Page 87 of Huntress Unleashed
She dressed in a black cocktail dress with a flouncy skirt and spaghetti straps, her red hair the perfect contrast. She wore high heeled black shoes too, even though fighting in them could be more difficult. But she had to think that she wouldn’t be in a fight. If she and Dane stirred up trouble, they would just need to leave. She eyed her sparkling diamond ring and was thrilled that she could say she was engaged to Dane, whom she loved with all her heart.
Then she heard Dane’s truck pull up and she headed outside. He was already out of his truck wearing black trousers and a white shirt, dress shoes, no tie, so he looked dressy but not overly so. He smiled appreciatively at her, kissed her, and opened her door for her. “Man, am I glad you’re with me.”
She loved that about him. One minute, they were in a vampire or a hunter fight, trying to take down a rogue, watching each other’s backs, the next, dressed and glamorous, ready to enjoy the nightlife. Well, at least they looked like it. She wasn’t sure they would be doing much more than speaking with Green, not dancing until the place closed down. But she was glad Dane was so free with his compliments where she was concerned. Van had always been stingy with them, as if he thought telling her she looked nice might go to her head.
Dane fastened his seat belt, and they were on their way.
“Well, I’m so glad you’re with me. I wouldn’t want it any other way. Not only as a fighter companion, but also as my lover, loyal friend, and fiancé. And you dress up nice.”
He chuckled. “You are the same for me. Not that I would have wished this on either of us, but it really was a wakeup call as far as who we were engaged to be married to.”
“Yes! Even little things like dancing. Van and I loved to dance, but he would dance with other women friends, like being with me wasn’t enough. And of course the hunting business. Oftentimes, hunter mates hunt together. They’re always there for each other. They can have different hobbies or interests or friends, but their mate comes first.”
“Precisely. Why bother mating each other otherwise?”
“That’s just what I was thinking.” She realized she had a lot more negative things to say about Van than Dane had about Wendy. Maybe they were more compatible than she had been with Van. Maybe the only thing that was wrong between them was the business with him being turned and her parents being unhappy about it. Then again, Dane did say that he didn’t like hunting with her.
“Okay, contingency plans?” Dane asked Jacqueline as they neared the vampire club.
She appreciated that he wanted to hear what she wanted to do first. “We look for Green and try to convince him to go outside with us. If he’s afraid of us and feels more comfortable in the club, he can stay in there with us. Though I keep forgetting that you can tell him that he wants to go outside and then we’ll discuss the situation. If other vampires try to interfere, then we play it by ear. If they’re just trying to give us grief but not really threatening us, we can go about our business. If the vampires begin to get hostile, we’ll leave, get into your truck, and depart the area.”
“And make a later date with Green?” he asked.
“No way. We take him with us when we leave.”
Dane smiled. “I like the way you think.”
“We have a mission, and if we can accomplish it without getting ourselves killed, I’m all for doing it in any way that we can go about it.”
“I agree.”
When they finally arrived at the club, it was in full swing, cars filling the parking lot, a man and a woman talking to each other outside near the door. He was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt and sneakers, not the look of a vampire at a fancy club. The woman was likewise dressed in jeans and sneakers, her T-shirt featuring a green luna moth. They didn’t even give Dane or Jacqueline a second glance.
“They look a little underdressed,” Dane said telepathically to Jacqueline.
“Which may be the reason they’re standing outside the club instead of inside of it. Maybe they aren’t vampires.”
“Blood bonds,” Dane guessed.
“Right. And without the appropriate attire, they’re just on the sidelines, looking for a vampire to pay them for their blood, I suspect,” Jacqueline said. This was all so new to her. She hunted down vampires. She didn’t really get into their social customs that much as far as blood bonds went unless she needed to learn more to follow and eliminate a rogue.
“Yeah. So far so good.”
23
The music at the Blue Moon was playing so loudly, they could hear it all the way out into the parking lot. As soon as Dane opened the door to the club for Jacqueline, a big, burly man with a shaved head said, “I haven’t ever seen you in here before.”
“We’re new,” Dane said, sharing the telepathic communications with both the bouncer and Jacqueline.
That was a smart move. If the bouncer thought they were blood bonds, they would have given the name of a vampire who had invited them, most likely. As vampires, they could have shown their fangs, but that could be a sign of aggression in any circle. Telepathic communication was perfect because rarely did a hunter have that ability, so in a non-aggressive way, they were able to confirm that they should be allowed to be there. And technically, they were new in more ways than one.
The bouncer just jerked his head for them to enter.
Vampires were talking, drinking, and dancing, wearing a variety of clothes from tuxes and full-length gowns to cocktail dresses and dress shirts and dress pants. A few blood bonds were standing at various places in the club—visiting with each other, waiting for a vampire to approach, wanting a drink from them instead of buying bloody cocktails.
The ceiling was covered in blue lights and stars and a bright white moon. Lights flashed across the dance floor and the people in the club. It was interesting to see the different decors and ambience in the various clubs. Despite the dancing and music, it seemed more subdued in certain areas where vampires and blood bonds were seeking a sexually charged blood-bonding experience.
“Do you see Green?” Jacqueline asked.