Deadly Sins Ch. 05: Lust

"You vamps ain't all bad," Thane said with a tight smile. He inclined his head towards Rayn. "Got some place I can take her?"

"Depends what you planning on doing with her."

"Here, nothing. Away from here, none of your fucking concern."

"And Ryker would appreciate it if you kept it that way. Is this business or business?"

"Business."

The guard pressed a key into Thane's palm. "The office is open. You know which one."

As Thane headed in the direction of the roped stairs leading to the VIP section only a select few were ever deemed important enough to occupy, the pup called, "Keep fucking around and let her stay unmarked, Wulff, and you won't have to worry about it for much longer. I'll claim that sweet piece of ass for my own."

"Damn, kid, don't you know when-"

The rest of Cael's words were lost in the din of the lascivious crowd as Thane pushed Rayn up the stairwell. Strangely, she kept quiet, not uttering a word of protest, just stumbling wherever he pushed or jerked her.

Finally they reached the office at the rear of the VIP section. Thane used the key to gain access then slammed the door shut behind them. He knew the office was ultra secure and would afford him the privacy he wanted; it had been purposely designed by Ryker with discretion in mind. It had to be given what Ryker normally used it for.

Thane grabbed Rayn's shoulders and roughly turned her to face him. Even then, those hazels didn't flash up at him with anger. She stared at the ground, silent.

"Told you I'd find you if you ran again."

But she didn't respond to the goad. She didn't look at him. She just continued to stand there, showing no emotion, no reaction.

"Rayn?" Thane felt a flicker of fear lap at his heart. "Rayn?"

No response.

Scared of what he'd find, gingerly Thane grabbed her chin and lifted it up. "Jesus Christ. What the fuck did that shit do to you?"

Her eyes were wide open, staring but unseeing, her pupils dilated. She was in a deep daze. Like the sort people fall under after suffering a startling shock. But she was still in there somewhere, just ensnared deeply in some lust-bound limbo manipulated by the Harvey pup.

Careful not to tread on the painted outline on the floor, Thane guided her to the desk, pulling free a chair from underneath. He sat her in it, then pulled free its twin and straddled it. He watched his mates face closely.

She was weathering through some storm, but it was all in her head. Where he couldn't help her.

"Damn it, princess, I wish I could fight this battle for you. Because I would do so in a heartbeat." Thane leaned forward and placed his lips lightly against hers, hoping the action would bring them both a measure of peace.

Rage coursed through him over his inability to do something more useful.

He was just going to have to take out his frustration on that goddamned pup then, wasn't he.

Slamming out of the office, he locked the door behind him. He was halfway across the deserted VIP lounge, halfway to his target, when a low voice rife with warning said, "Let it go, Wulff."

Thane stopped walking. Then smiled. "Ryker."

The centuries old vampire stood beside a table a few feet from Thane. His midnight black hair was spiked all over his head and streaked through with a vibrant red the same startling shade as his eyes. He was dressed in his customary uniform of black muscle shirt tucked into black jeans, silver studded belt with a silver skull buckle encircling his waist and thick soled black boots on his feet. The entire look was tied together by his floor length black leather trench coat and the spiked collar around his thick neck.

"On your way to find trouble, old friend?" Ryker asked.

"I don't have to find it. It always finds me."

"That's generally the way of the world." A smile twisted the vamp's lips upwards, exposing just the tips of razor sharp canines. "But I'm not blind, Thane. And I can clearly see right now that you are looking for it."

"Pretty much," Thane agreed, finding no use in lying.

"Not in my house." The warning was clear.

Opting to change the subject, as he wasn't about to make any promises he had no intentions of keeping, Thane asked, "Just getting here?"

Ryker nodded. "I was down the street, and I felt...I don't know what the hell it was I felt, but I suspected it was coming from here so I decided to come check it out. And I got here not a moment too soon, apparently. Else I would've missed all the fun. Now a question for you, Wulff...who was that alluring comatose creature you just dragged by?"

"My mate."

Expression speculative, Ryker said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think she's responsible for whatever it is going on in here tonight."

"She is," Thane verified. "But that's the unfortunate side effect Cardinal Sins tend to have. Spread their vices all willy nilly."

"A Cardinal Sin, huh? Going by all the fucking popping off downstairs, I'm going to take an educated guess and say she's lust."

"And you'd be right. Look, we won't be here much longer. Let me settle a few things then-"

"No rush, Wulff. Truth be told, given a choice of the seven, I'm glad she's the one to show up here in my club tonight. Sure beats despair." The rich tones of Ryker's laughter was appreciative. "She's good for business, know what I mean? But doesn't that also kinda make her off limits to you?"

"As humans are to your kind?"

"Exactly."

"Didn't stop you from taking one as your mate recently, though, did it."

"Nah, it sure didn't." Ryker's face relaxed at the mention of his significant other. "Besides, I'm a firm believer rules are made to be broken, so more power to you. And, goddamn, word sure does travel fast."

"In the supernatural world," Thane finished. He studied the older male. "Never in a million years would I have pegged you for a human lover, bloodsucker."

"What can I say, mongrel? The heart wants what the heart wants. And who am I to deny my heart. Besides, I'm this close to changing her opinion about letting me turn her. And then we'll be completely legit." The leather trench coat swished around the vamp's legs as he moved closer.

Though as a general rule of thumb Thane was friendly with Ryker, he still found himself tensing involuntarily.

The movement didn't go unnoticed. "Relax, Wulff, I'm free. The bond is broken."

Thane searched the male's eyes for any hint of trickery. And found none. "Good...old friend."

For as long as Thane had known Ryker, the male had been bound by blood to do some demon's bidding. Thane didn't know what demon it was, nor did he care, all that mattered to him was whenever the demon yanked Ryker's chain, the bidding normally included blood offerings in the form of killings.

In all truth, Thane should've killed the bloodsucker on first meeting, but there were three very important reasons which prevented him from doing that.

First, Ryker was not only bound to a demon, he was also bound to The Moiety...the society which governed all vampires. Although the Kensingtons had done it in the past, to kill a vampire without the sanction of The Moiety could be very messy business. Further complicating the situation was Ryker's ties to the Guardians, the vampire hand which meted out the law laid down by The Moiety.

Josiah would take the killing of one of his Guards about as easily as Thane would the killing of one of his brothers. In other words, woe be to the responsible party.

Second, Ryker limited his blood offerings to the offal of society. To drug dealers, rapists, pedophiles. Thane couldn't bring himself to feel the need to retaliate the death of a father who'd been visiting his pre-teen daughter's bed every night for a month straight. Or that of the boyfriend who'd beat his girlfriend's child to death in a fit of insanity, drug induced or otherwise.

Third, and most important, Ryker was a hard motherfucker to catch.

Clapping a hand on Thane's back, he remarked, "Come, Wulff, I want to show you my Destiny. I don't think you've had the pleasure yet."

He navigated them to the railing of the balcony. Thane didn't have to be told which of the females below belonged to Ryker. He issued a long, admiring whistle. "Not too shabby, vampire."

Ryker scoffed. "You mean fucking beautiful."

And that she was. She was everything Thane had heard about her and more. Ryker's mate was planted at the brink of the dance floor observing and, if the rapturous expression on her pale face was anything to go by, enjoying the sexually charged upheaval the Harvey pup had elicited from Rayn.

Long, wavy, mahogany locks reached the middle of her back and her body was tight, the result of many rewarding hours spent in a gym. A lacy black corset covered her top half and black leather pants were painted on the bottom portion. Like her male, a spiked collar snaked around her neck. Unlike her male, black lipstick stained her lips.

She was a piece of Gothic beauty completely out of place in this urban environment. But there was no doubt she was the reigning queen here.

Thane scanned the crowd, searching for any hint of a golden, red mane. "How'd you manage to win her, Ryk? Bit her then followed it up with a little bit of mind control, did you?"

"Fuck you, Thane." But the words carried no acrimony.

"I'll pass, red eyed is a little too freaky for me. But admit it, you sneaky son of a bitch, there was some biting involved, wasn't it?"

"I'm a vamp, dog. There's always plenty of biting involved...but she stays willingly."

"What's up, Ryk?" Roark asked, approaching from the direction of the stairs. He clasped hands briefly with the vampire.

Thane was relieved to see Cullen one step behind Roark. If he was up here with them, then he wasn't down there with her.

"Hopefully his body in flames if Thane lets us introduce the jackass to the sun," Cullen pronounced. He didn't clasp hands with Ryker. Didn't come anywhere near Ryker, instead standing several feet away in the shadows along the outskirt.

"Just sharing some knowledge with your man." Ryker chose to graciously ignore the jab.

"Don't think our man needs your brand of wisdom. He's a slayer of demons, not a pussy to their whims."

"Still licking your wounds over your defeat, little wolf?" But apparently graciousness only extended so far. Clarets flashed with blistering heat. "Why don't I rub some more salt in it."

Thane didn't know what Ryker was up to. But it couldn't be anything good. Destiny was a point of contention between him and Cullen. She was-

Right there in front of them. With Ryker's tongue shoved down her throat while he gave Cullen the hairy eyeball. Silently, he dared the wolf to do something. To say something.

But Cullen just looked...crushed. He took a single step closer to the pair and raised a hand in the woman's direction, lips silently moving to form a single word, "Destiny..."

Ryker managed to remove his organ from the beauty's mouth long enough to growl, "Lay one paw on her, dog boy, and you lose it."

"Who are you talking to, Ryker?" Destiny asked, glancing around in confusion. Her gaze landed on Cullen. "Oh...no."

Quick as that, Cullen's emotions were under wraps again. "Don't have to touch her when there are a thousand here desirous of my attentions." He strode back the way Destiny had just come, pausing at the top of the stairs. "Like your Destiny here was not too long ago." He was down the steps, swallowed whole by the crowd.

"Damn it, Ryker," Thane breathed, feeling for his brother. "Why'd you have to fuck with him like that?"

Mortification evident, Destiny added, "For the love of God, I wouldn't have come up here if I'd known what you were about."

"I'm sure you wouldn't have, najda, but don't forget what happened last time you tried to resist my call," he warned. Looping an arm around her waist, Ryker dragged Destiny tight to his side where she fit...perfectly. "And your promise not to ever do it again."

Destiny turned her attention to Thane and Roark. "My sincerest apologies for Ryker's rudeness. If you want, I'll go speak to Cul-"

"You'll do no such thing!" Ryker's voice was such a loud boom it carried easily over the thumping bass. Eyes from some of the more self-aware patrons below briefly shot upwards. But it wasn't long before their attention was sucked again into the orgy-like turmoil on the main floor. "Thane, this is me and Cullen's battle. There'll be many casualties before it's over and done." In a hard voice, he added, "I like you."

In other words, the vampire was warning Thane to stay out of it. Or be prepared to face the consequences.

"Just back off a little," Thane said. "Cullen knows Destiny is yours. He'll stay away."

"Positive you have that much sway over him? He was born an Alpha as well, correct?"

"And he's also my brother. He's stayed away up to this point and he'll continue to stay away," Thane promised. "Or have to face me."

An incline of the head met Thanes words. "Duly noted."

"T, we found all the pups," Roark interjected, drawing the conversation in a less confrontational direction. "I'm riding shotgun with Cael to take them to the estate."

Which meant Thane would be responsible for rounding up Cullen. Although Thane had arrived at the club with the male as they'd followed Rayn's sister to Alexis's house, where they'd met up with Roark and Cael, who were on a similar assignment, he wasn't so sure he wanted to leave the same way. Not after this. Cullen was sure to be in rare form after an encounter with the woman he'd been convinced he loved.

And the vamp she'd chosen over him.

"But I need to holler at you for a sec before I go, T."

Thane walked with Roark, leaving Ryker to face a royally pissed off looking Destiny. It was the first time he could ever recall the vamp, who doled out death to scum like it was candy to kids, looking anything close to helpless.

But he'd caused the fucking fire, so he for damn sure better be equipped to extinguish it.

Once they reached the stairs, Roark just stared at Thane instead of speaking. Uneasy. He cleared his throat. Blinked a few times. Then continued to stare.

"Out with it already," Thane snapped.

"It's happening again," Roark responded ominously.

"What's happening again?"

"Cullen." He paused. "The injured girl." Another pause. "And-"

"Don't say it, Roark. Don't you fucking say it." Thane already knew where this conversation was headed. And where the situation would end.

"Just thought you should know, s'all."

"Shit."

"Yep, that just about sums it up." Then Roark was gone.

Well, Thane thought, he'd been spot on about Cullen staying away from Destiny. For he had moved on. But the relief Thane should've felt was non-existent. Because he now had a bigger problem to contend with: how to keep Cullen away from the injured woman.

Earlier, he'd thought Cullen's interference where the woman was concerned was all about the male wanting to show Cael up. Done with the intent of irking the Beta. And that was still true, in a sense. But the issue went deeper than that.

Went deeper even than Cullen's interest in investigating his proven suspicion the woman was connected to a despicable cultish organization the Kensingtons would see obliterated from the inside out.

If Roark's warning proved to be true, Cullen's interest in the woman could only mean one thing. She was someone's mate...and the calamity bestowed on Cullen from a witch he'd jilted that his wolf would unnaturally bond a hundred times with a mate not meant for him pretty much guaranteed the someone was not him. Especially since Destiny, his last love, was only number twenty-four.

Given the way things were progressing, Thane was certain he did know who the someone was. Cael.

For fuck's sake, he couldn't get one problem solved before another one popped up. Wasn't there some type of law in nature outlawing shit like this? If not, there really fucking should be.

A crash sounded from the vicinity of the office, followed by a muffled scream. "Why the hell am I locked in here? Thane, I know you had something to do with this! Let me out!"

Closing his eyes, Thane sucked in a deep breath. He prayed for serenity.

A soft hand touched his shoulder. Destiny had joined him next to the steps. "I don't know what's going on with you and that woman in there, but Ryker says she's your mate so I'm thinking you probably need to go talk to her."

Ryker's deep, demanding bass rang out, "Your vice is destroying my chapel, Wulff."

Thane nodded to acknowledge Destiny's suggestion. "Thought you said the bond was broken, Ryker."

"It is. But I like to keep my chapel in working order. One day I plan to summon my former employer so I can tell him all about how much I enjoyed working for him all those years. When the occasion presents itself, it would really be nice to know I have a chair to sit on while having the conversation." Sardonically, he added, "One that's not broken."

"You aren't going to need a chair for that conversation, Ryker," Destiny said.

"I know," he answered softly. His gaze was filled with love as he stared at Destiny. "But I still want to keep the chapel intact, all the same, najda. As a reminder."

Thane understood the unspoken. The chapel was a reminder of how close to eternal damnation Ryker had been. And how far Destiny had dragged him out of it.

Destiny was Ryker's salvation.

"If you're out there, Thane, you better come let me out, or I'll...I'll..." Rayn fell silent. The ear piercing screech she emitted next put her former screams to shame. "Why the hell is there a pentagram drawn on the floor?"

But, unfortunately, fate had decreed Thane could never be Rayn's.