Alexandra's Legacy

Chapter Eight

Alex kept pace with Joshua as he led her down one street and then another. It was dark now and she was glad that he seemed to know where he was going because she had no idea where they were headed.

She was still shaken from nearly coming face-to-face with one of the attackers from this morning. For a while, she’d almost allowed herself to believe that the morning attack was a one-time thing. That somehow her life might be able to go back to normal. Seeing him was a brutal reminder that this was now her reality. These men would kill to have her.

And others might just kill her. She shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her as she thought about the bounty hunters. What kind of men hunted and killed children just because they were from a different species? She shook her head at the naiveté of her question. There were always individuals that preyed on those who were weaker or different. She saw it in her own neighborhood. It happened every day around the world. People feared anything, or anyone, who was different.

Alex swallowed, tasting the sourness in her mouth from where she’d lost what remained of her lunch. That had been weak. She needed to toughen up if she was going to survive. She straightened her shoulders and kept her eyes on Joshua. He’d killed a man today. Snapped his neck with his bare hands. While she couldn’t get the wolf she’d shot out of her mind, she didn’t think that Joshua had given the man he’d killed a second thought.

Not that Joshua was cold blooded or cruel. He was the exact opposite. Joshua lived by a code of right and wrong. His goal was to protect his people and he’d do whatever it took to do so. He didn’t go looking for trouble, but he wouldn’t walk away from it. She knew without a doubt that he’d give his life to protect her.

How did a man get to be like Joshua? What life experiences had shaped his character, making him what he was?

He exuded a bone-deep confidence in his ability to take care of himself and her. There was almost a feral quality in the way he watched the world around him. He was definitely the predator. It was in the way he held himself. In the way he walked. Men would fear him even as they wanted to be him and women would just want to be with him.

Joshua was an enigma. One minute amorous, the next totally controlled, seemingly almost indifferent. The man had more layers than an onion and she was determined to get under his skin. What did he mean that he had contacts? Did that mean he wasn’t here alone? Why hadn’t they gotten help before now if it was available? She had so many questions she was beginning to get a headache. Her stomach was still queasy and she desperately needed some water to rinse her mouth out.

Glancing around, she saw a convenience store that was still open. “I need some water.”

Joshua turned to her and searched her face before nodding. “I should have thought of that.”

That one sentence made her smile. “You’re not God, Joshua. You can’t think of everything.”

One corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t smile. “It’s my job to think of everything.” He held the door open to allow her to enter in front of him.

The lighting was harsh and she blinked, allowing her vision to focus. She headed straight to the cooler in the back and slid the glass door open, extracting a couple bottles of water. Joshua had one eye on her and the other on the customers in the store. She had no doubt that he knew exactly where everyone was, what they were wearing, and could give a detailed description of them if needed.

What must it be like to have to live like that? She guessed that she’d better start learning from him, start paying more attention herself. He might think he was responsible for her safety, but ultimately she was responsible for herself.

“Is there anything you want?” She kept her voice low as she made her way back to his side.

He shook his head. “When we get where we’re going I’ll get whatever we need.”

She took her place in the small line, plunking her two bottles on the counter when her turn came. Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she found a crumpled bill. The middle-aged clerk paid her no attention as he rang up her purchase, took her money and handed her back her change. She stuffed the money in her pocket, grabbed the two bottles of water and headed for the door with Joshua right behind her.

As soon as they were outside, she tucked one bottle into her coat pocket and twisted the cap off the other. Lifting it, she brought the opening to her mouth. The water felt cool and refreshing against her lips. She didn’t swallow though. Instead, she swished the liquid around in her mouth and spit into a garbage can that was right outside the store. She did that several more times, trying to rid herself of the nasty taste in her mouth, before finally allowing herself to drink some of the water.

“Better?”

She nodded as she tilted the bottle up, draining what was left in it before tossing it into the garbage can. She plucked the other one from her pocket, opened it and offered it to Joshua. He took it, his fingers grazing hers as he removed it from her hand. The slight brush of his skin against hers had her entire body clenching with need. This was ridiculous.

He took a long pull from the bottle. The column of his neck was strong and his throat moved convulsively as he swallowed. His face was in profile to her, emphasizing the harsh planes and the silhouette of his nose. She’d never noticed the small bump in the center of it before. It was a fairly large nose, but it suited his face well.

He lowered the bottle and licked his lips. Alex found herself licking her lips as well. What she’d really like to do was lick his lips. Shaking herself, she managed to tear her eyes from him just before he turned back to her and handed her the bottle.

“Thanks. That hit the spot.”

She was careful not to allow their fingers to touch when she took the container back from him. “You’re welcome.” She drank what was left and tossed the bottle into the garbage bin. “I’m ready.”

“You certainly are.” His low, intimate voice stroked over her skin like a physical caress. What the heck did he mean by that? Before she could get the nerve to ask him to explain himself, he was already on the move again. She had to hurry for a bit to catch up before falling in to step beside him.

Physically, Joshua was a sight to behold. She watched him as he prowled down the dimly lit sidewalk. His legs were long and thick with muscles. His jeans cupped his ass to perfection and he had a loose-legged gait that had made more than one woman stop and stare. Alex responded by glaring at them.

It was pure pleasure to watch Joshua move. The man was incredibly good looking in a rough sort of way. He had a fluid grace that she’d only ever seen in one other man—her father. She realized now that it was the wolf in them both that allowed them to move in that manner.

Alex couldn’t deny that there was an animal magnetism about him that drew her. Was he right? Would she be just as drawn to another werewolf? Alex didn’t think so. There was something special about Joshua. Werewolf or man, she would have felt the pull.

What would it be like to make love to him?

A shiver skated down her spine and she rubbed her sweaty palms over the legs of her jeans. It was almost enough to make her come just by thinking about all that male intensity focused entirely on her. He would be a thorough lover. Of that she had no doubt. Everything he did, he did with purpose, putting all his attention into it. It was all too easy to imagine him braced over her, driving himself deep into her core, making her scream with pleasure. She had quite an imagination even though she’d never had a lover before.

She licked her lips as she glanced away, needing to gain some control over her runaway hormones. Alex looked around and caught a few familiar landmarks, eventually getting her bearings. They were near the entertainment district. Art galleries, restaurants and trendy clubs all vied for people’s money. These were, for the most part, upscale businesses, but there were clubs and bars throughout the city, ranging from chic to seedy, and everything in between.

Mind-numbing liquor, loud music and a chance to forget just how brutal and unforgiving the world could be was their appeal. There were private clubs, if you knew where to find them, offering all sorts of illicit experiences. Everyone knew about them, but most never talked about them or knew exactly where to find them.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to see someone about getting some new transportation.” Joshua caught her hand in his and tugged her along the sidewalk. She supposed she’d slowed down, although it hadn’t been intentional. The colored lights and the sounds of music drifting out from the clubs had caught her attention. There was a party atmosphere in the air, but beneath it she sensed the darkness, the desperation.

She also sensed Joshua’s growing tension and it made her nervous. It was too loud, too boisterous, too everything here. It almost hurt her eyes and ears to take it all in. Vendors hawked food from steaming carts, while bouncers stood outside clubs, muscular arms crossed, allowing people inside a few at a time. She noted a sharp-eyed youth lift the wallet of one unsuspecting man, and several men and women who passed them were carrying weapons. She might have been somewhat sheltered in her life, but her father had taught her how to watch others so she could protect herself. Not that she could criticize them. She had a knife shoved in each of her boots and a 9mm stuffed in her pocket.

Alex watched all the people streaming by them. Hard-looking men in jeans and leather shared the street with businessmen in three-piece suits. Women in high heels, short skirts, skimpy tops and too much makeup laughingly called out suggestive ideas to some of the men. Other women in expensive dresses and glittery jewelry were let into clubs while others waited in long lines.

Several men glanced at her, but quickly looked away when Joshua pinned them with a lethal glare. They couldn’t know what he was, but it was as if they sensed he was not a man to mess around with.

“Stay close.” He tugged her away from the general stream of humanity. They kept walking and Alex caught a whiff of chocolate on the air. That could only mean one thing—the Fulton River District. Here thriving businesses, that included a chocolate company, sat alongside empty warehouses and million-dollar condos. Development was fast and furious in this section of town.

Alex’s curiosity was aroused. Were they headed for one of the empty warehouses or one of the fabulous condos? Apparently neither. Joshua led her down a dimly lit alleyway that ran alongside a large warehouse. Even from outside, she could hear the heavy pulse of the music pounding from the nightclub within. They passed a long line of patrons waiting outside and went to a closed iron door.

“Hey man,” one guy complained. “There’s a line here.”

Joshua ignored him and banged on the door. Several other men began to curse and the crowd grew restless. Alex edged sideways so that she could watch the crowd. She didn’t want anyone sneaking up behind them. Joshua hammered on the door again.

It was shoved open by the biggest man Alex had ever seen and she forgot all about the crowd behind them. She just stood there and stared at him. The guy had to be at least six-foot-eight, if not larger. Wearing leather pants, boots and a vest, and with his head shaved bald, he was an intimidating sight. Thankfully, he ignored her and glared at Joshua. “What?”

“I need to see Damek.” Joshua didn’t seem to be the least bit concerned that this guy was bigger than him.

The bouncer stared at Joshua, then at her. She felt pinned to the spot by his stare but she didn’t look away, meeting his gaze without blinking. She let out the breath she’d been holding when he turned back to Joshua. “And you are?”

“Striker.”

The bouncer’s eyes widened, as if he recognized the name. He nodded and stepped aside to let them pass. Some of the people waiting started to complain. The big man silenced them with a single threatening look.

Alex followed Joshua into a shadowy vestibule. The bouncer opened another door. “Wait on the dance floor. Damek will let you know if he’ll see you.”

Joshua nodded and led her inside. The heat hit her like a blast, the music assaulting her ears. “Who is Damek?” She hoped whoever he was, he could help them find the transportation they needed to get out of the city.

“Not now,” Joshua all but yelled in her ear. She could barely hear him above the din of the music and the crowd.

It was hard to move as the mass of writhing bodies on the dance floor undulated to the rhythmic beat of the music. Drums pounded, a saxophone wailed and two guitars spilled their electric notes around the room. There were tables around the edges of the floor and they were all occupied.

Alex’s eyes widened as she saw one couple openly fondling one another. The woman’s blouse was wide open, her breasts spilling out into the man’s hand. The woman had her hand buried down the front of her partner’s pants.

She gasped when she saw another couple fucking against the back wall. The man’s back was to her, but it was obvious that his pants were open and he was pounding into his partner whose skirt was shoved up around her waist. Her bare thighs were wrapped around his waist as he thrust against the woman, oblivious to the people around them.

“Ignore it.” She jumped as Joshua slung his arm around her shoulder and guided her onto the dance floor.

Ignore it. There was no way she was going to be able to forget the fact that there were people all around them having sex. The more her eyes became accustomed to the flashing lights the more she saw.

One woman was kneeling beneath a table, a man’s cock sliding in and out of her mouth as she sucked. Another woman was topless, her mouth open on a silent scream as two men lapped at her nipples. There was a booth in the corner that was a mass of limbs and body parts. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know what was going on over there.

Alex had never been a voyeur, but there was something almost mesmerizing about watching all these bodies intertwined, not caring if anyone else watched as they took part in the most basic of human acts.

Even on the dance floor, hands slid over bare flesh. People were in various stages of undress, touching themselves and others around them as they danced. One man was jerking himself off to the beat of the music while two women watched, their hands sliding over his bare chest. Another woman was totally naked, sandwiched between two men who had their fingers up her ass and her slit and their tongues wrapped around her nipples. Colored lights flickered wildly over the crowd, making the scene even more surreal.

Joshua pulled her to a halt and twirled her around so that she was facing him. “Ignore it,” he repeated, as he placed his hands on her ass and pulled her closer.

Oh God. Her pelvis met his and she almost moaned as the hard bulge in the front of his jeans rubbed against her mound. There was no denying that the scene around her had aroused her senses and fired the gnawing need within her.

“That’s it,” he crooned in her ear. “They don’t exist. It’s only you and me.” Joshua began to move to the music, his hips swaying. Alex caught the rhythm and began to move with him. Their hips swiveled and ground together, mimicking the sex act as they came together again and again.

One of his hands slid up her back and around to the front, cupping her breast through her sweatshirt. Joshua surrounded her, his heat and strength wrapped around her like a blanket.

Alex licked her lips and rotated her hips, grinding her sex against him. Even through the layers of clothing it was a delicious sensation. Her clit was swollen and each stroke against him made it throb even harder. Her panties were soaked and all she wanted was to get closer to Joshua.

A bead of sweat slipped down her back. All around them people danced and moved, intruding on their space, stealing all the air. Alex felt breathless. Lightheaded. “Joshua.” His name sounded more like a moan. His dark eyes narrowed as he lowered his head toward her. His lips got closer. Almost touching.

Joshua emitted a low growl and his head jerked to the left. Alex followed his gaze and saw a large hand touching his shoulder. He released her immediately, whirling around to meet the threat, a low growl rising from deep in his chest.

The bouncer raised his hands in a gesture of peace and yelled over the crowd. “Relax, man. Damek will see you now.” He pointed toward the bar area.

Joshua nodded, grabbed her hand and tugged her through the crowd. Now that the moment had passed, Alex’s cheeks got hot with embarrassment. What had come over her? There was something about this place that seemed to shove aside all her natural inhibitions. She’d have made love to Joshua on the dance floor if he’d wanted. And she wouldn’t have cared that all those people around them would have been able to watch.

As if he knew where he was going, Joshua led her past the bar and down a short corridor. The closer they got, the tenser she became. There was something here. Something dangerous.

“Let me do the talking.”

She could have told Joshua he didn’t need to worry about her saying anything. She still wasn’t sure who or what they were meeting.

The door at the end of the hallway opened as they neared it. A chill went down Alex’s spine in spite of the heat. Something powerful. Something—she wasn’t quite sure if it was evil or not, but it was close—waited for them.

“Come in.” The deep voice was pleasant, but she wasn’t fooled for one moment. Her instincts screamed at her to turn and run in the other direction. Whoever this Damek character was, he was not someone to trifle with. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to walk into the office with Joshua.

“Damek,” Joshua greeted the man seated behind the desk.

“Striker.” The man was seated almost totally in shadow, but he stood as they entered. The door shut solidly behind them. Alex glanced over her shoulder. There was no one there.

She turned back to the man behind the desk. A dim light now shone on him and Alex realized this was no man. But what was he? If she were guessing, she’d say this was a vampire. His eyes were black, magnetic. It was incredibly hard, almost impossible, to look away. His skin was pale, but he wasn’t unhandsome. On the contrary, there was something compelling about him.

“And who is your lovely companion?”

She didn’t wait for Joshua to answer. “Alex,” she replied. “Alexandra Riley.”

The corner of one side of his mouth twitched and he gave her a short nod. “Welcome to Inhibitions.”

She jerked back as he said the name of the club. It was aptly named because a person seemed to shed all inhibitions here. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Damek. Was he powerful enough to put some sort of spell on the club? Maybe he was a wizard or something. Did wizards even exist? At this point, she couldn’t discount any possibilities.

“I need a vehicle.” Joshua got straight to business. Alex was glad. The quicker they got out of this place, the better. She was beginning to get a headache.

“So I understand.” He indicated the chairs in front of him. “Please sit.”

Alex felt compelled to sit, as if someone was whispering in her ear telling her she wanted to sit. It was disconcerting to say the least. She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ll stand.”

Damek stared at her. She stared back. A slow smile spread across his face. “She is worthy of you, my friend,” he said to Joshua.

Joshua just glared at the other man, but she sensed her actions had pleased him somehow. “Thank you.”

“Ah, you’re in a hurry. A pity you won’t stay longer. It might be entertaining.” Damek slanted a glance her way. “I was enjoying the performance on the dance floor.”

Heat suffused her face as she realized he’d been watching her rub herself all over Joshua. Seen her grind her breasts against Joshua’s chest, her mound against Joshua’s erection.

A low growl of warning rumbled up from deep inside Joshua’s chest. “Tread carefully, my friend. This is James LeVeau’s daughter you’re talking to.”

Damek leaned forward and peered at her more closely. Alex felt pinned to the spot, as if she couldn’t move. The moment passed as quickly as it had begun. Damek inclined his head in her direction and sat back at his desk, suddenly all business.

Alex felt relief wash over her and the very air in the room seemed to lighten. She still wasn’t comfortable here and couldn’t wait to leave.

“There will be a truck waiting for you tomorrow morning.” He rattled off the location and Joshua nodded.

“How much?”

Damek shook his head and returned his stare to Alex. She felt as if he were trying to see all the way to her very soul. She didn’t flinch, didn’t give away anything, although she reached her hand out to Joshua. He closed his fingers around hers, linking their hands together.

“Nothing.” Damek stood. “I find I like the idea of James LeVeau being in my debt. We are finished here.” He glided from around back of his desk, coming to a halt in front of her. “If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.” He tucked a heavy vellum business card into her jacket pocket. “Just show this at the door.”

“Um, thanks.” She forced herself not to flinch as he reached out and touched her face. His fingers were cool as they brushed her cheek. Beside her, Joshua tensed. She could practically feel him vibrating with barely suppressed fury.

Joshua dug into his pocket and dumped a roll of cash on the desk. “This should cover it. I wouldn’t want myself, or anyone else, to be in your debt.” He turned to her. “Come on.”

Joshua tugged her away and Damek’s hand fell back by his side. Within the blink of an eye, he seemed to vanish, although she sensed him there in the shadows of the room.

Alex followed Joshua back down the short hallway and through the crowd as they made their way toward the entrance. She couldn’t get out of the club fast enough. The bouncer opened the door for them and they stepped out into the alleyway. Alex took a breath of fresh air, sucking it into her lungs.

“What was that all about?” She had no idea what just happened, but it felt as if something momentous had. “What is he?”

“Not now,” Joshua snapped. “When we’re away from here.”

Alex frowned. She knew he was upset, but she wasn’t quite sure why. He was the one who’d taken her to that club in the first place. Damek was his contact, not hers.

Even as she said it, she remembered the card tucked away in her pocket—the business card that came with an offer of help. That wasn’t something she was likely to use any time in the future. She instinctively knew that the offer of help came with strings attached.

She’d only just met him, but Alex didn’t think Damek was the kind of creature to do anything out of the goodness of his heart. With him, there would always be a price.