Soul Enslaved (Sons of Wrath Book 3) (18 page)

“Talk a succubus into anything?”

A half-cocked smile lifted the corner of Pat’s lip. “They know how to manipulate
all
breeds.”

“I’m not easily fooled. But got it.” Charming had never described about ninety eight percent of the males she’d encountered at
Mel’s,
so what could be the problem?

She approached the table of a half dozen males, all of whom appeared to be having a relatively civil, good time. “Hi, I’m Sabelle. Had to take care of something …” She paused, inwardly flinching at the words that’d always earned a smartass remark at
Mel’s.
Good way to test the waters. See what she was getting herself into. Not a single comment about ‘
Hey I’ve got something you can take care of under the table’
. Just silent smiles all around. “Anyway, can I get you boys anything else?”

One particularly well-groomed male, wearing a red V-neck under a grey tweed blazer shook his head, eyes bright and friendly. “No, I think we’re all set.” His smile widened. “Thank you, miss.”

No rude, inappropriate projectiles flying from their mouths. No tugs to sit on their laps. No groping. No smacking. No flashing peens.

She smiled. “Okay.” ‘The hell was Pat talking about? The night would probably be one of her better ones.

Returning to the bar, she couldn’t help the smug expression on her face. “No idea what you’re talking about, Pat. No idea.”

He busied himself with drying the glasses lined across the bar. “Sabelle, I’ve been working in this bar for a long time, now. Seen a lot of breeds come and go. I’m tellin’ ya, those ones are the ones to watch out for. Some dark black magic in their toolboxes.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. But I’ve worked in some of the shittiest bars in the shittiest neighborhoods of Detroit, and have encountered some of the shittiest bastards ever created. That?” She pointed over her shoulder toward the table. “Is just about the most cordial goddamn table I’ve ever waited.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.” He winked and tossed the white towel over his shoulder before walking away.

The bar picked up quickly, and Sabelle got so caught up in tables, it only just registered two hours had passed and the guys were still there. No one had gotten obnoxious or unruly in that time.

“’Nother round?” She held a tray of empty glasses in one hand and took note of the half full glasses on the table.

“Sure, whenever you get a chance. No rush.” Blazer gave another smile.

How could she not? The guys were so sweet and understanding, never once giving her shit when she got their drinks mixed up or forgot an order of ScalWags, which happened to be the most disgusting bar food in existence. They stank like fish and were incredibly salty. A sort of slug of the underworld, except their bodies were solid all the way through, with no guts, no cavities of organs. Chewing on them released the salt and when mixed with beer, they dissolved like snails—even crackling as their bodies shriveled inside the mouth.

Disgusting.

Before returning to the table, she sent Denya another quick text.

Everything still okay?

Aye, Skipper. What’s your deal?

Her deal happened to be that, in spite of the large crowd and her busy bustling, Scarface from the alley still lingered in the back of Sabelle’s mind.

Before she could respond, another text popped up on the screen.

Have you fucked him yet? Lol :p

Oh for Christ’s sake, Denya.

Sabelle typed as swiftly as her thumbs allowed:
Call me if anything IMPORTANT happens to come up.

Deal. And you call me if anything happens to come. :)

After slipping her cell phone away, she handed off another round of drinks to her table, and the mood seemed to become even more spirited.

“Miss?” Blazer asked. “We’re, uh, businessmen. Not from these parts. Can you recommend a hotel for the night?”

“Hotel? Are we talkin’ three star, or five star, here?”

“The best.” He winked in a way that didn’t strike her as particularly flirtatious. More like something Griffin would do.

“Oh, let’s see, there’s the Westin. The casino hotels are pretty good. And the Atheneum.”

“Ahhh. The temple of Athena. A place of learning. And a very shrewd and prude goddess. Odd that a hotel would be named as such, considering much desecration goes down in those rooms, I’m certain.”

Sabelle presumed he referred to the Greek myth of Poseidon and Medusa, wherein Poseidon raped Medusa in the temple of Athena. Having found that her temple was desecrated, Athena changed Medusa to match her sister Gorgons. Sabelle laughed. “I never considered that. Perhaps she’s looking to add some statues to the décor.” Sabelle winked. “At any rate, it’s the best here.”

“You’re quite sharp. Most of my useless humor falls on deaf ears. I appreciate it.” His mouth flew open, arms stretched to the side in a yawn. Whether fake or real, Sabelle couldn’t tell. “We’re getting a bit weary. Long day of travel.”

“From?”

“France. We had some real tough business dealings there.”

Sabelle wouldn’t have bothered to ask, but the emphatic roll of his eyes begged the question. “What do you do?”

“We’re art dealers.” His eyebrow winged up at the same time that Sabelle’s red flag hit the air. “I always say, when you pursue the arts, it’s never really work. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Creepy shit. She might’ve considered it a fantastic coincidence, if Pat hadn’t mentioned black magic. “I do. If you’ll excuse me.” She turned to walk away, but a hand captured her wrist. Nobody else at the table seemed aware of their conversation and his abrupt movement as Sabelle twisted back.

“We happen to be in Detroit, in search of some urban forms of art,” Blazer said, staring up at her. Something in his eyes struck her as strangely out of focus—perhaps a slight misalignment that somehow disconnected him from the conversation. “Not so much mainstream. We’re looking to recruit new talent for a gallery we’re opening in New York. Would you happen to know any fresh, new talent, looking to get some exposure?”

Sabelle might’ve considered it her lucky night and ignored the truly outrageous holes in his conversation. Like … why would a savvy art dealer be asking a bar waitress for leads on local artists? She didn’t want to think how he happened to strike the perfect chord with her, because that would be accepting the notion that something had wormed inside her head—a thought that made her shiver. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t.”

“Ah, okay. Then, perhaps you might direct me to the nearest restroom?”

She stemmed the frown itching to cut loose. “It’s around the corner, toward the back.”

“Thank you.” He straightened, staring toward the crowd as if trying to determine the path to the bathrooms. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to trouble you. I don’t see where you’ve directed me. Perhaps you could show me?”

“I’ve got tables waiting on me. I’ll have one of the busboys direct you.”

A smile widened across his face. “My, you are good at this game.”

Her muscles stiffened. “What game is that?”

“I think you know.” His eyes seared into hers. “Accept the fact that, by the end of this evening, you will be leaving with me.”

“It’s too late. I’m already on to you. You’ve lost this round.”

“Did I?” His voice remained cordial with an edge of
creep me the hell out
and Sabelle couldn’t help but visualize that daunting sound cooing in her ear as he sliced her open. “What if I told you my next stop was visiting two sweet children and their babysitter?”

Sabelle’s breath caught in her throat, while a creeping numbness blanketed her limbs as she imagined him stalking her sister and the twins. The second time her kids had been brought up in one night. “I don’t know what you think you know about me, but I suggest you end this game now.”

“I can’t. You’re a conquest. More so now than before. Had you been a
bitch
, like the waitress who seated us, I might not have taken such an interest in you.”

Daria. Even as human, she clearly had more experience than Sabelle in working the crowd. If he knew where to find Denya, Sabelle couldn’t just let him leave.

“We’ll take our checks.”

Her heart beat wildly. “What do you want?”

“A night with you. In the morning, we’ll part ways. No strings.”

Sickness churned in her gut. Gods, she’d never met a more manipulative piece of shit in her life. Pat was right. He’d been working her the whole time. Studying her. Stroking her with his kindness. It made her long for the demon breeds who simply avoided the succubi.

“Let me get that check.” She returned to the bar, careful to keep her back to the guy as she approached Pat, and her mind raced, desperate for a solution.

If she ignored him, he might show up on Denya’s doorstep. How the fuck did he know so much about her? Maybe he was connected to the other guy in the alley? That guy was a Wrath, though.

“Pat, I have a problem.”

“He got to you.”

“He threatened to visit my children if I didn’t leave with him.” She glanced over her shoulder and continued to generate the bill as she spoke with Pat. “I can’t just let him leave now.”

“I’ll call Gavin.”

Ugh
. The very thought of dragging Gavin into yet another problem had her stomach folding over on itself. “No. I’ll deal with this.” She printed out the ticket and returned to the table. The last thing she needed was SuperGav coming in to save the day on her first night of work.

“Can I show you to the bathrooms?”

“I’d appreciate that.” Blazer rose from his chair and followed behind.

They reached the dark, empty hallway, and Sabelle pivoted, pressing him into the wall. Her eyes, clouded in red, watched his widen with surprise. “You like games?” She reached between them and cupped his balls, giving them a nice hearty squeeze. His eyes screwed shut, and Sabelle smiled with smug satisfaction. “It’s always good to know your opponent’s strengths.” Placing her lips to his, she prepared herself for something she’d only done a handful of times. Something she hated doing. But rather than risk watching him walk out the door and wondering if he’d come for her children, she decided sucking his soul would be far less stress in the end.

He kissed her back, clutching her hair. His lips were violent but soft, and he devoured her lips as if he’d been waiting ages to kiss her. His mouth had an odd, floral flavor. Sweet and delicious. She concentrated on her core, calling upon her seduction, but found herself distracted by the taste seeping in her mouth.

His tongue dipped into hers, and she couldn’t help but tango with it.
Mmm.
What was that flavor? So. Damn. Good.

A tight grip cinched her waist, and the kiss disconnected with a blast of air and a grunt. The male flew to the side, slamming into the adjacent wall, where his skull cracked against the marble.

Sabelle turned to see Gavin’s eyes, red, his chin protruding in a snarl below his flared nostrils. His skin carried a slight red tone, an angry warning of violence, as he released her and bounded forward, knocking another punch to the male’s face.

Gavin’s brother, Calix, jumped between them, pressing a hand against Gavin’s chest. “I got this, Bro.”

“Erase the fucker’s memory.” Gavin’s voice had altered, too—gruff and almost beastly.

“I had it under control,” Sabelle snapped.

Gavin held up a pack of what appeared to be mints, though she’d never seen the brand before. “Your powers would have been useless with these.”

The floral taste. She’d had a hard time concentrating on anything else while he kissed her.

With a hand gripping hers, Gavin tugged her to follow.

“No.” She yanked her arm free. “I can’t just walk away. He knows where to—”

Gavin placed a hand over her mouth and in spite of her muffled protests, coiled her against him, into his arms, and carried her away.

Sabelle squirmed, kicked and screamed, but to no avail. Once inside the elevator, he pushed the button to the fourth floor and set her down.

She gave a harsh shove. “What is wrong with you? He knows where to find my kids! I have to finish him!”

“You can’t finish him.” Gavin’s voice had returned to its usual deep silky tone. “His resistance lasts as long as those fucking mints.” He paused the elevator at the third floor.

“Then, detain him!”

“Calix has the power to erase memories. He won’t remember you at all, which is why I took you away. If you’d stayed, you’d be counteracting Calix’s powers.”

“But … he knew so much. He knew about the twins. And Denya.” Her voice inched toward a panicked octave at the mere mention of them. She wanted to tell Gavin that the guy hadn’t been the first to mention her kids, and dammit, her nerves had already been jittered from the first encounter in the alley. Couldn’t though. Gavin would want to know more about the mysterious scarface male, and after the way he’d reacted toward Blazer, she just couldn’t risk it.

“It’s all superficial, Sabelle. You carry thoughts of your children every moment of the day. He picked up on it. He wouldn’t know where to find them. All he sees are images of what’s important to you.”

She brought a shaky hand to her brow and rubbed her forehead. “He knew about France and the art galleries.”

“Fresh memories. We’d just discussed it earlier.”

She slid her hand across the back of her neck. “All I could think to do was kill him.”

Gavin’s stern eyes softened. His chest still rose and fell at a pretty steady pace, though, which told Sabelle he might still be rattled from the fight. “You have natural instincts to protect. You’re an exceptional mother.”

Sabelle’s heart slowly calmed, her nerves slightly less shaken than before. “Thank you. For what you did.” In spite of the persistent tremble in her muscles, she forced long, easy breaths. “I’ve never seen you look so … different. Even your voice changed.”

“It seems I’ve developed some natural instincts of my own.” His angry gaze roved over her, warning that although Gavin was known for his charm, a reserved cruelty lay hidden somewhere deep within him. Perhaps what he called upon to exact vengeance. “You’re making me think very inappropriate thoughts about my staff.”