“That’s all I needed to know,” I said with a nod. “Let’s go convince a vampire we’re in love.”

18

It was only eleven, but the club was already thumping. The other dancers were up in their cages, swaying along to the hectic beat blaring from hidden speakers. Girls and guys spun around the floor. Groups clustered in the booths, the sparkling chandeliers casting eerie glows on their faces.

Every single person here was a supernatural, including the short, squat man lurking in the back booth with a gang of solemn-faced groupies. His flat nose reminded me of a spade, and half a dozen piercings dotted his ears. An elaborate tattoo swirled across his neck, at odds with his pristine suit and close-cropped hair. Frankly, he looked like a mobster.

“That’s the guy?” I murmured to Az as he shifted me sideways so that our profiles were visible to the vampire and his gang.

Az leaned down and wound his arms around my waist. An electric zing went through me from his touch, bringing with it a strange sense of familiarity. “Yep. His name is Tony Soprano.” When my eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead, Az laughed. “I’m joking. His name is Lars. No last name. He likes his blood fresh.”

A shiver went down my spine. Despite it, I pushed up onto my toes and laced my fingers around the back of his neck. “So, he’s a vampire who kills.”

“That’s the rumor. Of course, no one has ever been able to prove it.”

“And so we’re dangling me in front of him. Who’s to say he won’t try to drink my blood?”

“Because I have claimed you. And now it’s time to make it look real.”

Az dropped his forehead to mine. My whole body stiffened as he searched my eyes, almost as if he was waiting for my consent. I wet my lips and nodded, my heart raging like a bonfire. What the hell was I doing? Why didn’t I stop this? This was crazy. A terrible, horrible mistake.

His lips brushed mine. Those pesky sparks stormed across my skin, burning away my intrusive thoughts. My hands tightened around his neck as the kiss slowly deepened. He groaned against my mouth and pulled me tighter into his chest.

All logical thought fled from my mind as the hard planes of his perfect chest rippled against me.

I pressed up onto my toes, crashing against him. A shudder swept through me as his tongue speared my lips. Clinging on as tight as I could, my tongue melted against his, our mouths in sync and our bodies locked tight. Everything within me yearned for more of him. Heat coiled within me, clenching my core.