on my own."

Her eyes widen. "They're hiring for the lower-level rooms. They'll train the right person, and you'd be a shoo-in for the job. Those girls make four times what we make," she says, taking a sip from her water bottle.

I suck in a deep breath. "The bosses have asked me. It's not like I haven't thought about it. A lot. I'm just not sure if I'm cut out to be that girl, you know? I don't know if I have enough self-confidence, or the body, in all honesty, to pull it off."

She laughs. "You have the body, and the self-confidence we can fix." She slides onto a bar stool, glancing at some of the couples petting in the corners. "The bosses would hire you in a heartbeat. They trust and respect you and know you would take good care of the customers downstairs."

I wipe down the counter and glance at the clock. "It's never this slow. Do you feel the charge in the air, like something electrifying is about to happen? Or is it just me?"

Taylen's eyes shift, and I track her gaze to the door. Michael Benzini and his brothers approach, all in their signature dark suits, weaving their way among the empty tables of the lounge. Michael reaches me first. "Some of our men said they saw you over at the Oradea estate earlier. Did you see my sister?"

I swallow hard. It's not every day the syndicate brothers single you out, but they know me, we're friends, but still, they always make me uneasy. "I went to see her because I was worried about her, but Natalia seemed like she was ready for whatever is happening tonight. She was geared up to fight, Michael. All the vampires were, and I just seemed to be in the way."

His eyes go pitch black. "The fucking rogues are coming. Lucas wants to send me Natalia's head in a box for siding with the purebloods instead of the rogues. They'll pay for what they've done, make no mistake. We'll want our pound of revenge too."

I shake the image of Natalia's disconnected head from my mind as soon as it appears. If I think like this, I'll never make it through the night. "The vampires pretty much told me to keep my nose out of it and come back here. They had it under control. But she's so new to their world. She doesn't know how to fight like them. I can't help but worry."

Michael, usually the calm one of the four, nods. "It's taken me time to come to grips with it, but she's safer with Oradea. We'll do everything we can to protect her and help them in any way we can, but when it comes to head-to-head battle, the vampires have powers we don't. That doesn't mean we can't try to stake the fuckers back to an ashy grave, and you know we'll try like hell."

I nod. "I know. I just worry about Natalia."

The pull of someone watching me draws my attention. I look to the door to find Gregor watching us. His dark, intense, and soulful eyes meet mine. I turn back to Michael. "Gregor's watching you. He's probably not sure if you and your brothers came to make trouble at the vampire club or are here to check out the action downstairs."

Michael laughs. "Last time I checked, it was open to anyone with enough money to play," he drawls, but he's not looking at me anymore. His eyes trail a heated path up the length of Taylen's legs. Gregor shifts by the door, his hands turning to fists by his side, his eyes reddening like fire, absorbed in Michael's interest in the beauty who most find hard to resist.

Taylen smiles at Michael, always the professional face at Club Descallia, but her face drops as a sudden chill runs down the full length of my spine. I turn, just as the door bursts open, throwing Gregor forward as a group of at least ten gray, mangy wolves leap through the air, snarling and ready to attack anyone who stands in their way.