put me over your shoulder!' She held him tightly as he poked his tongue out at her. `Mason!'
`Well, you have a choice.' He held her tight against his chest, looking outside. `I can't have you wandering through the resort dressed like that. What will the Joneses think? Wilson's already given you the look. So, either I wrap you in a sheet and lug you around over my shoulder—'
`Mason, don't you dare!'
His eyes blackened. `Or we move so fast no one can see us.'
`Oh.' Ruth bit her lip as he walked outside. `Can you do that without, um, him coming?'
`Oh yes.' He put her down. `Take off your shoes. Don't want to lose them, do we?' She slipped them off and held them. Mason scooped her up in his arms again and blood pounded in her ears.
He laughed. `I thought this would excite you.'
`Go,' she whispered as her breath caught. The world blurred and Mason's body hummed against hers. `Holy shit.'
He stopped. The ocean lay before them. Waves rolled onto the beach. Muffled music thumped behind her.
`Amazing.' Ruth wet her lips. The sensation of him running so fast and the wild buzz of the speed had her heart pounding. `Nothing touched me. No trees or bugs.'
`No, they won't while I hold you.' He looked out over the ocean. `Nothing will ever hurt you while I hold you, Ruth. Nothing.'
`I know that.' She touched his face. `You're hot.' She touched his neck. `Flushed as well. I thought you could control all that when you're like this.'
`Yeah.' He put her down onto the footpath and Ruth slipped her shoes on, pulling the hem down automatically. `Blame it on the dress.'
`Very funny.' She watched as his eyes faded back to Mason's. `You're nervous again.'
`Nope, not me.'
He grabbed her hand and they headed for the source of the music. Ruth kept up, excited. Mason was too, but he was trying to hide it.
Ruth went first down the concrete stairs, towards the nightclub doors. Mason hesitated and Ruth stopped. He had never been so indecisive. `Relax, honey.' Ruth pulled his hand and he didn't resist. `Just be yourself. If there's any fighting or fucking we do it together and if there's dancing—'
`You're on your own,' he sighed and nodded. `Christ, you're a bad influence on me.'
`The worst.' She stopped at the big steel doors. The music sent waves of tiny vibrations over her, making her skin tighten.
`You feel that?' He touched the doors. `Hell, it's dance music with some sort of sonic vibration in it. Wonder what it is.'
Ruth knew. The music had already made her nipples harden and blood warmed her chest. `It makes you horny!'
`Christ.' Mason pulled the door open and Ruth didn't hesitate. She slipped under his arm into the chaos of sound, lights and scents.
Mason tried to focus. The club was full, the music loud and the air thick with scents. He shifted, uncomfortable with his arousal. It was an unexpected distraction.
`Stop glaring, will you?' Ruth's voice came clear to him through the music. `Oh, hi.'
The girl Ruth had spoken to caught his attention. Her singlet was sheer, but it was the scars he noticed. Bite marks. Bloodells bite marks.
`Mason!' Ruth stepped on his foot. `Stop staring.'
`Sorry.' He looked at the girl's face. Her eyes were hooded and she held his gaze. `Oh, sorry.' He felt his face warm. Most of the marks were on her breasts. She didn't smell like a Bloodells.
`You know what they are.' It wasn't a question.
`Yes,' he said, seeing her now. It was hard but as he let the hunter in him go, the girl's face became real to him. She was beautiful but her eyes were old. `You survived.'
`They didn't.' She tilted her head at him. `I'm Miekia.'
`I'm Ruth.' She stepped in between him and Miekia. Mason blinked. Miekia's face softened and her smile was warm.
`I know,' she said with a wink. `Come on. Nikki has a private booth.' She turned and Ruth followed. Mason saw more bite marks on her back. The miniskirt she wore revealed that bite marks were even on her thighs. Driving away the memories of what Bloodells could do, his arousal burned as he watched her walk away.
He followed, then stopped and looked around, eyes refocused. `Christ.' The club was full of women. He was suddenly aware of the eyes on him and felt a bead of sweat run down his back.
`Mason.' A small cool hand grabbed his wrist and the blood pounding in his groin eased.
`Nikki, hi.' He rubbed where she touched him, sharpened his senses, feeling out those not human in the club.
`Come on,' she said, taking his hand. `Sorry about the music thing.' Mason followed her, almost relieved, into the booth. The music snapped off as the door closed.
`I use the music to try to disarm any conflict between the different houses of Darkells here.'
`Well, it worked on Mason,' Ruth said, taking a seat on a lounge.
`I just thought he liked me,' Miekia said, grinning at him from her seat. She trailed a finger around a pierced nipple. `And now we all know that a little bit of this makes him much better behaved.'
`That'll do, Miekia.' Nikki said. `Go watch the door, please.'
`Oh, relax,' she said, patting Mason on the arm. `Just teasing. Tashia bet me I wouldn't do it.'
`Out!' Nikki waved her through.
`Are all your kind like her?' Mason sat down across from Ruth, feeling off centre. Miekia's humour had been real.
`No, Miekia is very open about who she is. Tashia was the one that saved her. She brought her back from the brink when the Bloodells tried to take her.'
Nikki checked the door and looked back at him. `Love does not discriminate against sexes and the longer you live the less it cares whether you're male or female.' She sat down beside Ruth but smiled at Mason. `You could be one of the few men who would understand this.'
`It's not easy.' He let his eyes wander over her; her small flimsy dress and the whiteness of her thighs, highlighted by Ruth's hand. It was Ruth he desired, not Nikki.
`So, where's the brat?' He had to change the subject, but was unsure why he asked about Renee.
`Renee is young and has problems socialising, so she will slip in a bit later on.' Nikki looked at Ruth. `I like your dress.'
Mason sighed. A flash of red in the club caught his eye, giving him an excuse to look away, craning his neck.
`Thanks,' Ruth said.
Mason watched Ruth, as she focused on Nikki. Then, again out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement, a flash of red that stopped on the far side of the club. His vision widened. He stretched his arms, trying casually to take a closer look.
`It was either this or a sundress,' Ruth told Nikki. `You bored already, Mason?'
`No,' he said, standing up. `But I think it's about to get a lot more interesting in here. Very interesting.'
There was Renee, on the other side of the club, facing off against two blonde girls. Others stood around her.
`Shit, Renee!' Nikki and Ruth appeared beside him. `Damn it. Stay here until I sort this out.' The door shut behind Nikki, cutting off the music.
Mason watched her cut a path through the crowd. Things were getting tense around Renee. The two blondes were pushing her but she didn't fight back. Mason rubbed his nose. The fight didn't look right to him.
`You coming?' Ruth pushed the door open, looking over her shoulder.
Nikki reached Renee. No one calmed down. The door closed and Ruth was gone, making her way through the crowd.
`Stay