It had been a hell of an eternity.
Especially the past week. As he walked its dark streets, Conner West breathed in the scents of the city: gasoline and oil wafted from the asphalt; wood smoke and the aroma of grilled meats from the weathered brick buildings. From the people he passed, he could smell flowery perfume, musk and the sweet, coppery odor of blood.
He could have flown to his destination. Literally. Or taken the underground passage. But night had fallen, without a trace of star or moon, so the darkness suited his mood. Suited him.
Maybe it was time to leave the city, move on like he had so many other times. But he had friends here in Zantrax, people who could commiserate with his situation. His pace quickened as he neared downtown. Maybe Julian would be at Club Underground. No one understood guilt the way Julian did. And Julian would never leave Zantrax, not while the mortal for whom he felt such guilt and responsibility lived.
But as Conner had learned the hard way, mortals didnât live very long, especially when they got involved with vampires. That was why heâd walked away from her a couple of days ago. He stopped along the sidewalk, at the same point where heâd rescued her from a heel stuck in a sewer grate. She had rewarded his heroism with a kiss. He licked his lips, tasting her yetâ¦the tangy sweetness that was somehow familiar. Not that all humans tasted the same. Miranda hadnât. And she was why heâd left the innocent mortal on the street.
So he wasnât in to sweet young things anymore. Sheâd have to play this differently then. Sheâd have to show him who she was now; who he had made her. Undead. And bitter as hell about it. So bitter that she needed to destroy the man who had destroyed the life sheâd known.
Despite the crush of the crowd and the volume of the music and conversation, she knew the moment he stepped into Club Underground. Her skin tingled, and her nose twitched as she caught his scent. Her scent. Even now, all these years later, he still smelled like her, like the blood heâd stolen from her. The blood she wanted back.
She turned on her bar stool and scanned the club patrons in search of his face. The crowd parted for him. Women gazed at him in awe, men in envy. Damn the man. With his golden blond hair and piercing blue eyes he looked more angel than devil. But she knew the truth because heâd consigned her to Hell.
He stopped, before he neared her, and folded his long, lean body into a booth in a dark corner of the club. People, standing because there were no other places to sit, blocked her view of whomever he joined. But she didnât care who he was with nowâ¦because soon he would be with her.
âHeâs not worth it,â a feminine voice advised.
Brandi, as she called herself now, glanced at the black-haired woman who sat next to her. âYou know this personally?â she asked with a flash of emotion she refused to identify as jealousy. It was just irritationâ¦that someone might derail the plan sheâd spent years formulating.
The woman shook her head. âNot like that. I know better than to play with fire.â
Brandi hadnât known thatâ¦until it was too late. âHeâs that hot?â
âHeâs that dangerous,â the woman said, leaning closer as if she feared his overhearing them even though he was nearly across the room. âHeâs reckless and careless. Men like him put us all in danger.â
Usâ¦
She was one of them now, one of the Secret Vampire Societyâa secret they would kill to keep. She glanced around the club again. Not all the patrons were vampires or other creatures of the night. Some mortals frequented the club for thrills because they suspected the secret. But they didnât know for certain; they couldnât know and live.
Was that why heâd killed her, or had tried? Because heâd suspected sheâd realized exactly what he wasâ¦
But she hadnât known until it was too lateâ¦until she had become what he was.
âA little danger can be exciting,â she told the other woman as she slid from the stool, especially since he was the one in danger. Not her.
Long fingers closed around her arm. âBe careful.â
She patted the other womanâs hand. They werenât friends; Brandi hadnât been in Zantrax long enough to make friends. Not that she would have. Sheâd left her friends behind in her mortal life; they were probably all dead by now. Of natural causes. âI appreciate your concernâ¦â
âBut youâre not going to listen.â
She had waited too long while sheâd spent years tracking him down at every underground club in the world, so that she could finally exact her revenge. âNo.â
The air in the crowded club vibrated with excitement. Conner felt the vibrations in his veins, pumping hot and fast with his blood. He couldnât remember the last time heâd had such a sensationâsuch a sense of anticipation. Something was going to happen tonightâsomething that would change everything.
âAre you all right?â Julian asked.