Page 6 of The Guardian's Curse

As she stepped onto the smooth hardwood of the club’s ground floor, she felt hungry eyes on her like a summer swarm of gnats crawling on her skin.

Instead of leading her to the doors, Dominic headed toward the bar. She had taken only two steps into the dim club when a handsome man with salt and pepper hair stepped up to her and took her hand. His thumb pressed to the tangle of veins on the underside of her wrist, sending a shiver down her spine. “May I offer you company?”

She shook her head and pulled her hand away. “No thank you.”

His head tilted, and he glanced up at Dominic. “I apologize. Is she yours?”

“I am no one’s,” she said sharply. The older man’s eyes narrowed.

“Excuse us,” Dominic said. He pressed one hand to Shoshanna’s back and led her to the bar. “Sit.”

“I don’t want to stay for drinks,” she said.

“I’m not getting you a drink,” he replied. He stepped behind the bar, where there were carved glass shelves laden with liquor bottles and glass bottles of red. She’d been here enough to know the blood bottles were just for display, since they kept the red stuff on ice and heated it to their patrons’ liking once they ordered.

Her eyes drifted past the bar, to a raised corner table where two handsome men fed on a human woman in a red dress. One stiletto had slipped off, forgotten beneath the table. One man had his teeth buried in her throat, his hand cupping her breast. The other fed from her wrist, and his free hand was under her dress. Her head was thrown back, lips parted with a hazy smile on her face. They weren’t just feeding; they were consuming her. Devouring her.

Heat flared between Shoshanna’s legs, her body clamping down on the emptiness. The Lady in Red was clearly enjoying herself. Considering the dry spell she was on, maybe she should have taken Paris up on his offer to stay for a drink, even if she was on tap. There was something about his self-deprecating bluster that made her suspect he was an absolute monster in bed.

But the monster was precisely the problem. Sure, it would start with a nice little bite and a hand on her thigh, but where would it stop? She could appreciate their fine suits and unnaturally gorgeous faces, but she knew better than to trust the creatures beneath those beautiful masks.

And if someone could pass the message along to the heartbeat between her thighs, she could move on with her business instead of imagining dark, decadent wonders.

“See something you like?” Dominic asked. Her cheeks flushed as she snapped her gaze back to him. He grabbed her hand and secured a cool metal bracelet around her wrist.

“What the...” She examined the bracelet, a thin silver band that tangled into a stylized rose. Five red stones like drops of blood adorned its petals.

“This is a vampire club,” he said. “Humans here are assumed to be food. That indicates that you’re claimed as one of ours.”

“I’m not—”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve no time for your defiance, Shoshanna. Keep it on your wrist or handle the hungry vampires yourself.”

Regardless of how pretty it was, this was a collar for a pet. She wanted to tell him exactly where he could shove his stupid rose, thorns and all. Instead, she crossed her arms. “Can I go home now?”

“I’ll walk you out,” he said.

As they walked out of the club, a young blonde woman stepped into her path, red eyes sweeping over her appreciatively. Then her gaze caught on Shoshanna’s wrist. Her expression changed, and she gave Dominic a little nod before continuing on her hunt.

One point for the fancy bling, then.

“Shoshanna?”

A familiar voice caught her attention, and she turned over her shoulder to see a man in a black button-down hurrying toward her. Lean build, narrow waist, dark brown hair...she tilted her head. Lose the well-fitted shirt and substitute a ragged Blink-182 t-shirt. Subtract a little bit of the muscle on his shoulders and make his features a little more ruddy... “Elliott?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Holy shit, you look amazing!”

He stepped in, grasping her shoulders gently as he hugged her. She stiffened in his grasp. The last time she’d seen Elliott was back at her ten-year high school reunion. He’d been human then, but the man hugging her was definitely a vampire. His cold energy enveloped her. “Thanks,” she said. “Wow, it’s uh...wow.”

Her stomach tied in a knot. Their history was complicated, to put it lightly.

A halo surrounded Elliott’s head, marking him as an outsider. “This is crazy. Are you two together? Hey, I’m Elliott,” he said, sticking out his hand.

Dominic glanced down at his hand but didn’t take it. “Dominic.”

Elliott let out a nervous laugh. “Right. God, I can’t believe it’s you. What are the odds? Hey, can I buy you a drink? I’d love to catch up.”

She would rather chew her foot off and cauterize the gushing stump with battery acid. Her tongue was rooted in place, and she looked helplessly at Dominic. His nostrils flared. “Miss York has important matters to attend to,” he said. He offered his arm, and Shoshanna took it. “Come on, love.”

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