Dark Realms (74 page)

Faye’s eyes raked over the
white graphic T-shirt, emphasizing his narrow waist and muscular
frame. Obviously, he still found time to work out between gigs and
she noticed it as well. I normally wasn’t into muscles, but
damn…
everything
about Slade was sexy. “Yeah, do you have a moment?” she asked
in a softer voice.

“For you, Birthday Girl, I have as many
moments as you need,” he replied, holding out his forearm.

She linked her arm through his and beamed up
at him. “My, I guess it’s true what they say about you.”

“What’s that?” he asked with a slight
grin.

“That you’re as smooth as that voice of
yours,” she replied.

“
Smooth as shit,” muttered
Liam under his breath with a smirk.

“Boys, I’ll return Slade after I’m finished
with him,” said Faye, over her shoulder as they began to walk away.
“Oh,” she turned around. “If anyone runs into Ethan, let him know
that I’m looking for him.”

“Did you try calling him?” asked Sean.

“He doesn’t carry a cell phone,” she
replied. “Refuses to own one, actually.”

“Why?” asked Bradan. “I couldn’t live
without mine.”

“If he doesn’t get one soon, he may not live
without one either,” she replied with a straight face.

The guys laughed but something about her
expression made me uneasy.

“Let’s go,” she said to Slade.

I watched as they walked
away and felt another wave of envy. Not only was she everything I
wasn’t, but it was obvious that she had the sexiest guy in the club
wrapped around her finger. I could
never
compete with that.

Jimmy cleared his throat. “So, Chelsey, tell
us again about your cousin.”

I told him everything I knew. After I
finished, they asked if I had a picture of her.

I took out my phone and scrolled through
photos I’d taken. When I came to a picture of Melody at her
graduation party, I handed Liam the phone.

He bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah, actually,
we did see her. Last night.”

My eyes widened. “Seriously? You did?”

“Sure did,” he replied.

“Let me see,” said Bradan, holding out his
hand.

Liam handed him my phone and Jimmy also
glanced at it.

“Oh yeah,” said Jimmy. “I remember that
chick.” He chuckled. “Who wouldn’t?”

Bradan laughed and handed
me back the phone. “I’m sure she’s fine. She was in good
hands last night. Nothing to worry
about.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Really? With
who?”

He picked up his beer and took a swig.
“Slade,”

Chapter
Eleven

Slade

“Who were your friends?” asked Faye as we
stepped out of the V.I.P. lounge.

“
Just a couple of fans,” I
replied quickly. I was still stunned that Chelsey had been at our
table when I’d stepped out of the bathroom. Then, when I’d sat down
next to her and inhaled her human scent, it had almost been too
much to handle. I was attracted to everything about her, which
could be lethal for both of us.

I have to get out of this town before I do
something extremely foolish...

Faye raised an eyebrow. “Just a fan… well,
she obviously thinks that you’re the cat’s meow.”

I played it off. “Of course she does. All of
my female fans do.”

“Yes, I’m sure they do,” she agreed.

I wondered what Faye wanted with me. Not
many people made me nervous, especially a woman, but there were
rumors about this one that were disturbing even for me. Crazy, dark
rumors. If she hadn’t agreed to pay such a high price for our band
to perform at the club, I would have never gotten within ten feet
of her. The only reason we were still in Shore Lake was to sing her
the Birthday song, which she’d also set up and paid for.

“In here,” she said, waving a hand towards
her private office.

“Okay,” I replied, a little relieved that
she wasn’t taking me into the basement. Liam had been told that
there were some freaky things going on down there, including BDSM
and orgies. I wasn’t into either and had no interest in seeing it
live and in person.

“
Close the door,” she
replied, walking around her white and black marbled
desk.

I did and then sat across from her in a
black leather chair.

She took out a pack of cigarettes from the
top drawer of her desk. “Your performance last night was
incredible,” she said, lighting the end of one.

“Thank you,” I replied, leaning back in the
chair as she blew out a stream of smoke. “I thought we played
pretty well myself.”

She rested her chin on her hand and smiled.
“So, tell me Slade, what do you think of Shore Lake?”

I shrugged. “It’s very… wildernessy.”

She nodded. “Yes. Well, you get used to it.
I’m originally from Vegas.”

I’d heard
that
. “Oh, is that right?” I asked,
feigning surprise.

She took another drag of
her smoke and blew out a ring. “”Yes that
is
right. I have a feeling you
already knew that, however.”

I grinned sheepishly. “Not a very good
poker-face?”

“Not this time, but something tells me that
you could lie through your teeth and most wouldn’t be of the
wiser.”

“
You’ve got me all figured
out, huh?” I asked, not liking how this conversation was going. She
obviously wanted something more from me. Something more than just a
song.

“Slade, dear, I know what you are,” she said
in a low, amused voice.

I tapped my fingers against
the arms of the chair. “Is that right? You know
what
I am?”

“Oh, yes… definitely. It’s why I brought you
here.”

I grinned. “I’m lost… could you enlighten me
as to what exactly you’re talking about?”

“You’re a Roamer.”

I burst out laughing.
“A
Roamer
? What in
the hell is that?”

She leaned forward. “In Romania, I believe
you go by ‘Vampire’. Some of the vampires here, however, prefer the
term ‘Roamer’.”

I forced a grin. “You’re kidding,
right?”

She blew out another stream of smoke. “I’m
dead serious, Slade.”

I leaned back in my chair. “What am I
supposed to say to all of this? I mean, a vampire? Really?”

She looked amused. “Come on now. Just admit
it.”

“There’s nothing to admit.”

“Fine,” she said, standing up. “If you’re
not going to do it freely, then I’m going to have to force it out
of you.”

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. “Faye…”

She walked over to a door on the other side
of the office and opened it. “Bring in the girl.”

A man with long brown hair stepped out of
the other room with a disheveled looking young woman. One that I
recognized from the night before. Today, she looked like she’d just
rolled out of bed and hadn’t showered or changed her clothing.

“Hi Slade,” said the girl, staring up at me
with adoration.

I stood up. “What’s happening here?”

“
Don’t you remember her?”
asked Faye, now standing next to the blonde. She put her arm around
the girl’s shoulder and smiled darkly. “She certainly remembers
you.”

For the life of me, I had no idea what Faye
was trying to pull. The girl didn’t mean anything to me other than
she was a fan.

“Slade?” said the girl in a breathless
voice. Her eyes softened and she smiled shyly. “I waited for you
all morning and afternoon, but you never returned. I was so
worried.”

I stared at her in shock. “Excuse me?”

Her face fell. “You seriously don’t remember
last night? The after-party… and then the hotel?”

What I remembered was seeing her in the
club, dancing in front of the stage, but that was it. I had gone to
the after-party for only a little while, but then I’d left and went
to my hotel room. Alone.

“Oh for Pete’s sake,” snapped Faye. She
grabbed the girl’s hair, baring her neck.

“Ouch!” she hollered, trying to get out of
Faye’s grasp.

My mouth went dry as I stared at the vein in
her soft, fragile neck. I imagined my tongue, licking the salty
flesh right before I buried my teeth into her supple skin. “Faye,”
I growled in a raspy voice. “Enough.”

With her long red nail, she traced along the
girl’s neck, enticing me further. “Lovely, isn’t it? I bet you’d
love to sink your teeth into this little morsel.”

“Screw this shit,” I snarled, turning away.
“I’m outta here.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Faye.

The girl screeched in protest and the scent
of human blood filled the air, awakening the beast inside, the one
I’d fought so hard to control. Unable to resist any longer, I
grabbed the girl from Faye’s arms, and found myself straddling her
on the carpet as she stared up at me with terror,

“Slade?” she whispered, her lip trembling as
I held her down.

The blood trickled out of the small cut made
my Faye, and my mouth watered.

“Go on,” urged Faye.

Panting, I tried to contain the raging
hunger burning inside of me, but with every breath, I felt my
resistance weakening. It had been decades since I’d tasted anything
this sweet and fresh. Normally, my meals were collected from plasma
centers, which quelled my hunger to a point, but it still wasn’t
nearly as satisfying as warm blood.

“Feed. Do it,” demanded
Faye, kneeling down next to us. “Rip her throat out and take
what’s
yours
.” She
gently ran a hand over the girl’s hair, smoothing it away from her
face. “You do want to please Slade, don’t you Princess?”

The girl swallowed hard and nodded.

I looked at Faye, who I sensed wasn’t a
vampire, and was only doing this for some kind of twisted pleasure.
Her malice gave me the strength that I needed to resist. I released
the girl and stood up.

“What in the hell are you doing?” snapped
Faye, standing back up.

I pulled the girl to her feet and scowled at
Faye. “The real question is what are you doing and why?”

Ignoring the question, she turned to her
henchman. “Lucas, take the girl out of here. Bring her downstairs
and give her to the Roamers.”

I pulled the girl back, away from Faye and
Lucas. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, what a gallant gesture,” sneered Faye.
“You do realize that she knows too much now, don’t you?”

“She doesn’t have to remember anything,” I
replied. “I can make her forget all of this.”

Faye stared at me and I could see the wheels
turning in her head. I wasn’t sure why she’d wanted me to confess
something she’d already known. “What exactly do you want?” I asked,
positioning the terrified girl behind me.

Her face softened. “You know, I believe that
we started this conversation on the wrong foot.”

I waited for her to go on.

She licked her lips and smiled. “I want you
to fire your manager, move to Shore Lake, and let me take care of
your career from this day forward.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “You’re
joking.”

“Not at all. As you already know, I’m a very
wealthy and successful woman. I have connections all over the world
with people who can take your career to an entirely new level of
success. Slade, I can make you rich beyond your wildest
dreams.”

“I’m already rich.” I’d accumulated a lot
over the last three hundred years and our band did pretty well.
Money wasn’t even a motivator for me. Never had been. I performed
and sang, because it made me feel almost human.

“Maybe, but you haven’t reached superstardom
yet, Slade.” Her eyes glittered. “I can help you get there.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. We don’t need
you.”

She smirked. “Is that right? Well, the rest
of your band has already agreed to this. They want me to be your
new financial advisor and manager.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “What?
Bullshit.”

She went back around to her desk and turned
on the laptop computer. “They even picked out a cabin already.
Slade, moving here is the best decision for everyone. Vampires do
need to stick together.”

“Are you saying that you’re a vampire?” I
asked.

She snorted. “Hell no. I’m a Shifter.”

Fuck, now
that
was bad news. If I
went against her, she’d go after me with a vengeance. Shapeshifters
were dangerous and most of them were known to have violent, crazy
tempers. I sensed that she was among that particular
lot.

“It would never work. We don’t like to stay
in one spot too long,” I replied. “I’d suffocate here.”

“You wouldn’t have to live here
permanently,” she replied. “Hell, the Roamers have already proven
to me that they are unable to settle anywhere for too long. But,
when we move, you’d move. Eight months tops in Shore Lake and then
we’ll move on to the next town. Together.”

I folded my arms across my chest. There was
no way in hell I’d live near this psychotic bitch. “What do you get
from all of this, besides more money and fame?”

“To be honest, I like to be in control.
You’re relatively new to the U.S. and obviously don’t understand
how things are done here.”

“What exactly does that mean?” I asked.

Her face darkened. “Fine,
I’ll tell you the truth - I run this part of the country.
Me.
Nothing happens
without my knowledge or approval. There are those immortals who
would challenge my authority and like more than anything to take
away all of the power I’ve acquired. Of course, they always fail
because I have an army to back me up. An army of
your
kind.”

“Then why do you need us if you’re so damn
powerful?”