Dangerous Influence (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 5) Read online

  “Where are you going, Mistress?”

  She told him.

  Immediately, he looked alarmed.

  “What’s the matter, Mathew?” she asked, moving closer to him. “You look scared.”

  “You don’t understand, Mistress, but ‘Club Obsession’ is a dangerous place. You should stay away from there.”

  She watched him. “You’ve been there?”

  He didn't answer.

  “Mathew, I need you to answer me.”

  “Yes, I’ve been there.”

  She took his hand in hers, and his fingers were chilly. Jolie didn't think it had anything to do with him just coming from death. Mathew was freaked out.

  “What has you so scared?”

  Mathew muttered only one word. “Mulduk.”

  Jolie didn't understand. “What’s that?” she asked, trying to get as much information from him as possible.

  Mathew began shaking.

  His body quaked in fear.

  Jolie was worried. “Mathew?”

  “It’s a who—not a what. He runs ‘Club Obsession’. It’s his playpen, and he’s trouble.”

  Jolie went to move closer, but Mathew moved away. That wasn’t normal. Usually, he liked her touch.

  Apparently, Flynn wasn’t the only one he was distancing himself from.

  “I need to shower,” he said, his face filled with horror over what was swirling around in his mind.

  He bolted from the room as if he was running from someone.

  Of course, Jolie had to follow.

  When she heard the water running in his bathroom, she gave him a few seconds. As she entered, she found Mathew standing beneath the hot spray scrubbing at his body.

  He was rubbing his flesh pink.

  He was scared.

  “Mathew,” she called. When he heard her voice behind him, he jumped, fangs bared.

  Jolie didn't move. She wasn’t afraid of him, but if he attacked, her mates would end his life.

  She didn't doubt it for a second.

  “It’s okay,” she offered, trying to soothe his fears. She knew the only way to do that was to approach him.

  Well, it looked like she was getting wet. Jolie knew that taking her clothes off would be a big no-no with the men. In fact, she was sure Flynn would lose it.

  Instead, she crept toward him.

  As she approached, tears were present in Mathew’s eyes. “Don’t go there,” he begged, trying to keep her from heading to that club.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Mulduk is a monster. He likes pain. If you go there, he’ll hurt you.”

  Jolie didn't know what to say to that.

  All she could think about was how they were going to head into that club, and they would be going toe to toe with whoever scared Mathew.

  “I need you to tell me everything.”

  He slid to the floor and tucked his knees under his chin. It was a way to get himself to be the smallest target. All vampyres did it to hide in plain sight.

  “Mathew.”

  “I liked bondage,” he whispered. “I used to get off on the pain.”

  Jolie knelt beside him, getting soaked. “Okay, tell me more,” she offered.

  “When I have sex for pleasure, I’m the bottom.”

  She understood. When she had sex with Flynn, she was too. There was something sexy about being topped by a strong mate. “Okay, tell me more.”

  “That club has been around a long time. It wasn’t always in that location. It used to move from place to place, catering to vampyres who liked to get off with pain.”

  She listened. “Okay, and?”

  “I went there.” He paused before continuing, “A lot. That’s how Delina found me.”

  Jolie didn't move. “She went there?”

  “She found vampyres there to serve in her family. She would go, torture a few, make her decisions, and take us home.”

  There was one sure thing in Jolie’s mind. She was grateful she killed that bitch.

  “Continue,” she said.

  “I would go, get off, and move around. I liked being dominated,” he whispered, and then he glanced up at her. “I can’t do this.”

  She touched his leg. “You have to. I’m going there with my mates tonight. You need to tell me everything. I can’t walk into this blind, Mathew. If you don’t tell me, I might get hurt.”

  Jolie hoped that worked.

  “I became a regular there. Mulduk began paying me to show up. The vampyres that liked to use me enjoyed my high threshold of pain. I was a favorite.”

  She soothingly ran her fingers across his leg. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Mathew.”

  He began weeping. “I can’t get off without the pain. Delina found me. She made sure I experienced everything and more.”

  Jolie didn't know what to do. Instead of hesitating, she called for the men in her life.

  ‘Jacques, I need you. Can you bring Flynn to Mathew’s shower?’

  ‘His shower?’ he replied.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Flynn is going to have a heart attack.’

  ‘Mathew is in distress. I need you both.’

  The connection was cut off. Jolie had to believe in the men in her life. They were good and kind. She had to trust that they were both going to help her save the man in front of her.

  Mathew mattered.

  As she sat there in the water, it pouring down over her and Mathew, she heard them approach.

  So did Mathew.

  “No! You called them!” he whispered, the tears coming more frequently. “You betrayed me.”

  She didn't, and one day, Mathew would see that.

  As the men approached, Mathew tried to make his body even smaller.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered. “You can trust them.”

  He didn't buy it.

  Now his deepest secret was free.

  The men in his bathroom would look at him as if he was a freak. They’d never see him as a guardian from here on out. Maybe that was her plan.

  His whole world crumbled around him.

  It was heartbreaking.

  Jacques approached first. He stood just outside the shower as he watched it unfold. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Please don’t tell them,” Mathew whispered. “Please, Mistress, don’t do it. I can’t bear it.”

  She didn't have a choice.

  Tonight they were walking into something very dangerous, and her mates deserved to know.

  “Mathew, I love you, but I have to tell them. I won’t let my mates walk into this blindly. I promise they won’t judge you.”

  Jolie had faith in them.

  He closed his eyes and prayed for it to be over. This was humiliating, and he might not survive.

  “What’s going on, Jolie?” Jacques asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. When she stared up at him, he knew it was truly hurting her.

  “Mathew has been to ‘Club Obsession’,” she stated. “He’s familiar with it.”

  Flynn lifted a brow. “Really?”

  “Yes, he is. Mathew, tell them about it.”

  He shook his head and tried to block it out. Mathew couldn’t believe his mistress had called them. He thought his secrets would be safe.

  He’d been wrong.

  “I can’t,” he whispered as the shower pelted him.

  Jolie continued, “He said that there’s someone there named Mulduk. He runs it.”

  Flynn made mental notes. “Is he a vamp?”

  Mathew simply nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll handle it.”

  Jolie knew Flynn wouldn’t be happy. She could hear his thoughts. He was weighing the options between bringing her and forcing Jolie to remain at home.

  ‘I’m going,’ she whispered. ‘If you have a vampyre, one who associated with Delina, you’ll need me. I’m still stronger than both of you.’

  He hated that she was right.

  “Mathew, is he dangerous?” Flynn asked.

 
; The man said nothing. He was rocking back and forth in the corner of the shower. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was trying to escape into his head.

  Flynn had seen him do it before.

  Well, what choice did he have?

  Moving past his mates, he entered the water. It was cooling, but he didn't mind. Slowly, he approached Mathew’s side, and slid down the wall to sit beside him.

  Jolie and Jacques watched him.

  They were curious.

  Flynn dropped his arm around the young vampyre’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Mathew. He’s not going to hurt you. No one will.”

  “He didn't hurt me. He likes pain like I do,” he whispered.

  If it weren’t for Flynn’s hearing, he would have missed it.

  “Why are you afraid?”

  “I’m ashamed. Going there was how I ended up trapped with Delina.”

  Jolie explained.

  The entire time, Flynn ran his hand over the young vampyre’s back to soothe him. He knew from being in the family that they lived for touch. Vampyres liked cuddling up for security and love.

  “You don’t have to go back,” he offered. It was probably a damn good thing that Mathew was being bumped from the guardian rotation.

  He couldn’t handle it.

  This had been their fear.

  One bump in the road, and he had crumbled.

  Jolie went to move toward Mathew’s other side, but Jacques held her back. When she looked up at him, he instead moved past her to flank Mathew.

  “Your choices in sex, Mathew, aren’t going to be judged. If you went there, trying to find what turned you on, that’s your right. Delina exploited that. We won’t.”

  The men moved closer, pressing Mathew to their sides. Jolie simply watched them. This was why she needed them. Where Mathew wouldn’t believe she was telling him the truth, he knew that the men wouldn’t say it just to comfort him.

  They would be brutally honest.

  “I can’t get off without pain,” he muttered. “She found me there, and since then, my life has been hell. Mulduk sold me to her.”

  Flynn moved some of the hair from Mathew’s face. “How did he sell you, Mathew?”

  “I didn't have a society for a while. I came and went as I saw fit. I started going there to get the scent of stronger vampyres on me. In order to survive in our world, Master, you have to be marked.”

  He got that.

  Vamps were scent-based creatures. They lived and died by it.

  “When a stronger vampyre would use me, I’d carry their scent. It kept me safe outside of the club.”

  Jolie knew it was a coping mechanism. Many of their kind used it to survive. They were the lost ones or the feral vampyres.

  “Then Delina came in.”

  They listened.

  As they did, Flynn reached up to shut off the water. It was ice cold and not helping the situation out.

  “She liked me. It was my hair.”

  Jolie watched him. “What about your hair?”

  He swallowed. “It could be used to bind me, and she enjoyed pulling it.”

  They let him continue.

  “At first, she wasn’t any worse than the other dominants. She’d tie me up and use the basic bondage.”

  “Okay, and?”

  “Then it got rougher. I liked it. It got me off. I became addicted to it. It’s hard when you can’t perform without pain. At first, she told me it was normal. I believed her.”

  Jolie touched his foot with her fingers. “It’s okay.”

  She glanced up at Flynn, knowing that they carried a secret. She just didn't know if she should share it.

  “Then one day, she stopped touching me. Mulduk wouldn’t let anyone use me.”

  Jacques understood. “You were desperate.”

  “I was addicted.”

  “So, you offered yourself to Delina?” Jolie asked.

  “Yes. I sold myself for the pleasure.”

  No one spoke.

  “It was the end of my life.”

  “Actually,” Flynn began, trying to reach the man through the pain. “It was the beginning. You were put on that path, and look where it lead you.”

  “You don’t want me anymore. Now that I can’t be your guardian, I’ll be tossed away.”

  “No, you won’t,” promised Flynn. “You can’t be anything you’re not, Mathew. While you try to fight, you haven’t reached that point where your whole heart is in it. We aren’t holding you back, you are.”

  He didn't understand.

  “You have to let this go. You have to set the past free. Look at Jolie. She doesn’t hold on to what Goethe did to her. She can’t. In order to be free, you have to stop punishing yourself.”

  He didn't move.

  “Will you still have a place for me?” he asked. “I need a place to value me. I have nothing left to offer. I’m used up.”

  Jacques took over. “You have a place. You’re our family artist. You paint Jolie like no one has ever done. We’re still going to train you, but we’re not going to let you into any situation we feel you can’t handle.”

  He glanced up. “Even knowing my secret?”

  “Yes.”

  Jolie moved into Jacques lap so all three of them could touch. “We love you, Mathew. We understand. Now, tell Flynn everything you know about Mulduk.”

  Mathew was afraid, but he did what they asked.

  He told them all about him.

  Like Pandora, he let all the evil out of the box.

  ∞ Chapter Nine ∞

  When they left Mathew, he was calming down. They ordered him to dress and move back into the house with the family. The last thing he needed to do was isolate himself where he was afraid and alone.

  No, this was for the best.

  After they finished, Flynn was all stirred up. He wasn’t exactly thrilled that they were going to the club.

  Correction—that she was going.

  Instead of fighting, he opted to keep her close. That would save them all a giant headache.

  A pissed off Jolie was a spiteful one.

  So, they changed out of their wet clothes and headed out for the night. It was going to be interesting, and they all knew it. What did one wear to a bondage club?

  Jacques went with his normal attire, as did Jolie.

  Flynn, he was going in as a detective. That meant a blazer, dress shirt, and tie.

  Oh, and more guns than he knew what to do with.

  When in doubt, shoot first and ask questions later. With the silver in his gun, he was a little more at ease.

  While Flynn didn't doubt his fighting skill, he didn't want to have to get too up close with the undead. A kill shot made it so much easier.

  And faster.

  As they drove to the club, he was silent. The entire time there, he listened to Jolie and Jacques talk. While he wanted to join in, being part of their union, he was still worried.

  Mulduk had been around for a while.

  He had to wonder why these killings had fallen into his lap. There were twenty homicide detectives in their squad. The odds of him getting this was…suspicious.

  Still, he kept it to himself.

  Instead of stirring them all up, he tried to keep calm. They had nothing to worry about, right? They were simply taking a stroll through a bondage club.

  Operated by vampyres.

  Where Delina used to hang out.

  Yeah, how bad could that possibly be? Already, Flynn wanted to be sick.

  His gut was screaming, and there was no doubt in his mind that they were screwed. When it came to the undead, it always had a higher possibility.

  As they pulled into the parking lot, it didn't look like much. In fact, it tended to lean toward the abandoned building feel.

  That made Flynn edgy.

  What he wanted to do was grab Jolie and bring her home so she’d be safe.

  It was instinct.

  It would also cause a fight.

  Instead, he had to trust she�
��d be fine.

  Getting out, he glanced over at her. “You make sure you stay safe,” he said.

  “I want to meet with Mulduk, and we’ll get to the bottom of this,” she offered.

  “No. I’m meeting with him.”

  Jolie crossed to him. “You can’t, my love. You’re human, and to him, you aren’t going to be worthy of his time. Trust me on this. Okay?”

  He hated this.

  Flynn wanted to rage around and scream.

  Instead, he felt calm as soon as Jacques touched his arm. There was no doubt in his mind that he was infusing him with peace.

  Damn him…

  “Fine. Stick close.”

  “You have to trust me,” she stated. “I know what I’m doing. This isn't my first situation. Remember the club that brought us together?”

  How could he forget?

  “Yeah, and that asshole owner nearly cost us our lives.”

  Jolie rubbed against him. “Have faith.”

  He had no choice.

  As they arrived at the door, they were met by a bouncer of sorts. He looked big, intimidating, and scary.

  Well, to someone else.

  Jolie had faced down more terrifying things in her life. This was a cakewalk.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I need to see Mulduk.”

  The man laughed. “Not going to happen. He’s…tied up.”

  Jolie lifted a brow. “Really? Would you care to tie me up?” she asked, moving closer.

  The man grinned ferally as he checked her out. “Yes, yes, I would.”

  Flynn and Jacques weren’t amused.

  At all…

  As she approached, her hand went to his chest. That’s when the fun began. Jolie began draining him. She’d fed but this was just icing on her vampyre cake.

  As the man looked horrified, she let him fall to his knees. “I said I wanted to see Mulduk. Where is he?”

  “Inside,” the vampyre muttered, falling to the ground. When his eyes closed, she released him.

  Flynn laughed. “Really?”

  She couldn’t help but grin. “You know I don’t just let anyone tie me up.”

  Jacques lifted a brow. “Since when does anyone do that? Where the hell have I been?”

  Neither spoke.

  Now wasn’t the time of place to let that sexy cat out of the bag.