Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian 5)

"And these threats have absolutely nothing to do with Adrienne's disappearance?" No.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. He should be in Melbourne tomorrow. I expect you to be helpful."

"If Patrin comes anywhere near me, I'll break his fucking neck."

"Remember your mother," he said, and disappeared from sight.

Bastard, bastard, bastard.

I blew out a breath, then drained the rest of the beer and tossed the can into the trash. The buzz of anger and alcohol running through my system suggested that while I might need to sleep, it wasn't going to happen any time soon. For several seconds I internally wrestled with the idea of going to the Blue Moon and catching some action, but Kellen's image kept swimming through my mind. If I wanted to explore the depths of our relationship, then I would have to start getting serious. Maybe not commit-to-a-solo-relationship serious - not just yet, anyway - but I would have to start proving to him that he - that we - were important.

Giving up the clubs would be hard. I loved them, loved the feel of them, loved the passion and excitement within them - but if I had to ditch the Blue Moon to prove that I didn't want to lose what I had with Kellen, then I would.

Because there was a whole lot of passion and excitement there, too.

So I settled for the next best thing to the Blue Moon - a hot, scented bath and several bars of chocolate.

Mirror Image sat in the hub of an industrial estate, far away from any residential area, nullifying any complaints they might otherwise have gotten over the bass-heaving music issuing from the joint.

I slammed the car door shut and let my gaze run over the neon-lit club. It was a typical factory design - metal roof, high concrete walls, and few windows. What glass there was decorated the front, in what would have been an office area in any normal factory. Unlike regular wolf clubs, this one had no line of people waiting to get in, but given the fact this particular club dwarfed most wolf clubs, I guess that wasn't really surprising.

Just for a moment, I felt something... odd. There was something here, something dangerous, and it reminded me of the evil I'd sensed at the murder scenes. Only it wasn't coming from the club, but rather from behind me.

I turned around, but couldn't see anything but the smoke from the nearby factories blowing along with the breeze. The sensation faded and I mentally shrugged. Maybe the near misses had made me jumpier than I'd realized.

Kellen looked at me over the roof of the car, his expression bordering on dubious. "You realty want to go in there?"

"Doesn't look much from the outside, does it?"

"No." He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring widely. "I can smell humans. Lots of them."

"That's because there are."

"And our government thinks this is a good idea because...?"

"Because the government is mostly men, and men tend to think with their little heads more than their big-heads."

He laughed, a warm and merry sound that had a smile tugging my lips. "That is such a female thing to say."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"Only every other minute." He held out his hand. "Shall we go check out the joint?"

"Let's." I walked around the front of the car and clasped his fingers. His touch was warm and chased away the chills skating across my skin. Whether those chills were caused by the cool night and my somewhat scanty clothing, or something else, I wasn't entirely sure.

My heels clicked on the pavement, a sound that seemed to echo across the night, jarring sharply against the heavy music and rumble of voices emanating from the club. The double glass doors opened as we approached, and the noise hit harder, briefly making my cars ache.

A thick-set shifter with cat-green eyes gave us a welcoming grin. "Here to party?"

"Yeah," Kellen said, voice almost getting lost in the thump of music. "Heard it's the place for couples to be."

"That it is." The shifter's gaze skimmed my body appreciatively, and Kellen's grip went from my hand to my waist. "Come on. You folks been here before?"

When we shook our heads, he escorted us to the payment window then ran us through the rules. Basically, they had much the same regulations that ruled wolf clubs the world over, along with the addition of the "no harm to the humans" rules Jodie had mentioned. The bouncer didn't ask us to sign a waiver, but then as a shifter himself, he would have sensed we weren't human. Still, I could see forms sitting on the cashier's desk, some of them signed, and figured that's what they were. Humans would have to sign a waiver against their right to sue, otherwise the club wouldn't be able to operate, simply because no one would insure them. Weres, the moon fever, and humans could never be a good mix in a sexually charged environment, and anyone who thought otherwise was a fool.

Once we'd paid, we entered the club.