Identity

Vance ducked into the shadow cast by the awning over the back door. He banged on the hard metal muttering about how much he hated the sun. Although the rays wouldn't kill him, there was something very annoying about sunlight with the red tint his eyes put on everything. He remembered being human, bathing in the sun's rays on a clear day like today, but as a vampire it was as if he wore red contacts that amplified sunlight to an annoying degree that no pair of sunglasses could fix.

A slot opened in the door at eye level for a relatively tall man, and a calculating pair of brown eyes appeared on the other side. "What?" A deep voice grumbled.

"Who the fuck are you talking to, blood bag?" Vance snapped feeling his fangs slide further down of their own volition.

"Oh. It's you." The man snapped the slot shut and unlocked the door. He opened it up to the stair case that dipped down into a dark cellar.

"Where the hell is Josiah?" Vance smashed the man into the wall with the door using just enough force to demonstrate how inferior the large man was even though he dwarfed the vampire.

"Downstairs..." the man told him, barely able to breathe with the door pressed into him.

Vance let the door go and strode past him swishing his long black trench coat behind him. Ever since he'd been turned, he'd embraced the image that came with being a blood sucking, murderous, creature of the night. He liked long coats and dark colors, boots, and expensive jewelry. He fit right in with the crowd he found dancing around as he stepped off the stairs and into the club. It was dark and the music was mostly just bass and some woman whining over the beat, but the people around seemed to be in their own world as they drunkenly swayed to the music. Vance pushed through the crowd taking note of the especially intoxicating ones that he might pick off before he left— maybe even take home a doggy bag for later. He was met at the VIP section by a guard, but as if he'd seen the fate of the doorman, he simply stepped aside and unhooked the red rope for him to pass.

"Well, what an unexpected surprise." Josiah sat on the overstuffed leather couch with two girls on each side of him.

"You fed me bullshit info! He was ready for us!"

Josiah shook his head and chuckled. "Well you're the one who insisted on attacking him at his fortress of a home. What did you expect the result to be on his turf?"

"Don't get smart with me you little bitch! I lost men because of you!" Josiah smirked brushing a freshly tanned hand through his dark waves.

"Careful. Unlike you, I do my homework and I know that vampires are hard to kill," he raised two fingers in the air and several red lasers appeared on Vance's black sweater and the coat on top, "but not impossible."

"You can't kill me with bullets," Vance scoffed and with an almost unnoticeable signal Josiah ordered one shot to the leech's chest. It was a small wooden arrow, sharpened to a point that landed just millimeters from his heart. Vance didn't even see where it had actually come from before the arrow was painfully embedding its way into his chest. The thing couldn't have been bigger than a freshly sharpened No. 2 pencil, but it was burning Vance's chest like, "holy water..." When he tried to yank the arrow out it only broke right at the part that was buried in his body.

"You shouldn't underestimate me because I am human."

"Ugh, fuck you."

"Well then I guess you don't want to be a part of the plan that brings down the entire Cruz empire, for good."

Finally able to dig the arrow out of his chest, his shirt now drenched in black blood, Vance narrowed his red eyes at Josiah. "Yeah? And what plan is that?"

Vicente listened as the wind whistled through the trees and caressed his senses as only the open outdoors could. It had been a week since his unexpected visitor had arrived and his pack's searches had yet to yield anything. His growing frustration was wearing on his control.

Determination to fulfill his duties as the great Alpha of Medellín drove him to continue to lead his search team up and down the South American coast in an effort to find any clues or traces of the hunters that had taken the 7 wolves. As if that were not enough, the pent up sexual energy his mate had built up in him the last time he'd seen her was causing him to grow even more irritated with each passing minute. He could almost hear her body calling to him, taunting him with thoughts and erotic dreams of the flesh he wanted to mark as his own. In his wolf form, everything was heightened, even his emotions and now with his paws digging into the dirt beneath him, Vicente had to fight the battle within to seek her out and mate her whether she wanted it or not.

But just as she tempted him, she had also left him baffled after an obvious connection having been revealed between them. She had actually run from him, leaving him in her wake wondering what he had done so wrong.

Vin let out a snarl thinking about his last encounter with her. He felt that he had failed in the greatest way. He couldn't even get a girl that had no choice but to be attracted to him. For the past week he'd been wracking his brain, trying to figure out what he'd said, what he'd done. Had his eyes changed in front of her? Had the kiss not been as electric for her as it had been for him? To top it all off, she had taken off before he could even ask her real name.

Vicente heard the howl of his Beta and realized he couldn't dwell on the failures in his love life while he was leading a search and rescue mission. The large chocolate wolf appeared from the trees carrying some kind of staff in his mouth. Vicente acknowledged Manuel with a grunt before speaking into his mind through their pack's connection.

'Where did you find that?' He asked assessing the weapon as his Beta dropped it on the leaf coated ground.

'In that clearing just west of here. I assume that is where they made camp.'

'Is this all that was left?'

'Yes, but we were also able to pick up a few scents. Gun powder, electrical charges, and wolfs bane. These hunters are definitely no amateurs.'

Vicente nodded his head in agreement, his cloudy white eyes looking off into the distance. 'Any sign of the missing wolves?'

'No, my Alpha.' Manuel answered hanging his large head, his ears drooping.

Vin sighed regretting being the Alpha at the present moment. The responsibility of breaking the bad news to Jabriel would surely fall on his shoulders. 'Let's head back. I think it's time I told Jabriel something.'

'You're going to tell him about Carmen?'

'No. I'm going to tell him that his pack members are most likely dead, and not even the Alpha of Medellín has an answer for these hunters.'

Gabriella stepped out of the taxi slipping the petite purse onto her left arm. Her long legs led her into the building with the big red doors and down a hallway covered in wooden panel. The hallway opened into a large room with lots of chairs and tables down in front of an expansive stage. The club was all blacks and reds and golds, elegantly decorated to look upscale and expensive.

"Miss, you can follow me. Mr. Chase is expecting you." A waiter invited her to trail him up the spiral staircase to what looked like the V.I.P. section. The stairs were elaborately decorated just like the rest of the club with red banisters and clear stairs each looking like glass with gold strips around the edges. As they stepped up onto the landing and pushed forward, Gabriella smiled when her date finally came into view.

Josiah Chase sat at the center table right in the front of the balcony watching the girl on stage. She was singing a slow song that Gabriella had only heard a few times before. She was decent, pretty enough to catch a guy's attention, but not a good enough singer to keep it. Gabriella focused her attention on the handsome man at the table who was now being notified of her presence. He didn't verbally respond to the waiter, just waved her forward as continued his business. The waiter told Gabriella she could take the seat next to him if she liked and she made her way to the table. He was on the phone, shouting into it as he usually was, his bright green eyes flaring with anger in response to whatever the person on the other end of the conversation was telling him.

"I don't care what the Dominicans offered! Double it and close the deal!" He slammed it down on the table and Gabriella watched as the vein flexed in his forehead under the dark brown curls that bounced above his brow. He wore a blue and white button up and khaki slacks looking so clean cut and sexy, even if he was angrily screaming into a phone.

"Ruined another one, have we?" Gabriella asked leaning on the table. Josiah looked up and the rage on his face quickly disappeared.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show. I would have needed that to leave you a very displeased voicemail." He smirked beckoning her with his eyes and she responded, strolling over slowly. The light yellow sundress clung neatly to her body and left a large amount of her bust out for his eyes to ravage. Josiah was an amazing lover, and though Gabriella never got attached to her targets, she couldn't help playing victim to this arrogant man's body.

"Well that won't be necessary." Gabriella sat on his lap and kissed him. It was a slow, sensual kiss that drew Josiah in and made him forget she had been late at all. As soon as their lips touched, Josiah's hands were on the move, slipping up her thighs and lifting her dress. She licked across his upper lip before sucking on the bottom one. Josiah groped her as if they were the only ones in the club, his right cupping her pussy and his left caressing her breast. She moaned into his mouth as he pushed her panties aside and slid his two fingers inside her. People around them tried not to stare as they ate or danced in the space below between the stage and the tables trying to inconspicuously catch a peek of the action happening on the balcony above them. Even the girl on stage tried to conceal her shock, having a clear view when Gabriella gasped loudly and gripped Josiah's shoulder.

"Oh God, Josiah," Gabriella whispered as his fingers sawed in and out of her. He was hitting her g spot so fast, and hard, almost demanding her body react to him. She saw all the surprised and flabbergasted looks among the other patron's in Josiah's club, but she couldn't focus on that for too long as his fingers moved faster in and out of her.

She was so close, so close that she should have broken with one last stroke of his digits, but she didn't. Something was... wrong. Josiah was great with his hands, and usually when he fingered her pussy, it was only a matter of minutes before she was ravenously begging to be fucked, but today was different. She was on the edge of her orgasm, but for some reason it just wouldn't come.

Gabriella could feel the tingles she always did right before she climaxed. "Oh right there," she pleaded digging her fingernails into the back of his neck and he buried his face in the crook of hers. "Yes, baby," she whispered before he bit the side of her neck. The feel of his teeth scraping against her collarbone felt like she had been shocked with a Taser. Gabriella jumped up quickly her eyes wide. Josiah sat in the chair bewildered with his fingers still shining with Gabriella's sweet juice.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked.

"I, um, no. It just, shocked me is all," she whispered as she fixed her dress that had fallen back down as she stood. Shocked was an understatement. His teeth on her skin had felt more than just wrong— it was repulsive. For the first time since she met him, Gabriella found Josiah far from attractive. She didn't want him to touch her again. She didn't want to sit on his lap, or flirt, or pretend to be interested in him.

"Well, then come back over here so I can make you cum for me." He said with a smirk and for the first time since she'd arrived, Gabriella noticed how many people there really were in the club. She felt dirty touching Josiah. What the hell was going on with her?

"Maybe we should go somewhere a bit more private?" Her voiced cracked when she said private.

He gave her a quizzical look. "Do I look like I give a shit who's watching? Now get over here..."

Josiah stood with that smirk returning to his perfectly tanned face. He gripped her waist and pulled her to him.

"I thought you had something to show me." Gabriella pouted crossing her arms over her chest, the action pushing her breasts up and together.

Josiah stepped toward her and kissed her as if he were trying to impregnate her tonsils. "You're right. This is what I wanted to show you."

He stood extending an arm to her and Brielle looped hers through his and allowed him to lead her back downstairs. They worked their way through the dancers swaying to the slow music the girl sang on the stage to the door directly next to it. Josiah pushed it open to reveal a staircase leading down. "What...?"

"Come on," Josiah said reassuringly rubbing her linked arm with his free hand. As they stepped further and further down Gabriella could hear the bass of loud music booming so hard it vibrated the air around them. They were halted by yet another heavy black door, but this one had a slit in it with a sliding door like a speakeasy. Josiah rapped twice on the door and the door to that slit snapped back as two eyes peaked through. Without hesitation, the small door slid closed and they could hear locks and bolts turning quickly. When the door opened the music became louder, but was still muffled behind another heavy door. In the small room they had stepped into, there were just a few seats around the room, the lights were dim, and there was a full bar to the left. Straight ahead there was another door that Gabriella suspected was the path to a wild party.

"Mr. Chase, will you be needing any party favors today?"

"None for now," Josiah told him shaking his head. The waiter nodded and returned to his post by the door. Josiah guided Brielle to the door and pushed it open where the booming dance music engulfed them. He shoved his way through the crowd and Brielle noticed many of the couples— gay and straight alike— dosing each other with some kind of pill, sharing a joint, or swapping spit as they danced lewdly to the music.

"What is this place?" Brielle shouted to her lover as he guided her up the stairs to the private balcony with big cushy chairs and couches.

Josiah waited to answer her until they stepped into the secluded area where the music was still loud, but low enough that they could talk without going hoarse the next day. "Impressive isn't it?" Josiah gestured to the partiers below, "they're all just looking for a party, and we know exactly how to give it to them."

Brielle took a seat crossing one long leg over the other. She suddenly felt out of place in her sundress. "What kind of nightclub is open at 3 in the afternoon?"

He smirked, "you know I keep underestimating your cunning mind, my dear." Josiah took the seat next to her on the sofa placing a hand on her knee, "but you see the timing is all a part of the brilliance of 'X'."

Gabriella glanced at him, probing for an explanation. "X?"

"The name. The entire point of this club is to supply what's in demand."

Brielle tried to control her expression as it hit her. "Ecstasy." Josiah simply smiled and nodded. "You sell ecstasy to clubbers."

He shrugged, "among other things." Josiah's face was sinister reminding Gabriella just how dangerous he truly was. He leaned in close, planting a chaste kiss on her collarbone making her shiver. "Most are just tourists looking for a good time and a 24-hour party. My new club provides that for them."

"Josiah, that's ingenuous." Gabriella smiled as she took in the new information. Josiah was known for his many night clubs and promotion. He owned five different dance clubs and bars throughout Medellin alone. Besides Vicente and the Cruzes, Josiah was most likely the wealthiest and most ruthless business mogul in the country. As Vicente's greatest competitor, Gabriella figured that he would probably know quite a bit about the Cruzes, but in the past few weeks she'd been allowing him to court her, he hadn't given much away.

"Aren't you worried about the other club owners in the area? They might think you're taking over their territory."

Josiah laughed, his pearly white teeth almost glowing in the neon strobe lighting of the club. "Yes, well that's part of the benefit of this part being underground. The other being—"

"People love an underground party."

"Precisely," Josiah smiled and moved closer to her. Gabriella tried to hold back a gag as he did. Josiah was giving her that look again, and the clear thoughts written on his face made her skin crawl. "So, do you think your father will be interested in making an investment?"

Gabriella smiled, so focused on her discomfort that she nearly forgot what he was talking about. She nearly forgot he was even talking at all. When she'd first met this man, the attraction to him had been insane— mostly because he'd been coming out of a pool with no shirt on. But now, as she looked at him there was something so unappealing about him that the thought of being here for just a minute longer made her angry.

Just then a waiter showed up with two glasses of what looked like champagne. Josiah took them handing Gabriella one, "to us, my dear." He clanged his glass with hers before taking a sip. Brielle hesitated, however, noticing the liquid was a little too fizzy for champagne.

"What—"

"Shhh," Josiah touched his hand to hers, slowly guiding the glass to her mouth. "Just drink." He urged her on, but Brielle was not big on drug use, especially with a man she knew better than to trust. Gabriella turned away from it and Josiah began to lose his composure. "Don't be rude, Brielle." He insisted, taking the glass from her as if he were going to force her to ingest the spiked liquid.

"Excuse me, Mr. Chase?" The waiter came back with a phone in hand.

"What?! Don't you see I'm busy?" Josiah chucked the glass at the waiter's head. The young man ducked just in time so that the glass flew over his head and smashed into the wall behind him.

"There's a man on the phone for you." The waiter simply continued as if this kind of thing happened every day, but with Josiah's anger issues this most likely was a daily thing. "He says he couldn't reach your cell."

Josiah let out a deep breath and snatched the phone. "What is it dam—" He broke off as the person on the other line spoke. "What?" He gripped the phone tight, and Gabriella thought he was going to break yet another one. "I'm on my way. No! Don't do anything else, I'm coming now, just wait until I get there."

He hung up the phone— a major difference from the way he usually ended a call in a fit of rage. "Idiots," Josiah grumbled before turning to his date. "I'm afraid we'll need to head back to the house. Something's come up."

"Oh," Brielle tried to sound more disappointed than relieved, but it didn't matter anyway. Josiah's thoughts were spinning off in a completely different direction. When it came to his business, women came last, no matter how special he made her feel in comparison to his others. They didn't speak for the short ride back to the house, mostly because Josiah was busy on his phone. Brielle tried to focus on the contents of his phone conversation, but it was difficult hearing only Josiah's side. He was careful not to say too much in front of her and made sure to text anything too confidential for present company. All she was able to gather was that something had gone wrong and he was extremely irritated about it.

When they finally pulled up to the house, Brielle found a cab out front with one of Josiah's henchmen standing next to it with the door open and ready. Josiah leaned into the passenger's side window pulling out his wallet. "Take her wherever she wants to go," he told the driver dropping a wad of cash in the passenger's seat. "I'm sorry I have to rush you off this way." Josiah genuinely apologized, slightly angry that the two would not get a chance to finish what they had started earlier.