The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

“You trust me, right Susan?” she asks seriously

“Of course, totally” She nods

“Bring your wolf to the front and look at me, do not look away”

She commands lightly waiting until she can see Susan’s wolf.

They’d run and hunted together, so she’s banking on there being a strong enough connection, her wolf seems to make these connections in a way she doesn’t truly understand.

As Tyra reaches out and demands her wolf’s submission, she sees Susan’s wolf, Lily, bare her neck to Tyra almost immediately, giving her its total submission, tucking in its tail, and dropping her hindquarters to the floor.

“While we are in this club, you will listen to everything I say and will not disobey me understand?”

Toni states, the lightest of commands is apparent, but the main force of it is being controlled by Tyra directly to Susan’s wolf, it's the inner wolf that will be needed here.

“Yes Emma”

Susan replies bowing her head but keeping her eyes locked on Toni’s

“Test her then”

Toni shrugs moving to one side

She watches as Leif grins and walks up to Susan appreciatively.

He’s eyeing her up, Susan is a classical beauty, with symmetrical features, large open blue eyes and auburn hair, curvier and softer in the body but still toned, the kind of good-looking wolf that draws attention wherever she goes.

Walking around Susan he lets his hand glide across her face, entrancing her, Toni can see Susan’s cheeks flush and in the quiet of the room, hears her heart rate increase.

Leif would have been a good looking as a human, just now paler and colder, but Susan is reacting to his looks and charm before she sees him step back and his eyes turning red as he compels her

“Kiss me”

He says it seductively but the compulsion is clear in Susan’s eyes as she steps forward

“Look at me”

Toni’s sharp command fills the room, she sees Susan falter, tearing her eyes away from Leif, breaking the compulsion she was under.

“Wha… what was that?” Susan looks confused

“It was a vampire’s version of the command aura.”

Toni says looking at her carefully

She lays a hand on her shoulder knowing Susan will be feeling a little unsettled, her head turns, Toni feeling Leif’s eyes burning into her.

“You are safe Susan, nothing happened, it wasn't even a second.”

Toni smiles and sees Susan relax

“It’s been a long time since I met a wolf that could resist me like you did, let alone break my hold on another.”

Leif’s voice interrupts them, as he stares at Toni

“Not since….”

He falls silent for a moment

“I wonder, but it can’t be… can it….”

His eyes are boring into Toni’s as he moves closer and inhales slowly, in an almost intimate way, humming his approval

“Hmmm, oh so close, for you, yes, for you I’d make an exception”

He mumbles to himself leaving Toni a little confused

“Do you even know what you are?”

His eyes search hers for a reaction, letting his question hang in the air; Toni keeps her emotions masked, she’s unsure what he’s referring to, but her outward appearance is calm, and reserved, giving nothing away.

Years of masking her emotions come to the fore.

“What I wouldn’t give for just the smallest taste of your blood!”

He says as he starts to circle Toni again, who stands ready to fight if needed.

Susan laughs a little nervously at the tension in the room

“Don’t worry little wolf, no harm will come to either of you” he flashes a smile at Susan

“How old are you!” Susan blurts out as Leif stops pacing

“It’s been fifteen hundred years since I was turned, give or take a decade or two, willingly I may add.

Sometimes I miss the simplicity of the old days” he sighs longingly

“The world has changed much since my youth, but it’s good now that species mix so well with each other”

He winks at Susan suggestively, making her take a step back blushing

He turns back to Toni slowly pulling out one of his cards, he bites his thumb and marks the card with his blood, holding it out to her

“When you find no answers, I’ll be waiting.

Bring the card to this place, day or night, you’ll get access to me.”

Toni stares at the vampire’s outstretched hand holding the card.

“I want no trade with a Vampire, there’s always a blood price.”

Leif grins

“For you, my dear”

His voice is seductively low as he walks closer, his eyes never leaving hers

“The price will be a mere taste of your blood.”

He leans and inhales slowly, careful not to touch Toni

“I’ll even be upfront with my offer, something I am sure you know; no vampire would normally do.

The price of information for you will be a small one, let’s call it a one-off fifty-millilitre donation.

You can even express it, into let’s say five, ten-millilitre vials, so I may savour it over time.

I’m not even demanding it fresh, how much fairer could I be”

His eyes are alight at the idea, voice a sensual whisper and yet it carries to Susan in the quiet of the room, who looks away feeling it’s too intimate for her to be hearing.

Susan starts blushing, as the vampire inhales once more slowly, like he’s savouring the smell of Toni.

His tone changes to one more business-like.

“But lay off the wolfsbane for seventy-two hours beforehand, the taste is not to my liking….

And like a fine wine, I think your blood would taste too good to be tainted.

… but, as I think about it, that just makes your feat today all the more remarkable” he winks at her

He watches her, knowing he’s caught her interest this time, slipping his card directly into her hand, he’s noticed Susan’s wide-eyed look at his mention of wolfsbane, making him laugh.

“She doesn’t know you take it right…

Oops” he grins mischievously at Toni

“Seems I let that cat out of the bag”

His eyes were alive with his merriment, his voice now back to being conversational.

“Go now, to the basement, let your friend cure her curiosity

I’ll ensure my brethren know you are both off limits, you have my word you will both be untouched.

Show them my blood card and you will be escorted to my private VIP area, no one will dare bother you there.

Then go have fun in the wolf den and remember my offer, it’s not time-bound, I have all the time in the world!”

Leif laughs at his own, immortal joke.

He ushers them out of the room after marking Toni’s hand with a triple-A stamp and Susan’s with an A.

“Access All Areas for her, Accompanied for you” he answers Susan’s question before it’s even voiced.

Leaning close to Susan he whispers, although still able to be heard by Toni

“Stay close to your friend, little wolf, she can protect you like no other in this place tonight.

And virgin blood, even that of a wolf, is always enticing to some”

He laughs to himself as he sees her shudder.

As they walk down to the basement, Susan is no longer quite so chirpy

“Trust me, you’ll be ok, it won’t be as fun as you think, but it will be a learning experience.

Leif gave his word on our safety and that means a lot to a vampire, and I hold his blood card, so he won’t let it be broken, but ten minutes max, then you show me how to party like a wolf right”

Toni smiles and gives Susan a reassuring nudge, breaking her out of her fear a little.

“What did he mean when…”

“No questions here, Vampire hearing is exceptional, better than a werewolf and some things aren’t for open discussion.” Toni interrupts

As they get to the basement entrance, Toni shows the blood card, watching the bouncers’ eyes widen, before he stops himself and checks their stamps.

He leads them over to a discreet area of the club talking quietly to two other vampires who stand on either side of the enclosure, letting them pass deeper into Leif’s VIP section, showing them where the complementary human drinks are before leaving them.

Toni can see Susan’s eyes watching the room, not sure if she’s shocked, confused, curious or simply disgusted.

It’s dark with sensual music playing, there are plenty of people dancing, humans with humans, humans with vampires, and vampires with vampires but all in pairs no group dancing, slow and sensual, it looks more like a clothed orgy set to music, no space visible between the dancers.

As Toni’s eyes take in the room, something strikes her, all the humans are wearing charm necklaces, so why did Leif feel the need to test her and Susan she can’t help but wonder.

Toni has a slightly uneasy feeling, knowing she doesn't understand his motives is leaving her feeling out of control, yet Leif gave his word along with his blood card, forging a bond that he will not break.

As she replayed his words, it wasn’t even that they would be untouched in the club, but untouched, leaving the protection open.

Vampires are known to be careful with their words, yet it just leaves her feeling more concerned that she is missing something important.

“So are all the humans here compelled?” Susan’s voice breaks through her thoughts.

“No, see they all have the same choker on.

It’s a charm, witch magic, stops them from being compelled, they are all here willingly” The revulsion in Toni’s voice is clear.

“Why?” curiosity clear in Susan’s voice

“They will each have their reasons.

Some may want to be turned or are thinking about it.

For others it’s the thrill of being so close to predators, that makes them feel strong or brave, that’s the most foolish group, the charm doesn’t stop from them being harmed, just compelled and Vampires are fast, strong and deadly, never forget that.

Finally, vampires can release a hormone in their bite, and the human is left feeling euphoric, it’s like a drug, so some will be here to have a good time.

But of those, some will eventually die, when they can’t live without the high but are too old to be of interest to decent law-abiding vampires.”

Toni sighed before going quiet, she didn’t want to be here, only doing it for Susan, but at least it was not just a feeding room, here, there was dancing, talking, laughter and importantly, protection and drinks of the non-blood kind available for the humans.

The vampires here have no soul, those that are turned unless by an original, have to die, to be reborn, and death strips away your soul, their eyes, darker with red rings defining them.

She knows she will be no better than them the day she fails to remember the people she’s had to kill, as good as soulless.

Leif was not one of these, low-ranked vampires, which is why his card, his bond, carried so much weight, and although they are getting a lot of attention, not a single vampire has come over.

Toni glances at Susan, her eyes are firmly locked onto a couple on the dance floor, a woman and man are dancing as if they are the only ones in the room, the woman, a vampire, leading the man in a slow, hypnotic dance, the two moving as one.

Slowly they move towards a table, never missing a beat, it’s a slow sensual, heat-infused movement, intimate and yet so public, it’s hard to watch and yet Susan can’t seem to look away.

The vampire whispers something to the man who nods his consent, she pushes him gently into a seat, straddling him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as she dances in his lap, grinding into him, arousing him.

He’s looking at the vampire with wide-eyed wonder, she reaches up and kisses him gently whispering into his ear, he nods once more, and she moves her hand to his mouth, covering it quickly she bites into his neck.

Toni and Susan can hear his muffled scream, the panic on his face is clear, Susan jumps up but Toni’s hand is on her arm, pulling her around to face her.

“He offered himself willingly, you cannot interfere.

The pain and the fear are part of the feeding ritual, and the hit of adrenaline makes the blood taste sweeter, think of when we take down a deer, it has fear before death, and in our way we get that same taste, at least here there is no death.

Breathe, be calm Susan.

Look now, he’s hitting the happy state as she’s almost finished her feed, she’s released the hormones.”

Susan slowly turns her head, watching for a few seconds as a euphoric look goes across his face.

“And the rules here, protect him, he will be safe as long as he doesn’t get addicted, no one can feed from him again tonight and the vampire is likely to stay close to him, she’ll possibly want him to come back if his blood tasted good enough, it’s not like a mate bond, but it can create a link between them.”

Susan forces her eyes away

“Think I want to go now”

Her quiet words are still heard by Toni who nods and leads her out, accompanied by one of the ‘bouncers’ from the VIP section, they leave the basement and the vampires behind.