TO BITE WITH LOVE

DISCOVERY

CHAPTER 6

DISCOVERY

Alexi's POV:

I led my mate out of the club and paused by the sidewalk, still holding her hand, the sparks firing throughout my body. I glanced over her carefully, contemplating what I was going to do. I should get her an Uber, I really should. Having a human for a mate was detrimental, and I needed to void myself from her. However, that simple action of holding her hand calmed me and filled my body with such a delight, I would never be able to explain it. The idea of not seeing her to safety didn't set well with me, the idea of releasing her didn’t set well with me either. I frowned and unexpectedly, she smiled warmly at me. Her lovely dark doe eyes sparingly at me, still damp from her terror riddled tears.

“You can let me go. I will be fine." She told me with a kindness I had never heard in a voice before. I paused for another moment and shook my head.

"I would feel better if I took you home, I think." I blurted out. She hesitated for a moment then nodded with a subdued understanding.

"Okay." she responded; she was surprisingly calm despite what had happened which surprised me. I nodded, thankful she was so respondent, still holding her hand, I led her over to my custom red Maserati. She stopped when she saw the car, her jaw gaped slightly.

"This is yours?" I paused not sure how to respond.

"Yes." I responded, waiting to see what she said henceforth. After a moment she smiled and wriggled her hand out of her grasp, then took a step forward and ran her fingers gently over the hood.

"It’s beautiful. " She murmured. I felt a grin fall upon my face with a great pride swelling into my heart. She liked my car! I know it sounded silly but that pleased me greatly as I had taken such care in choosing all my automobiles. I had a small collection, everything from vintage muscle cars to foreign hotrods, I loved them all. I walked over to the passenger door and opened it, then quickly stepped aside for her. She smiled sweetly at me and stepped carefully into the car. I hurried over to the other side and got in myself after I had closed the door behind her. Despite everything that had happened, she appeared unusually calm.

“So, tell me, where are we going” I asked as I pulled the key fob from my pocket.

“Over on Venetian Way. I have an apartment there, off the beach.” she answered, and as I started the car, she gave me the GPS coordinates, which I quickly punched into my car. As I began traveling to my mate’s residence, I could hear my phone ringing within my coat pocket and the display upon the car’s dash read “Karl”. I frowned and switched the call to my handset and pulled the phone from my coat pocket. I took a deep breath prior to answering. Honestly, I would’ve preferred to send it to voicemail.

“Excuse me.” I gestured as I lifted the phone to my ear and answered.

“You ripped Jake’s head off?! What the f**k has gotten into you!” Karl’s voice was frantic and hosted an immense amount of rage. I pursed my lips with irritation and gripped onto the steering wheel more tightly. Since when did he care that much about another soul? Jake was a parasite anyway. The last thing I was going to do, however, was engage in this conversation with Karl now while I was in the presence of my mate.

“I can’t talk about work right now. “And with that, I quickly hung up the phone.

CARL’S POV:

I had been having the time of my life, the woman here were beautiful, sun, beaches and my new club hosted the elite partiers of Miami beach! I had the exclusive stop, everything going into catering our VIP clients. And here I was, living life to the fullest and entertaining the lovely Courtney, daughter of one of my top investors. She and her friends were truly making the night a high life, and had it not been for my friend Alexi’s sudden horrible behavior and withdrawal, it would have been the perfect night.

I stood laughing at the VIP table I had selected for the girls; Chandel was nearly falling down drunk, and I knew I was going to have to keep a few of my regulars away from her. Courtney and Scarlet were still alert and viable, and that’s when I noticed that the pretty little rich brunette, I couldn’t remember her name, was no longer with the girls. I lifted my head and took a quick scan around the club, a single woman here as pretty as she was, she would never be safe.

“Where’s that little brunette that was with you all earlier?” I asked the only red head in the trio. If I recalled correctly, the little brunette had seemed more attached to her than the other two girls. Her eyes widened slightly as she took a quick drink and then set her glass down.

“Um, she was tired so opted to have an early night.” She advised me. I raised my eyebrows slightly, just as my phone rang in my pocket. I retrieved it and glanced at the screen; Dimitri’s name lit up upon the screen. I smiled at the girls, raised a finger, and turned my back away from them as I took the call.

“Yes?” I asked curiously.

“Hey, you need to get down to the back exit. We have a problem.” Dimitri had an alarmed tone to his voice. I paused for a moment and racked my brain of what the problem could be. It was unlike Dimitri to become upset about much of anything. I relented and sighed, acknowledging his concern.

“I will be right there.” I hit the end button and slid my phone back into my sport coat. “Ladies, I will be back shortly. Make sure to get another bottle of champagne on me.” I gave a Cheshire grin towards the girls making Chandel and Courtney smile and squeal happily. I turned and began shoving my way through the dense partying taking place. It took me a fair amount of time to rustle my way through the rowdy party scene happening within my club. When I reached the thick steel door, I noticed one of my bodyguards was diligently standing beside the door.

“Why are you here and not by the front?” I asked, there had to be good reason why he was standing here, shutting down the rear exit entirely.

“Dimitri asked me to stand here and make sure no one came through here.” He replied, taking his very seriously. I didn’t say another word and quickly hurried into the dark back room. And that’s when I saw it. Jake was laying on the floor nearest the far wall, decapitated. His head had been cleanly torn right off his shoulders.

“What the f**k!” I roared seeing the body of one of my dearest friends, say even my protégé, laying crumpled on the ground. Dimitri walked over to me, with two other men on either side of him “Did you do this?!” Pointing a finger at Dimitri, my eyes blazing red. I was livid. Jake was a good patron, yes, he could become a little overzealous at times and had taken a handful of girls for his pleasure, but he didn’t deserve this. He was a young vampire, and contrary of his youth, had a solid control over his bloodlust.

“No, I think it was Alexi.” I stared at him speechless. Alexi had never been one for violence, although he was not above it, it had to be a very serious situation before he would have killed this young man. So that lays in the question of what had happened for Alexi to turn on his own kind like this?

“But why?” I asked, dumbfounded, trying to rationalize why one of my oldest friends would have killed a kid that meant so much to me. I felt my fangs elongate, my eyes flickering red with rage. I instantly pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Alexi. It only rang a couple of times before the call connected. He didn’t even have time to speak.

“You ripped Jake’s head off?! What the f**k has gotten into you!” I was fuming and couldn’t contain my emotion. He had better have a solid reason for killing this kid.

“I can’t talk about work right now. “And with that, the phone disconnected. I held the phone in my hand, shaking violently at his crass disregard to my question. He had been cold, as a matter of fact, his attitude utterly dismissive. My eyes turned blood red and I began levitating. Dimitri took a step back cautiously. I was not a vampire one should mess with.

“Do you have any idea why he killed him?’ I growled so deep my voice echoed eerily in this vacant room. Dimitri slowly pushed the other two men behind him, both young vampires, and it was clear why he had ordered this room blocked off and only employed the help of the supernatural. Dimitri shook his head and ran his hand through his thick blonde hair.

“I think it had something to do with a girl.” He informed me. I lowered myself back onto the floor, my rage subsiding some with complete bewilderment.

“A girl? He killed another vampire for a female. That doesn’t make sense.” Dimitri shrugged his shoulders.

“He thinks the girl is his mate.” And again, I felt as though I had been kicked in the groin. My face paled, a mate? Vampires were rarely gifted a true mate, and where would he find a female vampire here? I sure as hell had never seen one. I only knew of a few, and none were in the club tonight. That could only mean one thing.

“She’s human.” I growled, feeling my anger rise once again. Alexi, the man who turned me, was willing to risk it all for a human female! Dimitri paled and lowered his gaze to the floor.

“I, I’m not completely sure. I don’t know her.” He stuttered. I smiled venomously, I had a gift of being able to tell if one was telling me the truth, and although he was not lying to me, there was more to this.

“But you’ve met her?” I asked, feeling an unnatural bloodlust fill me. The blonde glanced up at me frowning.

“Honestly, I am not sure.” I sneered angrily, so maybe he had, maybe he had not. Once thing I could concur, was that Dimitri was not intending to tell me anything, he was planning on protecting Alexi to the very end.

“Sir, what do you want us to do with the body?” one of my younger associates asked me carefully, with a non-threatening mannerism. I turned my attention to him, my eyes still blazing red.

“Burn his body, and bring me Chandel, and be sure to drug her friends so they don’t remember anything. I’m hungry.”