Forest of the Forbidden Read online

  “Nikki.”

  His face softened. “Nikki... So, is she still working at the diner?”

  Susan pushed her hair behind her ears. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  “You’re right. I do. Maybe I should pay her a visit,” he replied, tossing back the rest of his drink.

  I hated tomato juice and watching him slam it down made me shudder.

  “So, tell me... do you know where she is right now?” he asked, licking all of the red juice from his celery stick.

  “I don’t know. She might be working,” replied Susan, watching him closely. “Enjoy your drink much?”

  He dropped the celery back into the glass and then shoved it toward Brian. “More than you know. Brian, I’m taking off. Tell Faye I’ll be back later if she asks.”

  “She’s gonna be pissed when she finds out that you flew the coop on her birthday,” replied Brian.

  He smiled cockily. “She could never stay mad at me.”

  “Famous last words,” he replied.

  Ethan smirked. “I’m seriously not worried.”

  “Right,” said Brian.

  “Excuse me... Ethan? Uh, when is Slade supposed to sing?” I asked, as he turned to leave.

  He turned around to face us again. “About ten minutes from now. Remember what I said – don’t tell anyone. It’s a surprise.”

  “I won’t tell,” I replied.

  He stared at me for a minute and then reached into his pocket. “Here,” he said, writing something on the back of a card. “Bring this free pass upstairs to the V.I.P. room after he’s done. You can meet the band.”

  “Seriously?” squealed Susan.

  He winked. “Seriously.”

  “So, is this like a bribe?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I guess it is. Plus,” he grinned wickedly. “Something tells me that Slade will thank me later.”

  “Ethan,” said Susan, who I noticed was finished with her Cosmopolitan. “You know, I have to say... I was wrong about you. You’re a really, really nice guy.”

  “Well, thank you, Susan. Brian, why don’t you get them both another drink while they wait for the show to start. On me.”

  “You bet. You sure you don’t want something stronger than that?” asked Brian, pointing at my untouched soda.

  “No, this is fine,” I answered, picking up the glass and drinking through the little straw.

  “Come here, you big lug,” said Susan, opening up her arms. She was obviously feeling no pain after that stiff drink. “Give me a hug.”

  I knew it had to have been my imagination, but it almost looked like his eyes were glowing an eerie orange color when she threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a friendly hug.

  Must be the lights in the club, I thought.

  He stiffened up and stepped back. “Gotta go. Have fun, girls. Enjoy yourselves, and Susan, party like a rock star tonight.” He nodded toward me. “Your friend...ah...”

  “Chelsey,” I offered.

  He grinned. “Chelsey, is obviously your sober-ride tonight. Take advantage of it.”

  She put her arm around my shoulders. “I believe I will. Hey, say ‘hi’ to Nikki for me.”

  “Will do. Have fun tonight, girls,” he replied, walking away.

  Susan removed her arm from my shoulders as Brian set another cocktail onto the bar. “I don’t know about you, but Ethan could use a little more vitamin E in his life.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Come on.... the guy is paler than my mom’s pit bull,” she said, taking a sip of her second Cosmopolitan. “Pugsley.”

  “At least he doesn’t smell like Pugsley,” I replied.

  “Actually, he smells like candy,” she replied. “Always. It’s kind of a weird smell for a guy, but yummy all the same.”

  I agreed.

  * * *

  Chapter Six

  Slade

  “Let’s move as soon as this song is over,” I said to my drummer, Liam, as we stepped out of the dressing room in the back of the club and headed toward the stage.

  “I think we should stay one more night here,” he replied. “Relax and have a few beers. Head out in the morning and sleep the entire day while on the road.”

  “You just want to snuggle up to the club owner,” said Jimmy, who played bass.

  Liam smirked. “Can you blame me? The woman is sexier than hell. I wouldn’t mind getting a piece of that before the night’s over.”

  Sean, our keyboardist, snorted. “God, you’re such a dog.”

  Liam grinned. “I won’t deny that.”

  “I’d stay away from Faye,” I said, smiling at two girls who were staring at us with open mouths.

  “Oh, my God, that’s Venom!” shrieked the shorter one, fanning herself quickly. “Oh, my God... oh, my God!”

  “I love you, Slade!” yelled the other one, throwing me kisses.

  I waved and kept walking.

  “Why not?” asked Liam. “You want her for yourself, bro?”

  “Not at all,” I said, grimacing at that notion. Even though I had to admit that she was a beautiful woman, Faye was also very dangerous. I could see it in her eyes. “She’s just not the kind of woman who has a one-night stand without expecting something more.”

  “Hell, I’ll give her more the next time I’m in town,” he laughed.

  I grinned. “Căcănar”.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “I think he just called you an ‘ass’,” replied Bradan, our other guitarist.

  “At least I get ass,” said Liam. “Slade is too good for most of our fans.”

  “Sorry, but I’m not interested in using our fans for sex. It’s not my thing, and you should really refrain from doing it, too,” I answered.

  He snorted. “Hey, I’m doing both of us a favor. They get to go back and brag that they slept with a member of the band, and I get to relieve some of my pent-up... anxieties by putting a smile on their pretty little faces. Nothing wrong with that.”

  “Nothing, if you’re human,” I replied quietly. “But every time you have sex with one of those girls, you risk losing control.”

  “I have more control than all of you combined,” he said as we entered the main part of the club. “They’re much safer with me than with you. Remember, I’m not like you cretins.”

  He was right about that. Liam was a Lycan, while the rest of us in the band were all vampires.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  Chelsey

  ––––––––

  Less than ten minutes later, there was a sudden burst of commotion in the center of the club.

  Susan sucked in her breath and smiled. “Oh, my God, there they are!”

  I turned toward the stage as the band, Venom, emerged from the crowd and stepped onto it.

  “Wow,” I replied, feeling a little breathless myself. I couldn’t see much, but I had to admit that it was a little exciting to know that they were actually there and going to sing.

  “Let’s go,” said Susan, grabbing my arm.

  “Where?”

  She looked at me like I was clueless. “Hello?! By the stage.”

  “Are you kidding? We’ll never get close,” I said, pointing. There were already dozens of people fighting to get closer and more appearing from other parts of the club. To me it wasn’t worth the fight. “No way. Susan, people are going to get trampled and I, for one, am not going to be one of them.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. There’s no way we’ll get near them. Jesus, would you look at all of the people there already? It’s insane. Where in the hell did they come from?”

  “Some of them were in the basement,” said Brian, pouring pink shots for a couple of girls who didn’t look much older than us. From the way they were embracing and kissing each other, they were obviously more than just friends.

  Embarrassed, I quickly looked away.

  “The basement?” said Susan. “What’s down ther
e?”

  “Private parties,” he said with a sly smile. “I’ve never been to the basement, personally, but I’ve heard things are pretty intense down there.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”

  I didn’t know what he meant and wasn’t sure if I wanted to ever find out. “Let me get this straight, you’ve been here for a while and you’ve never been down there?”

  “It’s very elite. Even for the employees that work here. I guess you could say that most of us haven’t ever seen the basement. You need a special invite from Faye, even if you work here.”

  “That’s really bizarre,” I replied, shaking my head. It made me wonder if my cousin had somehow ended up down there.

  The lights dimmed even lower in the club, and I watched as a tall, dark-haired guy began to speak into the microphone on stage.

  “Good evening, everyone,” he said. “Sorry to interrupt your partying -–”

  “We love you, Slade!” screamed one of the lesbians standing next to us. Then, both she and her girlfriend lifted their tops and flashed the band.

  My jaw dropped.

  “Classy,” mumbled Susan.

  “Wow, well, thanks,” replied Slade, still staring toward us. “You’re making me blush.”

  The two girls giggled and lowered their tops.

  Slade began talking again. “The real star here tonight is that very lovely lady who invited us to come and play at her club. Now... a little birdy told me that it was a special occasion, and we just knew that we couldn’t leave Montana without wishing her a wonderful birthday. Everyone, give it up for Faye Dunbar!”

  The crowd began to clap as one of the glass windows opened up in the balcony, where a group of people sat drinking champagne and watching the stage.

  “Stand up, Faye!” hollered someone in the crowd.

  An elegantly dressed woman sitting in the balcony stood up and waved.

  “Happy Birthday, Faye!” hollered a group of people in the back.

  “Thank you!” she answered, beaming down at everyone.

  “Faye, Birthday Girl, this song is for you,” said Slade as the band began to play the familiar jingle.

  Slade put the microphone closer to his mouth and began to sing. His voice had a rich, deep timbre and it gave me goosebumps. I suddenly wished that I could get a closer look at him, but from the distance we were at, I could barely make out Slade’s face.

  “God is he gorgeous,” said Susan, stirring her drink.

  “I wish I could see him better,” I pouted, squinting my eyes.

  “You still need glasses, don’t you?”

  “Probably. They’re not that bad, though. It’s just the lighting in here.”

  “Right... You know, maybe I should drive home tonight?” she said, smirking. “I’d like to wake up tomorrow in someplace other than the coroner’s office.”

  “Whatever. My eyes aren’t that bad. Seriously.”

  “If you say so...”

  I turned back toward the stage. “Is he really that cute?”

  “Hell yes. Look, don’t worry,” she replied. “You’ll see him soon enough. V.I.P., remember?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Just don’t forget why we came,” she said, winking at me.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean a guy like that could make you forget to go home, if you know what I mean,” she replied.

  My eyebrows shot up. “What? Are you saying that you think Melody may have really gotten together with Slade?”

  “I don’t know. It’s possible when you look like Melody. She could get any guy in town, why not a hot, single musician?”

  “He’s single?”

  “From what I hear. Although, it wouldn’t matter. Not these days. Rock stars like that always have girls hitting on them. I’m sure Slade sleeps with a new fan every night.”

  I agreed.

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  Slade

  When we were finished with the song and getting ready to leave the stage, I stole another glance toward the bar. For some reason, I couldn’t stop staring at the little redhead in the cashmere sweater. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she looked so innocent and out of place at the club, or that her bluish-green eyes completely captivated me. Regardless, I was intrigued by a human and it had caught me off guard completely.

  “Nice, huh?” said Liam, nodding toward the bar.

  “Uh, yeah. She’s definitely a looker.”

  His eyebrow arched. “I was talking about the girls making out over there. The ones who flashed us their goodies. Who in the hell are you talking about?”

  “Nobody,” I replied as the club’s security accompanied us off of the stage. The crowd had grown considerably and were now screaming and yelling for us to play more songs.

  “Should we do another one?” asked Jimmy, looking around. “I mean, I feel like we owe the fans, you know?”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around. “Fine. Just one.”

  “Let’s do that new one you wrote,” said Liam. “See how they like it.”

  “Yeah, Dark Dreams,” agreed Jimmy.

  “Okay,” I replied, thinking that one more song would give me a little longer to process what I was feeling about the girl at the bar.

  When we made it back onto the stage, the crowd erupted in approval.

  “Thank you,” I said, after turning the microphone back on. “You guys in Shore Lake really rock.” When the noise finally died down, I grinned. “So... we can’t leave without one more song, we just can’t.”

  The crowd hooted and clapped.

  The band began to play the chords to a song that was very personal, one called “Dark Dreams.” Closing my eyes, I thought of the woman who’d inspired me to write it and joined them when it was time. I sang of losing everything to a girl, one who’d bewitched and haunted my dreams after tearing my heart apart. I sang of regret, heartache, and the torture of moving forward. It was a song I’d written well over one-hundred years ago, after falling for a human girl.

  Vanessa.

  Our passion had been like no other and I would have given my life for hers, in a heartbeat, but in the end, it was me who’d actually destroyed her. Vanessa had not been able live with the fact that she’d loved a vampire. A monster. When she killed herself, she’d also killed a part of me. From that day forward, I stayed away from humans and only associated with other immortals when I needed sex. Although I’d managed to make it work, it was still a very hollow existence.

  When the song ended, the crowd erupted in applause. Forcing a smile, I glanced toward the bar again, but noticed the girl with the red hair was gone. Then something caught my eye, and I looked near the other side of the stage, and there she was, right below it, grinning up at me.

  Good God she was even more beautiful when she smiled....

  When I grinned back, she lowered her lashes and blushed. It was then that my senses went into overdrive. I could tell from the look in her eyes and the way that she was breathing that her body had released endorphins in response to my performance. I’d excited the hell out of this human girl, and based on her obvious innocence, she probably didn’t even realize it.

  A fire ignited in my stomach and my jeans grew tighter. In horror, I turned around and stared at Liam’s ugly mug, hoping it would be enough to kill my arousal. But, her face was all I could see in the back of my mind. Her delicate face, staring up at me with hunger.

  Shit.

  I’d never gotten excited onstage, and it had been years since I’d even allowed myself to think about a human girl in such a way. Now I had a raging boner.

  “You okay?” asked Sean.

  I didn’t answer. I was far from okay.

  “Dude, what’s up besides...” laughed Liam, nodding towards my zipper.

  “Give me your guitar,” I said to Jimmy, gritting my teeth.

  Grinning, he handed it over to me.

  I held it in front of my jeans and turned back to the au
dience.

  “Thank you, everyone!” I hollered, waving my hand and trying to avoid the human who’d gotten me so worked up. “Have a great night!” Then I walked off the back of the stage while security rushed to keep the fans from mauling me.

  ––––––––

  Chapter Nine

  Chelsey

  “Wow, that was awesome,” said Susan as we walked back to the bar. “I still can’t believe that you wanted to fight our way over to the stage. I definitely wasn’t expecting that one.”

  “Neither was I,” I replied, still shocked myself. But, after he’d started to sing, something had come over me. Like a moth to a flame, I’d been drawn to Slade’s voice, wanting to get as near to it as I could. He’d swept me away with the lyrics, and the emotion in his words had touched me deeply. I could see why he had so many fans, especially female ones.

  “Did you see the way he stared at you?” remarked Susan. “The guy looked like he wanted to jump your bones!”

  My eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “He was hot for you. Even his eyes looked like they were on fire.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Actually, it was kind of weird how they glowed. I’m sure it was some kind of stage act with contact lenses or whatever.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, having noticed the same thing. Ethan’s eyes had glowed the same way, and again, I blamed it on the lighting.

  “Anyway, now I bet you can’t wait to meet him.” She smirked. “Hell, I bet he can’t wait to meet you. I mean, wow... the way he looked at you. I thought he was going to leap off of the stage, throw you over his shoulder, and carry you to his man-cave.”

  My stomach grew warm with that idea. “Shut up. He did not.”

  “He was definitely lusting after you. You should be thrilled.”

  “Slade wasn’t lusting after me,” I said, trying not to smile. I had to admit, the idea was making me tingle.

  She giggled. “You’re such a virgin.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’d have told me all the gritty details by now.”

  I blushed.

  She pointed. “And you wouldn’t be blushing.”