I was forcing my racing heart to slow down, even amongst the pulse of cocaine through my veins. I was telling myself I was a hallucinating idiot, who had imagined a load of bullshit out of nowhere. Maybe just a guy with dark hair and eyes who reminded me of the beast at the ball. I mean, Stephen on stage reminded me of Lucian Morelli, right? Surely there were plenty more guys who would remind me of the monster.
We were almost at the side of the stage when I flashed one final look around the dancefloor, scanning the jostle of bodies one last time before Tristan raised his hand to the security man guarding the back rooms. The guy waved us through and Tristan was tugging me, rattling me on my stilettos as he raced us on our way to Blue Hawk.
And there he was again. The monster, at the far side of the stage, with his monstrous glare fixed on me.
Yes.
Yes.
I knew it.
My soul cried out. My whole body tensed and tingled. Because it was him. It was truly him.
It was Lucian Morelli staring back at me.
“Wait!” I hissed at Tristan. “Please, Tristan! Just fucking wait! He’s right there!”
But no.
It’d been years since Tristan had used the force of his frame against me, looming so tall over mine. He tugged me along with him, and I tried to yank him back, but his motion was too intense, jolting me straight into his chest and along with him through the backstage doorway.
“Enough!” he said, and held me tight. “I mean it, Elaine. Just fucking enough! Stop losing your head over Lucian fucking Morelli, or I’ll have to do something! I’ll have to warn someone, just to make sure you stand a chance of staying the fuck alive!”
His words were enough to stop me in my tracks, and I gulped in one hell of a breath at the thought.
He was scared for me, his arms tense. Petrified for my life, desperate to keep me safe, even if it cost me an ocean of hell all around me.
And he was right.
He was right to be petrified for me. If Lucian Morelli was committed to chasing me down enough to head into a downtown venue he’d normally turn his nose up at, then there was no way I’d make it out of his hunt alive.
I needed cocaine. Cocaine and champagne. At least there was a chance Blue Hawk would have a decent damn bottle of fizz backstage.
I made myself laugh, pasting on as happy a smile as I could manage.
“You’re right,” I told him and made a crazy motion around my head. “Let’s go in and check out your conquest. At least I can gaze at the other Morelli lookalike up close this time.”
Tristan sighed and wrapped his arm around me, then led us to the dressing rooms.
“Gaze at that one as much as you like, just keep your damn head away from the real one.”9LucianI’d been a ghostly shadow that leapt out to bite her, her eyes open wide as pussy boy tugged her away.
She’d known it was me.
The thrill inside me was magnificent, my mouth watering as I pictured her shock and horror – and something else. I’d felt something else in her stare.
She wanted me.
Just like she had when she was a plaything in my grip at the Constantine ball, she wanted me.
Holy fuck, I despised myself for it, but I wanted her too. I wanted her tight little slit, along with her blood.
I pulled myself together as I headed for the exit, talking some damn fucking sense into myself. I wanted to destroy her. That’s what I wanted. That’s the only thing I wanted.
There were drunken clusters of people outside the bar when I stepped out onto the sidewalk. I wasted no time in hailing a cab, making sure I stepped into the road before the current cab seekers could grab their rides. The driver shot me a stare as I dropped into the back seat, about to tell me I’d jumped the line, before I held up a huge chunk of cash to his face.
“Drive. Now.”
“Yes, sir,” he said and put his foot down on the accelerator before speaking another word.
We were a block away before he asked me the obvious question. “Where are we going?”
I smirked and relaxed against the cheap leather. “Nowhere. Keep driving until I say stop.”
He shrugged against his confusion. “Sure thing.”
I made him drive in circles for a good fifteen minutes before ordering him back to Cyrus Bar’s front entrance. The sidewalk was clear by that point, barely a light glaring out from the building. I knew both Elaine and her pussy boy mate would still be holed up inside, fawning at the idiot performers who were no doubt congratulating themselves after their bullshit show. I didn’t make a move to leave the cab, staying reclined in my seat as the driver spun around to face me.