Unveiled

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jesse skirted the large crowd on his way back to Gideon, keeping mostly out of sight and ducking through the shadows against the back wall. He didn’t think anybody would bother him, but that didn’t mean he could stroll through the club like he owned the joint. And though he had carefully scrubbed his skin clean of blood and come, he knew he still reeked of it. Even the scent of the ointment he had smeared over every bruise and open scrape couldn’t hide the enticing smell of s*x.

There were all sorts of chains, ropes, chairs, and stockades in the back. Some of them were empty, some weren’t. Jesse barely noticed them anymore. He barely noticed anything that went on in the club. If he ever took the time to pay attention to every person, every circle of vampires, every corner, he’d be overwhelmed. And probably inspired to try to rescue many of the humans. But he did notice one. A young lady was bound by the neck, the wrists, and the legs, a bar keeping her spine straight, a gag keeping her silent. And she was utterly alone.

Even at a distance, Jess saw the terror and distress on her face. Momentarily forgetting where he was, and the fact he needed to get back to Gideon, he hurried over to her.

She was naked, which wasn’t unusual in and of itself. This was Sangre, after all. Pleasure was what it peddled. What was unusual was the lack of marks on her skin, the complete absence of bruising or bite marks that typified the humans who were brought to the club. Beyond the restraints of the stockade, she didn’t even wear a collar to signify ownership. Her porcelain skin glowed with health under the lights, and only a pink flush across her cheeks marred her otherwise flawless complexion.

As Jesse neared, her head turned in his direction, thick waves of dark-blonde hair swinging over her bare shoulders. Eyes the color of melted chocolate met his, and in spite of his rush to approach, he faltered for a moment under her regard. She was beautiful, like she stepped out of one of his art history texts at Cambridge, but the unmitigated panic in her eyes captured him. Humans at Sangre fell into one of two camps—those who were dead to the pleasures being taken from them and those who were exhilarated by adrenaline in being used thus. Jesse fell into the latter camp. He knew fear in Sangre, but beneath it all, he trusted Gideon to protect him.

This girl most definitely didn’t belong to either.

He couldn’t touch her, though his fingers itched to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. They’d be able to smell him on her, and he was wary of doing anything that might encroach on somebody else’s territory. Which also meant he couldn’t remove the gag. But he couldn’t walk away either. If she was there against her will, he couldn’t allow her to stay. That was not acceptable. And when she looked up at him with such naked fear—like she didn’t know if he was going to free her or beat her—he knew he couldn’t just continue to stand there stupidly.

Though he was sore, he crouched in front of her, so they were eye level. “You don’t belong here, do you?”

A whimper came from her throat, and when she shook her head, the ends of her hair tickled across his arm. Goose bumps erupted on Jesse’s skin. After several seconds, she lowered her gaze, dragging his downward at the same time, and he watched as she unclenched the fists she’d made, stretching her fingers out as if to reach for something along the ground.

Jesse was drawn to her, despite himself. He reached out, brushing his fingers across her hand.

And promptly, fell back on his ass.

Shaking his head, it took him a few seconds to realize the sudden jolt came from her. His first thought was she was wired to something to discourage touching, but that didn’t make sense. How could her skin be electrified?

Jess tried again, bracing himself. It wasn’t electricity. It was pure, raw emotion—panic. “f**k,” he whispered. “Hey, listen, I’m not going to leave you here. Do you understand?”

Her thick lashes shot up. It could have been a trick of the lighting, but Jesse would have sworn a tiny measure of the terror that had darkened her eyes had been replaced by the burn of hope. A tremor visibly wracked through her soft body, and the sigh that escaped around the ball gag rippled over Jesse’s skin.

“I can’t get you out of this myself, but I will get you out. I promise.” His hand hovered over her face for a moment, but then he touched her cheek in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. The panic flared through him just as brightly, but the hope he thought he saw before was like purple threads in a flash of orange. He briefly thought of Gideon’s dark mood—this wasn’t going to be easy.

He tore himself away from her and hurried across the club to the bar, where he found Gideon downing what looked to be a shot of blood. He was surrounded by vamps, and Jess knew he couldn’t demand they talk. He sidled up close to him and waited for acknowledgement.

The wait lasted for nearly five minutes. Five excruciating, tense minutes where Gideon only glanced in his direction twice, where it felt like every vampire in the place was watching him, where all he could feel was the girl’s terror thrumming through his veins. By the time Gideon set down his shot glass and picked up the leash, Jesse felt like he was going to jump out of his skin.

He nearly did when Gideon pulled him into a loose embrace, twisting the leash behind his back as he splayed his hand across Jesse’s ass.

“You smell like f*****g heaven,” Gideon growled, burrowing his nose in Jesse’s neck.

Jesse sighed, gripping Gideon’s arms. He didn’t seem to have any intention of pulling away from the embrace, which was good for Jess. He dropped his head, his mouth close to Gideon’s ear and whispered, “I need to talk.”

It was only because he’d spent the past six months in every possible intimate scenario with Gideon that Jesse detected the slight change in his lover’s body. To the casual onlooker, Gideon was simply caressing his human toy. To Jesse, Gideon had already relinquished his normal command for the more equitable relationship they maintained outside the bedroom.

Gideon’s mouth worked over Jesse’s skin, but the kisses masked the word that was barely a breath. “Here?”

Jess inclined his head. It would be easier to talk if they left the club, but he was not going to step out of that door without the girl. “Bathroom?”

Gideon’s answer was to pull away, the leash looped loosely around his wrist, as he guided Jesse around the edge of the floor to the narrow corridor that led to more private facilities. Normally, he allowed Jesse privacy, but now, Gideon entered the bathroom first, not saying a word until the door was closed shut behind them.

“What happened?” His dark eyes swept over Jesse. “Did someone approach you?”

Jesse almost asked if Gideon thought there was anybody left in the club who hadn’t already had their share, but decided now wasn’t the time. “No, no, nothing like that.” Gideon looked relieved, but then slightly annoyed. “There’s a girl in one of the stockades. I don’t know who brought her, or what she’s doing here, but she’s scared. No, wait, she is f*****g terrified.”

Gideon paused, but when Jesse didn’t add anything, he shrugged. “And?”

“And she doesn’t want to be here. Look, I know there are a lot of people around here who are frightened. I’m usually a little scared. But she’s not enjoying it. I know I’m going home at the end of the night, she…she doesn’t.” Jess paused before adding. “I told her we’d take her out of here.”

That got the response he hadn’t gotten earlier. “You told her what?” Gideon stared at him in disbelief. “You know that’s not how it works here, Jess. If she’s in a stockade, she belongs to somebody. You can’t just…fuck, what were you thinking?”

“I don’t think she does belong to anybody,” Jess countered. “There was nobody near her. There wasn’t a single mark on her body. There was no jewelry, no collar. But if she did belong to somebody, could you find out?”

“Well, yeah, but…” His mouth compressed into a thin line, and he seemed to weigh what Jess had said. “Show me where she’s at,” he finally offered. “I’ll talk to her.”

“I’ll take you to her but she’s…well, she’s gagged.”

“How do you know she’s so scared then?”

“I felt it.” At Gideon’s arched brow, Jess sighed. “Look, I know how that sounds, but I touched her.” He touched Gideon’s hand to demonstrate. “And I felt it. It knocked me on my ass.” Jess frowned. “I think she’s an empath. A very, very strong empath.”

For a moment, he thought Gideon was going to dismiss his concerns. It wasn’t often that they couldn’t come to an agreement on matters, but the doings at Sangre were not the same as their cases. Gideon would be well within his rights to say no to Jesse’s wishes, in order not to disturb the status quo within the vampire community, and Jess knew it.

But then Gideon nodded. And Jesse exhaled in relief.

“Let’s see what we can do,” he said.

Jess pressed his mouth to Gideon’s. “Thank you.”

Picking up the end of the leash again, Gideon paused before opening the bathroom door. “I’m going to hold this,” he said, “but I’m going to let you lead to where she’s at. Maybe you didn’t see an ownership mark on her, but there’s no way a human isn’t in here for some purpose.”

Jess nodded. He didn’t doubt she was there for some purpose, but he didn’t care what that purpose was if she didn’t want to be there. Gideon stuck close as Jess led him on the same path he took before, going unerringly to the beautiful girl. She was exactly as he left her—alone, frightened, and mute. He smiled at her, silently reaffirming his promise.

The leash fell to his side as Gideon released him, and Jess stepped back, allowing Gideon the room to prowl around the girl. They had only been there for mere seconds before a female vampire slithered in from the darkness, an obsequious smile gracing her mouth as she draped her arm through Gideon’s.

“Isn’t she lovely?” she purred.

“Quite,” Gideon replied. “Too lovely to be left alone like this.”

“She won’t be left alone for long,” she promised. “She’ll be going home tonight with some very lucky vampire.” She ran her tongue over her fangs. “I’d take her for myself, if I could.”

“And why can’t you?”

She laughed. “I’m not made of money. If I knew a treat like this was going to be available, I would have…acquired some cash.” With a shrug she added, “Maybe whoever wins her will share.”

Jess caught the frown Gideon shot him before his features settled back into the charming mask he wore for the other demons in the club.

“I didn’t think Sangre was hosting auctions anymore,” Gideon remarked casually. “That must make this one…extra special.”

“Oh, she is.” She stepped forward, threading her fingers through the girl’s hair. “I heard Slater was going to keep her for himself, but when he realized how much he could get for an empath, he set up a silent auction. It’s closing in an hour, if you want to make your bid.”

Gideon circled the stockade again, armed with the fresh knowledge of what was truly going on with the girl. At least Jesse now understood why she wasn’t marked. She was merchandise. They were saving that pleasure for her new owner.

Coming to a stop in front of her, Gideon crouched down to meet her eye to eye. The female vampire backed away, but the girl’s dark eyes were fixed on Gideon, wide and luminous as he reached forward and stroked her cheek with his knuckle. Though it was the scantest of touches, Jesse saw his reaction the moment there was contact, that slight flare of his nostrils, the unmistakable expansion of his pupils. Apparently, she could transmit her emotions to vampires as well.

“Well, well…you are special, aren’t you?” Gideon murmured. He withdrew his hand, but didn’t straighten, merely glancing at the female vamp out of the corner of his eye. “Slater, you said?”

“Yep. He’s taking the bids in his office.” She touched his shoulder. “Good luck. Maybe if you win her, you could bring her by sometime?”

The smile he shot her was blinding. “I’ll think about it.”

The second the vampire left, Gideon straightened and grabbed Jesse’s leash, pushing him back to the wall. Using his body to block out the rest of the club, he leaned in and said, “Go get your clothes. Then get out to the car and grab the spare bag in the trunk. She’s going to need something to wear.”

Jess nodded, then watched as Gideon marched off through the crowd. He hoped she could receive as well as transmit, and as he passed her, he brushed his fingers over her shoulders, trying to send her something warm and promising, even soothing. He dressed without trouble, and nobody accosted or blocked him on his way to the door. Snagging the keys from the valet, he hurried to the lot and grabbed the small bag—clothes he might have worn himself given the rather sad state of his own outfit—and almost sprinted back to the club.

When he entered again, he went directly to the back, relieved to see Gideon and Slater were already unlocking her from the stockade.

“You have to tell me how you break her,” Slater was saying. “Better yet. Bring her back and do it here. There’s a lot of people who are going to be very disappointed they weren’t the ones to take her home tonight.”

Gideon chuckled. Catching Jesse’s eye, he stepped back and nodded toward the girl. “Take her to the bathroom and get her dressed, boy. And be quick about it.” He leered at Slater. “I have to know if what they say about empaths is true.”

Jess wanted to put a protective arm around her shoulders, but he settled for putting his palm against the small of her back and trying to shield her from the curious vampires as he guided her to the bathroom. He knew the only thing keeping them from tearing him away and going after her was Gideon’s reputation.

As soon as they reached the bathroom, Jess immediately took the shirt out of the bag and draped it over her shoulders.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft as she edged away, putting distance between them as she slid her arms into the sleeves. She regarded him through her lashes as she fumbled with the buttons, but her eyes kept darting to the bite marks on his neck. “How’s he…” She stopped, swallowed, tried again. “What’s he going to do to me?”

“He’s probably going to take you back to the office, make sure you’re not hurt, find out how you got in a place like this, then hunt down whoever is responsible.” Jess smiled gently. “Gideon isn’t going to hurt you, I promise you. And hey, when have I ever lied to you?”

“Gideon…” She rolled the name around on her tongue, as if she was trying it out. “Why would he do that? Because you asked him to help me?”

“No, it has nothing to do with me. Don’t let this place or this—” he gestured at his throat “—give you the wrong idea about him. He’ll do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

She still seemed unsure and took a tentative step toward him. Reaching out, she paused as she lifted her gaze and asked, “May I?”

Jess nodded. “Do what you have to do.”

There was a slight tremor in her fingers as she pressed them to the fresh puncture wounds in his neck. Though he was prepared for the contact this time, the surge of heat that leapt from her to him still managed to make Jesse gasp. A sense of curious awe accompanied the residual fear, and the longer she held her hand to his skin, the more intense the emotions became, swirling and swelling in eddies impossible to take apart. By the time she pulled away, they were both panting.

“Thank you,” she breathed, and then as if an afterthought, “I don’t know your name.”

Jess felt like he needed to sit down. For a very long time. “Jesse. Jesse Madding. What’s yours?”

“Emma Coolidge.” Though she hugged her arms around her soft curves, the smile she gave him was genuine. “We should go before somebody tries to offer Slater more money for me. You look like you could use about a week’s worth of sleep, too.”

Jess glanced at himself in the mirror above the sink. “Yeah, a week’s worth sounds about right. It’s good to meet you, Emma Coolidge, though I do wish it was under better circumstances.” He took her hand. “Wait a second…” A soft knock came on the door then and Jess smiled. “That’s Gideon.”

Gideon led them out of the club without speaking, both men sticking very close to Emma. Jess sighed with relief when he stepped into the cool air for the second time. Emma’s sigh echoed his, and thanks to the contact, he didn’t have to imagine how relieved she was.