No answer.
Dammit.
She wrenched the doorknob. Locked.
Holly spun around. Laughter filled her ears. Drunken, desperate, and wickedly amused.
All kinds were in Paradise.
But where was the club's owner? If that prick had gotten him-
Her back teeth clenched. Holly's gaze swept the place, but she didn't see a handsome demon with black eyes staring back at her with a twisted grin.
Holly elbowed her way to the bar. Slammed her hands down on the cold marble countertop.
"Niol."
The bartender glanced up from the drink he'd been mixing. A tall guy, not like the giant, maybe a few inches over six feet. Red hair. Brown eyes. She'd seen him before-he'd glared at her the last time she'd been there. Right before Niol had let his pet guard throw me out.
Nice memory. One she didn't have time for right then.
"I'm Holly Storm-" She stopped and tried to raise her voice over the roar of noise. "I-"
"I know who you are." He sent the glass sliding along the bar top and down to the waiting hand of a man in a long back overcoat. A guy with fangs, of course.
The guy winked at her.
Holly shook her head and turned back to the bartender. "I have to find Niol. Now. " Okay, so she did sound like a demanding bitch right then, but, hell, she was scared. Yeah, Niol was strong, but he wasn't invincible. And if he wound up like Carl and Sam…
No.
The bartender's lips thinned.
"I can't get him on his phone. He's not here." She leaned over the bar. "I need to see him."
His gaze raked her. "Never cared much for reporters."
Her nails scraped across the marble. "And I don't care much for asshole bartenders." Serious understatement con sidering her history. "So I guess that makes us even. But the guys at the front knew about me. Niol had told them to let me in, and I'm betting he told you that I had the all clear in this place, too."
Silence. The band had stopped playing. The crowd wasn't talking. Holly glanced over her shoulder. Saw a woman with long blond hair and a tight black dress take the stage.
The succubus. The cop's girlfriend.
Holly turned away, hunching her shoulders.
"I don't buy the story." The bartender picked up a shot glass and started cleaning it with a white cloth. "No way Niol falls for a reporter, not with his secrets."
"Niol trusts me."
"Lady, Niol doesn't trust anyone. That's why he's the badass in town and all the other demons are just his minions." He glanced up at the stage, almost helplessly, as Cara began to sing, her voice husky, bluesy.
Wasting time.
"He's in danger," she blurted. "I have to make certain he's okay."
"He's always in danger. That's the way the game goes." Not overly concerned. His gaze drifted back to her. "You think you can save him?"
"I can try." Prick. Five more seconds, just five, and she was going over that bar.
His lips hitched in a half-smile. One that showed a hint of his own fangs.
Great.
He crossed to the register. Picked up a pen and scribbled a note on a stray scrap of paper. Then he came back to her, walking slow, taking his sweet-ass time.
He lifted the paper. "I'm Marc."
She was about to start snarling.
"If Niol wants to fire someone for giving you this, tell him to fire me." He'd tucked the paper between his thumb and index finger.
Holly reached for it.
"Ah-ah." He pulled back his hand. "Got to warn you about the house rules at this place."
Holly considered smacking him.
"Only go to play…or to be prey."
She snatched the note from him. "Heard that warning before." Niol's rule for Paradise. "Didn't keep me out of this joint, won't keep me out of the next place, either."
Holly pushed away from the bar, her eyes on the address. Montlith Court. That was a pretty ritzy street.
Laughter from Marc. "You're gonna be in for one hell of a night, lady. One hell of a night."
The house on Montlith stood, tall and elegant, behind a big stone gate. The home lay nestled between two houses that were each easily bigger than the News Flash Five station.
She hadn't been sure what address Marc would give her.
Holly certainly hadn't expected Easy Street.
She parked her car a bit down the road. Then she stalked up to the gate. Guards were stationed there. Uniformed guards with perfectly pressed pants and shirts, gleaming shoes, and wide-brimmed hats.
They waved a car in as she approached. The gates slid open and Holly thought about trying to sneak in-
"Freeze!"
Only to realize that a guy holding a taser had it aimed right at her.
She froze. "I'm here to meet a friend." Her head tilted just slightly toward the house. She could see it so clearly now, a huge antebellum mansion with white columns, elaborate steps.
Somebody had too much money.
The guy with the taser walked forward-and sniffed her.
"Human." The whisper was so light she almost didn't catch it.
One of the other guards, a guy who was at least ten feet away, gave a nod.
The back of her neck began to tingle.
"Why you here?"
Gruff, and dammit, hadn't she just told the guy why she was trekking up to Scarlett's house? "I need to meet-"
" Why?" The intensity in the guy's eyes and voice was just…creepy.
She remembered Marc's warning. Oh, hell, what was this, some kind of secret password shit?
"Uh, to play?"
The taser dropped. "Then have fun."
Doubt it.
"Maybe they won't use you up too much."
And maybe she wouldn't come back with a camera crew and broadcast that asshole's face all over Atlanta.
"The party's waitin'," he murmured. "Hope you like blood."
Not particularly.
Holly.
Niol tensed, his gaze on the gleaming red hair of the woman who strode toward the house.
He'd know that hair– know her –anywhere.
Shit.
What the hell was his reporter doing at the biggest blood party in Atlanta?
A human like her-she'd be a meal before she even made it past the foyer.
Then he'd have to stake a vampire. Or maybe ten.
Dammit. He'd come to the house for information, to see what dark whispers were circulating about the dead demons.
This wasn't a place for a human.
Not one like her.
His hands fisted as he watched her through the third-floor window. Leave. The word whispered through his mind, but he didn't use the compulsion.
He could, it would be so easy. She was close enough to control. He could push, and she'd turn around, walk that sexy ass away and-
No.
He wouldn't do that, not to her.
The woman was making him weak.
Time to fucking get her out of his system.
If the vamps didn't get to her first.
Niol stalked toward the stairs.
When the front door of the mansion opened, the stench of blood hit her like a slap in the face.
Oh, damn. No denying it now, she was at a freaking blood party.
Holly tried not to gape as she crept over the threshold. She'd heard about blood parties, of course.
Carl had told her about them and said that if she was smart, she'd make absolutely sure she never attended a blood fest.
Because the humans were the dinner at the parties.
A vampire stood just inside the entranceway, his fangs embedded in a woman's throat. Her eyes were wide open, staring at Holly. The vamp was gulping, sucking, drinking as fast and greedily as he could.
The woman smiled.
Shit.
Holly stumbled past them, only to see a female vampire with two men on the staircase. One guy sat at her feet, kind of like he was worshipping her. Another, with black hair and freakishly pale skin, stood on the step above her. Her red fingernails were on the sitting man's neck. Her mouth had locked onto the wrist of the too-pale one and Holly could see the lady's throat working as she swallowed.
Shit, shit, shit.
A big part of her wanted to turn tail and run right then. She'd seen vamps drinking at Paradise before, but this was different. Everywhere she turned, they were feeding.
And fucking.
She could hear them. The cries of passion and pleasure. The moans.
She was in way over her head.
Stumbling, she rammed her elbow into a man's back. He spun around and locked pitch-black eyes on her. Not black like Niol's, every part of Niol's eyes were dark.
This was different. Only the guy's irises were black. Hunting mode. A vamp's irises flashed dark when he hunted or when he screwed.
"I-I'm looking for Niol." Coming in alone probably hadn't been the best idea, but she'd had little choice. The house looked like a freaking photo spread in Southern Times –it shouldn't have been a cover for a bloodbath.
"Haven't seen him," the vampire said, his gaze sliding over her. "Shame on him, for leaving you all alone at such a good party." Then he smiled.
Uh, oh. She knew that smile. Vamp or human, she recognized a predatory glance.
"Why don't we go someplace quiet…" He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her palm. "To talk."
Right. What, was "talk" some kind of euphemism for sucking her blood? "I don't think I'm up for talking with you." The whole blood thing was not her style.
She was too much of a fainter and her weak stomach sure wouldn't let her indulge-that was one of the reasons she'd nearly slammed onto the floor in the ME's office.
His hold on her wrist tightened and the smile dimmed a bit. "Then let's just-"
"Take your damn hand off her, Carter."
Holly didn't wait for the vampire to free her. She yanked her hand away from him and spun to face Niol.
Alive.
Safe.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy to see someone.
So she kissed him.
Holly threw her arms around his neck, yanked his head down, and crushed her mouth against his.
His lips met hers with a voracious hunger. Mouth, tongue. Taking, driving her wild and feeding the desire that burned right below the surface.
Niol's hands clamped on her hips, dragging her body tightly against his. The bulge of his arousal pushed at her, the length long and hard.
Her sex moistened, the inner muscles clenching as yearning swept through her.
Niol lifted his head. Swiped his tongue across his lips as if he wanted to take every last drop of her taste.
The silence hit her then. Heavy, overwhelming.
Glancing to the right, she saw that the vamps on the stairs were watching them. Two men-
demons-walked out of another room, and their eyes narrowed on her and Niol.
No, on her .
" She's the reporter, " one of them snarled.
Oh, finally, someone recognized her. Not recognized at the bar, not at the gate-but now . She'd always had shitty luck.
"She's mine." Niol snarled right back, his arms still chaining her against him. "You got a fucking problem with that?"
The demons backed up a step.
Smart guys.
But the female vampire on the stairs gave a hard laugh and sauntered down three steps. "Maybe I do. Depends on just why she's here." A smile that should have been beautiful-because the woman's face was freaking gorgeous with glass-cutting cheekbones, red, red lips, a dainty nose, and a curving jaw-lifted her mouth. But the smile, it was just cruel…and a bit creepy.
Maybe because of the fangs.
Or the blood. The blood staining her teeth-yeah, that could be causing the creepiness.
"Why are you here, News Flash Five reporter? Are we your scoop for the night?"
The air seemed even thicker. Maybe it was. Maybe Niol was using his powers and he was about to send the black-haired bitch flying back up the stairs so she could finish her meals.
And then all hell would break loose because Niol was seriously outnumbered. She didn't think that even he could take down a whole house full of vampires and demons.
Maybe, but…
She didn't want to take the chance.
Holly let her gaze drift slowly back to Niol. She had the feeling the vamps were just waiting for the opportunity to pounce.
The demons, too.
His black eyes met hers. Burning with intensity. "Holly…"
She heard the warning in his voice.
Her arms were still around his neck. She stared into his eyes, kept her body nestled against his and said simply, "I want to play."
His lips parted in surprise.
Hard laughter echoed around her.
But then the vamps started talking again, the demons slunk away, and the blood party kicked back into action.
Niol kissed her. Another one of those deep, toe-curling kisses that made her wish they weren't surrounded by the stench of blood and monsters that they really, really couldn't trust.
Because right then, she just wanted to be alone with him.
She was glad he was safe.
And when the hell had Niol started to matter so much to her?
The powerful beat of his heart drummed against her. The warmth of his body bored into hers.
And his mouth…
That tongue…
"Let's get out of here." He growled the words as he tore his mouth from hers.
Holly nodded, more than happy to ditch the vamps.
Niol kept a tight grip on her wrist as he led her through the house. She passed gleaming chandeliers, fireplaces that were big enough to walk in, and half-dressed demons.
Then they were outside, stepping onto a stone walkway, one lined with rosebushes. A few party stragglers were outside, but they'd left the noise behind.