It took less than two seconds, and all three of them looked at the little puddle of blood left behind, dumbfounded that a Daemon could drift Rodney away so quickly.
“Well, hot damn,” Sythe said. “That was pretty impressive, actually.”
“He knew he was going to be possessed,” Titus said, crossing his arms across his chest. “Maybe even invited it.”
“He was bloody strong, and fast,” Axel added, fingering the hole in his stomach. “More so than usual.”
Sythe sheathed his sword. “Possibly because he willingly gave over his body?”
“I have no idea, but it can’t be good.” Titus rolled his shoulders. “Honestly, who willingly gives their body over for possession?”
“Idiots who believe they’re superior?” Axel looked around for the blade that had sliced him, finding it beside the bins a short distance away.
“It makes no sense,” Sythe muttered as he pulled out his phone. “But we can update the guys when we get to the bar, we still have a few hours before it closes.”
Axel stepped to the side, checking for any pills left. He felt his cousin’s presence a second later, quickly bending to grab the knife as he slipped his hand, empty, back out of his pocket.
“What are you –”
“Nothing,” Axel interrupted. “And before you ask, I haven’t taken anything.” A lie, but one he told often. Besides, he couldn’t even remember what the fuck he had smoked. It was probably a joint, but it definitely had something extra. “So, are we going out tonight or what?”
Titus narrowed his eyes, jaw taut. “We’re going to Blood, everyone’s playing tonight.”
Of. Fucking. Course we’re going there,he thought. Not only was he avoiding the place because of his situation with Sam, which he remembered vividly, but he couldn’t risk buying drugs with all his brothers present. Which meant he had to wait, and hope he remained numb against the pain.
“Great,” he said with a strained smile. “Let’s get going.”
Chapter3
Sam
Sam matched his voice to the rock song, butchering the lyrics while Payne watched with a raised brow.
The bar had been invaded by a bachelorette party, and while they didn’t have exclusive access, they were the majority of the crowd as they danced with their inflatable sex dolls and bright pink tutus. The bar itself had been pretty quiet since the bride ordered everyone in the room several shots. The party were now happy to just dance the rest of the night away on the small dance floor, which was – Sam looked up at the clock – only a few hours.
“I bet they would give you a big tip if you danced on the bar,” Payne said.
Sam sniggered, hearing the dare in her tone. “Let’s make a bet. If I get over one-hundred in tips you have to curtsey, and smile at every single customer you serve for the next week.”
Payne stared intently, but he noticed her upper lip twitch. “If you get over one-hundred in asingletip, I will smile at every customer on my next shift.”
“And curtsey?”
“And curtsey,” she growled.
Sam winked, hopping onto the bar. “Deal.”
Payne hid her smile, turning to the media station to change the song. It gave a few seconds of silence, and that was when Sam whistled over to the dance floor. “This is for the bride-to-be.” The heavy beat started, but he was already moving, borrowing the grace from his leopard as he danced, rolling his body to the music.
The bachelorette party squealed, rushing over to get a better look as he danced, using the entire bar to showcase what he could do. Teasing his fingers at the edge of his t-shirt he pulled it up to show his abs, his jeans already low on his hips. He waited for the response, going by the crowds excited scream before he pulled it fully off to expose his scarred chest. The pale marks no longer bothered him, but some of the women reached as if to touch, and he twisted out the way with a teasing wink.
The song ended, but Sam continued, making sure to match his rhythm to the next one, getting lost in the music. He allowed it to take over, his body like liquid as the crowd cheered. It took him a while to remember the bet, scanning the crowd until he found the bride at the far end, screaming and holding out money. Her face was flushed, eyes wide as he dropped to his hands and knees, crawling slowly towards her with his back arched the same way he would if he were in leopard form.
“Hand me a bottle,” he said to Payne, who watched with a quiet, amused smile. She immediately handed him vodka, and Sam gave the crowd a smirk before returning his attention to the bride.
She was all but panting, the princess crown on her head that read‘BRIDE’glinting as he stole it, placing the shiny piece of plastic on his own head and tilting the bottle to his lips, tasting the burn. He leaned forward, and her lips parted as he passed the shot into her mouth. The surrounding women, and even a few men roared, clapping, singing, and dancing as he slowly pulled back. Sitting on his heels, he poured another shot’s worth of vodka down his chest, and the bride-to-be immediately climbed up to lick the liquid, catching the droplets that had reached low on his stomach. Just as her tongue swept up to his pecs, Sam instinctively felt himself going predator quiet. He couldn’t stop himself, his gaze darting to the door just as Axel passed through, his hand slapping against Titus’s back. He grinned, speaking to his cousin as his head turned, and their eyes met.
Heat. Desire and much more passed between them, hot enough Sam’s stomach clenched. There had always been an attraction, but nothing like that, as if there was an intense awareness of each other.
