Netherworld II: Blood Potion No. 9 Read online

  The weregator said, “All right, brother. I’ll see you then.”

  I perked up to discover I wouldn’t have to spend depressing hours at the club. “Oh good, you’re leaving this sty. I hope we’re going somewhere private so I can talk to you.”

  Even better, I hitched a ride on Bane’s chopper, going with him to wherever he chose to end up. I could see why dogs liked to hang their heads out car windows. This wind in my hair thing was addicting.

  We arrived at a doublewide trailer situated a few miles away on a pine tree strewn lot. It was a decent place, a brown and white mobile home (though these days, they call it manufactured housing, like that makes it seem less poor). White skirting hid the underside of the place, making it more homey. It was plain but not a hovel by any means. Not even redneck-y. Okay, if I would get my snobbishness out of the way, it was nice. The tree cover kept it from having much of a lawn, but it was kept neat and clean. The flashy little Nissan parked to one side was cute. A stepping-stone walkway led from the packed dirt driveway to the treated wood steps that gave access to the front door. There was even a well-tended spider plant in a cute blue-painted pot sitting on the railing.

  I followed Bane through the front door to discover Fizz enthusiastically vacuuming the living room. Her blond hair was spiked into points, her black tee-shirt knotted between her tiny breasts, her jeans tight enough to give her camel-toe, and she perched on heels spiked from here to eternity. Her face lit up as Bane stopped in the

  center of the room. That smile did a lot for Fizz. She was trampy, but she was cute. Now if she’d just wear some nice clothes…

  “Hi honey!” she greeted Bane, yelling over the roar of the vacuum cleaner.

  “Hey … Fizz?” He sounded uncertain.

  I chortled. “Yeah, like you’d catch me cleaning your place. Dream on, Deputy Dog.”

  “I’ll be done in a minute,” Fizz called, getting back to the floor.

  While she did her cleaning thing, I had a look around. The furniture wasn’t upscale, but it was okay, the kind of stuff you’d get from a discount store. Blue plaid sofa and chair, pressboard tables in the living room. Workout gear in one of the two bedrooms, a matching cheap bedroom set in the other. I noted the laptop computer on a bureau, but it was shut off. The creamy white comforter on the bed was down, nice and soft. The bathroom was an ode to pure functionality, as was the kitchen, where Bane sucked down a soda and watched Fizz.

  Nothing fancy, just a place to come home to at the end of a long day of shaking down businessmen and selling drugs. And really clean, thanks to Fizz. I noted there were no personal touches. It was as if Bane had no past, no hobbies, no interests outside of his motorcycle and the Beasts.

  The silence that followed Fizz turning off the vacuum cleaner felt like a blessing. “All done!” she announced brightly.

  Bane waved his soda can at her. “Thanks, babe. Nice job.”

  She glowed under his praise. I rolled my eyes.

  “Sheesh. Got her for cleaning and sex. Pretty high life, right Bane?” I said.

  Fizz came over to him and rested her face against his big shoulder. “Want a quick blowjob? I gotta leave for work in about ten minutes.”

  He put his arm around her, letting her snuggle against him with nary a grimace. Good boy. “That’s okay. I’m tired and I don’t want to hold you up. Hazel’s an asshole if I keep his best dancer off the stage.”

  She preened. “You really like my dancing?”

  He patted her backside and moved away to fall down on the living room sofa. It screeched a little protest under all that muscular weight coming down on it so hard. “Of course I do.”

  Fizz pattered after him, perching at the edge of the couch by his side. She laid a hand on his knee. “Why don’t you nap? Get your strength back up. When I get off work tonight, I could get you off too.” She winked and gave him what I thought might be the emptiest-headed grin I’d ever seen.

  “Good heavens,” I groaned. “No wonder he doesn’t want you. Try acting like a lady once in awhile.”

  Bane only smiled, as if she’d invited him to a pleasant lunch. “Sure, Fizz. Sounds like a plan.”

  “Maybe I could actually remember what we do this time. Of all the times to have a blackout!” She pouted, her pink-slicked lips pooched out childishly.

  Enough already. “Hang on Fizz, because here comes another one.” I shoved my way inside, ignoring the frightened reaction I felt from her.

  I pulled her hand off the werewolf’s knee. “Okay, Bane, we’ve got some stuff to discuss.”

  His face lit with genuine pleasure, and he sat up straight. “I was hoping you’d show up. Brandilynn, right?” he added uncertainly.

  “That’s me.” I hurried to give Bane the lowdown, eager to get out of Fizz as fast as possible. “Listen, I found out C.K. and Hazel are behind the whole thing with the bad blood supplies. They’re going to go global with it. Not only that, C.K. is planning to somehow spread the Zoo Flu to humans once he’s gotten rid of the vampires.”

  Bane’s smile faltered. “Holy shit. You’re sure about this?”

  “Yes, and please watch your language around me. I don’t care for vulgarity.”

  He smirked, the big jerk. “You jumped me in front of the whole Beasts gang, and you’re worried about profanity?”

  I refused to answer him. I simply stared at him and waited.

  To his credit, he took his grin down a notch. “Yes ma’am. I will wash my mouth out with soap if I utter another obscenity in your presence,” he vowed.

  Back to the business at hand. I asked, “How are they getting dragon blood into the commercial supplies? Isn’t all that stuff heavily guarded and regulated?”

  “It’s supposed to be. What else you got?”

  I gave him everything I’d learned, start to finish. When I was done, he thought long and hard. “That’s great intel, Brandilynn, and I owe you. Unfortunately, I can’t move on any of it without hard evidence.”

  “Where would you get that?”

  “It sounds like Hazel’s the one setting up delivery. I’m betting he’s got a clue or two in his computer at the strip club. I need to get into it.”

  I didn’t see how I could help with that. “I’ll continue to keep my ears out and tell you what I find, Bane.”

  He considered me, his golden eyes searching Fizz’s face as if he could find me in there. “Do me a favor and call me Levi. After what you did for me, we should be on a real name basis.”

  Before I could react, he pulled me into his lap and kissed me, soft and slow. I wish I could say I immediately jumped up and slapped him silly for his forwardness, but it was a really good kiss. I kind of melted against his big, broad, utterly yummy chest for a second before I came to my senses.

  I pushed against that fabulous wall of werewolf and got unsteadily to my stiletto feet. Good heavens, I was nearly on my tippy toes in Fizz’s heels. At least my voice was firm even if my balance wasn’t.

  “That episode of sex at the club was one-time only, Bane. My boyfriend is very upset with me for what we did, which was a big mistake on my part.”

  He winced at my choice of words. “Wow. You know how to hurt a guy.”

  “You’re telling me,” came a gravelly voice behind me. I twisted to see Dan standing there. Well, crap on a stick. I groaned.

  “My boyfriend is here, Bane.”

  “Levi,” he insisted. “So he’s a ghost too? Tell your boyfriend he’s a very lucky man.”

  Dan glowered, apparently not feeling so terribly lucky. “Let’s go, Brandilynn, before I turn poltergeist and tear up his crappy little trailer.”

  I sighed, all filled with unhappiness. “Be careful, Levi.”

  I jumped out of Fizz, and she sagged for an instant before coming around. Bane had to grab her to keep her from falling. She blinked to find herself on her feet and in his arms.

  “Damn. It happened again,” she said uncertainly.

  Bane pretended gruff concern. “You kind of
fainted. Maybe you’re getting sick.”

  She stared up at him. “Yeah, but I can’t miss work. Hazel will hurt me if I do.” She looked at the watch on her wrist and paled. “Oh hell, I’m gonna be late!”

  She brushed a kiss on Bane’s cheek and rushed out the door. “Bye, honey! See you later!”

  Once she was gone and seemingly still unaware of the goings on, Dan gave me a look that would have made Hitler cry like a baby. “Library now.” He disappeared.

  I gave the silent and brooding Bane a wistful look. Wishing I could hide behind the big, strong werewolf cop, I followed Dan.

  * * * *

  Dan was pacing back and forth when I arrived. He wasted no time lighting into me.

  “So now shifters are on the menu?”

  I stared into his eyes, willing him to forgive me. “I told him nothing else would happen. I screwed up Dan, and I won’t do it again.”

  His face was a thundercloud. “You liked that kiss well enough, didn’t you?”

  I shook my head, realizing he was going to be mad no matter what I said. And maybe he had a right to be. “If you were there to see that, then you also saw I rejected him. What were you doing there anyway?”

  “Looking for you. When I didn’t find you at the club, I was afraid you were with him at his place. Guess what? My fears came true.”

  The pain in his eyes was so much worse than his fury. I had to convince him I had no interest in Bane. “I only went to him so I could tell him what to look for. This is a big case, Dan. Vampires and humans are going to die if those maniacs have their way.”

  “It’s bad enough sharing you with Tristan. You have no idea how much it hurts when you’re with him. And now, to know you were with Bane too—” he shook his head.

  It shook me to realize that for Dan, my infidelity took precedence over the lives at stake, at least for the moment. I’d really, really messed up for him to fixate on our relationship. And short of time traveling to take it back, there wasn’t a thing I could do to make things right again.

  “I’m sorry. If I could undo it, I would. You know you mean the world to me.”

  I saw so much on his face right then. Anger, despair, and disbelief. “Do I, Brandilynn? Because this really has me wondering,” he whispered.

  It was more than my usual control could handle. I started to cry, hugging myself because I didn’t dare touch Dan, not when he would most assuredly pull away. “I want to take it back. I’d rather be a wraith than hurt you.”

  I’d been a wraith before, that terrible hellish existence of being a ghost of a ghost. I’d never known anything so horrible until this moment. This was so much worse.

  Dan knows how much I hate to cry. And he knows I’d rather disappear into oblivion than ever be a wraith again. At last he relented, letting the anger if not the pain go. He came close and gathered me in his arms. I cried harder. I’d honestly been afraid he’d never hold me again.

  He sighed into my hair. “I love you so much. I wish you would get that.”

  My arms crept around his neck, and I buried my face against his shoulder. My “I’m sorry,” was a muffled groan into his shirt.

  Somehow he understood me anyway. “I know you are. But it’s going to take some time to get over the anger and hurt.”

  “You could punish me,” I offered.

  Dan managed to laugh. His tone lightly chiding, he said, “You enjoy discipline too much. Stop crying, baby girl. It kills me to have you so upset.”

  He made me tilt my head back, his big hands on either side of my face. He kissed me, gently at first, then with a growing urgency. I felt the press of his body’s response against my crotch, and I slid my hand over him to make him moan. I rubbed him through his pants, making him big and hard. Making my dress go away, I felt the soft cotton of his shirt against my naked breasts.

  “Please,” I whispered against his lips before I slid down to my knees in front of him.

  “Yes,” he whispered back. His eyes were dark with eagerness to mark and reclaim his territory. Sure, I know how primitive and ugly that sounds, but in certain things we really aren’t much more than animals. This was one of those situations.

  He didn’t make his clothes disappear, allowing me to unwrap him like a birthday present. My fingers trembled with eagerness as I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pulling down until his cock sprang free.

  Tristan has a little more length, but Dan is thicker, and to my eyes, more beautifully formed. His cock curved a little, perfect for hitting that special spot inside me. But I wasn’t after my own pleasure this time. I had a lot to make up to Dan, and if

  he wanted me to orally pleasure him until he shot off into my mouth, leaving me without release, that’s exactly what he would get.

  Besides, I love giving oral sex. Seeing him so hard and ready for my attention got me excited. Without a second’s hesitation, I sheathed as much of him as I could get into my mouth.

  His groan filled the library. I held him that way for a few seconds, my tongue rubbing all over his shaft, paying special attention to that throbbing vein. I tried hard not to think the last man in my mouth had been Bane. Thoughts of other men while I made love to Dan were definitely not welcome.

  His hands dove into my hair, and he pressed further in, firmly chasing thoughts of big bad werewolves away. I gagged a little as Dan went into my throat, and he groaned again. “Good girl.”

  He relaxed his hold without taking his hands off my head. I bobbed back and forth for a few strokes, and then he pushed me past comfort once more. The sound I made wasn’t pretty, but Dan likes to hear me fight to accept him. It’s part of his Dom nature.

  He never did it twice in a row, although as a ghost I’m not about to vomit. The gagging was simply an involuntary memory, one I could have overcome had I wanted to. For Dan, I let the reflex remain. I loved his power over me and eagerly awaited each time he demonstrated it.

  After a little while, he took complete control. Holding my head still, he stroked in and out of my mouth, still shoving all the way in once in awhile. It felt so good to be his, and my hands crept down to my wet core, ready to have me join in the bliss.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Dan growled, grabbing me by the armpits and dragging me to my feet. “That pussy is mine to make come.”

  I missed the feel of him in my mouth, but having him in other places suited me just fine too. “Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”

  “Up on the table. Elbows and knees.”

  I was on a nearby reading table faster than you could say doggie-style, knees splayed wide, and my rear waving in the air. A very vulnerable position, as you might well imagine.

  Without one bit of warning, Dan shoved three fingers into my pussy. My breath caught at the abrupt impaling, but I wasn’t complaining. His working in and out of me felt so good that my insides bubbled effervescently right off the bat. I warbled happiness and moved back to greet the next thrust.

  “That’s it, baby girl. Swallow those fingers,” Dan breathed.

  I rocked back and forth, knowing he was watching my pussy take them in, knowing he was loving the sight of my eager flesh that was his to command. His other hand cupped my hairless mound to rub in slow circles, the heel of his palm occasionally

  brushing my clit. Chills sparkled down my spine even as my core went molten lava. And when the fingers inside me curled to press that sweet spot inside me, my toes curled too, and my hair rose on end.

  “Sir.” I groaned all the way from my gut.

  “I know, baby. Feels good. Keep working those fingers, Brandilynn.”

  I did as I was told, sliding back and forth, helping him torment me with pleasure. My insides were beginning to coil, wrapping tight in on themselves. Soon I would be begging him to let me come, and he’d probably refuse me the privilege until I was screaming for it. When it came to refusing me climax, Dan could be as much of an absolute sadist as Tristan.

  In and out those amazing fingers plunged, hitting the magic spot more often than not. I
was panting now, offering little cries when his palm made contact with my clit and sent sensation sizzling through my womb. My entire body trembled as he pushed me harder, faster. Lightning flashes of enthrallment bolted through me, crowding me at the edge of the precipice. Heat blazed, threatening to ignite into a full conflagration.

  “Please Sir, may I come?” I gasped.

  “No, Brandilynn. You may not.”

  The hand massaging my mound lifted for an instant to deal a light, stinging slap to my clit. I offered a little scream as a rolling pulse filled my nether parts for an instant, nearly taking me away despite my master’s command against it. Agonized tears slipped from my eyes as I fought for control.