Page 14 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)

The Dog and the Demon

L uca’s instinct was to reach out and steady her.

Part of him did take her threat of death at physical contact seriously, so instead he put one hand on the wall far above her head in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

Silently looking over her again, his cock strained at the ample amount of cleavage showing in the blessedly slim-fitting dress.

“What?” She almost hissed up at him.

“I’m just admiring how someone so small can house so much animosity,” he replied with a lopsided grin.

Her arms crossed, pushing her breasts together even more. He was going to explode if he didn’t stop standing over her like this.

“I thought you were supposed to be a friend to werewolves? Or were you lying about knowing my famous ancestor?”

“Stephen wasn’t hunting me.” Her voice was filled with a venom Luca didn’t feel he deserved.

“And I am?” He was puzzled but tried not to show how much.

“Your Alpha is.” Jules continued to glare at him. “In my experience, the Alpha’s desires are the desires of the pack.” Her words were barely audible, kept very low to assure that he was the only one who could hear her.

Luca sighed. There was some truth to her words.

He had never felt the Alpha’s insatiable desire for control under his father’s reign.

However, as Carson’s Beta, there was a lot of pressure to ensure his actions and opinions aligned with Carson’s.

Not that they ever did. He alone had the ability to defy him, even if the rest of the pack was compelled to comply in every way.

“I suppose,” he admitted. “Carson does have the final say on things.”

“Your Alpha has already failed to capture or kill me.” Her voice was low and sharp as she stepped toward him, not taking her eyes off his as she did.

“He will continue to do so.” He should have taken a step back for his own self-preservation, but he didn’t.

Instead, he dropped his arm, utterly baffled.

Luca’s body tensed. Carson had already sent wolves to make an attempt on her life. He was frustrated. Not only had Carson made a move without informing him, but he had done so completely disregarding Luca’s concerns. “I can guarantee you, I didn’t know.” He crossed his arms.

“Why should I believe you?”

“Didn’t you trust my ancestor?” Luca had never cared much about his famous heritage but if it helped gain her trust, it was worth the name drop.

“The twelve times great grandson of his brother is a little removed to use Stephen as support for your argument.”

“Five generations. Werewolves have long lifespans,” Luca said, winking smugly. “Carson may want you dead, Little Corpse, but unless you give me a reason too, I won’t help him do it.”

“Why?” Jules asked. The silver eyes that met his seemed wary.

“Because you intrigue me.” It was as honest of an answer as he could give her in the moment. His gaze landed on her full lips. An image of what he wanted her to do with them had his jeans feeling even tighter.

Her eyes locked with his as she studied him for a long moment.

Scoffing, her expression shifted, some of the tension receding.

Luca froze in place as she stretched a palm up, planting it on his chest. “Move, you mountain of a troll.” She shoved.

To his utter bemusement the impact moved him enough that he stumbled back.

With the way clear, Jules moved around him, walking back in the direction of Tai and Monica.

He chuckled, low and gravelly. Deep in his chest a warmth began to build. Physical contact or not. He was pretty sure she was going to kill him.

Luca went into the bathroom, leaned over the sink, and splashed cold water on his face.

He stared at his reflection as water dripped from it.

“Get it together man. She is technically dead,” he said aloud to himself.

A man exited a bathroom stall, made a concerned face towards him while he washed his hands and then left.

Luca chuckled again. “She is going to be the death of me.” Giving up on the decidedly unhelpful self-pep talk, Luca dried his face on a soft white towel and went to rejoin the others.

“Where’d they go?” he asked as he approached the table where Jules sat alone.

Without looking away from the balcony she pointed to the dance floor below.

He walked to the banister and watched as Tai and Monica moved somewhat clumsily across the floor.

When Tai dipped Monica low and nearly dropped her, Jules laughed out loud.

“Sometimes I envy them,” Jules admitted sadly.

She likely hadn’t been talking to him, but he took the opportunity anyway.

Luca squared his shoulders, came around the table, and offered her his hand.

She scowled at his hand and then her gaze dropped to his Converse. “You look like you have two left feet,” she said as she finally met his eyes.

“You’ll never know unless you agree to dance with me.” Luca waited patiently, his hand outstretched, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“One dance with the devil.”

“I’ll be the one dancing with the demon,” he said while he smiled down at her. “You get the dog.”

Jules rolled her eyes but slowly placed her hand in his.

Her skin instantly cooled the fire inside his own.

The feel of her cool skin on his could easily become an addiction he’d never be freed from.

Placing her hand on his arm, he led her down the stairs to the dance floor.

She spun away and back to meet him, her fingers never leaving his right hand.

With a jolt from further contact he rested his free hand on the bare skin of her back, leading her off into movement.

They were transported back to a time when a dance was more than a simple sway.

He spun her out and back in, her back sliding flush with his front.

Her arms wrapped around herself, her hands in his.

Gracefully, she moved under his arm. No need to bend, she slid right beneath it. He grinned at this.

To him, it felt as if no one around them existed.

In this moment, nothing else seemed to matter.

Not Carson. Not the pack. Not the differences in their species.

Not even her diet. Never in all the years of his life would he have imagined himself dancing with a vampire.

Let alone one as cute, sexy, and temperamental as this one.

Seemingly lost in the music she began to hum to the gentle tune as their bodies glided across the floor.

As the song ended, Luca placed his warm hand on the back of her neck, sending her into a dip.

She let him lean her all the way back. As he pulled her up, he saw her lips part slightly.

Their eyes met, Luca never wanted to look away again.

Jules gasped audibly at the feel of his werewolf-warm fingers brushing the back of her neck as he raised her back to standing.

She should never have touched him. She’d forgotten the feel of the species inner mingling.

Forgotten the warm glow of the werewolf skin on vampires’.

Forgotten the feeling of being attracted to another being.

If Luca had been a hideous beast, Jules doubted she would be quite so flustered. Something ignited inside her, desire.

As the music ended, she pulled her gaze and hand free of his and stepped away. Pushing away the unbidden emotion and coating it in denial.

Monica ran up and threw her arm around Jules. “Well, that was fun.” Jules walked with Monica back to the table and for the rest of the meal, did what she could to avoid looking at the werewolf across from her.

Nick’s fangs were once again imbedded in the carotid artery of a human.

The only difference was this one wasn’t an unsuspecting victim he’d stalked.

This was a willing participant. Sensing the end of the human’s life, Nick clamped down on the man’s head with his hand, holding the human to him.

Ten heart beats, nine, eight. Nick felt a supernaturally strong hand grasp his shoulder and the grip began to tighten.

It was a warning. “Mr. Bristow,” A low voice called out to him. Nick ignored it. “Mr. Bristow.”

“Nicholas,” a familiar feminine voice said.

Reluctantly Nick withdrew his fangs from the human’s neck, letting the body and the rest of its blood be removed from his vicinity by the beefy vampire bouncer.

He accepted the white handkerchief that appeared in front of his face, offered by a hand with long, talon-like, acrylic nails in shocking shades of yellow, pink, and orange.

He followed her six-inch platform heels to full thighs, and rounded hips that were barely covered by black spandex.

“Sorry, Cleo,” he said to the establishment’s owner. A dark stain of red blood smeared the white cloth when he wiped the sticky, warm trail off his chin.

The ancient vampire stood. Nick’s gaze followed her snatched waist up past full breasts pushed up and together at a ridiculous volume and finally landed on her angular face. “I’m surprised to see you in my new city.” She moved away from the corded off section of the vampire bar.

This section was lined with long black, leather, couches.

A private area set aside for the exchanging of blood between vampires and humans.

For the human, the consumption of vampire blood provided a unique high.

To his left another vampire pulled away from his meal, blood dripping down his chin.

Although, Nick felt no pull to it. Blood laced with vampire venom held no appeal for other vampires.

Nick followed Cleo into the more densely populated area. The atmosphere of Incognito was dark and the music booming. It had an upscale gothic feel that most human bars lacked. “We just relocated a few decades ago.”