Her Vampire Rebel
Her Vampire Rebel
Zara Zenia
Her Vampire Rebel
I'M KEEPING HER.
The sweet psychology student with a troubled past.
Her ex is stalking her, but I won't let him hurt her again. I'll finish him if he even tries.
Because I love the way she submits. Her sweet soft yes, sirs. The way she gives herself over to me.
I should let her go--she has her whole life ahead of her.
But I can't. I'm buying her a collar and making her mine.
Mine alone.
Chapter 1
Carolyn
The view from my balcony is serene, the peace and calm so different from the horror I left behind in L.A. The horror that nearly ended my life.
My phone rings, and I pick up a call from my friend Bella with a smile.
“Hey, Care! You got plans tonight?”
“I was just going to watch a show on Netflix and do some of the homework for my psych class. Why?”
“I want to take you to this really hot BDSM club—”
“I don’t know, Bell, you know what I went through…”
“Please come, Carolyn. I promise it’s different than what you experienced with Marvin.”
I sigh into the phone. “I’m not ready. Not for… not for that.”
“It’s been six months. He’s in California. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
I shake my head, gazing out the sliding glass door of my apartment in downtown Tucson. I can see the mountains from where I stand in my living room. I’m so glad I chose to follow Bella here. It’s so pretty.
“I know he is, but I just… I have this weird feeling that he’ll track me down. I mean, there weren’t very many options left for me. He’s found me every time I’ve moved over the last four years.”
“Stop thinking like that. He’s not going to track you down. You’re safe now. He can’t touch you.” Bella sighs into the phone. “Look, just come try it once. If you don’t like it, I swear I won’t beg you to come with me anymore.”
I frown. “Who is he?” I ask, knowing there is something Bella is avoiding telling me.
“Who is who?” she replies innocently.
“Bella, I know you. There is a guy somewhere in this. I just can’t tell if you’re trying to set me up with him or if it’s someone you want for yourself, and you just want me there for support.”
Bella laughs, and it sounds like tinkling bells. “How do you know me so well?”
“Because I’ve known you since grade school. Now spill it.”
“Fine. His name is Augustus. Isn’t that just an awesome name?”
“What? Like in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Augustus Gloomp?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! He’s not a chubby little German boy! Try six-four, brown hair, sinful blue eyes, broad shoulders, five o’clock shadow, muscular, a complete dom. Reminds me of Gerard Butler. So hot, Carolyn, I swear!”
“He does sound like a catch, but I’m not interested. I’m safer just sticking to my routine—”
“He’s not for you, and your routine is boring! All you do is work, go to classes, and study— you don’t even go shopping. You have your groceries delivered!”
“I have everything here that I need.”
“You’re barely living, Carolyn. Keeping yourself locked away in that gated complex—it’s like a prison! Granted it’s a nice one, but still, it’s nothing but a gilded cage. He still wins!” Bella complains. “Stop hiding! Come out of your cage and live a little, please?”
I roll my eyes. “But Club Toxic? Aren’t I a little old to be clubbing? Couldn’t we just go to the Y or something?” I ask, sitting down on my sofa. It’s amazingly comfortable, considering it came with the apartment. Just about everything did, which is good since I’d left everything behind but my clothes and a few personal items.
“Nope. Club Toxic is something you need to experience! And I promise you, the guys there are all super-hot, and it’s said to be one of the safest clubs in Tucson, Care. The management makes sure no one is taken advantage of, I promise.”
“Fine. If it will make you happy, I’ll go, but I’m not going into the BDSM area. I’ll stay and dance and maybe have a drink, but I don’t think I’m ready to… to do that again.”
“Yay! Thank you! And you know, you don’t have to participate. Of course, you must be invited by a member, but I’m sure that won’t be an issue—I mean, I know some members.”
“We’ll see, but I make no promises, Bella. Pick me up at seven. I’ll be ready to go.”
“Okay, see you then!” Bella rings off.
I set the phone down on the table and look out at the setting sun. It is gorgeous here. I guess one night out won’t hurt, and Bella’s right. Marvin is hundreds of miles away. “I’ve got my Taser. I’ll be fine. Right?”
* * *
Looking in the mirror, I study my figure in the black leather mini and short-sleeve, see-thru champagne silk blouse that shows off my ample cleavage. Sighing, I sweep my wavy red hair up into a sexy, messy bun and pin it in place, letting a few strands fall free, framing my face. I leave my neck free of jewelry but put in a pair of gold waterfall earrings. After touching up my lipstick, I slip my feet into a pair of three inch black stilettos.
Nervously, I move my Taser, wallet and lipstick to the black clutch purse I plan to take with me. A glance at the clock tells me Bella will be here within minutes, and I debate backing out, but I am fairly sure Bella will drag me out the door if I try to. When a knock sounds on the door, I take a deep breath and push the intercom button. “Who is it?”
“It’s me, come on, let’s go!”
Sighing again, I open the door for Bella. “Okay, but we aren’t staying too late, got it? I still have two more chapters to read for my psych class.” I give her a warning look, daring her to beg for more time.
Bella grins. “You look great, I didn’t think you kept any of your party clothes.”
I shrug. “I almost didn’t. I’m not even sure I still feel comfortable in this.” I look down at my outfit and shift uncomfortably.
“You look gorgeous, and every dom in there is going to want you. You just can’t have Augustus, but everyone else is up for grabs,” Bella says with another tinkling laugh.
I glance at my friend and smile. Bella is wearing a tight-fitting red dress and red heels that make her three inches taller than her normal five-foot-three. Every curve is on display. Bella’s not fat by any means, but she is voluptuous. “I see you’re pulling out all the stops to gain this guy’s attention.” She looks like a sexy elf with her blonde hair in a pixie cut. “I like the new hair. When did you do that?”
Bella fluffs the edges and grins. “Yesterday. I love it.”
“It suits you.” I look around the parking lot, searching for any threat that might be heading my way, but seeing none, I open the door to Bella’s two door sports coupe and climb in, locking it behind me.
“Thanks,” Bella says climbing into the driver’s seat. “Club Toxic isn’t really that far from here. We could probably walk, but in these heels, I’d rather not.”
“And you know how I feel about walking around at night.”
“It’s not safe, I know.” Bella rolls her eyes and puts the car into gear.
A few minutes later, we park in the lot attached to the club. There is a line that goes all the way around the edge to the parking lot. “We have to wait in that?” I hesitate, feeling uncomfortable as I look at the crowd of partiers.
“No, Augustus gave me his card to get in—we don’t have to wait.”
“Hmmm, so you’ve actually made contact with this Augustus and not just admired him from afar? What do you need me for, then?” I ask, arching a brow at her.
I shake my head but climb out of the car and follow her to the front of the building. Standing behind a rope is a bouncer who resembles a taller, younger, and trimmer Russell Crowe. “I thought you said he looks like Gerard Butler?”
Bella looks at me confused. “What? That’s not Augustus. That’s Maximus.”
“Oh come on now, Maximus and Augustus? Two Roman gladiators in the same building? What, are they brothers?”
Bella shrugs, but smiles. “Maybe, I didn’t ask,” she says softly, and then as we reach him, she says, “Hello, Augustus invited us.” She hands him the card.
He looks at it, then gives us a nod and hands it back. Without a word, he lifts the velvet rope and lets us in.
I follow Bella through and into the building as the people waiting in line boo us for getting to go in before them. Looking around, this place is nothing like I imagined. The dance floor is polished and shining, enticing dancers to show off their moves. I watch them for a moment, moving and swaying to the beat that is pulsing through the air.
“Augustus, we’re here,” Bella says as we stop by what could only be a coat check room.
“So you are, love, who’s your friend?” he asks, his British accent making goose-bumps prickle across my skin as he looks me over. He’s a bit shorter than the gladiator at the door but just as handsome, and Bella was right, he does look a bit like Gerard Butler.
“This is Carolyn. She’s only here to watch, I think—”
Augustus arches a brow at her choice of words, and Bella giggles. “She’s a voyeur?”
Bella shakes her head. “No, not what I meant. I mean she’s… this is her first time here, and she hasn’t played in a long time—she just wants to check things out, maybe dance, have a drink, you know.”
He nods and looks behind him. “Tib, take over. I’m going to give Bella and her friend a quick tour and then head downstairs and relieve Theo now that the club is in full swing. I have a feeling he’ll want to meet these ladies.”
The slender but muscular man behind him moves forward. He has short dark hair and hard dark blue eyes. As he smirks at us, I see a set of perfect, straight white teeth, but something in his face makes me think he isn’t exactly interested in us. He pats Augustus on the shoulder. “No worries, mate.”
And there is that British accent again. What the heck, are all of these guys brothers? They all certainly have some sort of resemblance to each other, but I can’t quite place what.
“Come with me, ladies.” Augustus lifts the counter and steps out, wrapping his arm around Bella’s waist. “We’ll get you drinks, and then I’ll give you a quick tour before I head down to the dungeon.”
Bella snuggles into his side as we approach the bar. “Just a Jack and Coke for me.”
“And what about you, love?” His eyes rove over me, and he grins. “White wine spritzer?”
“Sure,” I say, thinking about it for a moment.
He orders our drinks, and I look around the room. A moment later, he hands us each a drink.
“You aren’t having one?” I ask.
He smiles. “Afraid not, love. I’m working right now. I’ll have a sip later though, when I get Bella alone in a room.” His smile turns rakish, and Bella giggles again.
I smile back and shift my stance feeling just a bit uncomfortable. “This place is nice,” I say, trying to make conversation.
He chuckles. “This is just what the hu—er, normal people see. Here we’ve got tables for the plebs and the dance floor. Through there are the bathrooms and the door to the kitchens. We don’t serve full meals but more like appetizers. Come this way,” he says, putting an arm around each of us.
He directs us to a cozy table. “Upstairs are just storage areas, but down below, that’s where the magic happens.” His gaze connects with Bella’s, and she blushes. “Lucius met his bride down there.”
“Who is Lucius?” I ask.
“The owner of Club Toxic—and my… father.”
“Your father owns the club?”
He nods. “He’s left it in my and my brothers’ care.”
“Maximus and Tib?” I ask, thinking of their looks.
“Observant, aren’t you.” It was a statement not a question. “Yes, of sorts. Chosen, if not by blood.”
“You talk too much,” a younger looking man says as he walks up to us. “I need you downstairs. Things are picking up.”
Augustus nods. “I was headed there next. Ladies, I will leave you in my dear brother Theo’s hands. Take care of them, please, Theo. I was giving them the tour. Bella and I are going to play later, and her friend here, Carolyn, may be interested in playing as well.”
“I see.” He looks at the two of us and smiles. “I’m Theophilus, everyone calls me Theo. Are you needing a tour of the rest of the dance and bar area, or are you ladies ready to move downstairs?”
I look at him and bite my lip. I have no idea if I’m ready for that.
“You do realize we are speaking of a BDSM club downstairs, don’t you?” he asks, arching a brow.
“She is… it’s just been a while for her. She had a bad experience with it before,” Bella answers for me.
“I see. I can promise you that anything you don’t want to happen, won’t. Our doms are all vetted, and the punishments are harsh for harming a sub in permanent ways.”
I nod and swallow. “Okay, I think I’m ready.” I take a big drink of the wine spritzer.
Chapter 2
James
Why am I even here? I stare at the line of humans as I sit in the Jaguar outside of Club Toxic. Tucson is hotter than the sun, a star I haven’t seen in nearly three hundred years, thanks to my sire. Because maybe here is the one place Aubrey will not think to look for your sorry ass. I had felt sorry for my nestmate. After all, I did kill his sire and the rest of our nestmates and then basically had everything taken from him. It couldn’t have been easy on his own looking as young as he does. It wasn’t personal, at least it hadn’t been. I had merely been trying to destroy everything my sire stood for, I didn’t intend for Aubrey to be collateral damage. I didn’t even consider him at all at the time. Now though, I am seriously regretting not having tracked him down to kill him. I just want to live my eternity in peace and for him to do the same, but after this encounter with him… well, I’m reconsidering letting him live.
I had lost most everything in Canada when Aubrey found me. I barely got away with the clothes on my back, this car, and luckily, my passport and money. It helps that I’d put money into various accounts under numerous names over the years and stashed the Jag in a storage unit along with a bag of essentials and some additional equipment. Aubrey has a right to be mad, and vampires as a species are a vindictive lot, but I hope that he’s delivered his revenge and doesn’t follow me here.
Climbing out of the car, I straighten my suit jacket and grab the bag of toys I’d picked up before coming here, in the hopes that the vampire king will be generous and allow me to stay and at the very least get a drink. I bypass the line of humans waiting to get into the popular club and approach the bouncer on the door. He’s a vampire as well, and I suspect one of Lucius’ trusted men.
“I need to see Lucius.”
“Lucius isn’t taking visitors at this time.” The vampire stonewalls me, his arms crossed.
“I am not above begging. It is important that I see him,” I murmur only loud enough for his vampire hearing to pick up.
He presses his lips in a thin line and then raises his wrist and murmurs into a comm on what looks like a watch. After a moment, the door opens, and the vampire lifts the velvet rope. Just as I am about to pass through, he grabs my arm and says, “No funny business, or I stake you myself. Got it?”
“I understand.” I continue through and into the building only to be stopped by another vampire who puts his hand on my chest. “Please, remove your hand.”
The slender but muscular vampire narrows his eyes at me. “You will come with me, and you will not make any sudden movements, or I will kill you where you stand.”
“So I’ve been told.”
He nods and leads me through the club, between tables to a door, which he opens and steps through and then allows me to enter. “Sit.”
I do as he asks, and he closes the door and stands with his back to it, his arms crossed.
“Is Lucius detained?” I ask.
“Shut your yap.”
Sighing, I lean back in the chair and wait. My eyes roam over the office, but it is very impersonal, not at all what I expected. It isn’t even as luxurious as I expected. Frowning, I have to wonder if I am even in Lucius’ office. I start to stand, but the vampire’s hand clamps on my shoulder pushing me back into the seat.
“Do not touch me,” I growl.
“Sit. You will be met with in a moment.”
He wasn’t wrong. A moment later the door opens and in walks another vampire, but it isn’t Lucius. I frown.
“I am here to see the vampire king, not his lieutenants. If Lucius doesn’t wish me to stay in this town, I’d rather hear it from the man himself.”
“I’m afraid that is not a possibility at this time,” the vampire says as he sits behind the desk. “Lucius is out of the country at the moment. I’m Theophilus, his second in command and general manager of Club Toxic. And you have no fealty to any vampire nest?”
Well shit. Lone vampires are sometimes shunned by vampires who have nested. I don’t know how welcome I will be here.
“No, my sire was killed over two hundred years ago. I’ve not found a… compatible nest to join since then,” I say smoothly. Lord Nathan Pettigrew, my sire, died shortly after my turning by my hand. My nestmates took it personally, when I murdered him, so I went after them as well. Aubrey had gotten away, and I hadn’t thought much of him, not really, not until he destroyed my home in Canada.