CHAPTER 2
Julius
JULIUS’S FACE BURNED HOT as he took in the scene in front of him. He tried to breathe through it, but the beast inside of him rose higher to the surface with every inhale. His fangs elongated and sharpened. Two stupid humans were destroying his brand new, top of the line, custom designed car with pristine leather seats so soft that every baby butt in the alter realm would weep in shame.
I’m going to kill them.
Calm, brother. Evan’s mutinous voice squeezed between his thoughts of breaking one girl in half before draining the other.
Stop reading my mind.
Your fangs are down. Evan pressed as equally ferocious in his mind.
He forced them to recede as he closed the distance between him and the two girls.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He roared. The sudden sound sent them both jolting up right.
A sharp gasp escaped one as she whipped around, dropping the bat in her hands with a clink at her feet. Her heart beat like a battering ram inside of her chest. Its quick pace formed a hypnotic beat that revved the beast inside of him. Her blood pumped up her neck and settled in her cheeks, making him wet his lips in hunger. He wondered what she tasted like. His fangs threatened to drop again.
Julius, you need to think of something else.
Get out of my head.
Please. Evan pleaded. You’re losing it.
Evan’s words flitted from his mind as his gaze reluctantly traveled from her throat to her face.
The universe blinked. Everything peeled away, then refocused solely on her. She. Was. Gorgeous.
Her face was so striking. Round, innocent cheeks, big doe eyes, and a near perfect symmetry he wanted to study for an eternity. Her hazel eyes were wild with emotion. When they found his, a jolt of electricity shot straight to his groin.
Julius sucked in a slow breath as his gaze trailed down the length of her. Golden wavy hair fell down to the small of her back, while fuck-me curves and legs that belonged tightly wrapped around his waist called to him. One singular thought repeated in his mind: Claim her.
Come, let’s go back upstairs. Evan encouraged.
Back upstairs? He would not go back up there now. Not when the most delectable creature he’d ever laid eyes on was in front of him.
When the girl’s full lips trembled, an image of the brunette upstairs going down on Cav as they were leaving made him want the girl in front of himto wrap those pretty pink lips around him.
“Oh god.” Her companion’s voice thrust him back to reality, breaking his trance.
For a moment, he thought she’d read his filthy thoughts, but realized she was looking at his car—his very much desecrated car. He regained himself.
“That’s my car!”
The girl squeaked; her eyes widened with shock.
“Erica,” her dark-haired friend urged. “Run!”
Yes, Erica. Run so I can chase you, the beast inside of him mused. Julius agreed to let him claim her as soon as they caught up to them.
Stop! Evan’s voice hardened in his mind.
Erica stalled, watching him with a curious glint in her eyes. Or was it a challenge? The beast inside of him appreciated that. But her companion moved fast. She dashed around the smashed car, boots crunching against the glass in the street, she knocked into Erica and yanked her away. They broke out into a run.
I’m a hunter, and this is my favorite game. The beast inside of Julius seized control and took off after them.
Don’t. They’re human. Evan followed him. His heavy footfalls propelled Julius to run faster. Harder.
She’s mine, the vicious thought ripped through him. Back off Evan.
The two girls dashed around the corner. Erica’s sweet delicious scent wafted in his direction. She smelled of lilac, honeysuckle, and fresh blood. A potent mix. His fangs dropped. She was his.
Julius, stop!
No. Not when he was so close that if he reached out his fingers could graze her soft golden hair. You’re mine now, Erica.
A sudden sharp pain smashed through his skull, as if the gods themselves hit him with a lightning rod causing its white-hot heat to sear into his brain. Julius fell to his knees and grabbed the sides of his head.
Sorry, brother. Evan apologized. He was doing this—controlling his mind with his own—making his brain hurt as if he’d squeezed it between his fingers and yanked it backward.
“Let go of me,” he grunted, clutching at the back of his skull is if he could pry off Evan’s hold on his mind with his hands.
No. Not until you calm down. Evan’s iron grip tightened, but he was focused on the fleeing girls.
“She’s getting away.” He tried to wrench himself toward her. Evan refused to let go.
Helplessly, he watched Erica shove herself into the passenger seat of a rusted-out black sedan. Her friend was already putting the keys into the ignition.
“Wait!”
They didn’t wait. Her friend pressed the gas hard. The tires screeched as the car launched from its space and sped off.
“No,” he cried out as he watched the car run several red lights as they fled.
Immediately, the tension on his brain was gone. Evan let go of his mind.
Julius rose to his feet, then launched himself at his brother. “How dare you let them get away?”
“Are you kidding me?” Evan’s long skinny fingers wrapped around his wrists and yanked his hands away from his shirt collar, then poked him square in the chest. “You went full vampire in front of two humans, and you’re asking me why I let them get away?”
“So, what would you have me do? Nothing?”
“The King sent us with one mission, Julius. So yes, you do nothing.”
“They can’t just destroy my car and get away with it. Damian would understand.” He pointed down the street where they were last seen. “Their scent is still fresh. I’m going to track them.”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Watch me.”
Then, he felt it again. A tingling feeling slid up the back of his neck and into his skull and took hold of his brain.
“Stop it!”
“Calm down.”
Julius moved anyway. Only, his skull didn’t comply.
“Breathe with me.” Evan’s breaths were slow and methodical.
“No.”
“Breathe with me, and I’ll let you go,” he amended.
He didn’t have time for this. Their scent grew weaker by the second. He narrowed his eyes at his brother and took a long spiteful breath. “Happy? Now, let me go.”
“Five more.”
Evan’s grip held firm.
“Fine,” he bit out and breathed with his brother. They must have looked like a pair of idiots in the middle of an empty road expelling large puffs of air. He swore to all the gods across all the realms, he would never go with Evan to the alter realm again. Even if breathing like a fool did calm his agitation.
“We’re here to lay low. Not risk exposure.”
“I know what we’re here to do.”
“Then, act like it. You lost yourself back there.”
Julius clamped his mouth shut and wrenched himself away from his brother, thoughts duplicitous. Evan was right, and that fact grated on his nerves. He’d completely lost himself. Letting his beast control him was dangerous for everyone, not just the humans he’d ran after. He hoped they hadn’t seen his fangs. Or how his irises darkened into black pools and expanded across the whites of his eyes.
“They didn’t,” Evan answered his train of thought as they finished their final deep exhale. “Alright, let’s get back.”
Nodding, he walked back to the parked car. It was completely ruined. His earlier anger curled inside of him and settled on his shoulders as he assessed the damage. The car was riddled with dents. Every window it used to have was smashed cubes of safety glass on the ground. They’d even smashed the headlights out. A defeated growl escaped him as he gently grazed fingertips along the once-glossy paint.
“I’ll call for a cab,” Evan said quickly. “Maybe you should wait inside.”
“I don’t want to wait inside. I want to track them right now.”
“We’ve discussed this.” The tingling came back.
“I said I want to. Not that I will.” He gave Evan a scathing look. It was Evan’s fault he wasn’t allowed. His brother pulled his phone out of his pocket. Evan’s nimble fingers dashed across the screen before he pressed it to his ear.
He returned his attention to the car. A look of pity scrunched his face into a frown. “Look at what they did to you.” He whined, petting the car before resting his head against the dented door frame. “You were so beautiful.”
“No one told you to get a custom car.” Evan shrugged. “Next time, get a rental.”
TWO NIGHTS LATER
“Are you still sulking?” Evan pushed behind the bar in their hotel suite, grabbing a highball glass and a bottle of dark liquor before pouring himself a drink.
“Fuck off.”
“Ooh. Someone’s testy.”
“I said: Fuck. Off.”
Evan snickered. “Well, lighten up buttercup. We have another prospect to check out tonight.”
His brother’s overly cheerful disposition made him want to punch his face in. Instead, his shoulders slumped as he took another swig of tequila. Of all the liquors in the alter realm, this one tasted less like sucking on ass and more like how liquor should. The bite of it warmed the back of his throat, but it didn’t quench the thirst that had lingered there ever since his car was smashed to bits. Her scent had long since dissipated, but its memory was still fresh.
“You’ve got it bad.” Evan tsked and put the glass to his lips and emptied it. He made a face as he gulped it down. Apparently, he wasn’t fond of the dark liquor either. Served him right.
“What’s the prospect?” He changed the subject, sliding his now empty glass back and forth between his hands against the shiny mahogany bar top.
“A night club called Savu. It’s on the edge of downtown, near warehouse point.”
“The warehouse district?” Julius asked and prayed for a coincidence. Then he thought of the wolf shifter with a growing conglomerate of commercial buildings across the city and knew not to believe in coincidences. He grabbed the bottle and poured another shot. “Please don’t tell me it’s another shifter. Or worse, a mage.”
“Money is money.” Evan pulled the bottle away from him and capped it.
“Hey!” Julius protested, but it was already tucked underneath the bar and out of his reach. “Are you trying to incite a turf war?”
“It’s business. Even though they’re hot headed, the wolves will understand that. No matter which clan we deal with.”
“Clan? So, it’s not a mage. Thanks be to the all gods. You can never trust a mage. They always have their own agenda.” Then, a burning question popped into his head. “I thought there were only wolf clans in this city?”
Evan shrugged. “They’re not all that’s out there.”
“So, this prospect isn’t a wolf?”
Evan shook his head and grabbed their coats from a closet in the hall. He was playing coy. There were only two coats inside of it, but he rifled through them as if he were sorting through several in a department store.
“Out with it. Who’s the owner?”
“His name is Stick. He’s a loner.” Evan tossed him his black leather jacket. “He hails from no clan.”
“What is he? A bear? A skin walker? What?”
His lanky brother shrugged nonchalantly. “A fire serpent.”
Julius stopped breathing for a moment. His woes from a minute ago had completely vanished. “You found a dragon? I thought their kind fell into legend.”
It’d been at least a century since the last dragon had been sighted in any of the known realms. For a while, a rumor circulated that dragon shifters had found another portal, one that led to a realm they’d called their own. He’d figured it was merely a story told to young children since the truth was much more sinister. Dragon’s had long been hunted for their tough hides and mountains of gold. Perhaps, to extinction. Not even Gustav, his older brother, the explorer, had found any on his adventures.
“So, they exist? How many of them?”
“One as far as I know. And no one knows about him and neither do we,” Evan said firmly. Ah. It was a secret Evan had plucked from the dragon’s mind.
“You know, I’m beginning to hate this realm. First, my car gets destroyed. Now, there’s an actual dragon in our midst and I can’t make anything of it. What good is it being a prince if I get run over like this?”
“To serve, on your honor to the King. Our brother needs investments with quick cash to stave off the blood shortages. And since we show the most promise for not exposing vampire kind in this realm, we get the privilege of being in a place that doesn’t fawn over us.” Evan bared his teeth in a wide fake smile.
He frowned. “I hate being Prince.”
“Said no one, ever. Let’s go. There will be plenty of free booze and women to drown your princely sorrows in after we secure this deal.” Evan wagged his eyebrows, knowing his weaknesses well. “You know the legend of dragons. They have a way of attracting the pretty ones.”
“So, it’s true then?”
Evan returned a look of mischief. “Brother, if we secure this deal, you’ll be drowning in more pretty women you can handle.”
Now, that was more like it, he grinned. Finally, their trip had taken a turn for the better. He followed Evan to their private elevator and into the parking garage, where a car service waited to take them to the night club called Savu.
The best part of being in a city was the fact that it hardly took long to get anywhere. Sure, the parking left a lot to be desired, but they didn’t have to worry about parking at Savu. Stick held a spot for them roped off at curbside. At least the dragon knew hospitality. This was the only joy of the alter realm.
From the outside, Savu was an ordinary two-story brick building filled with large blacked-out windows and an unassuming gently sloped ramp that led up to a plain blood red door. At street level, the club extended to a small restaurant littered with couples and groups holding solo cups and eating pizza.
So, this was the potential investment. He might have gotten his hopes up.
“Don’t judge a book, brother.” Evan smirked, then nodded over to the entrance line that snaked down the block and wrapped around the corner. Julius’s eyes widened.
His brother was no liar. Hordes of the most beautiful people he’d ever seen gathered in line like Stick was handing out gold bars and free tickets to the next world.
“It’s even better inside.” Evan clasped a large hand against his back and wiggled his eyebrows before leading him to the guard near the stairs. “We’re here to see Stick.”
The guard, tall like himself but bulkier like he carried boulders under his shirt, touched a small device in his ear and called for his boss. The communication device was much different than the one in Julius’s pocket. He stared at the black plastic that wrapped around the bald man’s ear and wondered how it worked. It barely took a second to hear Stick’s voice inside of the man’s ear, “Let them in.”
The line shifted as the bouncers held the crowd back to make way for them. Now, this was the service he was used to. He climbed the ramp behind Evan and through the doorway of the nightclub. As expected, it was filled to the brim. From the look of it, anyone left outside would be just that: left outside. A rhythmic beat muscled its way through the club. Flickering lights sprayed the crowd with flecks of colorful lights, shining over the dancing bodies that shifted around the club in earnest. On the inside, Savu was everything he imagined it to be.
He could definitely drown his sorrows in this. He’d already seen a few women that caught his eye. A girl in a skin-tight black dress that barely touched her thighs eyed him from across the room. She smiled at him. Yes, tonight was going to be glorious.
“Evan. Welcome.” A man in dark blue jeans and a plain navy button-down shirt diverted his attention. The man was tattooed to the gills. A scaly pattern laced its way from his neck down to his hands. Even in his human form, he looked like a dragon.
“Stick.” Evan thrust his hand out. “This is my brother, Julius.”
Stick swiped a hand through his hair, then down the sides of his jeans before offering it to him. Julius took it. The man ran hot and his grasp remained firm. Good. They needed someone worth his salt in this venture.
“Please, come this way. Tonight, you’ll be afforded the VIP package, which includes…” The dragon talked about the ins and outs of his club and the night he promised they’d have, but it was hard to focus on his words.
His mind was trained elsewhere. Just beneath the scent of fresh sweat, blood, and booze, something sweet, like fresh flowers after the morning dew caught him by surprise. A scent he’d memorized.
Erica.
He couldn’t believe his luck. He smiled inwardly. Dragons had a way of attracting the pretty ones. And Erica was definitely one of the pretty ones.
His head whipped around, gaze dashing back and forth through the club, looking for her. He scanned every face, looking past every dancing body in his search.
Where is she?
He moved. Evan stiffened but made no move to grab him when he excused himself from the club owner. He flossed through the crowd to the dance floor. No. The scent was weaker there. He turned around and moved back toward the entrance.
Julius. Evan’s voice whispered inside his skull even though he looked to be engrossed in what the club owner was saying. Calm, brother.
He was calm. Calmer than he’d been all night. He focused on her scent, the one that smelled like spring after a rainstorm.
There.
Just behind the bar, Erica poured several shots for a group of college guys who looked no older than her. Her eyes sparkled when one of them said something she found funny.
“Salud.” He read from her gorgeous lips. She toasted with them and drew a shot to her lips and downed it back.
“We’ll get you settled in the VIP area,” Stick said from behind him and pressed a hand to the device in his ear to call a name, but he stopped him.
“Them,” Julius pointed to the collection of people behind the bar. “Do they work for you?”
Stick nodded. “Everyone behind the bar does.”
A mischievous smirk brightened his face. He never believed in luck. But tonight, was the exception.
“Do you want one of them to tend your section?” Stick asked, releasing the button on the communication device in his ear. Julius set his gaze on his prize. Her hazel eyes were still sparkling as another set of people found their way in front of her.
“I’m going to stay down in the pit. Julius—” Evan began, but he cut him off.
“I want the blonde,” he demanded.
“As you wish.” The dragon shifted and pressed the communication device again. “Erica, you’re on VIP. Come set your station.”
Stick guided him up a set of stairs to a VIP section that boasted a bird’s-eye view of the night club, but he wasn’t interested in watching the club. Not when there was someone more interesting that had his attention.
He studied the girl with the long wavy blonde hair as she filled up a tray of liquor and hoisted it on her shoulder. She hadn’t noticed him yet.
Good.
It would be sweeter. He leaned back into the booth and stretched his arms wide, watching her walk from the bar toward him. Erica’s stride was graceful and fluid like a deer unaware of the lion.
She didn’t know what was in store for her. If he had it his way, he’d punish her for destroying his beautiful car. A flood of naughty images blipped through his mind as he stared at the short hem of her shorts that revealed the most delicious set of legs, he’d ever laid eyes on. It was decided. He needed them around his waist. His mouth watered as she climbed the stairs to the VIP area. She wore a dazzling smile, which quickly turned into a flat line before rounding out in shock. Her doe eyes flew open. Gasping, she nearly dropped the tray of alcohol.
Erica sputtered and her heart barreled inside of her ribcage. Her hazel eyes danced a thousand miles like she was trying to think of what to do next.
A mischievous smirk settled on his lips.
Oh, yes. The beast inside of him purred when her sweet honeysuckle and lilac scent became stronger. I’ve got you cornered now.
“Hello, Vandal.”
Author’s Note: Hello indeed.
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