Page 3

Chapter 3

Pretty Girls With Awesome Boobs

T apping his ear piece with a finger—our communication device for the evening while we were separated—Phillip smirked at me, the convicted felon look right at home on his face. “Call if you ladies need anything,” the bastard said before disappearing into the crowd.

Around us, hungry eyes from women and men alike watched the Austrian go. A few decided they were brave enough to follow, and I could only roll my eyes. He’d dressed in a shirt that exposed everything for our mission out at the popular club—his tattoos, his piercings, his brawny form—and everyone with a bad boy agenda would be his faithful slave for the night.

We hadn’t talked much since I emerged from my room with Sloan. If Phillip knew what went on, he didn’t show it. Barely said anything that wasn’t related to our mission to take down Fredrick and his merry band of Blood Mages.

I expected to feel guiltier than I did, but all I could think about was how Phillip might act on it later. Would he punish me when it was his turn? Ask me for details about what was done to me? Spank me for every transgression? Lavish my body with kisses to replace the ones Sloan left? Claim dominion over my body again and again until I couldn’t move?

I’d come to terms with the fact that I was a ho-ho who got off on the idea of Phillip knowing every place Sloan touched. And with the encouragement of the women around me, I wasn’t afraid to embrace it.

“We were all consenting adults, V,” as Grams had put it to me only a short time ago, and that was what I reminded myself whenever I thought it might be wrong to indulge.

Glancing over at my platinum-haired companion, I was confident the white-girl affront would be in full swing on his face. And no surprise, his gaping mouth and hand over his chest sold it to everyone in that damn place. “Did he just group me with you two? He is such a…such a man.”

Wow. Cash’s insults ranked lower than a five-year-old’s. I didn’t even think that was possible, but he did it.

My eyes took an overt path down the Dark Fae’s body. He’d worn the tightest pair of pants he could find. Naturally. Wouldn’t want to actually move in the clothes he intended to fight in or anything. The shirt he’d opted to put on tonight was entirely see-through, and his symbol-marked chest was unfortunately delicious to look at despite the fact that his top was outright ridiculous.

Unidentifiable runes marked his sides, arms, neck, and then trailed along his collarbone, but it looked like he’d planned it that way. Like it was some new-aged tattoo style. You’d never suspect they were the marks of innocent lives lost.

I hadn’t expected Cash to be so toned. Sort of pegged the man as skinny with the body of a pre-pubescent teen, but he had an eight pack, and his pecs were defined enough to catch my straying gaze a few too many times. Next to Sloan, it was eye candy for every man and woman lucky enough to look over.

Tonight was the first time my Hunter companions and I would be split up for a mission. We all agreed it was better to go from twos to one when our targets were in sight—and that Jo’s ability to help me with my magic made her my best partner option.

After weeks with Jo, Sloan and Phillip seemed less suspicious of her. She’d spent every free minute helping me with my chaotic power, and the Fae’s intimate knowledge of Royal Sirens impressed my overprotective partners. Even they couldn’t argue we were lucky she decided to join our little revenge-focused group of misfits.

Blood & Rage, the club Fredrick owned in Los Angeles, was apparently the place to go. Billboards were all over the fucking city singing its praises. The line for access wrapped around the building every night from our intel, and by the looks of them, the bouncers were magic-users. Jo recognized one of them as a rather volatile asshole she’d crossed paths with on a job.

Jo was well-connected but a ghost. As an assassin, it was sort of her goal never to be recognized. From the way the bouncer only ate her up with his licentious gaze but didn’t seem to carry that little twinkle of familiarity in his eyes, he had no clue who she was. We both passed the hot girl inspection by how quickly the bouncer motioned for us to go inside.

Thanks to Jo, I now knew how to mask my magical presence, and this was my first test. By her proud sideways smile, I passed with flying colors.

Unfortunately for Cash, the Blood Mages we were after would recognize him from previous interactions, so he and Sloan entered by other means and would hunt their marks differently from us.

Phillip’s mark was the easiest, and after taking him out, he’d keep tabs on Fredrick—aka Four—if the dude made an appearance. He’d also serve as our source of contact. When everyone got their marks, he’d give us a rendezvous spot to go after little ol’ Fred.

From what I understood, Fredrick rarely showed his face in public, so knowing Phillip, he’d find his way to the elusive Blood Mage. The well-connected Hunter had informants all over this club who’d gotten him in without alerting Fredrick and his six henchmen. I mean, we couldn’t all be pretty girls who beguiled the bouncers with our awesome boobs.

After my little hot shower session with Sloan, Jo came out of her room in a dress that was practically a second skin. Her brown hair was curled and organized into an updo with a few spirals left loose to kiss her neck. For all I knew, her makeup was done by a professional.

My jaw nearly hit the floor when I caught sight of her. I stared like I’d never seen a beautiful woman before. She, however, took one look at me, sighed, and then whisked me away to her room. With quick hands, she removed my clothes and put me into a dress similar to hers. It happened so fast I couldn’t even blush when I was down to my underwear in front of a woman I was not-so-secretly attracted to. Didn’t even turn a hardcore shade of red when her eyes glided down my body with a little too much interest.

After I was dressed to her liking, she did my makeup. I didn’t miss how her thumbs lingered on my lips, or how she leaned in as close as she could, caught my gaze in the mirror, and then brushed my silky hair off my shoulder and collected all the red into a chic updo.

I didn’t breathe for as long as it took for Jo to finish her seductive torture. My heart never stopped trying to beat out of my chest the entire time she worked on me. For the half hour we were together, I forgot which one of us was the Siren. I barely caught sight of my own reflection because I was captivated by the woman who looked like she could hit the red carpet and steal the show. By the time she was finished, my juvenile attempt at sexy was replaced by a fully realized seductress of the night. Even my eyeliner was better than Phillip’s for once.

“Come along, V,” Jo said in my ear, snapping me out of my reverie.

Right. Club. Blood Mages. Mission. Fuck.

I jerked my eyes over to her as she slipped her fingers between mine and tugged. The caress sent a little jolt down my spine, and I did a poor job of keeping it off my face. I’d fucking trained for this. Why did I become an amateur every time someone did something sexy? Why wasn’t I better at this by now?

Jo’s dark eyes caught a stray beam from the overhead strobe lights, casting the beautiful Fae’s body in an iridescent glow. Her gaze took a pointed path down my body. I’d been plenty acquainted with that look. I’d seen it on Phillip and Sloan enough to know it anywhere. Hell, I’d seen it on the bouncer only ten minutes ago.

Desire.

Is she…into me?

I sucked in a breath, skin on fire and sure to burn if she touched me anywhere else. The way she made me feel was different from Phillip and Sloan. I couldn’t explain how or why, just that it was. Something about the sultry vixen got to me in ways others couldn’t, and I’d be the first to admit I was terrified of exploring what it all meant.

I swallowed to wet a dry throat. “C-come? Oh, um…yes,” I muttered, skating my eyes over to Cash and Sloan. Both seemed surprised by the highly charged sexual air between us, but neither one said a word.

Sloan smiled like he always did when he wanted to encourage me. “I’ll see you in a bit, love.”

“Uh, yeah. Be careful,” I replied slowly, feeling a squeeze on my hand before Jo dragged me away from the other two.

Don’t get distracted, V. Your life depends on it.