From Prey to Precious

Into Eden & The Wind Up

Rachel’s POV:

I still can’t believe that I’m actually doing this.  I know that it’s just an innocent drink, but still. The second that people see us leaving together the rumors are going to start to fly. Maybe I should just back out now, claim the sudden onset of a headache or something. That way Mr. Calloway can’t really get upset with me about ditching him and I don’t put myself in a compromising situation.

As soon as we reach the parking lot, I turn towards Mr. Calloway to give him my excuse but before I can say anything, he ushers me towards his black Impala.

“I thought that since we’re going out for a drink it might be better if we took my car rather than the bikes. This way I can make sure that you get home safely and you know that nothing is going to happen to your bike here at the shop,” he says with a smile on his face as he opens the passenger side door for me.

I give him a small smile but don’t move to get into the car right away, “I appreciate the thought, but how am I supposed to get to work in the morning if my bike is here? Besides, I’m star—”

Mr. Calloway cuts me off before I can even finish my excuse, “I can always drop your bike off later so you’ll have it in the morning or I can ask someone from Vinnie’s to pick you up if you would like.

He moves to stand in front of me and looks me straight in the eyes, “I promise I’ll keep both you and your bike safe. You have my word on the matter,” he solemnly pledges to me. 

I don’t know what it is but looking into his eyes and hearing him say those words to me, makes any lingering reservations I had about tonight just melt away. It doesn’t make sense; I just met this guy for the first time about a half hour ago and for some reason I feel like I can trust him completely. It’s not like me at all and it doesn’t make sense and that makes me nervous.  I feel like I’ve been down this road before. I know my judgement has gotten better over the years, but I still second guess myself when it comes to certain situations. Or I suppose more accurately I second guess other peoples’ intentions.

I smile a little and nod my head as I bend down and sit in the car. I can’t trust my voice right now because for some reason I have the feeling that if I tried to speak I’d just say something ridiculous like ‘Kay!’ and I don’t want to try and embarrass myself any more than I already have.

As the car door closes, I look up at Mr. Calloway through the window and take in his expression. It’s not one that I’m used to seeing on him. He definitely looks pleased, but there’s something else there that I just can’t place. For some reason it’s making the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a very tiny part of me feels like I should bolt out of the car and never look back. But I won’t, I know that I won’t, and I think at this point so does he. He hasn’t done anything to make me uncomfortable. If anything, he’s been the perfect gentleman. Maybe that’s what’s setting me off. I’m not used to this type of treatment unless it’s coming from someone who views me more as a family member than a friend or anything more.

When he closes the door and walks around the car to climb into the driver’s seat, I shake my head, giving myself a mental slap on the cheek. Get it together woman! This is your BOSS, he’s only trying to woo you over to his shop, he couldn’t possibly have any other interest in you than that. This is not the time to give in to your romantic fantasies. That’s all they will ever be is fantasies! Just put those types of thoughts in your spank bank and move on!

I watch as Mr. Calloway walks around to the drivers’ side of the car and pauses for a moment before opening the driver’s side door and sliding into the car. As he starts the engine to the car and puts the car in drive, he can’t seem to keep the grin from his face as he pulls out into traffic. I can’t help to notice that he doesn’t even glance in my direction. Normally this wouldn’t bother me at all, and I would just amuse myself by looking out the window. But for some reason it’s really getting under my skin.

“So,” I ask feigning nonchalance, “may I ask where we’re going? I know you said that you wanted to show me something, but I can’t imagine there are too many shops that are still operating at this hour.”

Mr. Calloway gives a small chuckle as he continues to navigate the car towards his destination. “You would be correct on that. But I told you we were going to get a celebratory drink, remember?”

I nod slightly as I look down at my nails and try to clean the imaginary dirt out from underneath one of them. “I remember. I just assumed that whatever it was that you wanted to show me had something to do with either a motorcycle or a car.”

He shakes his head as he continues to keep his eyes on the road. “No, not this time. There’s a place that I think you’ll really enjoy. Not too many people know about it. It’s kind of a hole in the wall type of place but I have a feeling that you are really going to appreciate the atmosphere.”

I raise an eyebrow as I look over at him, still frustrated at the fact that he’s not even glancing at me as he’s speaking to me. “Oh? I’ve visited quite a few hole in the wall establishments. What’s it called? Maybe I’ll know it.”

Mr. Calloway’s smile widens as he pulls the car off the street and into a parking area next to a large building that appears to be a converted warehouse. He doesn’t answer my question, just merely puts the car in park and finally looks over at me with a devilish smile before cutting the engine and getting out of the car.

I sigh in frustration as I undo my seat belt and put my hand on the door handle to get out of the car. But before I can pull the handle myself, the car door is already opening, and Mr. Calloway is standing there with that same devilish grin and is extending a hand towards me to help me out of the car. I stare at his hand for a moment before looking up at him and giving him a glare. Part of me is expecting him to take offense but he merely drops his hand and laughs before moving out of the way and letting me get up out of the car.

“Go ahead and leave your backpack in the car. You aren’t going to need it inside and there’s not many places to put it anyway,” he tells me as I stand beside the car.

I shrug my shoulders slightly before slipping off my backpack and tucking it safely back inside the car. As the door shuts, I can begin to feel the deep thudding coming from the building and I feel a small smile creep over my lips. I look over Mr. Calloway’s shoulder towards the entrance of the building to see the pulsing, multi-colored lights coming from the entrance and reflected through the domed, glass ceiling of the club.

I smile even wider at the shocked expression on Mr. Calloway’s face as I slip off my leather jacket and begin to unbutton my silk shirt to reveal the black tank top I have on underneath. I fold up my dress shirt and carefully slide it into my backpack before donning my leather jacket again.

I can’t help but be excited about where we are. I’m generally not a huge fan of clubs, but this place has actually become one of my favorite haunts. I discovered the place about two years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. 

I find myself passing Mr. Calloway and heading right towards the entrance to the club. As I approach the bouncer checking ID’s at the door, I realize that Mr. Calloway isn’t with me anymore and he seems to have forgotten how to walk as he just stares at me, his mouth slightly open and his eyes appearing as though they may pop out of his head at any moment. I’ve decided that this is a much better reaction than him not even looking at me as I shoot him a small smile while looking back over my shoulder at him and curl my index finger. I don’t know why but something about his reaction is setting something off inside of me. It makes me feel beautiful, desirable, and empowered.

When he shakes his head and finally seems to remember how to walk again, I head over to the bouncer next to the door.

“ID please,” the bald muscular bouncer at the front door states in a bored voice.

“Heya Ed,” I say cheerfully as I reach into the back pocket of my jeans to fish out my license and the cover fee. I figure if I pay for Mr. Calloway’s cover fee, that might just throw him off his game a little more and I can draw out this heady feeling of being in control.

“Oh, hey Rachel!” the bouncer says as his face splits with an ingratiating grin. “Haven’t seen you around in a minute.”

I shrug my shoulder a bit as I open up my wallet to take out the cash for the cover charge, “Yeah I know. I’ve been super busy. Any idea on who’s spinning tonight?” I ask distractedly as I try to make conversation and count the appropriate amount of bills at the same time.

“Nah… haven’t really been inside too much tonight and you know they all sound the same to me,” Ed says somewhat distractedly.

When I look up to hand Ed the money, I catch him glancing over my shoulder and his whole demeanor has changed. He’s standing up a bit straighter and he’s broken out into a sweat. “Uhh, don’t worry about the cover tonight Rachel. It’s on me,” he says as he hurriedly gets out of the doorway. “Have a great time tonight,” he says with a small smile.

Just as I’m about to respond I feel a cool hand on the small of my back propelling me forward. “You heard the man Rachel,” Mr. Calloway purrs in my ear over the sound of the music.

Between the pulse of the music and Mr. Calloway’s voice, I feel goosebumps break out all over my body as I step inside the club. It’s almost as if I’m entering for the first time again. Surprisingly, the club isn’t packed tight with bodies so I’m able to appreciate my surroundings.

The first thing that everyone notices when they enter the club is the large tree at the center. The very first time I saw it, I thought that it was artificial and that whoever designed this place was out of their minds. It’s not fake though and the branches extend up over the circular bar surrounding it. When the club fills up with people, the heat from the dancing people and lights make the leaves on the tree start to dance and it is truly mesmerizing. In addition, it appears that the circular bar surrounding the tree is actually made of living rattan woven together and topped with a thick plate of glass. Around the edges of the dance floor are tables and booths with various potted plants, most non-flowering, which adds to the illusion that you are in a garden at night rather than inside a large building. It’s absolutely breath taking.

As we make our way into the club proper, Mr. Calloway leans close to my ear and whispers in a low voice, somewhere between a purr and a growl, “Welcome to Eden Rachel.”

The Wind Up (accidently deleted chapter)

Brian’s POV:

Rachel’s reaction was everything that I had hoped it would be.  Granted, I had hoped it would be more of a surprise, but I’m glad that she loves my club as much as she does. I’m also kind of surprised that she is evidently a regular here and once again, I had no idea. Although it does explain why that scent that has been driving me to distraction over the past few weeks seemed to be following me everywhere. Part of me has to wonder how long our paths would have continued to cross without intersecting without Vincent’s intervention. I’m definitely going to have to have a very long conversation with my elder about his hand in this.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of Rachel as she made her way through the club. There was an electricity in the air with her here that I just couldn’t explain. Something always drew my eyes to her and when she beckoned me over to her, I couldn’t help but to go to her. I knew that I was trailing after her, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care. Her laughter beckoned me to her like a sweet siren’s song, the wicked gleam in her eyes and the smile on her lips were commands that couldn’t be denied.

What in the name of all the gods is wrong with me? I suddenly think to myself as I realize I’m still trailing after her. I’m not like this! Not ever! Not when I was mortal and absolutely not since I was turned. What is she? Is she some kind of a witch? Maybe she’s one of the fae? I know she’s not a vampire. Maybe some kind of shape shifter or a manifested spirit.

Did I care? I wasn’t sure. I honestly wasn’t sure if any of that mattered and that is something that terrifies me. But I know one thing for sure, if I taste her blood, I’ll be able to tell what kind of creature she is. Or at least if she is anything other than human anyway.

Once I make the decision that I am going to hunt her, everything changes. I have a purpose. I have a goal. Now I can enjoy playing the game.

I can feel my lips curl into a savage smile as I continue to watch Rachel move through the crowd. I see her start to look around for me as I draw closer to her. She smiles as our eyes meet, but when she sees the smile on my face, or perhaps it’s the look in my eyes, her smile falters. The second that someone passes between us and she loses sight of me for a moment, I’m gone. Slipping back into the crowd as I make my way away from my prey so that I can get a better advantage.

As I make my way through the crowd towards the back of the club, I can’t help but run my tongue over my teeth in anticipation. I’ll finally be able to satiate the gnawing hunger that’s been inside me since the day that I met her. Hopefully, once I satisfy this craving, my life can go back to normal.

I break away from the crowd and continue to head back towards a door with a sign saying, “Employees Only Beyond This Point”. Once inside, the music and the constant drone of people talking, dancing, eating, and drinking is muted considerably. I take a moment to center myself and to breathe in a deep lungful of air before continuing down the hallway.

I don’t pay attention to the humans that are scampering out of my path. They know better than to try and ask me inane questions as I stalk down the hall. They’re beneath my notice. I have my sights on other prey tonight and I will not be distracted.

It isn’t long before my destination comes into view and I push open the door and allow the cool darkness of the room I’m entering to envelope me. I don’t bother turning on the lights in the room. I can see better without them. I walk behind the large desk and depress a hidden tile on the wall. As my fingers leave the panel, the tile springs free, revealing a small compartment containing a dark bundle of cloth, leather and fur. I smile slightly as I pull the bundle out of it’s hiding place and set it on the desk before reaching farther into the exposed space in the wall and bringing out what appears to be a pair of goggles set on a wide metal band. I start unbending the wide metal band, which reveals itself to be an elaborate headpiece with a distinctly canine shape.

Once the headdress is in place, the goggles centered over my eyes and the small microphone is positioned near my mouth, I unfold the cloth bundle that I placed on the desk. With a few swift movements, my costume is complete and I’m completely unrecognizable. I walk through the darkness of the office towards another door that leads to a different portion of the club. It’s still dark here but I can see the flickering lights of the club up ahead. As I draw closer to the light and the pulsing music of the club becomes clearer, I see the outline of a familiar form and turn on the lights attached to my goggles, bathing the hallway I’m standing in, in a bright red light.

The person before me turns towards the red light and freezes for a moment before giving a small nod and pulling the large headphones from around his neck and placing them on the mixer. He lowers the volume of the music and pulls the nearby microphone to his mouth before addressing the crowd.

“We interrupt our regularly scheduled musical stylings to bring you lovely children of the night a very special surprise. Let me hear you howl for him! I give you, The Wolf!” the DJ screams into the microphone, causing the crowd to explode in a chorus of howls loud enough to wake the dead.

The DJ steps back, relinquishing control of the mixer and control boards to me as I step out into the light of the DJ booth and raise my hands. As I growl deeply into the microphone attached to my headdress, the crowd goes wild.

But I’m not concerned with the sweaty mass. My eyes lock with my prey within moments and I watch her eyes light up with excitement as she screams for me.  I send a hungry growl through the microphone as I begin my set. I want to play something that will get her moving, get her blood flowing with those sweet tasting endorphins and perfume the stale air of the club. But more than anything, I want to see how she moves. Will she be graceful, aggressive, seductive, or have no coordination at all?

Watching her dance will allow me to properly assess her physical capabilities such as coordination and speed. How aware of her surroundings she is. Is she oblivious to the other people around her or does she make sure to avoid contact with them? Is she more passive or dominant when approached by a perspective partner? Does she seek the attention, or does she seek solitude? These are all important questions that can aid me in the pursuit of my prey this evening.

I move the previous DJ’s headphones from the mix board as I begin my set. I want to get her moving, so I pick something with faster tempo, something easy to dance to. So, I start off with some Bauhaus to get the crowd excited and get them moving. As the song continues, I add in a track of tribal drums to put a slightly more primal feel to my music. Gradually, my music choices become slightly more aggressive and I integrate more drums and other percussion into my tracks, as if the music is a living thing and the tribal drums, increasing in speed, is it’s racing heart.

As my fingers fly over the control board and mixer, my eyes stay fixed on Rachel. I know that my subconscious is doing its job and is analyzing her movements and how I can use the information to my advantage. But I’m not thinking about that right now. All I can think about is how delicious she looks. How mouthwatering her scent is on the air. How it seems to overpower everything else, until she is all I can see, all I can smell and how badly I wish my hands where on her sweat dampened skin.

It isn’t until I see anger flash in her eyes, and she spins around to face a man on the dance floor that the spell is finally broken. Evidently the i***t thought that her dancing was an open invitation for him to try and cop a feel. Obviously, this wasn’t something that she appreciated. I watched as she rounded on the guy and yelled at him to keep his hands to himself. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the message and thought that her yelling at him was an invitation to try again. He learned differently when she grabbed him back, on a particularly sensitive part of his anatomy, and forcibly brought him to his knees. I couldn’t contain my dark chuckle as I watched him drop to the floor as she spun on her heel and stalked off towards the bar.

Time to get back to her before she goes to ground for the night. I abruptly leave the DJ booth and head back into my office, shedding my Wolf costume as I go. I jam the outfit and headpiece into my desk drawer before rushing back through the hallway outside my office and back into the club proper.

I spot Rachel almost instantly, resting her forearms on the bar with a half-finished, frosted bottle of water in front of her. Gone is the smile from her face, replaced now with barely contained rage. There is a fire simmering in her green eyes that attracts me like a moth to a flame. I know that if I touch her right now, however innocently, that flame will engulf me, and I don’t want to get burned. So, I settle for leaning against the bar next to her.

“Where did you go?” I ask as I study her reaction.

She glances in my direction before pounding the rest of her water and placing the empty bottle back on the bar to be disposed of. “We are at a club, so I figured I might give dancing a try,” she snaps back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Careful Brian…. Fire Bad…., I think to myself as I give her a small lop-sided grin.

“You weren’t trying. You were succeeding,” I say in a low voice, letting that low purr be heard as I continue to watch her face.

Her scent is filling the air around us even though she’s not sweating as much anymore. When she hears the purr in my voice, I see her pupils dilate for a split second as she turns her body away from the bar and a wicked smile splays across her lips.

“You were watching me? I take it you missed the part where that jerk over there,” she sharply points her chin in the direction of the offending male who is slowly making his way off the dance floor, “decided to grab my ass?”

“No,” I replied as I pushed off from the bar and stand right in front of Rachel, our bodies merely inches apart. “I saw. But you don’t want some i***t with a white knight complex. Besides, you were a lot nicer than I would have been.”

“Is that so?” she asks as she stands her ground in front of me, that wicked smile across her lips as she brought her arm up to rest on my shoulder.

“Oh yeah,” I answer as I continue to look in her eyes, using every once of self-control to keep my hands off of her gorgeous body.

She smiles at my answer as she begins to run her fingertips gently over the back of my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

“Good to know,” she whispers as she drapes her other arm across my other shoulder.

I can’t seem to stop my hands from moving and gently holding her hips. Whether to push her away so that I can think, or to pull her against me, I’m not sure. But either way, it’s where my hands felt they needed to be.

As I’m trying to make up my mind about what to do, a wide smile comes across Rachel’s face as she listens to the song change. Without any additional warning, she begins to dance with me and I can’t help but follow her lead.

I notice immediately that she is dancing differently with me than she was alone on the dance floor. I can barely keep up with her as she moves and writhes against me, beckoning me to move against her. I try to mentally distance myself, but there’s no use. My brain has completely shut off and I’m moving almost solely on instinct. Feather light touches across her bare skin as she spins in front of me, holding her hips as she arches her back, pushing back against her as we move to the music that I can no longer hear.

I’m nearly at my breaking point when suddenly she runs her nails lightly up the back of my neck and threads her fingers through my hair at the base of my ponytail and she smashes her lips against mine. I’m complexly thrown off by her aggressive behavior and my slight hesitation is all she needs to gain the upper hand. She pulls back just enough to lick at the seam of my lips, begging to deepen the kiss, which I graciously oblige. But as soon as I open my mouth to start kissing her, it becomes a battle for dominance. Our tongues dancing against one another as we press our bodies against each other.

I hear her growl, low in her throat as we kiss, her body becoming more aroused as we tune out the rest of the club and continue to grind against each other.

She breaks the kiss abruptly, “Is there somewhere we can go? Like now?” she asks breathily as her hips continue to move against me.

I nod my head as I continue to hold her hips tightly. I can’t trust my voice right now. I’m not even sure if I can trust my body right now. But I nod anyway. I nod because I want her more than anything, I’ve ever wanted. I nod because even though I know this is a bad idea, I want her so badly I can already taste her on my tongue. I nod because I want her.

“Good,” she barely manages to say before she begins plundering my mouth anew. “Let’s go. Before we really give these people a show.”