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“You have no idea where the line is.” She moaned while her fingers dug into my shoulders. “I will stop at nothing to make you feel pain, and I won’t stop until you lose everything you love and have worked for here in Chicago.”

The music shifted to a deeper bass line. Teresa moved closer to me, although that seemed impossible. Her body pressed against mine felt grotesque. My eyes scanned the club over her shoulder. I located each member of my team. They were maintaining their positions and watching with alert vigilance.

“Why kill innocent humans?” I demanded an answer while spinning her abruptly. “They have nothing to do with us. It seems beneath you or any vampire.”

Teresa’s face hardened. “No human is innocent. They are sheep. Prey. Food. Nothing more.”

“You were once a human.” I reminded her.

“Yes, and I was pathetic and powerless. I begged you to turn me for a reason.”

“I did, and you betrayed me?”

“You said forever.” Her hand slid up to my face.

Her fingernails scraped lightly along my jaw.

“You’ve become domesticated, Zand. Playing house with your human nurse.

It’s disgusting. You told me we were destined.

You said we were infinity.” Teresa’s anger got the best of her, and she dug her nails into my flesh and twisted my jaw like she was trying to break me.

I grabbed her wrist, yanking her hand from my jaw. I twisted her wrist and squeezed it hard enough to remind her that I’m far from domesticated. “You’re jealous.”

“Jealous?” She laughed again. “Of what? A temporary plaything? Humans break so easily. As the little mulatto Morgan discovered when I pushed her to her death.”

The mention of Morgan sent a flash of rage through me, but I maintained my mask of calm. Showing emotion would only give Teresa what she wanted.

“Morgan survived.” I said, gloating just a bit.

“Impossible.” She blurted.

“Harlen turned her. You failed. She’s not dead.” I mocked her bravado with some of my own.

A flicker of genuine surprise marred her face before she could conceal it from me.

“I don’t believe you. He’s a dimwit. He’s never, ever turned anyone into a vampire.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” I gloated.

“How did he know how to do it? He can’t even tie his shoe without you showing him bunny ears.”

“Harlen is smarter than you think.”

“How sweet. Your brother is playing hero.” Realizing her mask had slipped, she bounced back into her tough girl persona. “But that doesn’t change anything. I’ll just have to be more thorough next time. The nurse, I’ll chop her body into pieces and then you can’t turn her into a vamp.”

This time, her threat to Chanel didn’t faze me. “How do you know she isn’t already one?” I lied, just to irritate her. I knew I was only days or hours away from ending her miserable life.

We moved across the dance floor with our bodies locked in this hostile embrace. Her body was tense. I’d said too many things that weren’t to her liking. She’d never seen this side of me. I was a fierce protector when I felt like I had something to protect.

“Do you want me to stop, Zand?” Teresa asked suddenly, her voice almost girlish. “Is that what this visit is about? You want me to leave your little nurse alone?”

“Yes.” I said simply. I knew she wouldn’t. I’d been down this road before.

Teresa’s forced smile widened. “Then ask me nicely.”

The music pounded in my ears, matching the fury pulsing through me. “Teresa, please stop killing innocent people.”

“Since you asked so politely. I will.” She paused theatrically. “Not.”

But there was something in her predatory smirk that betrayed her words. I recognized the calculated gleam in her eyes. There was something else going on and she was doing everything she could to bite her tongue.

“Surprise. Surprise.” I said flatly.

She shrugged. “I’m actually full of surprises.”

“I disagree.”

“You’ll believe what you want to believe.”

“I believe you’re desperate.” I told her the truth. “You lost me, and now you’re scrambling to hurt me because you can’t accept that I’ve moved on. It’s just confirmation that you weren’t that special to begin with.”

Her eyes flashed dangerously. “Moved on? To what? Playing protector to humans who will age and die while you remain unchanged? Or will you turn your precious Chanel too? Make her like us?”

“Chanel is already like us. Since you kept threatening to kill her, I had to do something so she could protect herself.” I lied.

Teresa studied my face, trying to see if I was being honest. She leaned closer, her lips nearly brushing mine. “If she’s still human, I’ll drain her dry, then chop her into teeny weeny pieces. If she’s a vampire, I will hang her from a tree and set her on fire.”

My hands tightened involuntarily on her waist. My self-control slipped for just a moment.

“There he is.” She purred. “There’s the monster you pretend not to be.”

I forced my grip to relax. “You’ve made your intentions clear.” I said evenly. “Now it’s my turn to be clear. If you come near Chanel, Morgan, or anyone I deem my clan, I will end you.”

“Oh, Zand.” Teresa sighed. “I expect more of an original threat from you.” She trailed a finger down my chest. “Maybe deep down, you still love me too much to do it.”

The song being mixed changed to Gasolina by Daddy Yankee and the crowd erupted in cheers.

The songs fit with my intentions for Teresa.

Especially the part about her loving gasoline.

I need to get some accelerant and make sure Teresa burns.

The dancers around us moved with reckless abandon.

I locked eyes with Teresa. I looked at her just as I used to.

Some may call it flirting, but I called it an act.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” I groaned into her ear. “What I feel for you now isn’t love. It isn’t even hate. It’s nothing. You are nothing to me.”

Her smile faltered, just briefly, before she forced it back into place. “We’ll see about that.” It was the first genuine emotion. “When I’m finished, you’ll feel something for me again, even if it’s just pain.”

The song ended, creating a momentary lull on the dance floor. Teresa stepped back and her eyes never left mine. Her thin lips curved into a smile that promised violence.

“This was lovely.” She mocked. “We should do it more often.”

The crowd on the dance floor shifted. Some dancers left the floor when the song changed.

As the parting bodies opened, I saw her.

Marisol Lopez emerged from the throng, her eyes locked on Teresa and me.

She was dressed in tight black pants, and a red bandana that she made into a halter top.

The resemblance to her brother Lonzo was striking.

I’d never seen her in person, only in photos and video footage.

Teresa’s maniacal smile widened as Marisol approached.

The two of them exchanged a look of shared malice.

“Look who’s joined our little reunion.” Teresa said, extending her hand to Marisol. The newly turned vampire took it.

I was surrounded now, sandwiched between two harpies complete with bird brains instead of wings. The music shifted to something slower and more sensual. I was at a tactical disadvantage, but I held my ground.

“You must be Alexander Valentine.” Marisol said, her accent thicker than her brother’s. She positioned herself behind me. Her hands rubbed my shoulders. “Teresa has told me so much about you.”

The three of us moved in tandem. We moved like a parody of dirty dancing. Patrick Swayze would be disgusted. Teresa pressed against my front while Marisol clung to me from behind. Their movements became increasingly more aggressive and provocative.

“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” I replied.

Marisol’s fingers dug into the muscles of my back. “I think you know exactly who I am,” she hissed right below my ear. “Just like I know what you’re hiding.” She hinted.

Around us, oblivious humans continued dancing. They were caught up in the music and their own desires. I spotted a few curious glances thrown our way. The three of us, one blonde, White woman, a White man and a Hispanic woman, engaged in what appeared to be an intimate dance would draw attention.

“Where is my brother Lonzo?” Marisol demanded. Her hands slid from my back to grip my ass.

I kept my face impassive. Revealing nothing to Teresa, who was watching my every move. Lonzo’s body was bloated somewhere at the bottom of Lake Michigan, but she didn’t need to know that. Not yet. Knowledge was power, and I wasn’t giving her any more than Teresa had already given.

“You came all this way looking for him.” I said instead. “What makes you think I know where he is?”

Teresa cackled, cutting through the music. “Don’t play dumb, Zand. It doesn’t suit you.” She ran her hands down my chest.

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement.

Natasha and Harlen had noticed the women’s aggressive behavior.

They both moved closer with their hands hovering near their concealed weapons.

Josh shifted position, creating a clear line of sight to where we danced.

I raised my hand slightly, a subtle gesture that only my team would recognize. Stand down.

“Careful, ladies.” I said with my voice pitched low beneath the music. “There are too many witnesses here.”

Marisol’s laugh was nothing like Teresa’s practiced cackle. Her laugh was raw and unrefined. “You think I care about witnesses? You think I care about anything besides making you pay for what happened to my brother?”

“Your brother made his own choices.” I told her, turning to meet her eyes. “Whatever happened to him was the consequence of his own actions.”

Marisol’s eyes flash dangerously, and I felt her muscles tense as if she might strike me. Teresa noticed too and gives her a warning look. Not here. Not now.

The song changed again, with the beat becoming more insistent. The three of us continued our twisted dance, locked in a power struggle disguised as passion. Sweat-slicked humans pressed closer around us, the dance floor becoming more crowded as the night went on.

“This isn’t over.” I told both women, my voice carried over the music just enough for their vampire hearing to catch.

Teresa’s red lips curved into a smile. “It’s only over when the Black nurse is dead. I promise you that.”

Something inside me snapped—not my control, but my patience for this game. I laughed directly in Teresa’s face. The sound startled her enough that she pulled back slightly.

“The war has officially started.” I declared as I looked from Teresa to Marisol and back again. “And you’ve already lost. You just don’t know it yet.”

My words landed like physical blows. Teresa’s composure cracked and her fangs nearly appeared in public. Marisol hissed and mumbled something in Spanish under her breath.

“You arrogant bastard.” Teresa spewed. “You think you’ve won? I’ve barely started making you suffer!”

I maintained my composure, not giving her the satisfaction of seeing me rattled. With deliberate calm, I extracted myself from between them. I straightened my jacket with a casual air that I knew would infuriate them both.

“Thank you for the dance.” I said mildly.

I strolled away from the duo and nodded almost imperceptibly at my team. They responded with practiced efficiency. Natasha glided toward the main exit. Harlen fell into step beside me. Matt and Marco created a protective formation without being obvious about it.

“You walk away now, and I’ll kill another Chanel Taylor tonight.” Teresa yelled after me and over the music.

I turned back and met her gaze from across the distance that now separated us. “No, you won’t.” I smirked with absolute certainty. “Because from this moment on, you’ll be too busy looking over your shoulder.”

Teresa’s eyes bulged. This was the first hint of genuine fear crossing her. Beside her, Marisol shifted uncomfortably. I couldn’t read her face, but she had to realize this would be a fight like none she’d ever encountered.

We exited the club smoothly. The night air hit my face as we stepped outside. Josh and Marco left to bring the SUVs around as Natasha gave me back my Cripo Glock.

“The team confirmed Teresa had at least three more vampires with her. All women.” She reported quietly. “Two were positioned outside in the rear of the club. Two more were inside, watching you on the dance floor.” She said.

I placed the weapon back in my shoulder holster. My mind was already calculating our next moves. “Were you able to track them?”

“ Da. We have the location of their nest. An abandoned warehouse near the river, just as we suspected.”

Harlen joined us at the curb. “What’s the play now, brother? They’re expecting us to hit them.”

“Then we’ll do the unexpected. We’ll take them out one at a time. Let’s start with Marisol. Teresa values her as a weapon against us. Without her, Teresa is on her own. All the other vamps she created have no reason to go against us.”

Natasha nodded, already understanding my strategy. “Divide and conquer.”

“Exactly. Teresa wants me to lose everything.” I glanced back at the club entrance, where the neon lights cast bloody reflections on the pavement. “Let’s show her what it feels like instead, to lose everything.”

We slid into the vehicles. The engines roared as we pulled away from Club Bailar Caliente.

For the first time since Teresa appeared in Chicago, I felt something close to victory.

She had made herself clear. I wanted her to leave this city.

But she didn’t. It’s my turn to make myself clear. Chicago was mine and mine alone.