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Carver jerked back to the present. “What? Huh?”
“I freaked you out, didn’t I?” Kenny was rocking back and forth like he did when he was upset.
The scent of sour cherries assaulted Carver. That was another thing. The scents. They drove Carver crazy. He just didn’t understand them. Carver knew it was his vampire instincts trying to tell him something. A damn manual would have been nice. Plastering on a fake smile, Carver assured his friend. “No. Sorry. I just… Memory snuck up on me.”
“Are you sure?” Owen pressed. “You don’t look well.”
Carver nodded. “Are you going to tell me I’m too pale?” he joked. Carver had stared at his reflection for almost ten minutes before getting ready for the club. Dante better like his boys looking sickly and half-starved or Carver was in trouble.
“Well,” Owen drawled with a grin. “I wasn’t going to say anything but—”
Carver smacked Owen’s hand away with a laugh. Kenny was still watching them with a worried expression. Carver strolled over and patted Kenny on the shoulder, keeping it brief since there were times when Kenny found contact from others overwhelming. “I’m really okay. Like I said, it was just a memory.”
“About the sunlight,” Kenny replied softly. “I brought back a bad memory.”
Out of the three of them, all practicing age players, littles, Kenny was the one that flowed most seamlessly back and forth from big to little. Carver suspected that Kenny’s constant regression was triggered by what he’d seen that night five years ago.
“Tell me what this new thing-a-bob can do,” Carver told him. A distraction was in order. Nothing distracted Kenny like talking about one of his inventions.
Kenny grinned. “Thing-a-bob? That’s not what I called it.”
“I know. But when you start talking geek, it confuses my poor little brain.”
The giggle was adorable. “I just thought that if you were going to go into a club full of bloodsuckers, then you should have some kind of weapon.” He held up the little device. Now that Carver was closer, it looked like a vape.
“I don’t smoke,” Carver joked.
“I don’t recommend that you try to smoke this.” Kenny pointed at the button on the side. “Hit this and the room will light up like the sunniest of sunny days.”
Carver hummed. While it was a good idea, it would mean Carver would be in a lot of trouble. “That would be bad for me as well.”
Kenny deflated. “Oh yeah.”
“You could toss it into the room as you run away,” Owen offered. “Just run really fast.”
Run fast. That was Owen’s advice? “Great. Thanks.” Carver took the device anyway and shoved it inside his shorts. He hoped that was not something he was ever going to need. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. The monsters didn’t play by the rules, so why should he?
Owen sighed. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Taking in Kenny’s worry and Owen’s concern, Carver wanted to assure his friends. The words got stuck in his throat. Was he sure? No. This could possibly be the biggest mistake of his life. Well other than going out for that carton of ice cream five years ago. Fucking mint chocolate chip craving. But it was time to make the monsters hurt. He nodded.
Dante
The music in the club was loud, the bass vibrating from the gleaming floors, and the press of bodies annoying. Dante shouldered his way past the crowd on his way toward the back. To the rooms that held what Dante was seeking.
“Club is at max capacity,” Nicholas told him. “Our guards are at every exit and stationed in the back. You are safe to indulge.”
“How many others?” Dante asked discreetly. His second would know what he meant. Humans weren’t his concern. Shifters or other supernatural beings were somewhat troublesome.
“Maybe twenty or so in the back. We are keeping an eye on them. Another twenty-five in the club or waiting to get in,” Nicholas reported.
“Make sure our clan outnumbers them at all times,” Dante ordered. While the club was supposed to be neutral ground since humans were allowed, issues did pop up from time to time. When that happened, Dante squashed it immediately. Without mercy.
“Yes, sir,” Nicholas replied as he typed on his phone.
One of the vampire guards opened the door leading to the back rooms. Once it was closed behind him, the thumps and scents from the main club were closed off. And new sounds replaced those that Dante didn’t care about.
This part of the club was the exclusive side. A small yet intimate lounge led to numerous rooms. Only the supernatural or those trusted were allowed back here. The front of the club was full of humans finding their excitement for the evening while back here so much more happened.
