And his c*ck and fangs were both throbbing with hunger that wasn’t going to be sated anytime soon. He was a ticking time bomb, and he really wanted to go off on Fade in a bloody, painful explosion.
The evil smirk on the demon’s face said he knew exactly what had happened in the office. “You have a female in there.”
“I always have females in there.” Nate started down the hall toward the guarded door that led to the secondary entrance to Gladius from Thirst. “What’s so important?”
Fade didn’t follow immediately, but Nate kept walking, swearing under his breath and hoping the bastard would follow—and that he’d be distracted enough by the question to forget about Lena. Nate had never worried about Fade’s interest in Nate’s bedmates before, but then, the females had never been anything but one-night stands to him. Lena captured Nate’s interest more than anyone else had since his mate died, and if Fade caught on, Lena could pay with her life for Nate’s lack of control.
“I’m going to open a new fight club,” Fade said, catching up with Nate. “The underworld turmoil is starting to affect the human population, and I foresee an opportunity to franchise.”
“What, you want to be the McDonald’s of death matches? In case you haven’t noticed, in most countries even animal fights are illegal.”
“The Apocalypse is coming, vampire. And in the aftermath, the world will be changed. Demons will walk the earth, and they love blood sport.”
No shit. “Demons will arrange for death matches in their own backyards at that point. Why would anyone pay to see them?”
“People can grill burgers in their backyards too, and yet, fast food chains are making a fortune on them.”
Nate wondered if Lena liked burgers. He’d love to watch her eat one. There was just something incredibly sensual about watching a female eat meat . . . especially if it was something he’d prepared himself.
And what the hell? Clearly, all his blood was still in his dick.
He thrust his hand through his hair and came to a halt, letting his fantasies run to ripping the demon’s throat out instead of watching Lena eat hamburgers. “So you intend to provide cheap entertainment without the hassle of procuring fighters, setting up an arena, managing cleanup . . .”
“All while providing comfort, food, and drink.” Fade grinned. “I’ll make legends of some fighters, stars everyone will want to be with. For a price, of course.”
“And, no doubt, you’ll make sure any competition is squashed.” The disgust that bubbled up when Fade grinned wider at that was startling. It had been decades since Nate experienced any kind of negative reaction to the demon’s machinations. “So why are you telling me this? Does this have something to do with the ‘business’ you mentioned?”
“I want you to manage it.”
Oh, hell, no. “I’m happy here.”
Fade waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Your happiness is not my main priority. You will oversee all elements of the business, from groundbreaking to building and hiring.”
This wasn’t going anywhere good, and Nate started walking again, as if he could outrun the demon and his unholy plans. “Have you chosen the site already?”
“Yes.” Fade fell into step with Nate. “With so many plagues mowing down humans, poisoned land is available on every continent. I’ll open clubs everywhere, but this first one will be in a South American jungle. You’ll leave tomorrow to assess and lay claim to the site. It should only take a couple of days.”
“Send Marsden. Or Budag. I have business here.”
Fade snarled, and Nate resisted the urge to snarl back. “This isn’t up for debate. You will go, and next week, on the eve of the new moon, you’ll return to the site to perform a sacrifice.”
Instincts twitching, Nate halted in the middle of the hallway. “Something tells me you’ve already chosen the victim.”
“I have. A lovely virgin I found in your own club.”
Nate let out a bitter laugh. “There hasn’t been a virgin in this club in . . . well, ever.”
“Oh, you’re so wrong.” Fade clapped his hand on Nate’s shoulder, his eyes little more than black, oily pools. “Your new medic, Vladlena, is untouched.”
Fuck. Very deliberately, Nate schooled his expression into neutrality. If Fade had even the slightest suspicion that Lena interested Nate at all, there would be no talking the demon out of this.
“I can’t lose another medic. They’re too hard to find. Get another virgin.” And seriously? She was a virgin? No . . . way. Then again, it would explain a lot. Like the pesky purity and innocence he’d been sensing.
“A sacrifice means nothing if it isn’t important. She’s important to this club, and therefore, perfect.” Fade lowered his voice to a dark, dangerous rumble. “There will be no more discussion on the matter, but to make sure you don’t f**k me over, I’m sending Budag to keep an eye on you. After you secure the site, you will return there with her and torture her to death.”
Since the demon wouldn’t be swayed, Nate’s only choice was to play along. For now. “As you wish.”
If Fade got his way, Lena would be dead next week. But he wasn’t going to get his way. Nate was. As soon as Nate returned from his trip, he’d make sure Lena couldn’t be sacrificed.
Because she’d no longer be a virgin.
Chapter 7
Lena had been employed at Thirst for four days now, and her time here had turned out to be a bust. Nate had gone missing, the door to his office locked so she couldn’t explore whatever lay behind the wine rack, and aside from that creepy Fade guy lurking around with a seemingly keen interest in her, she hadn’t uncovered anything even remotely unusual. Nate and Marsden ran a tight ship, and anyone who broke rules, from employees to patrons, paid the price. They didn’t even allow drugs in the place, which, according to Shade and Wraith, wasn’t normal for a place like this.
Something else that she didn’t think was normal was the way Marsden hovered, appearing out of nowhere to run interference when Fade got too close to her. Nate’s assistant also made sure she had everything she needed, and once, he even asked if she liked hamburgers. If she hadn’t been here in an undercover capacity, she’d actually enjoy working in the club.
Then there was the package Marsden had delivered a few minutes ago. She’d opened it, thinking it contained medical supplies. Her eyes had stung at the sight of the new stethoscope inside . . . an extremely expensive stethoscope with a gold-plated chestpiece and eartubes. There was no note, but she knew the gift was Nate’s doing, and his act of generosity leveled her. He understood her silly attachment to the one that had belonged to her father, knew that if she bought one, it would almost feel like a betrayal.
Nate had saved her that pain, and she was having a hard time holding onto her belief that he could be the monster she’d initially believed him to be.
“Nice necklace you have there.” Con, a blond vampire mated to Eidolon’s sister, Sin, stood in the doorway to the medical office, one shoulder propped against the doorjamb. All of the Sem brothers, as well as Sin, had come to check on her, and Eidolon called her every day when she was at home. Today Con had drawn check-on-Lena duty.
Lena smiled down at her new stethoscope. “Standard issue around here.”
“Uh-huh.” Con let out a dubious snort. “Even E doesn’t have one like that. You selling organs on the black market or something?”
“It’s not that expensive.” She looked up from disinfecting the exam table that had been bloodied by yet another drunk idiot who picked fights with bigger guys. “And I don’t need a babysitter. I’m doing fine by myself.”
Her father might have kept her completely secluded and sheltered, but in the nearly three years since his death, she’d gained some healthy independence. She’d forced herself to try new things and go to new places, and she hadn’t regretted a minute of it. Activities that appeared scary were never as bad as she’d thought, and she’d even done the human club thing with her roommate once. She hadn’t gotten brave enough to hit an underworld club yet, but after seeing how Thirst was run, she was ready to give it a try.
“I’m not babysitting,” Con said. “Just checking on you. We all wish we had more time to devote to this, but with the way the underworld is churning . . .”
He didn’t have to say anything else. The world was on the verge of Armageddon, and there were a lot more important things to deal with than a fight club that was only one of hundreds, maybe thousands.
“I get it,” she said. “I appreciate all your help.”
“Yeah, well, we might have something for you soon. Wraith is looking into whatever Gladius is. He sent a message just before I got here. Said he has a lead, asked for an hour to squeeze some dude for info, but he indicated that this is the break you need.”
Con’s news should have put her on the moon, but instead, all she felt was dread. As much as she wanted to find those responsible for killing her brother, she wanted Nate to not be one of them.
She pasted on a smile. “Great. Can’t wait.”
Con’s keen ears must have picked up the sound of footsteps, because he said quickly, “We want you back at UG. Eidolon will give you a raise.”
“I’ll match it and add 20 percent,” Nate said from behind Con, and her heart gave a little flutter. The stupid thing seemed to have missed him.
“We want her back,” Con said, not missing a beat.
Nate stepped inside the medic office, his blue-black hair gleaming under the harsh lights. “She’s mine.”
Con cocked a tawny eyebrow. “Yours?”
“Thirst’s,” Nate ground out. “I’ve come to promote her, in fact.”
“Is that so? Convenient timing.”
Nate’s ebony brows slammed down over eyes that darkened dangerously. “It’s my club. My timing conveniences me, and me alone. When I want something, I get it.” He shifted his gaze to her, and his eyes darkened more. “And I want her.”