Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) (17 page)

“Are you going to dance with him or fight?” Mason mocked, his words sending the man into action, only to be caught with a front kick to the chest, sending him flying across the room into a rack of weapons.
 

Mason approached the broken circle. Stepping inside, he walked around slowly, regarding each of them as the glow of their eyes cast a soft red glow over his pale skin. “Let’s try this again and keep in mind, any man who disobeys another of my commands will face me. Our new addition may have been ordered to spare your lives, but I have not,” he said with a sneer before moving back to observe.

Kaleb stepped through the door as Mason flicked his wrist, ordering the seven uninjured men to proceed. They moved as one, rushing upon Ethan with weapons raised. A millisecond before the first blow hit him, Ethan jumped into the air, flipping over the backs of two of the men and kicking his legs into the bases of their spines, sending them crashing to the mat and taking two of their comrades down with them. Utilizing the momentary distraction, Ethan lunged for the remaining soldiers, swiftly disarming one and using him as a shield as he engaged the others who practically tossed down their arms in defeat the moment his strong hands made contact.

Satisfied that all threats were temporarily disabled, Ethan returned to his spot in the center of the mat and closed his eyes, waiting to be released or commanded again. When Lucias had sent him to Mason, it had been with the explicit instruction to obey Mason’s commands as if they were directly from Lucias himself; giving the general complete control over him until he or Lucias said otherwise.
 

“His abilities have not been exaggerated,” Mason said quietly as Kaleb approached.
 

“No; indeed they have not. I saw him fight once when I was still a boy, before his powers were amplified. Even then he was a terrifying sight to behold.”

“You mean when he murdered your brother and his men. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you let him live. I am not confident I would have exercised such restraint in the absence of your father’s bond.”

Kaleb clamped his teeth down hard, fighting not to respond to Mason’s goading. Even if the vampire general’s abilities weren’t heightened by Lucias’s virus, Kaleb would have been hard-pressed to defeat him in direct combat. For many years, Mason had been hungry to regain the position as Lucias’s second-in-command, always trying to incite Kaleb’s anger and force a fight. Mason’s infection ended the struggle temporarily, but over the years the virus’ hold changed, allowing the infected vampire’s personality and ambition to shine through. The infected remained unquestionably loyal to Lucias, yet no longer functioned as the unthinking androids they’d appeared to be in the first few weeks of their new lives.
 

“My only purpose is to serve my father,” Kaleb recited after his anger had sufficiently dissipated.

“Of course. Can I assume that is why we are all currently graced with your presence?” Mason inquired somewhat sarcastically.

Remaining in control, Kaleb ignored Mason’s tone. “Yes; my father requires an audience with Mr. Kellar.”

“Very well. Soldier,” he said approaching Ethan, “you are released to Kaleb’s command, for now.”

CHAPTER 14 -
Blood Runners

As Dante approached Blood Runners, a vampire-owned nightclub The Elite frequented for feeding and other entertainment, he surveyed the long line which had formed leading up to the entrance. Noting several regulars decked out in goth vampire gear, complete with fangs, some having gone so far as to file down their canine incisors or get surgical implants to complete the fantasy, he flashed a seductive smile at a couple of young girls staring his way.

Bypassing the line, he approached the red velvet rope which moved aside with a nod from the imposing bouncer who, even standing over six feet, was easily several inches shorter than the handsome Elite vampire. A satisfied smirk spread across his chiseled face as he heard the groans of two human men who’d been waiting an hour for admittance to the exclusive club.
 

Stepping inside, he scanned the large crowd moving about surrounded by the clichéd decor of plush red velvet booths and black walls. Movie posters featuring some of the most famous, and completely made up vampires, covered the walls along with strings of garlic, wooden stakes, and ornate crucifixes. The only light in the dark room came from the strobe lights trained on the pile of bodies gyrating on the dance floor.
 

The intoxicating scent of blood tainted the air as he drew a breath into his lungs. Civilian vampires were openly feeding on humans as they attempted to pass off dry humping for dancing, the sensation of being bitten completely freeing them of their inhibitions, though the drugs and alcohol coursing through their veins helped as well.
 

The themed establishment was the perfect cover for his kind, with humans either too high or too immersed in their role-playing to notice the actual predators amongs them. As a rule, all of the real vampires wiped the memories of their chosen meals, but even if they didn’t, some human patrons liked to bite one another, drawing and drinking blood with artificially sharpened teeth, making the sight of a feeding commonplace; simply chalked up to some of the more enthusiastic vampire fantasies of the truly dedicated.

Not seeing anything that interested him, Dante headed back to the VIP room reserved for The Elite and some of their race’s most powerful and wealthy civilians. As he acknowledged the female bouncer guarding the room and reached for the thick black curtain, a small hand came down on his forearm. Not at all surprised, having heard the fast human heartbeat approaching along with the overpowering scent of cheap French perfume, Dante casually regarded the bold woman.

“Hiya, handsome,” the petite blonde purred seductively. “I’d ask if we’ve met before cuz you look awful familiar, but I know that can’t be true. I’d never forget you.”
 

She lightly stroked up and down his arm, leaning in close and stretching up as high as her short legs and stiletto heels would allow. “How about you take me in back with you for a drink,” she whispered running the fingertips of her free hand up the side of her neck.
 

Dante’s gaze raked over her exposed body in a tight black miniskirt and blue halter top, complete with a black choker and fuck-me heels. Yeah, she was right; he should be familiar, having fed on and fucked her more than once in the last few months, but it was the first time she seemed to recognize him at all. He took it as a sign it was time find some fresh entertainment. The last thing he needed was some clingy human following him around his favorite retreat. Besides, he was in the mood for a brunette, preferably one with long curly hair and a lithe, muscular body. He hadn’t been able to get Cami off his mind since the kiss in the training room, and he needed a woman to take the edge off. If he couldn’t have her, a nameless, faceless lookalike would have to do for the time being.

“No thanks, sweetheart,” he said firmly as he removed her hand from his arm. “I’m meeting someone, but thanks for the offer.”

“You sure?” She asked with a smirk as she slid her hands down her sides and hiked her skirt up a couple of inches, damn near exposing herself since it was unlikely she was wearing panties beneath the strip of cloth she was trying to pass off as clothing.
 

“Maybe some other time,” he said with a wink and passed through the doorway before she could respond. No point in completely blowing her off just in case he couldn’t find someone more suited to his needs for the night. He felt completely strung out. The lust coursing through his veins had kept his cock at half-mast since the moment his lips had touched Cami’s.
 

Inside the VIP room, things were much quieter and the decor far less clichéd. Dante had often wondered how that black curtain, thick as it may be, could drown out so much of the thumping beat from the music in the neighboring room. He assumed a touch of magic was involved in achieving the effect, but had never gotten around to asking.

He moved quickly to his regular table, happy to find it unoccupied. While he often enjoyed the company of his fellow soldiers in tossing back a few drinks, particularly Layla, things had been too weird between them before he left and right then, he only had one thing on his mind. Well, two things. He needed to feed, having gone over a month without fresh blood, and he needed to fuck.
 

Though they kept a healthy supply of bagged red cells on ice at the compound, he found it never fully quenched his thirst. He needed it straight from the source, warm and sweet with the soothing beat of a heart pulsing against his gums. It was almost better than sex; definitely the best when combined with sex.
 

No sooner did he slide his ass onto the supple leather seat, than a glass appeared on the table. Two fingers of Glen Livet with a splash of water to open up the flavor, his usual drink.
 

“Get you anything else tonight?” Winslow, the club’s owner, inquired.
 

The vampire had opened the establishment back in 1934, immediately following the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment which ended Prohibition. Things had been far more discreet back then, the club being named Winslow’s after its founder, openly serving high-quality liquor, and secretly serving high-quality prostitutes to his vampire clientele. He’d changed the name to Blood Runners back in the eighties, following the release of Blade Runners, which was still one of his favorite movies, and had revamped the decor several times since to follow the trends and the newfound vampire acceptance born of popular culture’s fascination with all things vampire.
 

“Yeah, I could go for a brunette. Thin, muscular, with long curly hair,” Dante responded quietly.
 

“I know just the one; might take a bit to get her here, if you’re okay with waiting. If not, I’ve got a couple in the other room who are close to that description, maybe plus a few pounds or minus a few curls,” the bald vampire said, pulling his phone from his pocket.
 

“I’ll wait. Thanks, man,” Dante said taking a slow sip of his Glen Livet as Winslow hit a few buttons and disappeared into his office.

✧

Three glasses of scotch later, Dante felt his blood quicken as the tall brunette walked through the door.
 

Fuck me,
he thought as she moved further into the room scanning the sparse crowd, no doubt looking for him. Just a few more glasses and he could have been fooled into believing it was Cami, at least from a distance.
 

The human woman’s eyes found Dante and immediately filled with lust, a dead giveaway it wasn’t her. Cami had never looked at him that way; like a sure thing, itching to be close to him. A part of him ached for the challenge Cami presented, weary of all the easy meaningless encounters he’d had over the years. While they satisfied his baser needs, they never quenched the longing in his heart.
 

As the woman slid in beside him, Dante smelled her growing arousal and heard the increase in her heartbeat. She was a paid professional, but there was no doubt she wanted him; though it wasn’t like he would actually be the one paying her. On the few occasions he, or any of The Elite, decided to go with more, experienced companions, Winslow covered the expense, but Dante would be sure to slip a nice tip into her purse before he wiped her memory.

“So what are you looking for tonight, sweetie,” the eager working girl inquired as she inched closer and put her hand on Dante’s thigh.
 

Her look was right, but the voice was all wrong. Where Cami’s was somewhat low and smooth, hers was high and nasally. He cocked an eyebrow and half-smiled as he looked sideways at her, sporting some serious fang due to his increasing hunger.
 

Without waiting for his response she continued. “Biting is fine, so long as you keep it to inconspicuous areas; I have to make a living and not everyone is into that. Otherwise, anything’s negotiable.”

“Noted,” Dante replied sliding to exit the booth on the other side. He stood and held out his hand while she looked up with confusion.

“You wanna go get a room or something?” she asked taking his hand.

“No; just want to go somewhere a little more private,” he responded heading for the dark hallway which led to the back exit. Not that he was shy or overly concerned about being seen, given the nature of the establishment, but he was in a bit of a hurry having already stayed longer than he intended waiting for his Cami lookalike to arrive.
 

He’d gone looking for Cami after her team returned from their mission, hoping for a chance to talk about what had happened between them before the High Commander’s kid interrupted, but Layla had stopped him, saying she wanted to talk to him. They were on the way to his room when he’d asked her if she knew where Cami was, seemingly pissing her off right before Commander Claesson showed up with Martinez ordering her to the pit for debriefing. The look she’d given him before she left had really thrown him. It fell somewhere between anger and hurt, and for the briefest of seconds, he saw something else, but before he could say anything, she disappeared.

Though looking back, it wasn’t like he knew what to say. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen that look in her pale green eyes and, like every other time, he brushed it aside and turned his attention towards safer, less complicated pursuits. Feeling as tightly-wound as a steel spring, he’d figured it was in his best interest to go blow off some steam before he attempted to do anything else.
 

“What’s your name, honey?” the woman whispered as Dante backed her up against the wall and she stroked up and down his massive biceps.
 

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied swiping his tongue along the side of her neck, calling her vein to rise as she let out an overly-dramatic moan.
 

He reached down and freed his hardness from the confines of his black fatigues then grabbed her under each thigh and hoisted her up as she wrapped her long legs around his waist. He spun around and leaned back against the wall and, still holding her up with one arm, he used the other to reach between them. Fisting the wide base, he moved his cock into position and slid her moist folds down around him in one smooth motion.