White light pulsed and flickered through the club in time with the gritty dance music. The crowd of writhing bodies throbbed with the unmistakable energy of lust as they clamored for a connection—any connection. Hands wandered, looks were cast, and figures melded together, almost becoming one.
Maybe living like a human wouldn’t be that bad.
Marianna leaned back in the horseshoe-shaped VIP booth and watched the humans as they danced. The scene before her flickered rapidly between darkness to blinding, artificial light as the strobes flared. She observed couples as they disappeared into the crowd, losing themselves in the music, the sex in the air, and in the moment.
No conversations. Eyes closed.
No past. Bodies touching.
No future. Hips swaying.
No consequences.
Just now.
She sipped her champagne and crossed her bare legs as she witnessed the mating rituals that they participated in with relentless energy. They spent their lives looking for someone to ease the loneliness, with no idea who or what they were looking for. No predestined mate. No clan. No telepathy. No shapeshifting. No powers of visualization. Aging and eventually dying.
On second thought, living like a human was going to suck.
Marianna shuddered and took a swig of her champagne. As a pure-blooded Amoveo female from the Bear Clan, she should have found her mate by now, or he should’ve found her, but he hadn’t. Having past her thirtieth birthday, she could already feel her Amoveo abilities waning, and if she didn’t find her mate soon, they would disappear altogether, and she would have to live, for all intents and purposes, as a human.
Mateless. Powerless. Alone.
Yup, she thought, sighing heavily, it was going to suck.
The bass beat vibrated the tabletop beneath her fingers. Hayden sat next to her with his arm draped behind her, wearing his usual air of irritating arrogance. She wanted to tell him where he could stick it, but instead, opted for ignoring him as much as possible.
He hated this place—most Amoveo did because it was owned and operated by vampires—but of course, that’s exactly why she came here. Up until tonight, hanging out at The Coven had been a surefire way to keep Hayden and the rest of the Amoveo out of her hair. Apparently, his desire to try and get her to mate with him overrode his innate disgust of vampires.
“I have to admit, Hayden,” she said over the music. “I’m more than a little surprised that you came to The Coven tonight.”
Marianna glanced at him over the rim of her glass and offered him a tight smile. She could still connect with any Amoveo telepathically, but didn’t necessarily want to. She didn’t care for being next to him in the booth, so the last thing she wanted to do was invite him into her head.
“You practically live here now.” He drained the rest of his scotch. “Although I can’t fathom why.”
He didn’t look at her, but leveled his dark eyes at the humans who passed by their table. Marianna noticed how hard and unforgiving his features were. Hatred and contempt oozed off him like bad cologne and stuck in her throat. She knew most women found him handsome, but she thought he was far too much of an asshole to be attractive.
Hayden was a self-entitled tool who rode his father’s coattails with obnoxious ease and made no secret that he wanted her for himself. He wasn’t her predestined mate, and he knew it as well as she did, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Unfortunately.
“Olivia is my friend, Hayden. If I’m going to go clubbing in the city, then I may as well go someplace where I’m friends with the owner.” She narrowed her eyes and struggled to keep her voice even. She didn’t want to fight with him. She just wanted him to go away. “I like sitting at the VIP booth and doing a bit of people-watching.”
“Your friend? She’s a vampire,” he said with contempt. “Vampires are dirty, disgusting creatures. They drink the blood of humans, which makes them no better than humans. In fact, it makes them worse and puts them far below us on the evolutionary chain. If it weren’t for you, I would never step foot in a place like this.”
At that moment, a young human girl with dark, heavy eye makeup sauntered by the table and gave Hayden what was surely her most seductive look. Clad in a tiny black dress, fishnets, and several tattoos, she looked like a regular here at The Coven. She ran one hand through her long dark hair and winked at Hayden as she swayed to the music.
Hayden promptly looked away and inched closer to Marianna. The girl shot him a dirty look and turned her attentions to another clubgoer who had almost as many tattoos as she did. Moments later, they were absorbed into the dancing mob.
“As for your people-watching,” he sneered, “I could do without it. I may as well be at a farm watching pigs wallow in mud.”
Your friend looks a tad uncomfortable. Olivia’s voice touched her mind gently, and Marianna suppressed a grin. She scanned the club and found Olivia behind the bar with her two bartenders—both vamps. Her bright red hair made her easy to spot in the sea of black. Olivia was the owner of the club, the head of this all-female vampire coven, and one of Marianna’s best friends.
He’s not my friend, and you know it, but I’m thrilled that he’s squirming, Marianna thought back with a smirk. You have to come over here soon. It will annoy him and hopefully get him to leave.
He’s not bad looking, but you obviously loathe him, and you already told me he’s not your mate, so why even bother? Olivia continued to make drinks and tend customers without missing a beat. Tell him to fuck off.
Let’s just say it’s politics. She gripped her champagne flute and gave a slanted glance toward Hayden. I have no interest in picking sides in this stupid civil war that my people started. However, I’m getting tired of playing nice. Now be a good friend. Get your ass over here, and flash him your fangs.