Page 3 of Marked
He snickers. “Yeah, and you didn’t even get her number, true?”
I glance down at the watch on my wrist and the illuminated ‘talk‘ icon. “Son of a bitch.”
Gage claps me on the back, his green eyes mild. “We could always crash the party upstairs,” he teases. “I hear they offer even better service.”
“What are you talking about?”
They exchange a look. “You don’t know?” Tanner asks, something almost malicious in his strong features.
My head shakes.
Gage turns on one booted heel and walks towards the roped off staircase. “Carnage isn’t known for its drinks or the music,” he calls over his shoulder.
The petite blonde number at the foot of the wrought-iron expanse smiles beatifically at us. There is a hell of a lot of her slim legs showing under her skirt, and her spiked heels make them stretch on for miles. “Do you gentlemen have reservations?”
Tanner brushes past, a coy light illuminating his grey eyes. “We sure do. It’s under Long John.”
Her cheeks flush wildly as she takes in his over six foot frame with twin parts surprise and lip-biting interest. “Excuse me ...”
I snag his arm and pull him back. She looks up at me, quivering, as the dewy fragrance of her arousal fills my head. “Look, I’m friends with Lilah. I heard she was working the VIP section. Care to let me up?”
She searches my face. “You know Lilah?”
“Gorgeous brunette with eyes that make me want to confess my darkest sins?” I ask. “Yeah, we’ve met.”
The woman giggles and stares at me from under fake lashes. “Well, if you’re afriendof Li’s, you’re afriendof mine.”
She unclips the thick velvet rope and starts up the stairs. Tanner rubs his hands together while Gage urges me first. I trail up the metal stairs, boots silent in the din around us.
More heavy, sweet-scented smoke pours over the landing, building in my lungs until it’s all I can smell. Dim—almost black—lighting casts everything in an eerie glow. All except for a bright stage at the back of the cavernous room.
A single coffin rests dead center of the dais, gleaming top open and the inside full of writhing bodies. The male clasps his hands deeper into his partner’s slim rear, pantomiming sex in something close enough to the real deal that, for a second, I stare.
The sounds of their ‘copulation’ are loud. Panting breathing and the woman’s soft mewls of need. The male rears back, fangs fully extended.
My gut turns.
He rips and tears at her flesh, covering them both in thick, metallic-scented fluid that hits me like a freight train from across the room. And judging from the glowing eyes of every patron in the area, I’m not the only vampire. Hell, I’m not one in a hundred.
The woman collapses in his arms as he continues to feed, her body going limp. Lifeless. His suckles make hunger wash my throat, and I reach for the gun at the small of my back.
Fuck.
Strong fingers close over my arm, halting me. I look at Gage. He jerks his chin back towards the coffin.
The victim’s eyes flutter, and the vampire lets her fall into the coffin as he rises to stand next to it.
His chest swirls in red ribbons that glide down over a lean midsection to a pair of skin tight briefs. His erection is a solid line through the material. Some of the audience rushes the stage to paw at him eagerly. They come away with blood-soaked fingertips and fang-filled grins.
The blonde hostess turns back to me with a winning smile. Her high-vested collar gaps, showcasing creamy breasts and the long line of her neck. Multiple healing bite marks grow visible under the glowing light from my eyes.
“Welcome to Carnage, gentlemen. If there is anything you need,” she trails a finger down my chest, “anything at all … Just let me know.”
Chapter 2
Lilah
I move around the dressing room, helping Draven get out of the now stained briefs. Blood coats my skin, but I reach for the thing of wet-wipes on his make-up stand while he tugs on an old threadbare robe.
