Page 10 of The Vampire Kingpin (The Vampire Syndicate #7)

Lark

M ortification heated my cheeks. I dropped an arm over my face, praying Spider wouldn’t notice.

I’d begged him. Allowed him to drink from me. Let him take me anyway and anyhow he wanted—and I’d loved every second of it. I was still humming.

Yeah, I talked a big game, telling him I’d be the best he ever had. But he’d flipped it on me, because he’d turned out to be the best I’d ever had. A fairy tale come to life, except in this version, the villain pleasures the woman until she forgets he’s no prince.

Problem was, when it was over, I’d forgotten why we were tangled in these sheets. That I was Spider’s thrall. That this was a hustle, me grabbing a chance to score some easy cash.

Worse, he’d known that I’d forgotten. That I’d been feeling…feelings. Warm and fuzzy, I-could-like-you feelings.

I’d seen his expression. He’d felt sorry for me. Hell, he’d looked guilty.

I cringed inwardly. Talk about an icy slap of reality.

What was wrong with me? Lark Nightstar didn’t do feelings. Feelings were messy. They bogged you down, trapping you more effectively than silver chains.

I’d forgotten myself, that’s all. It had been a long time, and I’d been horny.

Now, though, I wanted to grab my clothes and get the fuck out of Dodge. But even if Spider would’ve let me out of our agreement, I needed that money. It represented freedom, a fresh start.

No, I’d stay the whole month, even if it killed me.

“ I should’ve held out for fifty.”

At least I’d dredged up a smart-ass comeback, saving myself from complete humiliation. Maybe he’d figure he’d read me wrong.

And yeah, his relief had been obvious. But that was good, right? It meant we were both on the same page.

Spider rose from the bed, disposing of the rubber before padding naked to his weapons cabinet. “You can keep your switchblade,” he said as he locked it back up, “but open this cabinet again and I’ll stake you myself.”

Stake me? Ohh-kay.

“Got it,” I said, sitting up.

Message received, loud and clear: Don’t make this something it’s not. You’re nothing to me.

I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. I’d enjoy the hell out of sex with Spider, then take his cash and book it out of here.

Yeah, it hurt. But bruises healed. The key was to protect yourself and avoid further damage.

And it’s not like my heart was bruised. He’d only poked my ego.

I swung my legs to the floor, suddenly desperate to scrub his scent off my skin, and grabbed the purple shirt. “Are we done here? Because I could use a shower.”

A hesitation. Then he said, “Sure.”

I felt his eyes on me as I sauntered naked to the bathroom. Glancing over my shoulder, I was pleased to see his brow furrowed. What, did he expect me to break down and cry like some human virgin?

I blew him a kiss and closed the door on his confused face.

When I remerged, wearing his shirt and my clean thong, the door to the Cavern was open. Spider had pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and was speaking in an undertone to a tall Amazon of a vampire with a thick black braid and a pair of lethal-looking daggers strapped over her short orange skirt.

“This is Velma,” he told me. “My lieutenant. If I’m not around, she’s in charge.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

She acknowledged that with a short nod and turned back to Spider. “I’ll look into it. For now, I’ll be out on patrol.”

“I’ll catch up to you later,” he told her.

As Velma left, Zayne popped into the doorway. “Hey, Spider. I have some things for Lark.” She indicated the stack of clothes in her arms.

“Thanks.” He glanced from her to me like he was wondering how I’d made a friend so fast. “I’ll give them to her.”

As he took them, I leaned around him to thank her myself. “You’re a sweetheart.”

“No problem,” she said with a warm smile and left.

Spider shut the door with his foot. When I tried to take the clothes, he held them out of my reach, feeling each piece of clothing—leggings, a couple of T-shirts, an exercise bra and a handful of panties and socks.

It took me a few seconds to realize he was searching for a weapon. I blinked. “You don’t trust Zayne?”

“I trust her, alright.” He dropped the clothes on the bed. “Just being careful. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Got it.” I blanked my expression. “Sorry if I overstepped.”

His mouth pressed into a tight line. Then he said, “Get dressed and help with dinner. You wanna eat around here, you work.”

I moved a shoulder. “Fair enough.”

He considered me like he couldn’t quite figure if I was gaming him.

“I mean it,” I said. “I appreciate you feeding me. And I’m no princess—I don’t need to be waited on.”

He grunted and disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, I heard the shower go on.

I got dressed in a gray tee and black leggings, then stacked the rest of the clothes in a corner of the bedroom.

By the time Spider came into the Cavern, I was in the kitchen slicing tomatoes for Croc, a short, bulked-up human with cropped hair and a wicked scar curving from his left eye to his cheek.

Spider frowned as Croc (short for Crocodile) gave a rusty chuckle at my lame tomato joke. (Why did the tomato cross the road? To ketchup with the other tomatoes.)

It was almost like Spider was jealous. His hand went to the handle of the dagger in his holster, and he actually took a step toward us before giving himself a shake. He turned on his heel and strode out of the Cavern.

I frowned after him, then shrugged and went back to my tomatoes.

“These babies are almost done.” Croc flipped the burgers he was broiling for the ten or so other humans and dhampirs who’d drifted into the Cavern. “You finished with those tomatoes?” When I nodded, he put me to work washing lettuce and chopping carrots for a salad.

That’s how things went for the next few nights. I slept in Spider’s bed each day, waking up first and waiting for him. We fucked. That part was incredible—easiest money I’d ever made.

Then I helped cook, and we ate family-style around the long wooden table, humans and dhampirs side by side. In addition to Croc, Zayne, Jacko and DeeDee, I met a couple of other dhampirs—a teenager with bright blue hair and a dark-skinned, silver-haired dude, among others.

No thralls.

When I asked Bliss, the blue-haired kid, about it, she said, “You’re the only one. Usually we feed from our humans, or hire someone for the night. We pay them as we go, or barter with them.”

“But then why did he?—”

“Hire you as a thrall?” she finished. “We’re all wondering that.”

“I guess he figured he couldn’t get you any other way,” said Monster, the silver-haired dude.

I swallowed hard. Even before I’d extracted the extra twenty-five grand from Spider, he’d been willing to take me in place of the twenty-five Grim owed him.

Somehow, it hadn’t hit me before now that Spider must’ve wanted me—bad.

And why did that give me that warm, fuzzy feeling again? I quickly smothered it?

Chill, Lark. He wanted in your pants, that’s all.

Everyone was listening now. From across the table, DeeDee sneered. “Soon as the month’s over, he’ll kick you to the curb.”

“That’s the deal,” I agreed with a shrug.

She looked taken aback like she’d expected me to be upset. But then, she didn’t know that I’d been the one to insist that my deal with Spider had an end date. She wasn’t finished, though.

“After he lost Amina,” she informed me, “he swore never to take a mate. Just so you don’t get ideas.”

“He had a mate?” That good feeling I’d gotten from hearing how much Spider had wanted me popped like a soap bubble. I’d assumed that like me, he’d never mated.

She widened her eyes in a show of innocence. “You didn’t know?”

“It wasn’t official.” Zayne interjected from the head of the table. “He never claimed her. And I think that’s enough about Spider,” she added with a frown at DeeDee.

The human sent me a sulky look from beneath her black fringe.

“Thanks for the intel,” I told her. “But I’m not doing this for free, you know.” I took a big bite of my hamburger, another Croc special with onions, mushrooms and melted gorgonzola cheese.

She blinked and Zayne let out a laugh. “That’s your answer,” she told DeeDee, who pursed her lips.

As for me, I was savoring my hamburger. “Damn, Croc,” I said around a juicy mouthful, “this is good. That gorgonzola is genius.”

A flush crept up his thick neck. “Thanks.”

I chewed slowly, grateful for the human half of me that allowed me to feed on something other than blood, alcohol and chocolate. Yeah, vampires were hella powerful with longer lives than a dhampir, but I preferred having a foot in both worlds.

DeeDee renewed her attack. The woman had a raging hard-on where I was concerned.

“Cut the act, already. We all know you’re a plant. Grimclaw’s been eyeing this lair for a decade. You’ll run back to him and spill all our secrets. Next thing we know, we’ll all be dead.”

Grim had been eyeing Spider’s lair?

But it made sense. My cousin would never have the resources—or the balls—to build something like this.

“DeeDee.” Jacko crooked an arm around her neck in a firm hold. “Shut it, okay?”

She stiffened. “Sure, take her side.”

“It’s cool,” I said peaceably. “I get that I might look like a plant. But don’t you think Spider’s smart enough to figure that out?”

On cue, the man himself appeared in the Cavern doorway, his twists pulled into a casual ponytail, a soft green T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. “Smart enough to figure what out?”

DeeDee shot me a nervous glance.

Jacko released her. “Told you to put a lid on it,” he muttered.

Much as I would’ve liked to stick it to DeeDee, I wasn’t a snitch, and I didn’t know Spider that well. If I told the truth, he might punish her. Hell, Grimclaw would’ve backhanded us both for bitching.

But I took my time answering. Let the chick sweat.

Spider sauntered across the room. “Lark?” His hands landed on my shoulders. He gave me a warning squeeze. “What’s going on here?”

I licked my lips. “I was just telling DeeDee and everyone that I’m only sticking around for a month. After that, I’m outta here. No way I’m going back to Grimclaw’s lair. I’m leaving New York.”

“And why am I smart enough to figure that out?”

“Because you know I’m not a local—and why would I stay after what Grim pulled?”

Man, I used to be slicker than this. Growing up with a pair of smooth-talking sharks as parents had been a master class in evasion. But somehow I couldn’t lie to Spider, not when he’d made it clear that lying to him was a deal-breaker. So, every word was the truth.

“Hm.” Above me, I felt Spider studying DeeDee. “Is that right?”

Her mouth puckered like she’d swallowed a lemon. “Yeah.”

“I see.” His grip on me eased, and I went still, fearing this was the calm before the storm.

But he just told her sternly, “Well, listen up. Lark is here because I want her to be. You respect her, or you’ll answer to me.”

DeeDee’s gaze dropped to the table. “Yes, my lord.”

Spider added, “That goes for all of you.”

The others nodded or shrugged. I released a breath and fought back a big grin. The last thing I’d expected was that Spider would take my side against anyone in his lair, even a human.

He put a hand on Monster’s chair. The dhampir sprang up, asking, “Need a seat?”

“Appreciate it.”

Spider sank into the chair and yanked mine close, his muscular thigh touching mine. Velma, who’d watched the whole scene with an unreadable expression, moved to the entrance, turning her back to the room to keep an eye on the tunnel beyond.

DeeDee got up and brought Spider a glass of blood-wine. He accepted it with a smile that said she was forgiven. The group visibly relaxed.

You could tell they were tight, swapping stories and laughing together. Spider toyed with my ponytail while I listened, that envy constricting my chest again.

These people were family, their lair a place where both humans and dhampirs could drop their guards and be themselves. I’d never had that, except with my mom and dad. When you’re always on the move, switching up identities because the old ones got too hot, you can’t make real friends.

The meal over, other vampires drifted in, dropping onto the couches along with the humans and dhampirs who weren’t helping with clean up or on guard duty.

Spider pulled me to him for an open-mouth kiss, saying, “I’ll be back,” before leaving with a couple of the vampires he didn’t bother to introduce to me.

Feeling out of place and a bit lonely, I grabbed a towel and helped dry the dishes and put them away, even though Croc told me I didn’t have to since I’d helped with dinner prep.

When the kitchen was clean, I lingered on the edges of the gathering, debating if I should wait in Spider’s bedroom like I had the past couple of nights. But that wasn’t my style.

So when Zayne, Jacko and Monster gathered around the pool table next to the wet bar, I made my move. “Mind if I join?”

Monster’s deep-set brown eyes gleamed in anticipation. “You any good?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I can hold my own.”

“It’s fifty a game.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t have any cash.”

“No sweat.” He handed me a cue stick. “I’ll front you a hundred bucks. You and me will play first, then Jacko and Zayne. The winners play for the pot.”