42

She laughed, and I joined in, but unease slithered over me, cooling my skin.

I glanced at the entrance to the casino as we passed it, and Aimée drew open the door of the nightclub. Everything inside was sleek and modern, with black and steel and neon pulsing lights highlighting the location of the bar and dark booths.

Aimée had been right—the bass thumped right through the floor and into my feet, and I wanted to dance from the moment we walked in. My body swayed a little, and Aimée glanced at me approvingly.

“Drink first?” She tilted her head toward the bar, and I nodded as I took in all the people filling the space.

The nightclub practically vibrated with their energy, which made a lot of sense of the name. The bar was packed, too, but Aimée worked her way to the front of the crowd, never letting go of my hand as she made the move to be next in line look almost effortless. She greeted the bartender by name, and he nodded at her. Then he glanced at me, and his nostrils flared slightly.

“This is Leia.” Aimée moved her hand to my shoulder. “Nicky’s friend,” she added, her tone full of meaning.

Suddenly I had more than one bartender offering me drinks, and several shot glasses lined the bar in front of me. The staff almost fell over themselves and each other in their attempts to be helpful and provide me with anything I might want.

“What are they doing?” I moved closer to Aimée so I could talk directly into her ear.

She lifted an eyebrow. “They know who you are,” she said, like that was important.

And maybe the fact Nic shared my bed every night made me important here, but that was a little weird.

“Let’s go find somewhere to sit.” But no sooner had Aimée spoken than a guy with a suit appeared in front of her, and she followed him to a roped off staircase. The private table on the balcony on the second floor was quieter than the main area, but it was fantastic for watching all the people. So many colors… So many shades of fun and glamorous and even desperate.

“Are they human?” I glanced out at the familiar mating rituals of drink buying and dancing closer in among the crush than was usually socially acceptable.

“Most of the customers are.” She rolled her eyes. “Nicky loves emptying the bank accounts of humans… And they seem to love giving him their money. Casino, nightclub. I’m sure he could make money out of a torture chamber, to be honest. The staff, though…” She grinned. “They’re handpicked and all loyal to Nicky.”

I spotted Jason against the back wall, part blending into the shadows, as his gaze roved the crowd of people. I followed the direction of where he was looking, trying to find out what had caught his attention.

“But some vampires come here?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes, I guess. Nicky doesn’t like casual pick-ups from here, though. We have other places where we can find donors.”

I shuddered. I hadn’t even considered vampire feeding habits in connection with a nightclub. Perhaps that was what Jason was doing down there—discouraging hunting inside. I lifted my hand to my neck, not even noticing what I’d done until Aimée grinned.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Nicky will make an exception for himself if the mood strikes the two of you.”

My cheeks heated and Aimée grabbed my hands.

“Come on. Dancing. We’re not just going to watch everyone else have fun all night.”

I smiled because we’d definitely come out here more for Aimée tonight than for me.

“Let’s hit the dance floor. The guys here are going to love you.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, but I glanced around.

I’d feel better if I had some idea where Nic’s office was, if I knew how to get to him. But Aimée tugged my hands and drew me forward as her head tipped back and she laughed, and I grinned in response, her happiness at being here contagious.

Once on the dance floor, movement was effortless, and I danced with anyone available, sometimes catching sight of Jason through the shifting crowd or even Kyle. Gradually, the crowd around me seemed to thin, until I was dancing exclusively with women.

“Oof!” Aimée bumped against me. “I didn’t expect to get so warm.”

I glanced at my arm, at the thin sheen of sweat on my skin, and I lifted my hair from the back of my neck to try to cool myself a little as I flicked my tongue over my lips.

“Drink?” Aimée yelled the word into my ear, and I nodded.

“Bathroom,” I replied, and Aimee nodded toward a hallway close to the bar.

“They’re down there, but I’ll be able to see the entrance at all times, and I know Jason is here watching out for you too.”

I nodded and freed myself from the crowd. But as soon as I walked into the luxurious bathroom that smelled of almonds and honey layered with expensive perfumes, fingers wrapped around my throat and a weight pressed against my back. I stumbled forward, clawing at the hands squeezing off my air.

“You bitch.” A familiar voice hissed in my ear.

Valérie. I struggled harder, trying to dislodge her from my back.

“How dare you walk around the casino and here smelling like Nic?” She shook me, and a garbled sound escaped my lips as fear gripped me. “You weaken him.”

Nic. Suddenly, he was in my thoughts, and it was like I could feel him, his presence calming me, almost like I could imagine his touch and his voice low in my ear.

“Not so clever without one of your vampire guard, are you?” She was laughing now as her fingers tightened again.

Another flash of panic obliterated my thoughts—I’d been held like this before, and I couldn’t get away.