Chapter 13

Catta smiled at the male vampire who sat down next to her on the barstool. She sent out a little thread of magic, searching, probing his thoughts for what he liked, didn’t like. When she got what she needed, pleasure punched through her. This one would be easy. No real kinks, which was surprising for a vampire.

She stood when he was looking away, then quickly mixed a confusion spell and a glamour one before settling back on the chair and into her temporary role. She and the rest of her coven had been working overtime kidnapping humans and vampires. Normally she left this duty to her coven members but the darkness inside her craved power, desperate for it. She needed the blood.

She knew it had been a risk coming to New Orleans, but so much of the world had been destroyed, including her former residence. So she and her coven had gravitated here, not telling King they’d recently settled in the city. This was an epicenter for supernaturals and she could carve out a place here. She’d been born to rule, born to be a queen. Now her time was near. There were enough covens here that she could take over all of them.

“What are you drinking?” she purred at the male who’d already half turned in his seat, the scent of his lust rolling off him in potent waves as he raked a hungry gaze over her. Right now she knew he saw her as his ideal lover—a tall, fit blonde with waist-length hair and blood-red cupid’s bow lips. So prosaic.

His gaze flicked to her neck, to her pulse. He really was a fine specimen of male. Maybe she would use him later for her own pleasure. “Hopefully you,” he murmured, flashing fangs at her.

Now that supernaturals were out to the world, his flash of fang didn’t surprise her in this human-run bar. Because she knew better than to hit up supernatural-run bars. It seemed he had the same idea, was likely hunting for someone to feed on. “Hmm, that sounds promising.”

He turned fully to face her now, reaching out a strong, muscular arm along the polished mahogany bar top toward her. With his dark hair, a huge, muscular build and a large bulge outlined in his pants, she definitely wanted to try this male before taking his blood. Her lust was real, potent, and would help her get him out of the bar.

“Have you ever been fucked by a vampire before?”

She would give him points for boldness. She made a purring sound and stroked her fingers over his forearm, injecting just a bit of her own magic onto him. The threads were nearly invisible as they started binding his powers, making him weaker. He would have no idea. “Perhaps. But it’s been a long time, so maybe you should refresh my memory.”

He hadn’t even ordered a drink but slipped off the bar stool and took her hand in his. She didn’t have the same senses as shifter supernaturals, but his lust was a wild thing she felt pulsing in the air. Her nipples tightened as she felt it.

“My place isn’t far from here,” he murmured as they stepped out onto the crowded street.

“What’s your name?” she asked as they headed down the cobblestone path.

“Benjamin,” he murmured, his gaze falling to her neck again as they passed a quiet alley.

She tossed up a blurring spell to keep the alleyway free and dragged him into it.

For a moment he seemed shocked, maybe by her strength or by the lust she was throwing off. “I’m Catta. How about you remind me what it’s like to fuck a vampire right here?” she asked as she dragged him up against a brick wall.

Hunger glinted in his glowing amber eyes as he switched positions and pinned her up against the wall, his fingers digging into her hips before he shoved her dress up.

“You’re bare? That’s so hot,” he growled, crushing his mouth to hers.

As they kissed, it didn’t take her long to free his cock. Just as it didn’t take long to wrap her legs around his hips and guide his hard length inside her.

The male was so damn thick, pumping into her like an animal as he finally broke the skin of her neck with his fangs, drawing on her blood.

He sucked hard at first, in tune with his thrusts. She reached between their bodies and stroked her clit, wanting an immediate release. Because soon he would be passed out on the dirty ground. And she was getting hers before that happened.

Her climax hit almost immediately, the pulls from his fangs ratcheting up her pleasure sharp and fast. Waves and waves of pleasure rolled through her as she threw her head back. As her climax subsided, little tingles still surging through her, she dropped her legs from around him.

“What…” He frowned slightly, confused as she lifted off him, taking away what he wanted. He was still rock-hard, his cock throbbing with the need for release.

She dropped her glamour spell and smiled at him, a real one. She shoved her dress down and adjusted it into place.

He swallowed hard, blinked as he stumbled back, neither his brain nor body understanding what was happening. Her blood had put him into a state of paralysis. Foolish, foolish male.

“Sorry, love, it’s not personal. You drank my blood and now you’re mine,” she whispered. She thought about jerking him off so he at least got to finish before he died, but then dismissed the thought as soon as it entered her mind. But maybe she’d screw him later once she had him back in her coven’s dungeon.

As he fell to the ground, his eyes wide with horror when he realized he couldn’t move, two of her coven members entered the alley on silent feet. “Take him to the van. I’m going to head back to the club. I should be able to get a couple others tonight. How is everyone else doing?”

“Very well,” Margaret said, a smile on her face as she threw a cloaking spell over the fallen vampire. “He makes fifteen.”

“Good.” It wasn’t enough—nothing ever seemed enough lately. Likely because she’d experienced what it was like to have true power coursing through her. Dragon blood.

Unfortunately that had backfired on her eventually. She’d been filled with unstoppable power until the blood coursing in her veins had forced her into stasis, into a Hibernation like all those dragons took. It had robbed her of thousands of years’ worth of her life, of the ability to grow her power.

Soon she would get it all back. The darkness inside her needed feeding and tonight was just the beginning. Poor Benjamin had barely taken the edge off.

Soon she would have enough power flooding her that she’d be able to go up against a dragon—drink it dry. Once that happened, she was never going into stasis again. No, she would take her place as the true power in the region. No more hiding in the shadows. The world needed witches now.

They needed her.

Once she was powerful enough, she would go after that dragon with her daughter. Hmm. Maybe she would even use her daughter to draw him out. The male wasn’t with his clan, was isolated… Yes, maybe she would. And she would force Dallas to watch as she killed him.

That was the perfect punishment for leaving her.