Kade's Dark Embrace

Chapter Thirteen

After Luca gave the all clear, Kade entered Sangre Dulce with Etienne and Sydney flanking him on each side. A tall, thin man with jet-black hair and a goatee rushed up to greet them. He almost looked like a pirate with the black, leather pants and white, ruffled, linen, open-chested shirt he wore. “Sir, I am honored to have you here. We have a special VIP table set up for you and your guests, which provides a wonderful view of the dance floor as well as the public play area.” Sydney struggled to keep her mouth shut. Public play area? What the hell?

Miguel was soon joined by a naked, petite woman with long, bright, red hair, which was braided down her back. The woman wore a small chain around her neck that Sydney assumed was some kind of a collar. Sydney didn’t know much about fetishes, but she assumed this pixie of a woman was clearly a submissive. Miguel placed his hand on the woman’s back gently pushing her toward Kade. “Sir, this is Rhea. She will serve you and your party tonight...in any way you wish. She is human and has agreed to be a donor. Rhea can procure additional donors, submissives or Doms for your party should you need these services. And of course, she will be your waitress for the evening. She is new to Sangre Dulce, but as you will experience, she was born to serve others. She is quite the little obedient sub. I am certain you will enjoy her.” He looked over at Sydney and extended his hand. Sydney reluctantly gave her hand to him, and cringed as he kissed it. Before letting her go, he turned her arm over and smelled her inner wrist. Sydney snatched her hand away from him, shooting Kade a pointed look.

Miguel didn’t seem to notice. “Sir, what a lovely human you have brought to my club tonight. Shall we expect a public performance from her? I would most enjoy seeing her tan skin turn pink.” He licked his lips and smiled, displaying his fangs to Sydney.

Showing very little emotion, Kade approached Miguel in an authoritative manner. “Miguel, this is Miss Willows. She is director of my security operations in the Philadelphia area. She is being mentored by Luca.” Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Miss Willows is in my employ, and is not to be touched or seen by anyone but me.” He paused and winked at Sydney. “That is unless, I grant permission for her to be touched.”

Sydney fought for self-control as blood rushed to her face. She was pretty sure Kade was teasing her. Wasn’t he? Oh my God. She so needed to get this case over with so she could get back to her less than exciting life in Philadelphia. What the hell was wrong with these freaky vampires? She took a deep breath in an effort to gain her composure before she said anything she’d regret. She tried to remind herself she was just playing a part...here on a case.

Miguel bowed his head. “So sorry, sir, it is just that she is so very beautiful and so very human. She smells lovely. Please forgive me.”

Kade nodded. “No harm done. Rhea, please show my guests to our table. I have business that I need to discuss with Miguel.”

Sydney was about to flip out. What was Kade doing? He was not just sending her off with some naked waitress. Etienne gestured for Sydney to follow Rhea. Okay, when in Rome. Sydney followed Rhea up onto a raised platform area to a large table where she agreed, the view was great. They’d be able to see pretty much everything that was going on in the club, except for the private rooms.

Sydney took a seat and Etienne sat down next to her. Etienne looked at the wine menu and ordered, “Please bring us three bottles of Salon Le Mesnil, 1997. We are expecting additional guests.” Rhea bowed her head and scuttled off.

Sydney straightened in her chair trying to appear as if it was everyday she frequented kinky, BDSM, vampire clubs. Trying not to look surprised, she noticed several dominatrix-type women at a table across from them. They were drinking and laughing while naked men with collars knelt at their feet. The dance floor appeared to be rhythmically moving as one; waves of bodies in various forms of dress - from fully clothed to no clothing at all danced.

Looking over to what they referred to as the public play area, she saw a naked, large, bald man who was tied to a bench. He writhed in pleasure and pain as an older woman dressed in red leather spanked him relentlessly with a pink paddle. Sydney shook her head. To each his own she supposed. Not that she was totally opposed to spanking, or being tied up every now and then, but tied to a bench in the middle of a dance club? Guess it took a lot to get that guy’s adrenaline going.

Dominique, Luca, and Xavier approached the table and sat down to discuss next steps. Kade was the last to sit down, and he sat next to Sydney. “So, curious thing, our friend Miguel said the bartender, who reported Simone’s appearance, quit. He’s gone. So, we’ve got no one specific to question. Sydney, what are your impressions?”

Sydney scanned the room focusing on Rhea who was all the way across the club waiting for drinks at the bar. “I say we question the submissives first. I know we can’t act like we're investigating, but we could ask around to see who they’ve played with. Maybe some prefer women Doms and would remember her. It’s likely that if Simone was here that she could easily shop for a victim. We should also question the Doms and find out if there are any new ones on the scene that match her description. We need to do it in a subtle way, so they don’t suspect we're investigating. I have to say, as kinky as this place is, it only looks like maybe fifty percent of the people in here are regulars; a lot of these people are simply tourists.”

“Okay, we’ll need to spread out. Etienne and Xavier, start with questioning the submissives. Go ask Miguel to line them up and pretend you are looking for a sub. Be discreet. Do not make it seem as though we are conducting an investigation,” Kade ordered. “Dominique, take on Rhea. Something seems off with her. Miguel said she just started, yet he assigned his least experienced server to our important party? It doesn't make sense.”

As the other vampires left the table, Kade, Luca, and Sydney moved together so they could more easily talk. “I don’t like this thing with the bartender going missing. If Simone found out that he told someone she was here, why wouldn’t she take out Miguel too? She expected to have this reported, so why kill him?” Sydney was looking for answers.

“Sydney love, very good question indeed. Right now, I want you and Luca to go dance. You are supposed to be close. I don’t want anyone questioning our intentions. I will join you in a few minutes then we will retire to the private rooms to investigate.”

“As you wish...Sydney?” Luca stood and gestured to Sydney to take his hand.

Sydney knew she wasn’t Luca’s favorite person, but he was polite, she’d give him that. She stood, glancing from Kade to Luca and took Luca’s hand. Luca pulled Sydney onto the dance floor. As she went, Sydney’s eyes never left Kade’s. She stopped counting how many times a day she wanted Kade to make love to her. She never felt so connected to one man in her life, but she couldn’t admit to herself that this might be a real opportunity for a long, lasting relationship.

Luca easily pulled Sydney against him. He pushed his thigh between her knees. Sydney felt the strength of Luca against her and admired his lean, fit body. He was muscular, lethal. She let herself fall against him and put one arm around his neck. Luca brought her even closer. Sydney was surprised to feel Luca’s hardness against her belly. “So, Luca, is that a stake in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” she joked.

Luca grabbed the back of her head pulling it toward his and whispered in her ear, “Sydney darling, let’s just say that you are starting to grow on me, and that outfit of yours is delectable. I may be a vampire, but I’m not dead. Even though you belong to Kade, it doesn’t stop me from appreciating you...all of you.” He kissed her cheek and continued dancing.

Horny vampires, geez. She oddly felt as though she could trust Luca, even if he was so touchy feely with her. Sydney was attracted to him as well, as most women would be. He was very handsome, but not a pretty boy. Sydney was surprised at his sudden sexuality on display for all to see in the club. She also felt nervous wondering what Kade’s reaction would be to having another man’s hands all over her. She kept trying to remember that she was there playing a part…Look like you are close to Luca.

As Luca danced with Sydney, he was reminded that he had not been with a woman in a long time. She was Kade’s woman, but that didn’t mean he did not appreciate the opportunity to touch her body. Just as she was beginning to relax, Luca spun her around into Kade’s arms. But instead of moving away, Luca rubbed against Sydney’s ass reaching his hands around her waist. His hands slowly inched up under Sydney’s breasts as Kade kissed her passionately.

Sydney’s senses were overwhelmed. What the fuck was going on? She was letting two vampires monopolize her body, sandwiched in between them, loving every minute of it. Kissing Kade took her away into a headspace that she rarely went, pure pleasure. Yet, it scared her that she was letting him see her raw, so exposed. And worst of all, she felt the tingle all over her body. Wishing the situation with him could be permanent, she was falling for him.

Kade grasped the nape of her neck and leaned in to speak sensually in her ear, “Sydney love, you are stunning tonight. Indeed, I am going to find it hard to let you go after this dance.” He kissed the lobe of her ear. “You seem to like playing with two men. Enjoying our dance with Luca aren’t you, love? But remember this Sydney, I don’t share, and at the end of tonight, you will be mine.” Mine? He could not believe he used the word but at the same time, he could not deny the all-consuming need to claim Sydney as his. He had every intention of making love to her over and over again, and was looking forward to hearing her scream his name in ecstasy.

As the song ended, Sydney was relieved to put some space between her and the boys. She felt her sensitive sex ache below, feeling extraordinarily aroused. She longed for Kade’s strong arms and wished he’d take her out of the club. He told her that she would be his tonight. She found herself wanting to let him take control and make love to her until dawn. She was conflicted knowing that she was an independent woman, yet she could not deny wanting to belong to him.

Sydney tried to regain her composure as she watched Luca leave the dance floor. Deciding to take control of the situation, she reached over and laced her fingers with Kade’s. “Come on; let’s go check out the private rooms. My take is that some of the rooms may not be that private. Maybe everyone in our group is back there with the subs and Doms. We could help, or at least look for suspicious activity and clues to where Simone is. Even though this place is screaming ‘erotic experience,’ I just have a feeling that sex isn’t the only thing happening in this club. If Simone has spies here, they'll be watching for us...and may slip up by looking just a little too long.”

“I agree, Sydney. Let’s make our rounds and see who’s interested in our visit.” Kade led them off the floor toward the back of the club.

Sydney braced herself for whatever kinky sights they’d see along the way. She wasn’t a prude, but she wasn’t used to seeing so many naked people prancing around in collars and leather. As they approached the back, they pushed through a red, metallic, beaded, fringed curtain door. A sensual, hard, driving pulse of music spread throughout the hallway, which was dimly lit with black light.

A crowd gathered at the entrance of one of the rooms where a couple was performing. There wasn’t much room to see. As Sydney pushed her way to the front, Kade settled behind, letting his hands fall protectively around her waist. A tall, lithe, gothic-looking woman stood spread-eagle with her hands secured by leather cuffs to an upright, wooden contraption that looked like an X. Although the woman was blindfolded and bonded, she appeared to quiver in euphoria as her male partner teased her bottom with a blue, leather whip.

The crowd silently watched as the woman begged her partner for release. It appeared that the woman had somehow earned her reward, because her partner unzipped his pants and entered the woman from behind. He was thrusting over and over into the bound woman while she screamed, “Yes!” over and over. Sydney could not believe she was watching such an intimate act with Kade and was growing embarrassed of her own arousal. Yet she knew this is why people came here...to arouse and be aroused. Concerned by her reaction, Sydney pushed back slightly in order to turn away. Kade’s arms tightened, holding her still against him forcing her to watch. She could feel the hardness of Kade pressed into her back, and knew he wanted her to see this.

Kade chose to make Sydney watch the lovers in the room, so she could experience a taste of his world. He was not a frequent visitor of this club by any means, but this kind of activity was not uncommon in the supernatural world. It was a harsh reality, albeit arousing. If Sydney was going to be with him, she needed to be aware of the dangers and temptations that lurked in his city. He could smell her arousal as she watched the strangers make love. His rock hard cock strained against his leather pants, begging to take her in the same manner. He could not resist the opportunity to tease his normally self-composed detective. He leaned his mouth down to her ear, making sure she heard his every word. “Do you like this, Sydney? Would you like me to tie you up and take you from behind? I promise not to be gentle with you, detective. Now don’t lie to me...I smell your desire.” He smiled knowing he ruffled her feathers.

Damn vampire senses. Sydney was mortified and had enough of this crazy sex show. She pulled herself out of his strong grip, knowing he’d chosen to let go of her. It was time to get back to business. There wasn’t anything suspicious going on in that area. Just a couple having sex, and a dozen, horny people watching. What had she gotten herself into on this case?

They started to walk further down the dark hall when Miguel, who appeared out of nowhere, distracted Kade. “Sir, I thought it might be a good idea for you to speak with Gia, a back bartender who works here. I remembered that she was friends with Freddy...you know the guy who quit. Maybe she has information about Simone’s whereabouts? Please forgive me. I should have thought of this earlier.”

Kade looked to Sydney. “Sydney, come with me. We can talk to her together.”

“Kade, you go. I'm fine. I want to find Dominique and perhaps, play with Rhea.” Sydney did not intend to play, but she did want to question the waitress. She also didn’t trust Miguel. She wanted him to think she was only here for fun, not to investigate.

“Sydney, as my director of security, you may find my questioning of interest. Please come with me.” Kade’s lips tightened anticipating her refusal.

“Kade, you said we're here to have a little fun, not work. I promise I'll catch up with you later. As you know, I'm a Dominant who likes to play with girls. Dominique should be back here somewhere. I'll be fine. I promise. Then you and I can play later after you're done,” she purred and rubbed her hands up and down his chest.

Kade ground his back teeth. Sydney was being stubborn again. And of course, she was driving him wild with need by rubbing herself all over him. He wanted to fuck her right there and forget about talking to the bartender. Sensing that Etienne and Xavier were close, he acquiesced to her demand to stay in the back of the club, knowing she wanted to continue to investigate. He blew out a breath. “I will quickly go question the other bartender. It will only take a second. I can sense both Xavier and Etienne back here, so give them a shout should you run into any issues, okay? I promise you and I will play later.”

Something about Miguel made Sydney’s skin crawl. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t exactly telling the whole truth. She wanted Kade to go find out what the bartender knew. They could not leave any stones unturned, and so far, this evening was a bust. “I’ll be fine. Besides kinky sex, there doesn’t seem to be much going on here that could get me in trouble. Dominique should be back here somewhere.” She winked at Kade as he and Miguel headed toward the light at the end of the hallway.

Damn straight, she’d be okay. She sobered at the thought of what happened to those girls in Philadelphia, renewing her purpose. Dominique seemed to be gone with Rhea a little too long. She’d like the opportunity to interview her as well. How the hell was she going to find them in this labyrinth? Putting one foot in front of the other seemed the only way, so she continued walking and glancing in rooms that were open to public viewing. Nothing seemed amiss. She could see a blue light coming out of one of the rooms at the far end of the hallway on the right. It was so dark in this hallway she really hoped there weren’t any bugs or mice back here, or she’d freak out.

Caution told her she might want to check her weapons, so Sydney reached down into her boots, making sure the silver stake, knife and chain were still there. As she looked up again toward the end of the hallway, someone slammed her hard against the wall. She could barely see the outline of a bearded man who smelled of stale cigarettes and whiskey. He firmly held her to the wall with a stubby hand on each of her bare arms. She struggled but was unable to dislodge him.

“Hey, missy, what ya doing back here all by yourself in the dark? Your blood,” He leaned in to sniff her neck, “Oh yes. It smells so good. What kind of a master would let his human run around back here unprotected? You need a real master to get you in line. How I'd love to spank that pretty ass of yours and drown in your sweet blood. Come on now, this is going to be fun.”

Sydney recoiled from the putrid smell emanating from the vampire. She could see the fine points of his teeth glinting off the black light. Should she play innocent? Or pretend she belonged to him? But then again, Sydney was Sydney. She did not do damsel in distress well. Fuck that. This foul-assed vampire is so going down. “Listen, pal. I'm giving you fair warning, get your fucking hands off me or you're going to regret it, last chance.” She looked at him defiantly, planning her next move.

The vampire cackled, “Feisty one, aren’t you? It's going to be a pleasure whipping you into submission.”

He barely got his last word out when Sydney kicked him in the balls. Yep, no matter how supernatural you were, testicles were always vulnerable. Tried and true, Sydney loved how that worked. The vampire let go of Sydney to clutch himself, and Sydney whipped out the silver knife from her boot and held it to his throat. “Sorry, pal. I must admit this has been fun...Whipping your ass into submission and all...it’s been a laugh riot. Now down to the floor, on your stomach, hands up over your head, or you're going to eat silver. And in case you feel like trying again, you best remember that I have a few vampire friends of my own back here, not to mention the silver stakes in my boot that I'm just itching to try out.” The vampire stretched out his hands and Sydney wrapped a thin, silver chain around his wrists, effectively immobilizing him for the night. “Now listen here, be a good little vampire and I'll let Miguel know you are waiting to be freed. I know you vamps have your own laws, so I'll let Kade know what you did to me, and he can decide what to do with your ass.”

As she strode further down the hallway, Sydney stopped in her tracks hearing the cry of a woman’s voice coming from one of the rooms. The voice. It was familiar and in pain. Now anyone might be in pain in a place like this but the hair on her arms stood straight up as she heard the woman scream again. Dominique. Sydney started running down the hallway screaming Dominique’s name. She turned left, then right until she found a closed metal door. Shit, it was locked and wouldn’t open. She wished that she had some of those vampire, super-strength skills about now. She shoved against the door, and then tried kicking it, but it wouldn’t budge. How am I going to get this open?

Sydney pulled out the thin, silver stake and her knife. Slowly manipulating the stake and the knife, she picked the lock and the door clicked open. As Sydney burst through the door, she found Dominique handcuffed, lying on a large, padded table. Sydney rushed over to help her. “Dominique, what happened? I thought vampires could easily break cuffs. Where’s the key?”

“Sydney, please.” Blood-streaked tears flowed down her face through a black blindfold. “Silver. The handcuffs...it’s burning, please help me. The door must be silvered too. I couldn’t communicate with Kade.”

“It’s going to be okay, Dominique. Just take a few deep breaths. I don’t see the key anywhere, but I have a knife. Just hang in there.”

Sydney finally picked the lock and broke the last handcuff off of Dominique, horrified by the oozing and third degree burns they left on her skin. Dominique was too weak to get off the table. Sydney cut off a piece of her skirt to clean Dominique’s bloody tears. She was okay, but shaky.

“Thank you. I thought no one would find me back here. That little bitch Rhea did this to me. I was questioning her about Simone when she said her master wanted to play with me. I let her blindfold me thinking it was a game, and I could earn her trust enough so she’d talk. But when she cuffed me in silver, I fell onto the table.” Dominique slowly sat up looking at her burned wrists and ankles and then fell back onto the table, unable to stand. She was woozy from the silver. “Damn, now that’s gonna leave a mark. Listen, Sydney, I need one of the guys to bring me a donor. I can feel them coming now. But I can’t get up yet. I need blood.”

Sydney was determined to find out what happened. “You’ll be okay Dominique. Just lie back until they get here. Are you sure Rhea was the only one here in the room with you? Did she bring someone else into the room?” Looking around the room, Sydney saw an opened, back door that led out to the alley. As much as she wanted to go investigate, she was not about to leave Dominique alone.

Dominique shook her head in confusion. “I’m not sure if someone else was here. Usually we can sense such things, but the silver, it doesn’t just burn like a motherfucker; it weakens all of our abilities. I was screaming at Rhea, but there could have been someone else. The fact is that Rhea is a human, possibly a witch cloaking her talent, but most definitely human. So, she could have been thralled into doing this to me, but the vampire or mage would have needed to be close. Yet, I felt no one when I entered the room with her.”

The conversation with Gia, the bartender, garnered no tangible leads except the last known address of the staff member who reported seeing Simone. Kade was getting frustrated. Simone was somewhere in this city and had been at this very club. They needed to find her before she killed another girl. After getting the address, Miguel stalled Kade at the bar and seemed to talk endlessly about nothing. Kade thanked him for his help and started to make his way through the crowd back to Sydney. By the time he reached the dance floor near the entrance to the back, Kade sensed something was wrong. He sped down the darkened hallway to find a male vampire attempting to escape silver chains. He could feel something was wrong with Dominique, but halted as he smelled Sydney on the dirty predator. “Where is Sydney?” Kade growled.

The vampire strained to get a look at Kade. “Who? You mean that human bitch who chained me? Get me out of these. You really need to teach your slave girl better manners. I will be honored to watch you beat her. She needs to learn a lesson. Look what she did to me!”

Kade was furious beyond words. Reaching down with one hand, he grabbed the vampire by his throat and bashed his head into the wall. “You touched her? You insolent fledgling. She is mine and now you will pay for your misguided actions!”

“What, that human girl? You are kidding right? You can find pussy anywhere you like in this city and you would seek to punish me for being who I am? A vampire?” He sneered at Kade.

With restrained emotion, Kade slammed him again holding him up so far against the wall that his feet no longer touched the floor. “No, I will punish you for being an animal who doesn’t know his place in our society. You will never touch her or any other woman ever again. Your time on earth has officially come to an end.” In a swift move, Kade pulled a small, thin, wooden stake from his back pocket that telescoped like an antennae and snapped it into place. With precision, he jammed the stake into the heart of the vampire. The hallway filled with ash as Kade ran forward in search of Sydney.

Kade rushed into the room followed by Luca and Xavier. Spinning Sydney around, he hugged her tightly. “Sydney love, I leave you for ten minutes and you manage to find trouble? Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Backing out of his embrace, Sydney laughed it off. “Who, stubby vamp boy in the hallway? He may have left a bruise on my oh-so-delicate skin, but as you probably noticed, he won’t be messing with me anymore. Don’t worry about me....Dominique needs assistance. She said she needs a donor, and as much as I would love to help her I'm kind of attached to my blood.”

Sydney and Dominique told the guys what happened with Rhea. While a vampire could have been responsible for Rhea’s actions, Kade strongly considered the possibility that Rhea was a witch who was working with Simone. “Luca, Xavier, go sweep the alley. She’s probably gone, but we should check anyway.”

Sydney was strangely touched as she watched Kade hold Dominique’s hand. He felt something for this female vampire: Love? Responsibility? She questioned herself wondering if she should be jealous, but she wasn’t. No, she watched Kade in admiration. He was taking care of his own, comforting Dominique, as father would a daughter. Soon Etienne entered the room with a donor in tow. He was a ready and willing strapping, young man, nearly twenty years of age. He appeared to be strong enough to feed her. Kade waved him over and held the man’s wrist up to Dominique’s mouth as she bit into him and sucked greedily.

Sydney felt she should give them privacy, such an intimate act as it was, but no one seemed to mind her presence. At that moment, she wondered what it would be like if Kade bit her, drank from her. Would it hurt? Would it bring pleasure? The word on the street was that women found it incredibly pleasurable, often orgasmic, but she wasn’t just any woman. And Kade certainly wasn’t just any vampire. Did Kade yearn to bite her? Would he try to bite her if they made love? Sydney realized she was feeling more than curiosity. No, she wanted Kade to bite her. As she stared at Dominique, latched to the donor’s wrist, she glanced up to see Kade watching her, not smiling, but giving her a sultry, all-knowing look as if he knew what she was thinking. Sydney demurely averted her eyes; it was all too much.

When Dominique healed and was strong enough to leave, their small group walked back through the dim hallway. Sydney stopped dead in the corridor as she kicked a pile of ash up into the air. Where was the chained vampire? “Hey guys? Uh...did anyone see a vampire here? Silvered by the wrists? Smelly guy?” Without speaking another word, it clicked with Sydney that the vampire had not escaped. He was dead. She’d been kicking his ashes around with her boot. Yuck.

She looked down again at the floor and then up to Kade. He was dangerous: primal, unyielding. He snaked a hand around Sydney’s waist, and shot her a look. “No one touches what is mine.” Kade was not about to discuss the topic any further. He would not tolerate anyone hurting those he loved, especially Sydney. He was vampire: decisive, formidable, territorial. And Miss Sydney Willows belonged to and with him, even if she didn’t know it yet.

Sydney didn’t flinch as she processed his words. He killed the other vampire for attacking her. The police weren’t called. No one even batted an eyelash that the guy was gone. Vampire justice. She shuddered at the power Kade held in this town. And yet, she was attracted to him like a moth to a flame. She straightened her back and held her head high. If she was bothered or surprised by what he did to the vampire, she would not let him see it. Sydney gladly allowed Kade to usher her out of the club and into the limo. It was a hell of a night, and she could not get out of there fast enough.