The fact that they are newborns is of no consequence to me, they should know better. If they truly don’t, that’s their problem.
Priam opens his mouth to speak again, but before he can utter another word, I’m out of my chair and down the stairs.
As the son of a God, I have special abilities that would baffle most. Perks, one could say.
One of which is my ability to get from place to place with supernatural speed. Faster than a simple vampire. Even faster than a shifter.
The cool night air whips through my hair as I take a slow step forward out of the darkness that the walls of my club provide. The light above the side door barely lights up the path of the alley, but it’s more than enough for me to see what’s going on. Three of the bouncers from Dyrk are out here beating on a group of snarling, unhinged vampires. They’re unaware of my presence.
A human woman is in the corner, her back pressed against the wall, and a small drop of delicious-smelling blood is trailing from a small cut above her eyebrow. The other two women that she must have come with lay in a heap, unconscious, next to her.
She’s the first one to notice me. Her eyes widen as she watches me continue to move forward. The scent of fear explodes through the air. Her heartbeat triples in speed, and her mouth drops open slightly in a silent scream.
“Shhh.” The sound is meant to be a request, but I know her body takes it as an order. She can’t say a word now. Her eyes glaze over as she falls under my spell—another one of my perks.
My eyes instantly fall to the assholes who thought it was a good idea to have their fun outside my establishment.
“Honestly, did you think this through? I’m willing to bet you didn’t expect me to take offense to the fact that you aredoing business on my doorstep.” I sigh and walk over to one of the young vampires. It’s clear that he doesn’t really know who I am. Still, there is an air of fear to him, like instinctually he knows that I’m not someone he can beat, no regular vampire can. That must be shocking for him. Vampires, especially new ones, always think of themselves as invincible until they meet someone like me.
I’m their reckoning whether they realize it or not.
Instead of staying still as his friends do, the leader of this little wannabe group lunges in my direction. My bouncers don’t even have a chance to react. I raise a hand and stop the vampire in his tracks. I’d only have to snap and rip him limb from limb. I stretch my power inside the man to give him a taste of the pain I can inflict on him, forcing him to his knees. “You might want to rethink your decision.” Even I can hear how bored I sound. This is almost as bad as sitting in that chair upstairs for all those hours.
“You . . .you don’t rule on the streets. They said we were in charge.”
Once again, I’m surprised. This is new.
Who the hell would think it smart to tell anyone that my rule is limited to just my business? It’s fucking laughable.
“I don’t know who told you that, but you’re going to be the one to pay for it.” Looking over to the bouncer, I nod once and turn on my heel to go back to my overstuffed leather throne. This is about as much excitement as I’m going to get for a long while. It’s sad, really.
In the back of my mind, I wonder if I’m really on the verge of an uprising on the streets, but I push the paranoia away. There’s no one who will go against me. I’m the son of Hades, vampire and demons alike know better than to test me. Doesn’t matter if they know the truth about me or not.
As I make my way back into Dyrk, I hear the sound of men screaming and groaning in pain, followed by silence. I don’t feel bad about it. There can be no doubt when it comes to my power. Maybe I should’ve left one of them alive to spread the word.
Next time.
The moment I push open the side door to Dyrk, the pulsing, tantalizing music washes over my senses. That deep pull that I felt earlier takes root in my gut once again, and I find myself looking over the crowd, trying to find the source.
It feels like I’m going out of my mind. There’s no threat. Nothing that would cause me to feel this way.
Then, as if Apollo himself parted the skies and released the full power of the sun, I see her.
A woman, blonde, devastatingly beautiful, and completely out of place.
I don’t know her, but before the night is over, I intend to.
Chapter
Two
Cassia
Red neon lights glow and hum at the entrance of Dyrk.
This isn’t the first time that I’ve come here, but it’s the first time that I’m walking in as one of the staff.
The past few weeks have been some of the very worst of my life, and Miriam, my closest friend, is sure that working here is just what I need to get back on my feet.
