Destiny Read Free Page A

and pushed it to the far end of the table, replacing the empty spot with his laptop. “Let’s review the lineup for opening night.”
    “Sure.” Anything to keep my mind off Dixon.
    We were seven days away from the grand opening of our new dance club, Destiny. Unbeknownst to me, Adrian had worked on this project for the past year with Thomas, my other, adopted vampire “uncle” and second in command of my father’s formidable cosca.
    Once Thomas and Jonas restored my memory and brought me back into the vampire fold, Adrian pulled me into our new business venture—a club catering to a select clientele, aka the preternatural crowd and humans in the know—leaving our well-established dance club, Haven, for a strictly human clientele.
    Adrian gestured at the list of DJs on the screen. “I shuffled everyone a bit, with the exception of Claire. What do you think?”
    I perused the schedule. My friend Claire, the headliner, would hold court during peak party hours. She was wildly popular with both the human and preternatural dance crowd. When I’d “come out” to her about everything, it didn’t surprise me she already knew about, as she put it, “ The Real Underground. ” It was the best kept secret society hiding in plain sight, she said. All the cool people knew that.
    I ran my tongue over my always tingling gums. “Damn.”
    Adrian shot me a sideways glance. “What, you don’t like it?”
    “No, it’s not that. The schedule looks great. Claire’s spot is perfect. It’s just my gums ache like hell. They won’t stop tingling. I feel like a teething vampire baby.”
    His big shoulders lifted in a shrug. “In a way, you are.”
    I thwacked his arm with the back of my hand. “Comments like that are likely to get you bitten.”
    Strong fingers snagged my hand. “Promises, promises.” He pressed a soft kiss on my knuckles.
    “Flirt.”
    He cocked a blond brow. “Your point?”
    My lips curved upward in a smile. “Some things never change.” My eyes slid to the plain gold band on his ring finger. “But some things do.” Not a wedding ring, but a sign of his commitment to Jonas nonetheless. My friend the player had finally settled down to enjoy monogamy with an ancient vampire.
    “I don’t know what you mean,” he grinned.
    “Liar. So, anyway…”
    “Anyway…” He glanced at his watch. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
    My gaze returned to the spreadsheet. “Nope. Looks fine.”
    He closed his laptop. “Tick tock, babe, you’ll be late for your date.”
    I glanced at the clock above the sink and jumped to my feet, heart skipping with happiness. Time for my daily video date with Alexander.
    Adrian’s laughter followed me as I bolted out of the kitchen in vampire hyper speed and ran smack into the stone wall that was Jonas in the dining room, immediately bouncing back and landing on my ass.
    “Sorry, J,” I chirped, hopping to my feet in a smooth vampy glide. Yet another perk of my heritage I enjoyed.
    “Do not call me J.” He caught my arm as I tried to breeze by him. “Wait.”
    I slumped in his grasp, resting my forehead on his shoulder. “Aw c’mon, Jonas. I’m late for my date.”
    He whisked us to the kitchen in a blur of speed. His dark eyes glittered with their usual predatory intensity as he watched me. “Here.” He placed something cold and metallic in my hand.
    A tiny silver ankh on a delicate chain embedded with what were probably rubies. Blood-red and beautiful. I glanced at the gold one he always wore, and emotion clogged my throat at his unexpected display of affection.
    “What is it with you old vamps and gifts today?” I teased.
    He plucked the item from my hand. “Titanium and rubies. Turn.”
    I lifted my hair and gave him my back. He secured it as quickly as he’d whisked us into the kitchen. The lightweight necklace lay just below my neck, the color and jewels complementing my belly piercing. It was a perfectly timed, thoughtful gift. Leave it to Jonas