Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (68 page)

               
“Why would I feel uncomfortable?” Kayla asks.

               
Jackson snorts. “Just wait and see.”

               
The limo stops outside a large brick building.  Kayla looks at it
curiously because it doesn’t have any windows, just one door on the
front.  “This is it?” she inquires.

               
“Yup,” Damien replies.  “We’ll go in through the back.”

               
“Weird.”

               
The driver gets out of the car and opens the door to let them out.  Damien
offers his hand to Kayla. She takes it and steps out of the limo.  “Right
this way, my dear.”  He takes her hand and leads her to the back of the
building.

               
As they turn the corner, Kayla’s eyebrows go up.  “You aren’t serious.”

               
“Yup,” Damien chirps.  “This is why a human doesn’t get in without us
knowing.”

               
Kayla looks down at the doggy door in shock.  “Where are all the cars and
people?”

               
“You have to be dropped off at the club.  Less conspicuous if it’s ever
investigated,” Damien replies.  “Do you want to go first?”

"Of course not,
”
Kayla exclaims. 
“
You didn’t say anything about having to
shift to get in!”

               
Damien leans over and kisses her on the cheek.  “I’ll go in first, then
you can come and Jackson will follow.  Give me a minute in there and I’ll
make sure no one is looking.”

               
“Thanks,” Kayla replies, giving him a soft smile.

               
Damien shifts down and goes through the door.  Jackson puts his hand on
Kayla’s back.  “Are you ready for this?”

               
“Ready for what?” Kayla asks.

               
“You’ll see.  Go ahead.  I’ll be right behind you.”

               
Kayla shifts down.  She takes a few deep breaths to steady herself before
walking through the door.  Music overpowers her.

“Shift back,
”
Damien says from overhead.
“
Your hearing is too sensitive.”

               
Kayla shifts back to her body and shakes her head to readjust.  “That’s so
weird.”  She looks around and sees that they’re in a small room. 
Dark curtains cover the doorway.  “It’s not so loud now.”

               
“Wait until you get into the club,” Damien replies.  He nods to someone
over her shoulder, and she turns to find Jackson behind her. “Shall we go in?”
Damien asks.  Kayla shrugs her shoulders and nods.  Damien grabs her
hand.  With a smile, he guides them through curtains.

               
Music and lights immediately overload them.  Kayla shields her eyes
against the glare.  When she removes her hand from her eyes, her jaw
drops.  “What in the…”

               
The room is packed with dancing people, but it’s the way they dance that makes
Kayla pause.  Two girls pass them, and Kayla watches them with wide
eyes.  Their outfits barely cover any skin. When Kayla looks around she
realizes all the girls are dressed that way.

               
She turns and looks at Damien.  “Why did I bring you guys here?”

               
Damien chuckles and pulls her farther into the club.  “Come on,
babe.”  He walks them closer to the crowd.

               
Suddenly it’s like a wave hits Kayla and takes her breath away.  She stops
walking and grabs her chest.  Everything in her lights on fire. 
“What is that?”

               
“Pheromones,” Jackson replies, bending down by her.  “Free energy and
pheromones.  Everyone is giving it off.”

               
“Oh
my gosh
,” Kayla gasps.  “It’s stifling, but,
like…in a good way.”

               
Damien turns around. “Now, that’s what a guy likes to hear.”

               
“You’re not using that to your advantage!” Jackson snaps, pointing at
Damien.  Damien just returns his look and smirks. He pulls Kayla towards
the bar.  They walk along the side of it and then stop at an empty
table.  She is awestruck by everything.  There are long dance floors
elevated from the rest of the floor along the walls.   There is a
main stage centered in front of the large room, and barely clothed girls are
dancing all over the place. 

               
Kayla shakes her head. “This is insane.  Everyone is—”

               
“All over each other?” Jackson finishes for her.  “Yeah.”

               
“It’s…weird,” Kayla replies.

               
“If you’re uncomfortable, we can leave,” Damien whispers in her ear. 
“It’s a little much to take in at first.”

               
Slightly dumbfounded, Kayla stutters, “I don’t know what to think.  I
mean…is it a sex club?”

               
“No, not technically,” Damien explains.  “People aren’t doing it in
corners or anything.  Though if you are interested, I have a curtained off
area for us.”

               
“Damien!” Kayla exclaims.  “Why would you have that?”

               
He laughs. “I have it in case you need a break from the energy later.  We
can go there right now if you want.”

               
Kayla looks out at the club.  “No, it’s fascinating.  Is this how we
find people to date?  Is this the single scene?”

               
“Sort of,” Damien answers.  “People will leave here with each other. 
It’s not where you find a wife, usually just a playmate.”

               
“That’s horrible,” Kayla chastises.

               
Damien puts his hands up.  “I didn’t say I do!  It’s our
people.  It’s like taking the normal horny teenager and magnifying his
hormones by a hundred.  It’s who we are.”

               
“It’s not who I am,” Kayla retorts.

               
“Me either,” Jackson interjects.  “You don’t have to be like them, Kayla.”

               
Damien cocks his eyebrow. “Really? You two aren’t like that?  You haven’t
been all over each other because of the hormones?  Never felt drawn to
maul each other sexually?”

               
Kayla blushes.  “Shut up, Damien.”

               
“Don’t point fingers then,” he laughs in return.  “Do you want something
to drink?”

               
“Like alcohol?” Kayla quips.

               
Shaking his head, Damien replies, “No, alcohol doesn’t affect us.  We have
something that does.  Did you want that?”

               
“No, she doesn’t,” Jackson growls.  “Don’t offer it to her.”

               
“She can make her own big girl decisions, Jackson,” Damien snaps
condescendingly.  “Kayla, what would you like to drink?”

               
She smirks at him.  “Water.”

               
“See, she can decide things for herself,” Damien states to Jackson.  “Now,
would you like anything to drink, my little brooding cousin?”

               
Jackson glares at him.  “I can get it myself.”

               
“Whatever,” Damien replies, turning on his heel.  “I’ll be right back.”

               
Kayla turns her attention back to the thronging crowd.  They’re dancing
makes Kayla blush. 

“I know this is a little
much to take,” Jackson says, walking toward her.  “I told you I’d never
experienced this kind of energy before or since the last time I went to a
shifters club.”

               
“It’s so heated.  I feel like I’m in an adult film or something,” Kayla
hisses.

               
“We should leave,” Jackson declares.  “You’re totally uncomfortable.”

               
“No,” Kayla retorts strongly.  “I can do this.  As long as people
don’t actually start having sex on the dance floor we can stay.”

               
He shakes his head.  “They won’t.  Like Damien said, there are
curtained off rooms.”

               
“Ew, disgusting,” Kayla squeals.  “Don’t make me think about that.”

               
Jackson laughs.  “I don’t think you’re allowed to actually do anything.
It’s really
not
a sex club.”

               
Kayla grimaces and shakes her head. “Nasty thoughts.”

               
A girl walks past in a sheer dress.  Kayla’s jaw drops.  When Kayla
sees Jackson looking, she smacks him on the arm hard enough to leave a
bruise. 

“What?” he shouts.

               
“Don’t look,” she yells.

               
“Why can’t I look?  I’m single, and she obviously didn’t mind showing off
her…assets.” He laughs.

               
“You shouldn’t look,” Kayla snaps.

               
He leans toward her, his lips brushing her ear.  “I can look.  You
need to keep Damien’s eyes in his head.”

               
“Yes, well, you can’t look either.”

               
“What can’t he look at?” Damien asks, setting her water in front of her.

               
Kayla slaps her hand over Damien’s eyes. “The nearly naked girl standing to the
right of us.”

               
“Unless you are the nearly naked girl, I don’t want to see it,” Damien replies,
letting her cover his eyes.  “Is she gone yet?”

               
“No,” Kayla says.  “You can look, though.”  She pulls her hand away.

               
Damien looks at Kayla and smiles.  “You’re the only one captivating my
attention.”

               
“Aww,” Kayla replies. 

               
Jackson snorts. “Damien, you really shouldn’t look up then.”

               
So of course he does look up and his eyebrows nearly pop off his head. 
“Dear Lord,” he breathes out.

               
Kayla swings back her hand and smacks him across the head.  “Will you guys
stop looking at her?” she yells.

               
“It’s hard not to,” Damien retorts.  “She’s naked!”

               
“You’re starting to make me really mad,” Kayla growls.

               
Damien walks to the other side of the table so his back is to the girl. 
“There, I can’t see anything but your beautiful face now.”

               
“Good,” Kayla says.  “Jackson you should go over by him.  Keep your
eyes in your head too.”

               
“No,” he replies with a devious smirk.  “I’m not dating anyone.  I
can stare if I want to.”  Kayla glares at him and he winks back.

               
A few minutes later the song changes.  “Is all the music like this?” Kayla
asks.

               
“You mean dirty?” Jackson asks.

               
“If that’s what you call it,” Kayla replies.

               
“Then yes, for the most part.”

               
As she listens to the next few notes of the song, she snaps her fingers in
realization and starts laughing.  “This is your song, Jackson!”

               
Jackson tilts his head in confusion. “What?”

               
“The song you fantasize about…” Kayla is about to say me, but goes with,
“girls…to.”

               
“Oh, the one that was playing in my room,” he finally gets it.  “I told
you that was Internet radio, I had no control.”

               
“Mmmhmm,” Kayla hums back.  “That’s what you say now.”

               
Damien looks at Kayla.  “I wouldn’t mind this being the song you play when
I come home from work and you’re dressed only in my tie.”

               
“Excuse me?” Jackson snaps.

               
“
If
we ever get married,” Damien explains.  “Kayla is going to
either wear nothing or wear lingerie and put on my tie, and then wait for me to
come home from a long day of saving people’s lives.”

               
There is no humor on Jackson’s face as his gaze moves to Kayla.  “Really,”
he draws out.

               
Blushing, Kayla says, “Only if we’re married, and Damien, shut up about our
personal conversations.”

               
“Come on, there are certain things that I will brag about.  Never any real
intimate moments, of course, but you dressed up in my tie?  That’s sexy as
hell, and the whole world needs to know about it.”

               
Kayla laughs.  “All right, no pictures, though.”

               
“
What
?” Damien exclaims.  “There has to be pictures.  They
just have to be password protected on my computer.  You know, for business
trips.”

               
“I better be going on these business trips with you,” Kayla retorts, pointing
her finger at him.  “Don’t need you around sexy flight attendants.”

               
“Will you be my sexy flight attendant?”

               
Kayla leans over the table. “Only if you buy the outfit, and we use one of your
personal planes.”