Arctic Bound (7 page)

“How about a dance?”

Was this guy for real?
He had no problems displaying his apt dis-like of her disfigurement, and now he wanted to dance?

Victor was a big man and she couldn't see how he was going to dance with her, but if that's what he wanted, then one dance wasn't going to hurt anyone.

“I wish you weren't wearing that top.” He said out of nowhere as they swayed to the beat of the music.

“Well, I wish you wouldn't open your mouth to speak, but we can't all have what we want.”

Victor threw his head back and laughed. It was deep and melodious and shot straight to the core of her traitorous body.

There was a gentle touch at the nape of her neck and Nerina almost bolted until she heard his brother Colin speak into her ear.

“What do we have here?”

“We're having ourselves a dance Colin. Behave yourself,” Victor urged with a growl in his voice. She hadn't realized before but not only was Victor vocal in the sense of grunts and growls, and a few rumbles, so were the rest of his family. Including Teak. Maybe it was a cultural thing, living in a small town. Communication was just as verbal as it was non-verbal so maybe those sounds meant something to them.

“Wish she wasn't wearing the death top man,” Colin commented as his hands went to the outside of her thighs to move her the way he wanted her to move. She didn't protest, men tended to be touchy during dancing. As long as they both knew that's all they were getting from her she was okay.

“What's with the two of you wanting me out of my top?”

“Silver doesn't look good on you is all. You should try gold, maybe even cooper, but silver? No, silver just won't do. It clashes with your skin tone.”

Well that was definitely a first. Two men advising her on what not to wear and then suggesting what she should wear. Maybe they weren't into girls.
You know that's not the case.
Her mouth cracked into a grin she couldn't hide, and Victor leaned forward so that his breath caressed her cheek as he whispered in her ear.

“Why are you smiling?”

“No reason, I just didn't realize you two were gay is all.”

Victor's back straightened and he stopped moving to stare down at her with an arched brow. His brother Colin tightened his hold at her thigh, almost painfully.

“We're not gay.” Victor said, clearly offended. She knew they weren't gay, but she'd said it anyway, so he could see how it felt.

“You got something against gay people? Or is it all people you view as different or beneath you?”

His growl was almost as loud as the music. Nerina stepped out of Colin's grip so that she could look both brothers in the face.

“Who in the hell gave you the idea that we're remotely like that?” Colin asked with a sour look on his face.

She looked in Victor's direction, who was still staring at her as if she'd said something totally out of character. It wasn't like he really knew her anyway. He'd have no clue that on any given day, she always spoke her mind.

“Your brother took one look at me and made an assumption. So I made my own. It doesn't feel good to have people assume does it?”

“I was taken off guard is all.”

“By what? I'm like you and anyone else, I just happen to have a disability. You took one look at my hand and you literally sneered.”

“I did no such thing.”

“You did.” She insisted. “How about we cut the dance short, and go our separate way.”

“Great going dip-shit. You just ruined my chance to get fresh with her.” Colin chimed in.

Victor growled again. This time at his brother Colin who was smiling.

She started to back away but Victor apparently had more to say.

“Introduce us.”

“To who?”

“Your friends.”

“Not happening, go find someone else to dance with.”

She did not want him or his brother meeting her friends.

Ever.

Ignoring his request she walked past him back to where her friends were seated.

“We thought we were going to have to get you a drool rag. You were so caught up in the scene with the Viking.”

Funny. They thought Blue looked like a Viking too.

Nerina rolled her eyes and took a seat between Raven and Anika.

“Who's the tall drink of water you were chatting with just now?”

No one she wanted to introduce them to, that was for sure. Especially Colin, he was in law enforcement, and there was no way he wouldn't know who at least Myieko was. She was wanted in more than twenty states.

“How about we not go there and just leave it at that.”

Anika pouted.

Out of all the girls, she was the one that devoured men by the dozen.

“But he looks like my future baby daddy.”

“Everyone looks like your FBD, girl. You need to give it a rest.” Raven said, smiling.

“Yeah, what's the body count up to now, like a gazillion?” Kenzie asked.

The waitress approached them again, this time with a tray of drinks they hadn't ordered.

“Compliments of Mr. Varangian.”

Who was that?

“And who would that be?” Anika questioned, looking around the club for their would be drink patron.

“Oh, he's the owner of the club, everyone calls him Blue. But to his staff, it's Mr. Varangian.” The waitress said with a sigh. Either she was high, or stupid. Her eyes dilated at the mention of her employer's name. The man was fine, but damn, he didn't warrant that kind of reaction.
You didn't think so five minutes ago.

“Send the drinks back.” Raven instructed.

The waitress' eyes widen in shocked, as if a courtesy extended by the owner was never rejected.

“I can't do that. No one ever says no.”

“Yeah, well date rape is not on our bucket list, so the answer is still no. Send the drinks back.”

Raven's voice was harsh brooking no argument from the waitress who turned quickly on her heel and rushed over to the bar where she whispered to another girl. Both of them turned in their direction starring as if Raven had grown and additional head, along with extra arms and legs.

“Our mark is here, and he seems to be with his brother.” Myieko said, standing to head into the crowd.

Nerina turned looking out on the floor and didn't see a man with a scar on his face. Myieko had walked around the cage once, then made her way to the back of the club where she could keep an eye on things.

“Rina?” Kenzie called, drawing her attention back to the other girls seated around her.

“Tells us everything you know about your friend Victor.”

 



 

“You're such a loser man.” Colin joked as Victor made his way back into the owner's lounge where Blue sat nursing a whiskey.

“How so?”

His brother grunted.

“Did you really think the human was going to go for you?”

No he didn't think that, he knew it. She wanted him just as bad as he wanted her. Only, he shouldn't have acted on it. It was a good thing too; she was decked out in silver. Her arm was covered, hell her top had been made of it. It was like she knew she'd be surrounded by werewolves. But he could still smell her sweet scent. It called to him, tempted him to say fuck the silver and go for the gold. There was something also grating his brain that he couldn't quite put his finger on when it came to her friends. They were familiar but they weren't. All five women were outfitted in silver in some form or fashion. The bouncer at the door had only let them in under Blue's watchful approval. Their hands had been stamped with a different sort of ink than the rest of the club goers and members, alerting them that they had silver on their persons. It was a dangerous game they played, but the patrons of the club knew the risks if they chose to engage the women.

Dread was slowly creeping into his psyche as he replayed his earlier encounter with the elusive Nerina Simpson. She'd come to his town six months ago. She kept weapons at her cabin and on her body. A car was registered to someone that wasn't her, and now she was here at the club, covered in silver. Maybe she was a Hunter. Somehow she's tricked Demon into thinking she was normal, but in reality she was something else.

“Hey are you listening to me man?” Colin interrupted his thoughts, and Blue stared out into the crowd, like the overlord Viking he was. He lorded over the people in Eden's Den. Sitting on the plush couch, one leg crossed at the knee, a hand resting along the back as he brooded. Victor never understood why the wolf even showed his face, he never took any pleasure for himself. He only gave it.

“What's on your mind Canidae?” Blue said, his Nordic accent subtle but still there. Victor didn't answer right away, as he was still trying to reconcile the information that was floating in his head. He was attracted to Nerina, but she was also the enemy. There was no doubt in his mind now. Why else would she be in the club with her friends and all of them dressed to the nines in silver?

“Trying to figure out the newest member of our quiet little town of Talkeetna. She's quite the character.”

Blue nodded in agreement.

“She seems obedient enough. You still have bedding rights. Bed her. Get her out of your system. Bring her to the cage if you want. She looked very taken with Natasha's performance.”

Victor shrugged. There were a dozen reasons he wasn't going to bed Nerina.

“She's not my type.”

His brother smirked. Blue, laughed.

“What's so funny?”

“You are my friend. Keep telling yourself that she's not your type. If that's all you can say, you're not looking close enough. Look past the scars, and see the woman underneath. She's definitely your type. More your type than Sasha will ever be.”

Blue took another sip of his whiskey and motioned for one of the females that had been lurking at the edge of his lounge area. He had a different woman every night, but he never slept with them. Something Victor thought was strange in itself. The woman walked to Blue who leaned forward tugging on the female'
s hand until she was kneeling between his legs. Gently he pulled her forward until her head rested on his lap where he began stroking her long blonde hair. He paid no attention to the woman, except for the action of his hand absently stroking her scalp.

“How do you get away with that shit, man?” Colin asked.

Blue didn't answer at first. With his other hand he finished the rest of his whiskey and leaned back, petting the girl all while she knelt between his legs, her head in his lap. A serene smile playing across her lips as if she were the one doing his friend a favor.

“Get away with what? It's mutual, she wants something that I can give her, and in return I get the pleasure of her company and the use of her body should I want it.” That would never happen. He never had sex with any of the girls. Blue bent his head low and whispered into the blonde's ear. She promptly sat up on her knees, head bent and waited for further instruction.

“Are you unhappy?”

The blonde looked up from beneath her mascara coated lashes and demurely shook her head no.

“You want to please me, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, Master Blue.”

“Good girl, now, pull out my cock, and suck it.”

Well maybe he wasn't that celibate.

This wasn't something that was shocking to Victor, or Colin for that matter. It was part of the club scene. No one here was modest. Getting your dick sucked out in the open was the norm. Colin's problem was that he was too aggressive, and came on too strong to the women at the club. Some women went for it, but the more seasoned patrons didn't.

“As you can see Colin, she's happy to suck my dick.” Blue grinned, his blue eyes flashing in the darkness as the blonde continued attending his manhood.

Victor turned, looking over his shoulder in the direction where he knew Nerina and her friends to be. He was surprised to see she was heading in his direction. A strange look on her face as she made her way over to where two of Blue's men stood blocking her entrance.

“I need to talk to Victor.”

 



 

Everything inside of Nerina screamed foul. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew she had to warn Victor. Why were the girls given orders to go after him of all people? He didn't have a scar on his face either, so they had to have the wrong guy pegged for their job. Right? When the question was asked to divulge everything she knew about him, she'd tried playing dumb, tried to be nonchalant and unalarmed at the sudden request. Had they known he'd lived just a few miles away from her cabin? Had Raven ratted her out and given up the location of her whereabouts? All the other girls knew was that she lived in Alaska. They didn't know where. At least she hoped not.

The giant standing in her way wasn't making things easier for her. She'd told Raven that she would bring Victor over, but in reality she had no intention of doing that, which meant serious repercussions. Shit was about to get real and quick. Blue's domain was roped off and on the second level of the club. Their lounge just a few booths over and in direct view of the club as well as Victor and his brother Colin. Blue sat on the couch stroking the hair of some blonde that was kneeling between his legs as she sucked him off. Had it been any other night, Nerina would have been impressed with the other man's appendage. Right now she was just concerned about Victor and his brother. Why, was anyone's guess. Instinct told her in this, she was right to help. Victor was arrogant and brash. He looked down on her because of her ailment. She didn't know his brother well enough to make an assumption. But until she figured out what they were wanted for, they didn't deserve to be served up on a platter and killed. At least not yet.

What if he was some huge ass drug lord, or worse he was into sex trafficking?