So Tempting (11 page)

He wouldn't welcome her interference, but then he never had. Still, no matter how much she wanted to be free of the once-crushing responsibilities she'd had for her family's survival, some things never changed. Jimmy was her younger brother, and he didn't have enough sense to stay out of danger.

She didn't want him winding up in the middle of whatever lay in the diseased heart of that place. The Club was bad news. Proof or no, she was sure of that.

Myra had been right about one thing. Jace believed in her hunches.

And that meant another trip to The Club.

* * *

Whoever was responsible for running The Club had a sense of humor: tonight's signal was an onion. Jace had cradled hers gingerly, hoping to prevent any trace of the scent from rubbing off on her skin.

Glad to be rid of it now, she walked through the shadowed alley, looking for the door with the star visible only in the black light bulb overhead. When she spotted it, she swept past the guard in the company of a cluster of people to avoid attracting undue attention.

She fastened her mask while perusing the crowd. How she wished she could simply call Gonzales and arrange to bust the place, but even as the instinct scraped over raw nerves, she knew a raid would be both premature and stupid.

And she might never find out what had happened to her last time.

No, she'd maintain a low profile and stay out of smoky corners. Keep her eyes peeled for her brother and meanwhile make up for losing her nerve last time, beginning with clear observation to determine what was really going on here.

Tonight The Club was being held in an abandoned furniture store, its large front windows blocked out so well that inside seemed another universe. Lasers sliced arcs of red and green and yellow. The eerie glow of black light transformed everything white into a phosphorescent blue. Bubbles drifted in the dizzying strobes strafing her vision. Smoke twined through laser-crisp circles and triangles, the smell of incense and pot filling the air. 

And the music...always the music, spiraling then plummeting, stringing out nerves, teasing desire while beneath the soaring melody, her very bones vibrated with the dark bass rhythms.

Jace could barely recognize her own form in the visual chaos, much less look for her brother. Nonetheless, she searched until her eyes hurt, still hovering at the edges of the dense crowd.

Then, just for an instant, she spotted...
him
.

Before she could reach him, he vanished into the writhing mass of bodies. She plunged in after him. She searched for the dark hair falling to his shoulders, the lean, powerful frame. She sipped shallow breaths as she looked all around her, but her head was already growing light. She swam through the sea of people, wilting from the heat, and shook her head repeatedly to clear it.

She even peered into draped corners, some empty, some occupied.

But none of them were the man she'd seen that first night.

As she roamed restlessly, hands reached for her, stroked her body. A husky man near her own height traced his forefinger down the oversized zipper on the front of her black spandex dress, then latched on the ring to pull it.

Jace slapped his hand away and whirled toward the opposite quarter of the pulsating mass of bodies grinding together, faces avid with lust, palms greedy and groping. Couples intertwined—same sex, opposite sex, all tangled together—a feast of flesh exposed, inhibitions scattered. Orgy in Santa Fe.

It was all too much. What had been titillating the first time now only frightened her. She lunged for an exit, but her head spun, her balance faltered.

Strong arms snagged her, slid around her waist, drawing her back against a solid wall of muscle.

Instantly she careened into the black. Stars burst behind her eyes.

Oh, God, not him.
"No—" She began to struggle.

"Hold on." A deep voice next to her ear. "You are safe. I have you."

That voice. She attempted to turn, to draw away.

Steely strength restrained her. "Sh-h...easy." Odd words spoken in a calm tone...warm palms soothed down her arms. The spinning slowed, the darkness, the carpet of stars, receded enough for her breathe again. She began to relax. "What is that? What's happening?"

He gave no evidence of hearing, and the music was so loud. One hand splayed across her belly, drifted lower. The other cupped one breast. Every nerve in her body fluttered to life. Through her skin, she sensed him—lean and hard, heat rolling off him in waves. Power she could literally feel enfolding her, like a dark angel spreading his wings.

Warm breath on the sensitive flesh joining neck and shoulder, sifting over her collarbone, twining beneath her neckline and between the swells.

Lips parting, tongue caressing. A graze of teeth.

Her gasp.

His thighs pressed to her buttocks...his body's leap.

"Trust yourself... Let go..." His low murmur raced tingles over her skin, a promise of fire. A vision of bliss, hers for the taking.

"Open yourself to me..." 

Suddenly, she was falling again, slipping away, being swallowed up, taken over...she couldn't hear anything for the sound of singing...

No
. "I—I can't." She fought against it all, the sudden plunges, the drugging languor. "No. Let me go!"

Shocking and sudden, his support vanished.

She wheeled to face him. Grappled for balance.

No one. Gone, like mist in sun. She was back in the moment, but it was all noise now, all confusion, the press of flesh, the dizzying kaleidoscope of lights, the heat and haze, the music so foreign.

Fear clogged her lungs, jammed her heart.

Jace blinked, again and again. Stumbled, the noise too loud, the air too thick—

"Sh-h." Again, his voice at her ear. Hands reeling her into the shelter of his arms. "You're all right...let go...let yourself feel."

She didn't want to, but there seemed to be no choice. The airless black, the trail of stars...the colors resolved into ribbons of light spooling out into the distance.

"Easy," he said. "Just breathe..." He spoke more words she couldn't make out.

She struggled at first, one breath, then another until at last all of it vanished, and she began to settle...to come back to herself, to feel the draw of him as a male, primal and powerful. He wrapped her in a cloak of protection, and somehow she felt both safe and aroused.

Jace sank against him, drawn through an enchanted mirror into another existence, lost to her own. The only reality was his touch, his presence...the silken knot of desire with which he bound her.

"I don't understand."

"There is no need. Only relax..." As his voice soothed her, long fingers skimmed over the tight black fabric, circled her nipples. At the ring of her zipper, one finger speared through...drew it slowly, slowly down.

"But—" Against her will, Jace watched the zipper descend, mesmerized by the sight of her own flesh revealed, inch by painstaking inch. They were cloaked in shadows but not invisible. Anyone interested could watch them. The awareness should have made her recoil.

Instead, her blood bubbled, her heart raced. Like a night-blooming flower, she unfurled. Reveled. Nothing mattered but the sensation of his magical hands, anywhere...everywhere. At the whisper of soft breath over the tops of her breasts, her back arched to bring them higher, nearer...a silent plea.

More.

"So responsive. So dangerous."

Dangerous?
He
was dangerous...but the risk of him sang a siren's song...luring...beckoning...

The hand on her belly pressed her back against him, his long middle finger sliding down the fabric, teasing with a touch so light it was almost painful. Jace rocked in sinuous abandon, straining to bring his finger closer, deeper...

Her right hand slipped behind, between their bodies, stroking over his length and down, cupping the sac and squeezing.

He growled, low and urgent. Nipped at her throat. Murmured dusky words, hungry words in a tone that said all she needed to know.

"Let's get out of here," she said.

"No." His grip tightened. "No."

She felt the effort as he loosened his hold, if not his resolve.

"There is a tie between us that unsettles you, but you must not fight it." He trailed his tongue over the whorl of her ear, his voice a deep rumble she felt in her bones. "In some cultures, a man marks his woman in a public ceremony. I mark you mine—here. Now."

Shock and a sharp pang of lust knifed through her.

And with them, a new sense of herself as potent. Voluptuous, powerful.

Desired.

As though he heard her thoughts, he responded. "Do you see? Surrender has its own power. You hear the song...you see the light. Do not fight it...let the light inside you."

She couldn't accept what she'd seen, what she heard when—no. And after all she'd been through, what she'd learned about the price of being vulnerable or weak? "I can't—"

"You can. You want to."

"I don't."

Instantly, his hands lifted from her skin, his warmth suddenly gone. "Make your choice, then. Walk away, and I will never touch you again."

No
. Despite all logic, a protest rose. Her body hungered for the shining edge of fire, the opulent pleasure waiting on the other side. Somehow she knew that no matter how far she'd ventured before, he would lead her to a place she'd never even imagined.

Once Jace had been a gambler, a trickster, a tomboy. A wild, free child—until her father died. The dreamer within her had been shackled for years, but lately she'd begun to flower, to reach out for what she wanted.

Now, galvanized, tempted beyond the reach of reason, ripe to bursting, Jace craved the relief here for the granting.

By this man who tantalized her with visions of worlds she could barely imagine. Sensations. Fruits not tasted, appetites to be explored. For the price of a moment's surrender, she could have the extraordinary. The exquisite.

Mesmerized by his mystery, she poised on the edge of the cliff as the midnight sea beckoned. Behind her lay safety. Stark fields of sameness.

No.

With an inner cry, she leaped. Writhed against him.

His indolence vaporized. His touch was suddenly everywhere, cradling, caressing, fondling. Rocking against her in slow, agonizing thrusts. Taunting...tormenting.

Jace welcomed the fall into starburst, the whirling colors wrapping her in glorious, magical, unearthly song... She sucked air in frantic gasps, back bowed, head thrown back, fighting not to turn around, to plead. This torture was excruciating. Delicious.

She craved to end it. To prolong it. Explode with the sweet agony of it.

One finger hooked in the ring of her zipper while his tongue pierced the silver circle of her earring, tracing a moist trail along the sensitive lobe.

He bared her to her nipples. Jace shivered at the thrill.

Then he halted.

For endless heartbeats, they stood completely still, yet she couldn't hear the music for the roaring in her blood.

"Please," she whispered at last.

His hands tightened, his breath hot on her skin.

"Please..."

When he relented, she nearly whimpered. At an agonizing crawl, he teased the zipper down, exposing her to the midriff. The panels of her dress clung to her nipples for excruciating seconds, then fell away, a millimeter at a time.

She dropped her head in a belated impulse to hide herself.

His fingers dove into her hair and tightened to draw her head back until it rested against his shoulder.

"Surrender. Let go and know the power within you."

Jace felt the eyes of strangers upon her body as he unveiled her. She closed her own, but in doing so only magnified the punch to her senses by leaps and bounds.

Yielding control had always been anathema, yet the force of it staggered her. Blood pounded in her ears while gooseflesh rose on her skin. She dug her nails into his thighs, swiveled her hips to brush against him. Sounds spilled from her throat.

"Enough." Abruptly he zipped her dress and all but dragged her from the dance floor. Disoriented, Jace could only cling as he spirited her behind a curtain of dark, glowing satin. Inside, the smoke gathered in billowing clouds, incense sweet and heady.

"You are mine." Whirling her around, he growled, "I will not share you."

In the hazy darkness, she struggled to focus on the face behind the mask, but his mouth quickly covered hers. Jace lost all bearings, swept up in a spell as strong as the arms that held her close.

Senses whirling, she clutched at his shirt as he took them deeper into secret realms she'd never even imagined. His kiss demanded everything of her. His embrace tightened until she could barely breathe. An edge of anger battled with iron control.

Surrender
. Fear took flight; unspeakable pleasure rode its wings. Jace shuddered under the rapture of it. Swallowed a scream.

He tore his mouth from hers. Glowing eyes behind the mask stared as though he could peer into the depths of her soul.

Hesitated.

As if as shaken as she.

Then he gripped her harder and with a soft curse lowered her to a padded bench. Followed her down, capturing her in a fevered kiss.

The universe tilted. Ecstasy swam through a body drenched with the smell of him, the feel of him, the need for him....

Round and round, the room spun.

Justine.
She heard it again, the singing.

Come with me. Stay with me.

Darkness spread. Stars spilled.

The night sky swallowed them.

Chapter Nine

Cassie ran down the alley, frantic at being so late. Dante was out of town, but Mrs. Montoya, for once, had been in no hurry to go to bed. Cassie wouldn't involve Melinda anymore, so she'd had no choice but to delay until she was certain Mrs. Montoya was asleep.

But now as she entered the last doorway and donned her mask, she relaxed, her spirits rocketing. She was here, and no one would make her leave until she was good and ready.

The place was jammed with people, the strobe light so piercing that Cassie felt as if she'd walked into some sort of dream. When a guy near her age grabbed her hand and pulled her into the gyrating mass of bodies, she laughed with delight.

This was what she'd been waiting for, the real life, the one she'd been denied. Grinning at her partner, Cassie threw herself into the dancing, loving the surge of the beat through her body.

She lost track of time, of her changing partners. She didn't much care, at this point, about pursuing a relationship. She was free, and she wanted to revel in it. Closing her eyes, Cassie gave herself up to the music, to the pure pleasure of being young and bursting with energy.

Warm hands settled on her waist, and she jerked open her eyes. The friendly blond man from before smiled at her and mouthed,
I'm glad you're here
.

Cassie smiled back, casting aside memories of his strange abandonment the other night. Heaven knows she could use a friend.

For a while they danced, then he leaned forward, raising his voice to be heard. "I'm thirsty—want to get something at the juice bar?"

She nodded, realizing she was parched. Her long hair stuck to her neck with sweat.

Grabbing her hand, he led her through the crowd. Cassie wanted to crow—if Jimmy had been around, she would have. This guy was no monster.

When he pulled her into his side and wrapped one arm around her waist, Cassie couldn't help but feel flattered. This was an older guy, after all, and even with the mask, she could tell he was good-looking. He could probably have his pick of the many beautiful, sophisticated women in this place, but for some reason, he'd picked her.

This club definitely rocked. She was in heaven.

When she stumbled over someone's feet, he pulled her closer, the green eyes looking at her with concern. "You all right?"

She felt her cheeks warm and demurred. "Just clumsy."

His mouth was close to her face, his words clear. "Not a bit. You are, however, gorgeous."

Wow. He thought she was gorgeous. This was great. Then a thought occurred to her. "I don't know your name."

"What's yours?"

She wanted him to see her as sophisticated, glamorous. "Cassandra."

His gaze warmed. "Mm...seductive."

Seductive. Better and better.

Before she could ask his name, he bent and kissed her softly on the lips, just one light kiss.

But it was Cassie's first. Her toes curled at the sensation, and she felt strangely light, almost dizzy.

"What would you like to drink, Cassandra?"

She lifted her shoulders. What did she care? She wanted him to kiss her again. "Anything wet."

"Be right back." With that, he plunged into the crowd around the bar.

Cassie stood there, her senses reeling, hugging to herself the delicious secret. He'd found her appealing enough to kiss her—what a night this was.

Sooner than she would have expected, he returned, handing her a glass of a strange blue liquid. "It's so pretty—what is it?"

"The specialty of The Club—but I'll let you in on a secret," he leaned closer, "It's dyed with food coloring."

He grinned, and Cassie grinned back. Striving for nonchalance, she drank only a sip when she wanted to guzzle it all down. "So you come here a lot?"

He nodded. "But you don't."

"I just found it."

"And what do you think?"

She flung one arm out. "I love it!" Belatedly, she realized that she didn't sound very sophisticated, gushing like that. She settled back into silence.

He leaned forward, kissing her lightly again. Against her lips, he murmured. "Ah, lovely Cassandra. There's so much more I could show you."

Her breath caught. Was he talking about this place—or his kiss? "Like what?"

"Please finish your drink." His eyes took on a glitter. "You have no sense of your power, do you?"

"I don't know what you mean." Cassie took a long swallow, staring at him.

"There are sources of power available for the taking, Cassandra. Worlds to explore, universes to experience. This..." He swept one arm to take in the room, "This is nothing."

She didn't know what he meant, but it didn't matter. She wanted to get back to something she could learn pretty quickly. Glancing up at him, lashes lowered, she smiled faintly. "I am sure that I'd like another kiss."

A quick frown, then he bent to her. He forced her mouth open, stabbed his tongue inside. The savagery had Cassie pulling away, heart thumping wildly.

She retreated, and he moved in on her. Cassie's drink sloshed over her hand.

Out of nowhere came Jimmy. He shoved the blond man, then took a swing. "Leave her alone, I told you!"

"Jimmy, no!" Cassie yelled.

The blond man dove forward, driving his head into Jimmy's belly. They crashed to the floor, knocking down chairs, rolling over and over. Jimmy came out on top and smashed his fist into the blond man's face. The blond grabbed his nose, his mask knocked askew. Then he leapt up, going for Jimmy again.

Someone screamed over the music; people cleared out a space for the fight. Cassie rushed forward to stop them.

A hand grasped her arm.

Cassie whirled, jerked away. "Let me go!" She stopped as she recognized the face behind the mask. "Markos?"

Saying nothing, he removed her drink from her rigid grasp with his free hand and set it on a table behind him. Silver winked on his finger, and she shook her head, trying to focus.

Just then, she was jostled as someone pushed past and forced the two men apart. The blond man glared at Jimmy, body rigid with challenge. He shook off his captor, then grabbed Jimmy by the throat.

Cassie felt light-headed from the fighting. She'd never seen one in real life.

"Come along, Cassie. This is no place for you." Markos glanced from the brawling duo, his jaw flexing. "Come outside with me, please." Clasping her arm, he turned to leave.

"Wait." Her own voice sounded funny to her. Why couldn't she think straight, decide what to do? "I can't leave them like this."

"I don't think your brother will be too impressed if you wind up in jail. This fight could bring the police."

"I'm not doing anything wrong." But her stomach sank as she pictured what Dante would have to say.

Markos towered over her, looking as if he were considering throwing her over his shoulder—or over his knee and paddling her, she couldn't be sure which. Finally, with an exaggerated sigh, he leaned forward. "Cassie, don't be childish."

She glanced over at the two men. "But they—" She started toward them and stumbled.

Markos caught her arm and steadied her. "They'll brawl it out like two young stags, then probably wind up buying each other drinks. Or they'll share the same cell. Either way, this isn't the place for you."

Leaning against Markos, she was secretly pleased that Jimmy would fight over her. Not that she'd needed it. Cassie's head spun, remembering that last kiss. Okay, so the blond man had scared her a little, but—

She wished she weren't so dizzy. She tried to remember what he'd said about her power.

"Cassie, come on. This way." Markos took her by the arm, leading her out. "I'll take you home."

"Can't—my car—" Leaning against him, Cassie felt safe, tucked under his arm.

"I'll take care of it, little one." Drawing her close, Markos headed for the door.

Cassie nestled gratefully against him.

* * *

In the dark chamber where they'd both been taken, Jimmy glared at the blond man. He rotated his jaw and winced at the pain. He stood straighter, biting back a gasp as his ribs protested.

"You leave her alone, I'm warning you." Where was Cassie now? Was she all right?

The blond man snarled. "You've said that before."

"She's too innocent to be a pawn in your games."

His eyes chilled. "Games?"

Careful
. "Something happened to that other girl. To Sam."

"Need I remind you that Sam was with you when he died?"

"I didn't—I don't know what happened that night."

"Yet you want to point fingers? It would seem to me that you have more to lose than anyone in the investigation of Sam's death."

Jimmy's gaze narrowed. "I didn't kill him."

"You can prove that?"

"My—"
My sister could
, he wanted to say. But would she, given how they'd parted, how little faith she had in him? No, he'd never ask her.

"Yes? You were going to say, perhaps, that your sister could help you?"

Stunned, Jimmy only stared.

The blond man smiled. "You think we know so little of the outside world? How would it look for you to become the prime suspect in a murder investigation? What
would
your dear sister the detective think?" He leaned forward, lip curled in a snarl. "Don't fuck with me, Carroll. I don't think you want to risk that, just for the sake of a silly little virgin with adventurous leanings."

Christ. What was he going to do?

The door opened; the Priestess swept into the room, red robes swirling around her long legs. Behind the feathered mask, her eyes glittered dangerously.

She chose Jimmy first. "What was your reason for initiating a fight with a member of the faithful? We do not turn on one another."

"Priestess, I—"

"He's thought better of his conduct, Priestess," the blond man interrupted, cutting his gaze over toward Jimmy, the warning clear. "He's already apologized to me for losing his temper."

She studied the blond man carefully, then turned her sharp gaze back to Jimmy. "Your explanation?"

"I—I thought a young woman was in danger."

"Ah...so you leapt to her defense?"

"Yes, Priestess."

"You thought the need so great?"

"I did, yes, but..." Jimmy glanced over at the other man. "I—I guess I was wrong." He swallowed, the sour taste of defeat heavy on his tongue.

"This mistake will not be repeated." Her tone was not a question.

Jimmy lowered his eyes. He couldn't let Cassie be hurt, but what was he to do? He'd go crazy in jail, and how could he ever clear himself? They'd been so good to him—except the Keeper. They'd given him a family, a place to belong.

He had to get away and think. His jaw clenched, his tone leaden. "No, Priestess."

"Leave us. Think long upon what you have done."

Jimmy left the room, heart heavy with dread.

The Priestess whirled on the blond man. "What are you trying to do, Keeper? You go too far."

He sneered. "He's no danger to us."

"You're a fool if you believe that. Two people have died, must I remind you?" Dark eyes snapped her fury.

"He's our fall guy, if we need one." Shrugging his shoulders, the Keeper continued. "But we won't. It won't happen again."

"How can you be sure? We don't know why it happened before. We're all at risk."

He smiled, feeling the balance shifting. "But you're the Priestess. You're in charge."

One long finger pointed. "You're the Keeper of the Chalice. The Elixir and the Sacred Waters are in your care. You can be replaced. The
Magos
has only to order it."

His gut clenched. He was vulnerable still. Until his power eclipsed theirs, caution was required.

"You're right," he injected a faint apology in his tone. "We're in this together. I wanted no trouble tonight, but the girl—she's perfect."

"Perfect for what?"

"She's a virgin, I'm certain of it." His voice vibrated with his excitement. "And very sheltered. Can you imagine the power of a ceremony with a true innocent?"

"That's what attracts you? Her purity?"

Of course that wasn't all of it. Cassandra's inexperience wouldn't last long—not sparked by the greed for adventure he'd seen beneath her coy, lowered lashes. A provocative virgin whose life force was strong...he would drive into her sweet body and his own power would grow.

But best of all, she was Dante's pampered sister...a lovely, naïve, succulent pawn.

He moved closer to the Priestess. "Innocence has its place," he shrugged one shoulder. "While it has a certain charm, it is, however, crude and inelegant." Lowering his tone, he gazed into her dark eyes. "I far prefer polish and..." He stroked the feathers of her mask, sliding his forefinger down one silken black tip to her scarlet lips, drawing a slow path along the seam between them. "A more worldly patina." Holding his breath, he watched her lips part slightly, her eyes darken with lust.

The tip of her tongue circled his finger and drew it into the wet warmth of her mouth. She sucked it in imitation as she closed her hand around his straining length. He thrust against her hand and heard her low, husky laughter. With one slow swirl around his finger, she pulled away, squeezing his sac with a quick, painful clasp.

He managed to hold her gaze without wincing. She smiled, her hands sliding up to caress her own breasts.

"Perhaps a virgin could be amusing. I've never initiated one before." She took his hands, placing them where her own had just been. "Tell me more about this girl, Keeper."

He squeezed her generous breasts in his hands and began speaking.

* * *

Outside the door, Jimmy's stomach turned. He didn't know Cassie's last name or where to find her. He hadn't learned Melinda's last name, either. But how many rich girls named Cassie could there be in Santa Fe?

Easing away from the wall, he stifled a groan. Shuffling along like an old man, he made his way as carefully as possible to the door.

He had to find her. What he'd heard...it was sick. They wanted to make her a plaything, and she could wind up dead like that other girl.

Like Sam.

Was it something in the Elixir that had killed them? But he'd taken it the same night as Sam. He hadn't partaken of the Sacred Waters yet—was that it? But lots of other members had consumed them both and were fine.