“Why do you think your friend will be able to help?” Titus had to repeat himself over the music.
Rae pressed herself closer to him, his body rigid at her touch. “He’s into this stuff.” She lifted her arm, the chain clinking against the railing.
Titus’s brows pulled together. “Into what?”
“You’ll see.”
The mezzanine looked down on to the loud bar and dance floor, a strip painted around the top. The bartenders all wore glow sticks around their wrists, the rest of their bodies hidden in shadows. The dancers were just a distortion of bodies blurring together, their features hidden but for flashes of teeth against the UV. It was the appeal of the club, the darkness something people could lose themselves in. Except the club was designed for vampires, and vampires could see perfectly fine in the pitch black. It went back to the basic instincts of predators and prey. Making vampires the hunters, and everyone else the vulnerable sheep, while remaining in a safe, consenting space.
The adjoining building housed the quiet bar, identical to the loud bar, but with the music at a more comfortable volume for superior healing. It was connected by a short concrete tunnel, and the majority of the Vamps preferred the area. Rae had always thought it was awkward to watch so many bodies dance to music she could barely hear.
The cage the receptionist mentioned was still in its high position on the ceiling, but Rae knew that it wouldn’t be long before it slowly descended, the owner choosing a sacrifice from the all too willing patrons. People danced for hours, hoping to be selected as the next meal.
The chosen one was stripped naked and displayed for all to see, the cage held just above the dance floor. Vampires paid to take a single sip from any place on their body, and more often than not it became sexual. Blood and sex went hand in hand, and the one time Rae had watched, it’d become a full-blown orgy.
Which was why she’d never stayed long enough to watch again.
“He should be on this floor.”
Titus’s lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Lead the way.” His breath was hot, intimate against her cheek, and when he pulled back their eyes locked, the air thickening. Tension twisted, an abrasion that was heightened by the threat of death hanging above them both. It throbbed against her skin, and she hated the fact her pulse kicked in anticipation. In excitement.
“Rae?” His voice was deep and velvety. “The cuffs.” His eyes dropped, and Rae finally remembered what the fuck she was doing.
Jesus Christ.
“Yeah.” Rae cleared her throat. “Come on.”
Her eyes had finally adjusted to the limited light, and it was enough to notice Titus’s mouth twist into a smile for the barest second, before quickly returning to his usual impassiveness. A marble statue had more emotion.
“This would be more help if I knew who you were looking for.”
“We’re looking for a Viking.”
The top deck was slim, with only the walkway towards the stairs, and strategically placed tables that overlooked the activities below. Rae passed each table carefully, the tops painted bright for safety, as were the chairs, but it was still hard to make out shapes when not everyone, or everything was reflective. The entire floor was quiet, much quieter than she expected as she searched.
Shit.
If he wasn’t there, he might have been on the dance floor where he’d be almost impossible to find amongst the crowd.
“In the corner.”
Rae paused at Titus’s voice, turning her head when she spotted a burst of colour in the distance. Moving closer she realised it was glow sticks fashioned into a crown, one that perched on the very person’s head she was after.
How did Titus see Erik from over there?
Even standing a foot away, Rae struggled to make out the details, only the woman really visible with her lips painted, as were her hands, and the thick choker around her throat. A chain, not too dissimilar to the one on Rae’s wrist, was attached to the front.
Rae blinked, her eyes struggling against the bursts of random light amongst the black. Erik’s silhouette moved, and a lamp on a table hidden beside him burst to life. The light was low, likely undetectable from even a few feet away, but enough to make out his distinctive facial features. His nose was strong, dominant on his slim face, with large bushy eyebrows held low over pitch black eyes. Pure white hair was braided from the fringe, curling around to drape over his shoulder in a thick rope long enough to reach his waist. His beard too was braided, just a single line in the centre, the sides left in a dishevelled mess. He was striking, in a curious, unusual way. She imagined him as a warrior, bearing an axe and shield from an era long gone.
What looked like chain mail draped over his heavy shoulders, more chains criss-crossing over his chest in heavy ropes.
White lines were displayed on the mirrored table, as well as a selection of coloured pills and a few cigarettes. Leaning over, the woman licked along the glass, catching a pink pill on the tip of her tongue before curling it back into her mouth. Her eyes closed in bliss, body draping over Erik’s lap.
“Erik,” Rae said in greeting, mouthing her words slowly, clearly. “You look well.”
He smiled, revealing descended fangs stained with blood. His attention settled on Titus, pupils swallowing the rest of his whites. His tapped the women’s head, and as she lazily slipped back, his hands lifted in front of her face.
“Erik wants to know,” she said in a soft, dreamy voice that somehow carried above the heavy music. “What delicious feast have you brought him?”
