Night Marks (2 page)

“I don’t do dresses,” I tell him with an aggravated glare.

“Really? Sebastian has pictures of you in way more revealing dresses than what I picked out for you. Mine is even black, so it matches your usual attire,” he replies.

“I was in disguise in those pictures and you know it. I do not willingly walk around wearing a dress. Not now, not ever. If you planned something that requires me to wear one, we should probably just cancel the whole evening because I can already tell I won’t like it.”

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you are trying to weasel out of getting to know me better. I thought we agreed it was for the best that we get to know each other before January. You don’t seem to be putting forth the right amount of effort,” he says with a smile on his face.

He obviously thinks the fact that I will be forced to have sex with him in a few months means I will play nice. He must have missed the memo declaring me the most stubborn person in the world.

“No dress,” I say continuing my glaring. “You want to go on a date, fine. I will go out with you, but if you expect me to wear anything other than my normal outfit, you are in for a rude awakening.”

“Are you really going to let Sebastian win this bet?” he asks.

His insistence on the dress is starting to make more sense. Why he would bet against Sebby is a mystery. Sebastian and I have been together for three years and, even though we only saw each other forty or fifty times in those three years, he knows most everything there is to know about me.

“What were the terms and prizes?” I ask.

“I just have to get you in the dress and take a picture proving I talked you into it. If I do that, I get to spend the night tonight. Otherwise, he does,” he replies.

“And I don’t get a say on who is sleeping over?” I query. “I would have to say that it is my choice.” I am surprised Sebastian didn’t insert a clause that Alex couldn’t mention said bet to me. Sebby is well aware of how I would feel about the subject, which is pissed.

“Everything is your choice when you are dealing with just Sebastian. Throw me in the mix and, well, things may not always go your way,” he states shrugging his shoulders.

“How bad do you want to spend the night? It would be your first time and you have to know going in that there will be clothes on at all times.”

“I am well aware that the night would be spent actually sleeping, but it would be nice to be in the same bed instead of a floor down thinking of you in that big bed all by yourself,” he says with a smile.

“Since I am feeling generous, hand me the dress. I am guessing the terms didn’t indicate I had to leave the building wearing it, or you would have been plain dumb to accept. You just need a quick picture and I can give you that.”

He hands over the dress and I begin the motions of taking my weapons off. First, the machete running up my spine and then my gun holster. I put the weapons on my desk and then stand to take my shirt off and throw it onto my chair.

“Would you like me to step out of the room?” Alex asks staring at my naked torso.

“You have seen most of it, if not all of it, before, so I didn’t think there would be an issue. It isn’t like there is a whole lot going on in way of boobs,” I reply waving my arm towards and around my chest area.

“Believe me, there is more than enough there to sink my teeth into. Do you know how connected me and Sebastian are through you? Do you think he just went stiff, too?”

“I think I have to be in an aroused state for you guys to feel what the other is feeling, so hopefully not,” I say removing my boots and sliding my pants down.

I pick up the dress and get a good look at it for the first time. I guess it is cute. It is black and that scores some points. The material is silky and stretchy, probably some kind of spandex type stuff to stick to my skin.

I pull it on over my head and slowly straighten it out. It hits me about mid-thigh and I raise my eyes to frown at Alex. There is not enough money in the world to bribe me into wearing this thing out in public without being undercover.

“Who picked it out?” I ask.

“Sebastian did. I said it had to be black, though. I figured that is the only way I could get you in it. He thought the length and material would be enough of a deterrent for you.”

“Hurry up and take a picture. I had better not find it posted anywhere on the Internet tomorrow. I will be super pissed and any good work you have done to make our relationship more comfortable will go up in smoke,” I say trying to pull the hem of the dress closer to my knees.

With his phone, he snaps a few pictures and messes around with it probably sending the dang things to Sebastian. I should have made sure Sebastian got the same warning about posting the pictures, but I am hoping he knows better. Then again, he did make this stupid bet.

I go through the process of removing the dress and putting back on my comfortable clothing. I have already started thinking about ways to get back at Sebby for this travesty. The fact that Alex is the one spending the night tonight will be a good start.

“So, you ready for the date now?” Alex asks putting away the phone. He seems way too happy. He might need some punishment as well, but that is for a later.

“Sure, where are we going?” I ask walking around the desk to join him.

“I was thinking a boxing match followed by a late dinner at a steakhouse Jonas recommended.”

“You really know how to treat a girl, don’t you?” I ask. If I was choosing what we are doing, I probably couldn’t have picked better. Start off with blood and carnage from the fight and move on to a juicy, still practically mooing, steak; it really is an ideal evening.

“Well, I imagined you didn’t want to go to the theater and I knew unless there was a chance of blood being drawn you would end up bored,” he says laughing and then taking my hand. “Guys, I am giving you the night off,” he says to Jake and Smitty as we walk past them. “I won’t let her leave my side and would like to have a little alone time.”

“Thanks boss,” Jake says. “Not to question your judgment, but are you sure that is a good idea? She doesn’t usually like to be tethered and has been known to wander off.”

“I will behave for the night,” I say. I am all for not having two extra people following me around. It still annoys the Hell out of me every time I see their shadows cast over mine.

I have killed probably more men than any of them, and yet they still think it is necessary to follow me around like a little baby. It’s pathetic I tell you, pathetic.

Alex leads me out to a classic black Chevy Camaro. If I had to guess, it is a ’69. It is in gorgeous condition with some, rarely seen these days, white wall tires.

“We kicking it old school tonight?” I ask as he leads me to the passenger door and opens it for me.

“One of the many things you don’t know about me is that I am somewhat of a car collector. The ’69 Camaro is one of my favorites, so I thought I would share it with you,” he says shutting the door after making sure my knees were out of the way.

“What’s it got under the hood?” I ask knowing he can hear me as he makes his way around the vehicle.

“It’s a stock 302 V8,” he replies getting in and quickly starting the engine. “You know anything about cars?”

“Not really. I just know the ones I like. It is mainly a cosmetic thing to me. Classic muscle tends to be very appealing.” I make a little purring noise in my throat.

“Good to know. I will have to show you around my garage when everything gets delivered,” he tells me as he drives away from my building. “So, before we get to the match and are unable to have a decent conversation, let’s play twenty questions.”

“You do know I hate that game, right?” I ask.

“It won’t be too bad, some of these I could even figure out myself. What is your favorite color?” he questions.

“Black,” I reply. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. “What is yours?”

“Red. Favorite weapon?” he asks.

“Depends on the situation and the person it is being used against. For all around effectiveness I would probably pick my flamethrower. I don’t use it often, but if I am looking to kill something, it tends to be the best option. Burn them to a crisp and then take off the head. For close hand-to-hand, I have a couple daggers I really like. I call them Helen and Clytemnestra. I have another set named after their brothers, but I prefer the girls,” I explain.

“You have named your daggers after people in Greek mythology. Interesting. What is your favorite food?”

“Rare beef. Cut doesn’t matter, too much,” I answer. “What exactly do you do?”

“I imagine you mean as an occupation and not what I do for the resistance. These days I do nothing. I am independently wealthy and am devoting all my time and resources to bringing the Collective down,” he replies. “I go into ‘work’ every day, but it is mostly just strategy meetings and sharing of the most recent intel.”

Great. One of my little ‘mates’ runs an army and the other runs a sex house. Fate picked me a couple winners.

“I thought you were staying in Emerald Town to tie up business issues, before moving to be closer to me,” I say curious.

“Business in the sense that I was working to rearrange the troops and make sure people under our protection were being cared for in my absence,” he explains.

“How old are you?” I ask.

“Fifty-five,” he replies glancing over to gauge my reaction.

Already knowing werewolves can live to be a couple centuries old, it doesn’t really surprise me that he is over twice my age. It’s nothing compared to Sebby’s and my age difference.

“You are just a baby,” I say jokingly as I pinch his cheek.

“I can assure you there is nothing ‘baby’ about me,” he says smirking.

He pulls into a packed parking lot and drives to the front of the arena. Stopping at the entrance, he puts the car in park and gets out. A valet opens my door and holds out his hand to help me exit the Camaro.

“No touching,” Alex says making it to my side, batting the valet’s hand away from mine.

I ignore them both and step out of the car. In the last few weeks, I have learned just how childish boys can be.

“So, do you have a list of which menfolk are allowed to touch because I spar with the guards and Sebastian all the time. There is a lot of touching that goes on then,” I say as he grabs my hand and leads me towards the entrance.

“Yes, there is a list and it is very short. Both Sebastian and I agreed on it when all of this started. We want your physical contact with others kept to a minimum.”

At the door, he hands over a couple tickets and the ticket taker points to a sign that says “No weapons on the premises for the match”.

“That better not apply to me,” I say glaring at the guy. “I didn’t even bring my full arsenal.”

“He must be new,” Alex says trying to soothe me. “Since your other boyfriend owns the arena, I am sure you will be allowed in armed.”

“Hey, I am just doing what I am told. The boss says no weapons allowed tonight and I am here to enforce it,” the man says. I would love to see him try to “enforce” anything with me.

The man is really a vampire, and a relatively new one at that. I have been cultivating a new skill where I can sense the energy levels off other vampires and that helps me gauge how old they are. It is kind of nifty and very helpful.

“Which boss are you reporting to tonight?” I ask.

“Marcus Turner is running the fights,” he replies.

“Good. I am very close with Marcus, would you mind calling him and telling him Nyx is outside and would like to have a chat with him,” I say grinning.

“Wait, you are Slaughter? No need to make the call you can go right in. You should have identified yourself sooner. If I would have known, there never would have been a question of you getting in armed. I am hoping to be put on your protection detail one of these days, but I am still going through training,” he says clearing the way and opening the door for us.

“Keep up the good work, I guess,” I say as Alex drags me inside. He would probably be an easy guard to get away from, so I am semi-serious about my comment. If I was worried about my life, though, I would make sure that guy was not on the short list of people sent to protect me.

Chapter 3

There’s no need to fear

I haven’t ever been inside this arena before. Wait, that isn’t right, I did chase a mark from a concert a couple years ago. For obvious reasons, I didn’t really take the time to check the place out back then.

My initial reaction to the inside of the building is, bright. They could really stand to tone down the overhead lights. I don’t know if I am just light sensitive, but the rays are giving me a bit of a headache.

There are merchant booths lining the side of the long walkway that seems to be the only way to go. I see food stands promoting the freshest cuts of meat. It looks like you can sign up to have the choicest cuts delivered to your house daily.

That might be something worth looking into. It’s one less trip to the store I would need to make, granted I don’t remember the last time I actually went grocery shopping, since my meals are usually provided, but it is food for thought.

There are also a lot of weaponry stands that draw my eyes. I thought the guy at the door said no weapons, so how does he justify the sight before me? Someone has some explaining to do.

“People can purchase items, but they don't take possession until later,” Alex states seeing the questions in my gaze. “I doubt anyone has anything you don’t already own, so let's get to our seats.”

He attempts to drag me away from a booth and I allow it. We head further down the hall to the open doorways into the arena proper. I try to glance into the openings, but there are too many people milling around for me to get a good look. About halfway down the long tunnel, he turns and pushes through the crowd to get to our seats.

We end up front and center. To be any closer we would have to actually be in the ring. We are looking at an elevated platform that supports a black chain linked cage. There is currently a scantily dressed woman walking around the ring with a digital clock counting down the time until the fight.