Chapter 22

Chapter 22

T his is a terrible fucking idea, Fey thought to herself, her steps loud on the cobblestone street as she made her way through the city. But she didn't turn back.

It was nearly 1 am by the time she arrived at the club, and the line outside stretched around the block. She grimaced at the sight of it. There was no way she was desperate enough to stand in line just to see him. That was too much, even with the itch under her skin that drove her to come here in the first place. She was desperate, but not that desperate.

Absently, she walked past the people waiting, heading toward the door. She hadn't brought her phone, so it wasn't like she could message Alastair that she was downstairs. Maybe the bouncer would let her up to see him, maybe he could?—

"Hey, babe!" someone shouted at her as she walked by. "Line starts back there!"

It was just some piece of shit Fallen standing in line, drunk and belligerent, but the words made her heart stop in her chest.

Hey, babe. A different voice said in her memories. A gentle voice. A voice full of love and safety.

It was how Alice had always greeted her, a warm smirk on her face. She never knew why Alice called her that, but it had always made her feel special. Loved.

Hey, babe .

This was a mistake. Suddenly, everything around her was too much, too loud, too bright. The tight, sequined clothing worn by the people waiting to get into the club was overwhelming, the bass-heavy music she could hear from inside was jarring and out of sync with the pulse thudding in her ears. It was all too much. She needed to leave, she needed to go, she should run, run, run, get out of here as fast as she?—

A hand grabbed her arm, and Fey felt her power fill her like a tsunami, a maelstrom of fury and death, as she turned on the male holding her with a snarl.

But… she knew him. The Wolf Shifter who held her arm—not tight, not holding her in place, just a comforting touch—was someone she recognized.

"Evening Fey," he greeted, in his low growl of a voice. It was the massive Wolf Shifter who had let her in before, the one who was waiting for her at the entrance the last time she'd seen Alastair. "That man bothering you?"

Her heartbeat calmed.

"Hey again, big guy," she said. Her voice was a little breathless, and tense, but the world around her felt a little less overwhelming with his massive hand on her arm, grounding her. She took a shuddering breath, and the power she had drawn into herself started to fade.

He was looking past her at the people in line, his eyes focusing on the guy who'd yelled to her, who'd called her babe. Then his eyes flickered to another Shifter standing at the door, and suddenly the male was being pulled out of line, pulled away from the club.

It was such a small thing, and wildly unnecessary. But the gesture made Fey smile. It was almost chivalrous.

"Thanks," she said.

"You can go in." He nodded toward the door. Already another Shifter had appeared to let people in. They were remarkably well coordinated. "The staff knows your scent, and the boss says you're welcome anywhere, at any time."

"My… scent?" Fey asked, raising an eyebrow .

The massive Shifter nodded, clearly seeing nothing strange or unusual or even remotely creepy in that statement.

"Ok… thanks," she said again. And, sure enough, when she approached the door to the club, the Wolf there nodded a greeting and stepped aside to let her pass without a word. No one from the line dared protest this time.

The club inside was even more overwhelming than she'd remembered, and Fey suddenly recalled why she'd hated this place the first time they'd come. The music was loud enough to shake her bones, and she could feel the bass in her teeth. People rubbed against one another on the dance floor, more sex than actual dancing, and it took more of Fey's skill than she'd like to admit getting through the crowd without being groped. She made her way through mostly unclothed bodies to the bar in the back. Toward a familiar face.

"Hey, Jasper," Fey called over the music. She leaned on the bar top. There were no open stools and barely enough room for her to squeeze herself up to the bar.

Jasper looked up from pouring a drink and nodded a greeting toward her. He set the drink on the bar, pushing it toward a customer and palming their coin before he waved her closer.

Ignoring the other patrons, Jasper flipped a latch under the bar top, and a portion of the bar opened like a door. Before Fey could protest, Jasper reached out, catching her by the waist of her pants and pulling her behind the bar, closing the swinging door behind her.

"The boss isn't in," he called over the music, leaning over her, his lips close enough to brush her skin. Fey's breath hitched as his words tickled over her ear.

"That's okay," she said. She needed to get out of here, needed some distance between her and the Shifter looming above her. Her body was too sensitive, too needy to have a male that hot standing this close to her.

Fuck , she needed to get laid.

"I think I'm just going to—" she started, but he cut her off.

"He isn't in yet ," Jasper said over her. His fingers lingered for a moment on her waist, just long enough for her to think she'd imagined it before he leaned over her to grab a bottle and a clean glass from the wall behind her. "He had a family thing. But he should be here soon."

He poured a generous serving into the glass and held it out to her, eyebrow raised.

Fuck it. She wasn't working tonight, was she?

Fey took the glass, knocking back the shot. Jasper's answering smile was all wicked approval. He leaned over her again to grab another glass and poured her another shot before adding a healthy pour to his glass. Jasper ignored the customers around them vying for his attention, and within a few seconds, another Shifter appeared at the bar to take orders. They drank their shots together, Fey coughing at the burn in her throat.

"So, what did I do to deserve this special treatment?" Fey asked, straining to be heard over the music.

Jasper grinned. "The boss likes you. That means a lot to us here."

Fey tried to hide her smile.

"I'm glad you came back," he told her. "Especially tonight…"

When she just raised an eyebrow at him, he laughed and continued, "The boss has been biting everyone's head off since the last time he saw you. Ferus even sent a few girls to his office the other night to distract him, take some of his edge off."

Fey's lips thinned. She had no right to be jealous, had no right to care where he stuck his dick. But anger crept into her chest before she could help it.

"He sent them away," Jasper said, his smile growing wicked. "I think he's had a taste of something he liked, and he's not willing to settle for anything less."

The Wolf was still so close to her, his body right against her own, and Fey was sure he could feel the heat from her blush. Was Jasper flirting with her?

"Not that I blame him," Jasper said. His fingers caressed the glass in his hand. "You seem like the sort of woman men would crawl over broken glass to bed."

Oh yeah, he was flirting with her.

"So, you have a few choices here," he told her. "You can hang out behind the bar with me—" He glanced around them at the crowds. "But I don't think it's your scene, yeah? Or you can head up to the VIP area—they know who you are, and they'll let you in, no questions asked."

"Or?"

"Or," Jasper continued. "You can head up to the boss's office and wait for him there. It's quiet, and you won't be bothered." His eyes glittered. "His office is unlocked, and he should be in soon. Faster, even, if someone gets ahold of him and tells him you're here."

"Unlocked, huh?" Fey said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I think he's lost his faith in them. Seems like someone kept managing to get in, anyway." He winked.

"And what do you recommend?" she teased.

Jasper chewed his lips like he was giving it serious thought. Then he poured himself another shot.

"I think you should head up to his office," he said finally. "And fuck his brains out."

For just a brief moment when Jasper smiled at her, it was a predator's smile, something feral and dangerous, and Fey felt heat fill her body. This was the Wolf under the skin, the beast he really was. But then she blinked, and he was taking the shot he poured himself, the smile gone. Vanished, like it hadn't been there at all.

Before she could say anything, he was leaning past her again, opening the bar top to let her out.

"Thanks," she shouted over the music.

Jasper just winked.

It should have been a struggle to get across the crowded dance floor, but the moment Fey stepped out from behind the bar, the crowd seemed to shift to let her through, and before long Fey noticed the Shifters moving in the crowd around, herding the patrons to make room for her.

She recognized the Wolf waiting at the VIP rope by his voice immediately.

"Welcome, Fey. "

"Hello Ferus," she purred. She took in the sight of him, even bigger than the massive Shifter she'd met outside.

Ferus lifted the rope without another word, letting her through.

Jasper was right—Alastair wasn't in his office when she entered, and the door was unlocked. The room smelled like him, she noticed immediately when she entered. Like cloves and wood smoke and whiskey. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with it.

It was quiet here, the sounds from downstairs barely audible. It was… cozy.

Fey trailed her fingers over the books filling the wall shelves. She recognized a few, but most of them were… different from the books she was familiar with. Plucking one from the wall, she frowned at the cover.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

Then, with nothing better to do than wait, she curled up in the armchair and began to read.