Claiming His Fate (4 page)

“These gentlemen would like to join the party downstairs.” Morris practically hissed the last word. 

Iceman met my gaze. He didn’t outright challenge me, but he definitely didn’t back down to my glare. I cocked an eyebrow and waited, doubting he had the balls to attack. Iceman smirked and brought his hand to his mouth. The scent of blood was unmistakable even though the maroon stains around his fingernails had dried. Numbers growled behind me, but I kept my focus on the beast. He held my gaze as he stuck his tongue out and lapped at the remaining traces of blood on his fingers. 

The man was one filthy motherfucker. 

Tired of his attempt at intimidation, I called my wolf forward, welcoming the burn and pull as I allowed a slow shift to begin. It was something few wolves could manage, the level of control needed too far out of their grasp. But if there was one thing I had above others, it was excellent fucking control. So I let the huge shifter get a look at a real Alpha ready to attack. He held my stare for a good three seconds before he dropped his eyes to my lengthening snout. I pulled my lip up, exposing my canines as a reminder of my Alpha status. He blinked twice and looked away.

I smirked at him even as I slid into my human form. “Next time, give the tip a swirl. I like a little tongue action.” 

As much as I liked fucking with shifters who thought they were hot shit, I didn’t have the time. My little show would have to be enough to keep the punk in his place.

“We smelled blood and knew there was something much more our speed than the little lap dance and tittie action we had going in the private room. We just want to join in on the”—I licked my lips and smirked at Gates—“fun.”

The iceman stood quiet for a long period while Morris shook in my hands. Finally, iceman said “let them” before turning to walk away.

“But we don't have enough girls, Caleb,” Morris yelled to the retreating wolf.

“Fucking place is filled with pussy. Find it, and bring them downstairs. I need to deal with a cleanup.” And then he disappeared around the corner.

“Hear that, Morris?” Gates leaned forward, practically spitting in the man’s face. “Caleb said to find us some pussy. I'm in the mood to get a little rough.”

Cherry

Ten minutes after tall, dark, and scary left, the back door to the changing room opened and Morris walked in.

“I need you dressed for a full-pink show. Pull out your best, these men are important to Amnesia and Mr. Ehrman.”

I didn't move from my seat, knowing waitresses were never invited to those types of shows. Full pink meant only two things—anything goes and no witnesses. They were like the private parties but with higher tips and fewer witnesses. And they were a closely guarded secret of the club.

But then Morris pointed at me. “You too, Cherry.”

I frowned. “I'm not a performer.”

He ran a hand over his greasy hair and scowled. “You are tonight.”

My stomach dropped. No. No way was I being bullied into this. I stood up and grabbed my bag off the bench. 

“Sorry, Morris. But I'm not a stripper, nor am I about to—”

Pain exploded in my jaw. The slap was unexpected and hard enough to knock me into the wall of lockers. I slid down the metal fronts while my ears rang from the force of the blow. I reached up and brushed a knuckle along my lip, not surprised to come away with blood on my fingers.

Morris jumped over the bench and bent down so his face was right above mine, his expression terrifying. “You think you're better than the other girls here because you don't dance? It's me who keeps you off the pole, not you. I prefer to keep my stage warm with long, willowy women men can imagine having wrapped around them. Not short, fat girls who probably reminds men of their mothers. Now, you will join this party and do whatever it takes to satisfy these customers. You will do as I tell you, Cherry. Because if you make one peep of objection, I’ll kill you myself.”

He stood to his full height and smoothed his hair off his forehead. 

“Tonight, the only time I want your mouth open is when there's a paying customer shoving his dick inside it. Now get up, clean up, and go downstairs. The men are waiting.” Morris darted his eyes around the room. “That goes for you two as well. The damned Breed are here. This night must go perfectly.”

As soon as he strode out the back door, I released the cry I’d been holding. Star hurried over and knelt beside me.

“It's not so bad, Cherry. The guys are a little rougher than normal, but the money's good.” She paused, looking almost guilty as she glanced at Porsche. “Should we tell her?”

“No. Don’t frighten her any more than she already is.” Porsche crouched in front of me and pushed my hair over my shoulders to see where Morris hit me. “You’re going to need some deep foundation if you want to hide this, Cherry.” 

I nodded. My heart pounded in my chest but the rest of my body was slowly going numb. No churning stomach or fast breathing, no nervous sweating or twitches. Whether I liked it or not, I was about to sell my body to the highest bidder. The words Morris had spit at me hit home in a way nothing else could have. If I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d kill me. And he wanted me to sell myself.

Star rubbed her hand down my arm and gave me a sad look. “Wear the white lingerie with the sheer cami over the bra. Maybe if you look virginal, they'll take it easy on you.”

I nodded once, too far in my head to say anything. With a deep breath and a heavy dose of acceptance, I shifted to my knees and said a small prayer for forgiveness. I would do what I had to, whatever I needed to, to make it home. Because the idea of leaving my brother with no one to care for him made me sicker than the thought of selling my body. For the past four years, I’d made every decision in my life with him at the forefront of my mind. Tonight was no different. 

But this was it. After this party, after I made it home safely, I’d never step foot inside Amnesia again.

With as much grace as I could muster, I stood, grabbed my white lingerie set, and took off my clothes.

FIVE

Rebel

Gates followed me down the stairs and past a handful of unmarked doors while Numbers stayed on the main floor in case Scab needed backup. The hall reeked of sex, blood, and wolf. The lights were dim, the walls painted a soft tan, and the floors carpeted in inexpensive commercial Berber. It looked like any other basement. 

Until we turned the corner.

We entered a large room with couches circling six small stages, each with a pole in the middle. Most of the couches were already occupied, each with two wolf shifters. I could smell them, scent the other wolves and humans they'd been around all day. It was a cacophony of input my wolf had trouble deciphering. 

“Gentlemen.” Morris waved us over to an empty couch. “The ladies will be in shortly, so please allow me to inform you of our procedures. There's a three-thousand-dollar buy-in for each of you. Beyond that, the minimum fees are as follows: five hundred for manual stimulation, one grand for oral, three for vaginal penetration, five for anal, and fifteen will buy you a night in one of the private suites. There is nothing our girls refuse to do, so the full night is your best bet if one of the ladies catches your fancy. Auction-style bidding occurs should a girl earn interest from more than one participant; highest bidder wins any and all disputes. We guarantee a satisfying experience whether you purchase a single option or an entire evening. Our girls are discreet, professional, and very well trained.” He gave us a snake-oil smile. “Enjoy your evening.”

I glanced at Gates. He shook his head and looked away but not before I saw a flash of disgust cross his face. Fine. I’d be the one making all the moves. I sat back with a sigh and checked out the other bidders. None of the shifters in attendance seemed unusual in any way. Each one looked like a regular John Smith—hard-working, middle-class citizens in the human world. Had they actually been human, they’d probably have wives and families at home. But they were wolves, which meant they didn't want wives; they wanted mates. And mates were harder to come by.

“Think the girls truly know what they're getting into?” Gates whispered. I shrugged and glanced around at the others again. While none of them appeared outwardly hostile, our very natures made us dangerous. Especially when we lost ourselves in sexual acts.

“No fucking clue, man. But that animal upstairs had blood on his hands. I don’t know a lot of women who’d willingly bleed for us, you know?”

Gates nodded, his face stoic and his eyes constantly scanning the crowd. “So what happens when one of these guys snaps?”

After several minutes of contemplating Gates’ words, I signaled to Morris. The sleazy git came running.

“Yes, sir?”

“Tell me something. What happens if my friend here”—I smacked Gates in the chest—“gets a little overexcited?”

“If he needs a little assistance delaying the inevitable, we have Viagra available.”

“Fuck no,” Gates spat with a rumble. 

I coughed to cover my snort. “I'm sorry, no. I meant, what happens if while his cock is out, so are his claws?”

Morris leaned in and lowered his voice. “We have a private medical team who will attend to any occurrences of the claw or teeth variety. The girls are all aware of our dual nature and welcome our animal instincts.”

“And if those instincts go a little too far?” Gates wiped his thumb across his lip as he waited for Morris to answer him.

“There is a hospital nearby if, on the off chance, things go beyond the skills of our team. He glanced around the room and lowered his voice again “There is also a private wooded area behind us. Should we encounter a full loss.”

I nodded, fighting my urge to punch the prick in the face. “Shit like that happen often?”

“Rarely, sir.” Morris gave me a weak smile. 

“Good to know.” I reached forward and shook the man’s hand, even though the last thing I wanted to do was to touch the slimy motherfucker. “Thank you for your candor.”

“You’re welcome, sir.” Morris shuffled off.

I glanced at Gates and dropped my voice so the others in the room couldn’t hear. “Full loss?”

He grimaced. “The finger-licker mentioned needing to take care of a disposal.”

“Dead humans buried on shifter-owned property. That’s enough right there to call Blaze in, though it doesn’t necessarily explain the clawed woman. And the club has their own medical team.”

“Which means no hospital trips.”

I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face. “Unless she chose to leave without the aid of the in-house medical staff. A human may hear werewolf or shifter and think of some kind of fantasy, but the reality may not have been exactly what she thought it would be. Either way, our girl most likely got her claw marks because of these parties. Human-shifter sex trade is forbidden by the NALB, as is human body disposal on shifter-owned property. We’ve got them on those two charges, even without proof of who the attacked is. Let’s go round up the guys and call Blaze.”

I moved to stand up when a door on the other side of the room opened. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I stared at that open doorway. Within seconds, in walked twelve women. Each was beautiful and dressed scantily, but only one caught my eye.

Cherry.

My joints burned and my bones popped with the sudden onset into a shift. I was going to rip Pup apart for not protecting Cherry as I’d demanded. 

“Oh, fuck.” Gates grabbed my forearm and lowered his voice. “If you lose control, this could end badly for her.”

I furrowed my brow, unable to work out the meaning behind his words over the sound of my wolf snarling in my head. Gates leaned over to whisper in my ear. 

“I've walked this Earth longer than you, Reb. I know the look of a shifter who's found his mate. Now sit back and keep your claws to yourself. No one’s going to hurt your mate tonight, I promise you that.”

“She’s selling herself.” My voice came out low, more growl to the tone than I’d intended. 

Gates looked me in the eye and cocked his head. “Does that matter? Does she lose value in your mind because of her profession?”

I glanced at Cherry, my fated mate, and shook my head. “Not a goddamn bit, but I can’t watch—”

“Then it’s a nonissue.” Gates shrugged. “None of these assholes will be buying her tonight.”

I nodded, my eyes tracking Cherry across the room. The women all smelled both afraid and aroused, the scents changing slightly for each one. But with Cherry, all I smelled was her fear. I could almost taste it, and that wouldn’t be good for her. To a group of horny shifters given permission to let out their beasts, fear would be like having your cake and eating it too. Too sweet to pass up. 

Morris waved his hand at a brunette near the front. “The ladies will be given twenty minutes to mingle with the gentlemen, and then we shall—”

“I want the blonde with the big tits for the night.” A burly wolf two couches over laid a stack of bills on his leg, his eyes on my Cherry. She took a step back, her fear increasing. Every wolf in the room turned his eyes to her as her adrenaline spiked. Ah fuck, this was going to be a bloodbath.

“Well, I guess we can bend the rules if you are so inclined,” Morris said, reaching for the money.

“Sixteen thousand.” I spun and glared at Gates, ready to rip his throat out. He tilted his head and looked at my shoulder, a sure sign of his submission. When he pointedly nodded at the burly wolf bidding on my girl, the haze of fury cleared. He’d said none of the others would be buying her; he was bidding for Cherry to get her out of there.

“Seventeen.” The burly wolf growled and bared his teeth. Cherry visibly shivered, looking between the two men who were bidding to buy their chance into her pussy. My wolf howled and tried to force his way past my mental walls, angry with me for not defending our mate. He wanted to fight the burly wolf to the death for the protection of our mate. But as much as I agreed with him, I had to keep my human side in control. Cherry's safety depended on it.