Blood Magic (After Dark Book 7) Read online

  “Just follow my lead,” he said in her ear, loud enough for her to hear.

  He started off slow, encouraging her to move her hips. Soon, she was swaying to the beat in time with him. Despite the music, he could hear her blood pounding in her veins. She curled her hands around his neck, shifting closer when someone almost collided with them. He could smell her, lavender and honeysuckle.

  Shit, she really is a little intoxicating.

  He resisted the urge to pull her closer and bury his face in her neck. The tightness in the back of his throat almost made him groan. He shouldn’t want to bite Dani, but his urges were starting to get the better of him.

  Last night when she’d fallen asleep, he’d leant down to kiss her cheek and caught her scent again. It’d made his fangs pop out, just as they were threatening to do so now.

  I need to sort myself out. Is this why fae and vampires don’t mix? Shit, am I actually craving her blood?

  He was going to have to feed off a live human tonight or this would be intolerable. Dani was most definitely not on the menu.

  “I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she shouted.

  His hands around her waist tightened. Her body was so warm, her curves giving him another uncomfortable craving of an entirely different kind. He was beginning to think this whole agreeing to be her friend and showing her the supernatural world had been a very bad idea.

  “You are,” he replied.

  It was only a small mercy she wasn’t close enough to feel the effect she was having on him. She looked happy, her face flushed and a smile playing on her lips. It was seeing her like that which made it worthwhile. She went up on her tiptoes, her breath hot on his ear.

  “In case I don’t get a chance to say this later, thank you.”

  He smiled at her, when she shifted back.

  “We should drink more,” he said.

  He took her hand, not waiting for her answer and tugged her over to another of the bars. He ordered several shots for the two of them. The alcohol would do nothing for him, but he didn’t care. Something had to take the edge off the way he was feeling.

  Shit, shit, shit. I want to bite her. I want to feel her blood running in my veins. And I want to do it whilst I fuck her. This is wrong. So, so wrong.

  How was he going to stop himself from giving into the insatiable urges churning inside him?

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  And now she’s noticed something’s wrong. This night is not going to plan.

  He handed her the first shot, clinking his own against it.

  “Have you done one of these before?” he asked, avoiding her question.

  “No. Do I just down it?”

  “Yes, but we’re going to do them one after another.”

  “What? All five?”

  He nodded, grinning and hoping it would hide the turmoil inside him.

  “Okay, fine. You know, I think you’re trying to get me drunk, Jamie.”

  “Perhaps it’s the only way you’ll let me take advantage of you.”

  She rolled her eyes, poking him in the arm.

  “Whatever, you wish I’d let you have a piece of this.”

  He looked at her outfit again. Her shapely breasts stuck out, enticing him to bury his face in them. For fuck’s sake, I need to have these drinks and then we’re going to go find someone to feed off before I take her in the toilets and do something we’ll both sorely regret.

  “Oh, I think I’ve corrupted you already.”

  “All right, Mr Vampire, bottoms up.”

  She clinked her glass against his again and they both downed the first one, quickly followed by the rest. Dani almost choked on the last one, but slammed the glass down, grinning. She took a step towards him.

  “Whoa, that’s intense.”

  Her eyes glazed over a little. She giggled, putting a hand over her mouth.

  “Say, Dani, do you want to dance again or I can show you the other services this place has to offer?”

  “Other services?”

  “Mmm, yes, they cater to every need you could possibly have.”

  She tucked her hand into his arm.

  “Lead the way.”

  Five minutes later, he’d successfully paid his way into the roped off areas. Dani hopped from foot to foot earning a frown from a bouncer who happened to be a shifter.

  “Calm down,” Jamie said in her ear. “They’ll kick us out if you’re not careful.”

  She immediately straightened, holding onto his arm tighter. He led her over to the curtained off booths. There were a few girls lingering around. One of them made eyes at him. She was pretty with blonde hair and blue eyes. Dani looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

  “Wait, they’re humans. Is this… are you going to…?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Now, do any of them take your fancy? After all, I know you have needs too.”

  Her entire body went rigid.

  “No.”

  He raised an eyebrow, reaching up and turning her face towards him.

  “No?”

  “I’m not breathing any of them, Jamie.”

  There was something about the way she said it which made him think she was scared of doing it. He wondered why that was, but her face told him she wasn’t about to tell him why she wouldn’t.

  “Well okay, I won’t force you, but I don’t want to leave you out here on your own.”

  Her expression changed, eyes widening with excitement.

  “Is it so wrong that I want to watch?”

  He shook his head, a little surprised by her request. The thought of having Dani watch him feed on someone made his cock twitch. And I’d just about forgotten my urge to bite and fuck her. Shit. It didn’t matter, he’d let her watch him if she wanted. She looked at the girls again.

  “That blonde one, she keeps looking at you. She clearly wants you to bite her.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Her pupils dilate when she looks at you and you could probably cut glass with her nipples.”

  He tried and failed to choke back a laugh.

  “Shit, you really do say the most inappropriate things.”

  “What? It’s just an observation. She’s not wearing a bra so it’s kind of obvious and those are most definitely not real.”

  “Her breasts?”

  “I don’t understand humans and their cosmetic procedures. Anyway, she’ll do. I guess she’s sort of attractive for a human girl.”

  He looked down at Dani.

  “What, women don’t float your boat?”

  “No, they don’t have the right parts.”

  His whole body shook with laughter. I think I gave her too much to drink, she’s completely lost any filter she might have had.

  “Do I have the right parts?”

  “Yes, I know for certain you do.” Her eyes snapped to his. “Don’t think I don’t know why you insisted on taking me to the bar when we were dancing.”

  “You’re attractive, Dani, but don’t worry, I have no intention of crossing the boundaries of our friendship.”

  She didn’t acknowledge him, taking his hand and tugging him over towards the blonde girl.

  “Hello,” she said. “You like my vampire friend here, right?”

  The girl looked a little taken aback but nodded.

  “The deal is you, me and him go into one of those booths and he gets to do what he wants to you whilst I watch. We clear?”

  Jamie couldn’t do anything but stare in awe at the fae girl who’d completely lost all her inhibitions. The blonde girl was silent for a moment.

  “That’s okay with me. You’re cute, so you’re more than welcome to join us.”

  Dani took the girl's hand and led both of them into one of the empty booths. One of the attendants shut the curtain behind them. Before he sat down, he leant over to Dani.

  “Are you sure about this?” he whispered.

  “Perfectly. I’m not scared of seeing you feed off her.
I’m insanely curious.”

  He brushed her hair from her face, running a thumb along her jaw. Dani, you’re killing me here. Seeing you all assertive is insanely hot. She shivered, her light blue eyes, which reminded him of ice, betraying her feelings. He knew instantly they were feelings she didn’t want him to see. Desire flickered in her eyes, directed solely at him. She pulled away, slipping into the booth next to the girl.

  He sat down, completely unable to work out if what he’d seen was real or not. Was it the alcohol talking or did Dani find him attractive? She refused to meet his eyes. The blonde girl shifted closer to him, angling her head to give him access to her neck. He could hear the blood pumping in her veins. His fangs popped out. There was no use denying what he wanted, what he needed.

  He latched onto the girl’s arm, tugging her over and pressing her head onto her shoulder. His eyes met Dani’s as he leant down. He felt her skin give beneath his fangs. The blonde girl hissed slightly. Dani’s pupils dilated as she watched him suck on the girl’s neck. He listened to her breathing becoming erratic, her heart hammering in her chest.

  Fuck, this is totally wrong. All I can think about is Dani. Why am I craving her even though I’m sucking some other girl’s neck?

  Dani moved closer, her hand curling around the girl’s arm. She took the girl’s wrist, holding it to her mouth. He could tell she was fighting with her urges. He stopped sucking the girl’s neck for a moment.

  “You want her, don’t you?” he said.

  “I do, but I can’t. Shit, seeing you doing that is so… I don’t know. It’s making me crazy.”

  “Just do it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  He licked the girl’s neck, wanting to see what it was like when the fae breathed a human. Dani’s eyes flickered with darkness for a moment before she breathed in. He could see the translucent energy flowing from the girl’s wrist upwards towards Dani. She closed her eyes, her body shuddering.

  “Fuck,” he whispered.

  The blonde girl’s heart rate thudded, growing a little fainter. The two puncture wounds on her neck stopped bleeding. Jamie didn’t care, he was too fixated on Dani breathing the girl. Her whole body began to glitter and shimmer as the energy transformed into magic. Magic which ran through Dani’s veins.

  Dani dropped the girl’s arm, falling back into the booth. A moment later, she opened her eyes. They were pure ice. The girl was still alive but looked to be in a state of euphoria. She tried to curl towards Jamie. Her hand dropped onto his thigh and travelled upwards. He put a hand on hers.

  “No. I’m not going to fuck you,” he said, still staring at Dani.

  He had absolutely no interest in the blonde girl. The girl he wanted to fuck was staring at him in horror.

  “Jamie,” Dani said, her voice a little panicked. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Chapter Five

  Jamie shoved the blonde girl away from him, standing up and going around to Dani’s side. Her skin shone, her pupils fully dilated. He tugged her to her feet.

  “Why not? Shit, Dani, that was incredible.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go dance again.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the booth, ignoring the blonde girl and the attendant. It didn’t matter anyway, he’d paid for the service she’d given. They passed the shifter again who looked them up and down with concern on his face. Jamie carefully smelled the man. Panther. Rare. Interesting. He had a scar on his eyebrow, but Jamie didn’t have a chance to look any further because Dani tugged him away.

  When they got back out on the floor, she pressed close to him. He could feel the energy thrumming in her body, her skin on his was electrifying. At the very least, he had his bloodlust under control again, but seeing Dani breathing that girl was hot.

  “Does this happen to you every time?” he asked.

  “What? Oh, you mean the glowing. Yes, pretty much.”

  She seemed very distracted, her eyes darting around. The next moment she froze, pressing closer to him.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  “What?”

  “Jamie, we have to go. Raoul is here. He can’t see me. He’ll recognise me and tell my father. Please.”

  He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her away towards the entrance of the club. There was no way he wanted her father finding out they were hanging out together and taking her away. He wanted Dani in his life in whatever way he could. She was a breath of fresh air, although he had to admit craving her was something he could do without.

  She looked back over her shoulder.

  “We have to hurry. He’s coming this way.”

  He pushed through the crowd of bodies harder until they reached the entrance and tugged her through the doors. They dashed down the corridor together and out into the alley. He led her out onto the main street, hailing a taxi. They slid in, Dani clinging to him as her body trembled all over. Jamie told the driver his address before he looked down at Dani.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I’m really not. I shouldn’t have breathed that girl. I’m so screwed.”

  Jamie eyed the taxi driver. He couldn’t have Dani talking about supernatural stuff in front of him. He managed to catch the man’s eye and the next moment, he was in. He didn’t glamour humans, but these were extreme circumstances.

  “You will forget anything we say on this journey,” Jamie said, his voice low and hypnotic.

  “Yes, I will forget everything.”

  “Good, now just drive. You won’t remember us.”

  “Yes, I will drive. I won’t recall this journey.”

  Dani was staring at him with wide eyes when he looked back.

  “What did you do?” she asked, her voice shaky.

  “I suppose it’s sort of like putting them in a trance, not quite mind control, but almost.”

  He had to be careful. His ability to influence humans was stronger than most vampires. He’d accidentally broken someone’s mind before. It was why he vowed not to use his ability unless it was an emergency.

  “That’s… well, fuck, I don’t care right now. Jamie, you have to help me.”

  She sat up, her body shimmering with magic. Her fists clenched and unclenched.

  “Help you?”

  “Look, I… fuck, this is why my father has kept me away from the world. This happens every time I breathe someone, but it’s got worse since I came of age.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  Her face flushed, her eyes became unfocused for a moment before she turned to him.

  “I can’t believe I have to ask you this.”

  “Just spit it out, Dani.”

  “I need to have sex to stop this from consuming me. I’ll go fucking mad if I don’t release this energy. I need you to help me find someone to sleep with or… or you have to do it.”

  His jaw almost dropped. What the actual fuck? Did I hear her right?

  “You what?”

  “Sex, Jamie. You know, fucking. It’s a condition I inherited from my mother. It’s a curse really.”

  She shifted, pitching forward as the magic rippled beneath her skin. He caught her, settling her back against the seat again.

  “I’m not joking. I never wanted you to find out about this or anyone for that matter. This is so embarrassing.”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. This is a mess. I should’ve listened to her when she told me she couldn’t breathe someone.

  How could he fix this situation for her? What had she said? He should find someone for her to sleep with. There was no way he was doing that. She didn’t deserve some random fuckwit with their grubby hands all over her.

  That left only one option. One option which could completely fuck up their friendship with each other and he’d be in so much trouble if Gavin ever found out. Sure, he’d thought about sleeping with her all night, but he wasn’t actually going to go through with it. There were boundaries he wasn’t prepared to cross.

  “Please,
it hurts. I’m so sorry.”

  He reached out, pulling her towards him.

  “Don’t apologise. Shit, this is my fault. I shouldn’t have pushed you into doing any of this.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder, staring up at him with those ice blue eyes of hers.

  “No, it’s my fault. I know better than to breathe humans.”

  “How do you deal with this normally?”

  “Since I came of age, my father has one of my bodyguards on hand when I have to replenish my magic. It’s only been twice, but I hate it. It’s not fair on either of us. I’m so sorry, I really am.”

  He cupped her cheek. It clearly distressed her to admit this to him. He wanted to help her and a part of him just plain wanted her full stop.

  “Your skin is so cool. It feels nice,” she whispered.

  Her body was burning up. He could tell it was getting worse. Looking out the window, he saw they were close to his now. He looked down at Dani again. Her lips were parted, her breathing erratic. Then he smelt her. Her arousal flooded his senses, mixing with the familiar lavender and honeysuckle which encompassed her. He stifled a groan.

  “I’m sorry, Jamie, I’m really sorry.”

  “Shh, shh, Dani. I’m going to help you. Don’t worry. It’s okay. It won’t ruin anything between us. I promise.”

  He couldn’t stop staring at her mouth. Shit, I want her. I can’t help it. I can smell her need, almost taste it. She reached up, curling her hand around his neck. He leant closer, feeling her breath on his face.

  Closing the gap, he kissed her. Dani groaned into his mouth, pressing closer. Her lips were soft and her taste, her taste so intoxicating. He gathered her closer, his hand running down her back. She parted her lips, allowing him to taste more of her. His tongue swept into her mouth. Her fingers curled into his hair. Her skin was so hot and he could feel the magic pulsating in her veins.

  The taxi driver coughed. He’d been so wrapped up in kissing Dani, he hadn’t realised the car had stopped. He let her go, reluctantly. Tugging out his wallet, he swiped his card over the machine before opening the door and pulling Dani out with him. He needed to get her into his flat and into his bed. There was no other way this night was going to end. They were going to fuck and it didn’t half make him ache with desire.