Taken by my mate
Chapter four

Evadiene

My heart was pounding for the rest of my set. I had done that drop every night for months and never cut it that close, but when I looked out to the ground and saw that man like a professional lifter, short cropped hair and piercing blue eyes… my legs turned to jelly. Not exactly the ideal physical reaction to have when you are a full story above the ground with only your legs keeping you up.

I felt like I could almost feel his stomach due a back flip as I fell, and when I stopped myself I looked back to him to see if he was still watching. Those blue eyes dug into me and said that he knew exactly what had happened and was worried about me.

His hand moved to his chest unconsciously, then I felt a hand on my breast leaving me a personal tip and I thought those blue eyes would pop out of his head. He looked absolutely furious and I became obsessively worried that I had upset him somehow.

That wasn’t like me, I didn’t give a fuck about the clients in here as long as I did my job and brought home stacks. I had never gotten a complaint before… but I wanted to please him, to make him smile.

For the rest of the song whenever I could I searched for his eyes, making him feel like the most important person in the room. I would not let him leave unhappy.

I was trying a trick on the pole I didn’t do often, happy when it worked out and I didn’t end up sitting on my ass and pretending it was intentional, but when I looked back to his booth he was gone. I nearly forgot what I was supposed to be doing while I searched the crowd for him.

I finally found him by the stairs and he smiled. The slight twinge in his face, showing me his white, perfect teeth warmed my heart, and he winked at me before going upstairs.

My heart flipped into my stomach at the thought of Brittany or Shari going up to his room for a private dance. I wanted to see more of him, to feel his muscles under my hands. Fuck I’d do it for free to keep their little pinchers off him.

I fully expected to be on the stage for another few songs but our DJ announced me again, signalling it was my time to go. I blew kisses to the crowd with a big smile, winked, gave them one last turn and a booty shake before I was going to the end of the stage.

“What was that?” I hissed to Jared in the booth and he switched up the tracks and quickly announced ‘Sparks’, or Brittany, and I sighed with relief that she couldn’t be the one going upstairs. “I got bills Jared, you know that wasn’t my whole time.”

He chuckled a laugh. “We all know with the way you shake that ass and mix a drink that your bank account is absolutely replace Nova. Besides, special request for you in room three, and from the coin he dropped just to end your set early I think your bills will be more than covered.”

I felt a little flutter in my heart and I wasn’t sure if it was because I would be taking home big bank tonight or because tall, ripped, and gorgeous had done that to request me. Fuck, I didn’t date customers but if he got down on one knee with a ring I think I’d swoon. Actually swoon, and I didn’t swoon for any of the celebrities we had seen come in here..

I tipped my imaginary hat to Jared. “Well alright then, I’m going to go freshen up and then I’ll see to this mystery man.” I smirked and gestured over my shoulder. “Give Sparks something slower to walk through the crowd to, she’ll never survive finishing my time and her own at this pace.”

He nodded knowingly and I went off to the staff rooms.

My skin felt heated and I went to get one of my towels and ran it under cold water. I started dabbing and wiping at my skin, cleansing it of this weird sweat gathering. It didn’t make any sense for me to be this nervous.

He was just a man, like every other slightly perverted man to enter through these doors. Sure he was an extremely attractive pervert, and I had nothing against them,… and his eyes had made me feel like I was both drowning and in a desert with nothing but him to drink in..

I shook my head, get it to-fucking-gether Evadiene, he was just another man who would pay my bills through his lust.

I left the staff area and headed for the staff stairs at the back when a shadow caught my arm. My practised smile flashed over my face as I turned toward the person and I made my eyes sparkle. He would remove that hand or I would do it for him.

“Sal honey, what are you doing back here? You know this area is off limits for anyone but staff.” I made my voice soft as silk, starting my other hand at the top of his shoulder and running it delicately down his arm to place around the wrist of the hand that held mine.

I looked up at him through my lashes but his face was fixed and furious. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I shook my head lightly, maintaining that big smile. “Come now Sal, you know I only go where I’m told…”

“I pay good money to sit up front and watch you, not Sparks,” he scoffed, glancing over his shoulder to where we both knew she was still dancing.

I let a light laugh go. “Oh come on, don’t be so harsh. Sparks is lovely on the eyes, I wouldn’t mind getting my own face between those glorious tits.” I smile, tried to lighten the situation but his grip got tighter.

“I paid for you to dance for the full time, and then I paid for you to join me in my room. I love it when you come to me all sweaty, you taste divine.” His smile crooked up on one side of his face.

I had to suppress a shiver of disgust at the memory of him licking my shoulder the last week he was in. But I maintained my smile and pinched his wrist under the bones with my long fake-manicured nails.

“I will be back on the stage in just a little while. Someone offered the boss enough to pull me upstairs first, but then I’ll finish my set and you’ll get your dance.” I assured, removing his hand from me and turning to go.

In a flash that hand moved to my throat and he was pressing me against the wall. “Do not be condescending to me! Did you forget who I am? I don’t care how much he paid, you are my girl, and I want you on that stage.”

I couldn’t even offer a rebuttal as his hand clenched around my airway. I looked at his eyes, the way he held his mouth, which was already crooked from a stroke but became exaggerated when he was drinking. I silently curse Kitty for being so heavy handed with his drinks.

My fingers clawed at his hand desperately, begging him to loosen his hold. It was like my mind had gone completely blank. I couldn’t think of anything in my panic but scratch and flail, and he caught one of my wrists in his other hand, reducing my ability to even do that.

I started to see spots and horror flooded my mental state. If he didn’t let go soon I would pass out. I kicked my heals against the wall but no one could hear me with the music so loud.

A second later darkness was taking over my vision and then I was a crumpled mess on the floor, gasping a weeping in an effort to get the air into my lungs that my body so desperately desire . Fear still gripped me as darkness with stars still took over my vision, and above me I could hear a low growl that sent shivers down my spine.

—

Covyn

I waited in the room upstairs, curtain partially drawn, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. This was ridiculous, a woman had never made me so nervous before.

I heard the next dancer get announced and knew she would be up shortly. My heart started racing as I imagined her walking across the room to the stairs, climbing them, and then walking down to our room.

When she didn’t grace me with her presence, I reimagined her trip. Maybe she went to the bathroom first, or to get some water which I’m sure she needed after such displays of core and body strength.

Still she didn’t come and I began to get impatient. I left the small room and looked over the edge at the rest of my party. Their eyes quickly met mine, sensing them from above, but their confusion gave me a strange sense of panic.

Spencer pointed a finger across the room and I knew he was showing me the way she had gone. I stormed off in that direction, how dare she keep me waiting. Forget about her being my mate, even as a customer this would be unacceptable.

I went down the stairs and towards the staff hallway, turning a corner to see that man in the suit holding her up by her throat. His other hand held one of her wrists and his eyes raked up and down her like he enjoyed seeing her life in his hands as she thrashed and clawed against him.

I barely saw anything through the red haze, except her desperate face turning paler as air eluded her. I wound up and punch him directly in the face, sending him flying down the hall and I was glad he dropped her and didn’t take her with him as he fell. A roar rained through me as I approached him, kicking his side in, and then picked him up by his throat.

He was thick, and it took two of my hands to lift him, but once I had him up, and against the wall, my second hand was free to pummel him. If he had any teeth left and could eat solid food when I was done, I had done something wrong.

“Boss, boss!” I heard Ellion yelling, and then he was holding my arm back. “You’re going to kill him!”

“That would be merciful compared to what I want to do to him,” I growled, fighting against Ellion’s hold to break the man’s crooked nose into his face.

“I know, he hurt her, we’ll take care of it, but she needs you.” His words broke me free of the black rage I was in and my head swivelled to Evadiene.

She was still crumpled on the floor, gripping her neck and coughing violently. Daley knelt beside her softly muttering that she would be okay and was safe now.

I dropped the man I no longer cared about. “See to it that he’s taken care of,” I ordered, barely hearing their response as I moved to her.

I scooped her up into my arms, feeling her skin cold covered in goosebumps from fear. She smacked at me and struggled in my arms, trying to get away and I realized she still wasn’t seeing clearly.

“It’s alright Evadiene, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now, I have you,” I soothed, and whether she knew why or not she did calm.

“You…,” she breathed, but the word came out hoarse and she stared coughing again.

“Don’t speak, I’ve got you. You’re safe now.” I carried her into the staff room and set her on the counter.

She tried to back away from me, rubbing her eyes to focus. “Slow down there sweetheart, you’re okay. I swear I’m not going to hurt you.”

She did slow down, and I saw the moment her eyes focused because her pupils focused and then grew larger. Her breath hitched in her throat and her bottom lip dropped away from the top. Then she tried to speak, squeaked instead, and just nodded her head.

Using two fingers I gently lifted her chin and struggled to contain the tremors that rolled through me. The sight of those sausage-finger bruises wrapped around her throat made me want to go back out there and throttle him again.

The only thing that stopped me was the look of fear and concern in her eyes. I became aware that I was scaring her as I felt my wolf shaking to the surface, meaning my eyes had likely darkened.

I closed my eyes briefly, took in a slow breath, and when I opened them again I offered her a warm smile, “You’re going to have a nasty bruise there, Beautiful.”

“I bet,” she wheezed and then grabbed her throat again like it betrayed her. “What happened to Sal?”

“Don’t worry, he’s being taken care of,” I assured, rubbing her arms but her eyes grew larger.

She began shaking her head and grabbed my hand, clutching it to her chest. “He has a lot of friends, with guns. He runs half this city,” she whispered, her eyes pleading for something. For herself? For me? I couldn’t be sure.

“It’s alright, I’ve got my people taking care of him,” I soothed, holding her arms to keep her on the table.

She seemed to clue in to what I meant immediately and the worry in her eyes was overwhelmed by the fear. Her eyes darted to my hands on her arms, seeing the raw skin and blood over my knuckles, then regarded the blood splattered over my pale blue shirt.

Shoving against me, she slid off the table on the other side and darted to the door.

“Daley, grab her!” I called, running after her but Daley was too slow and Evadiene dodged passed toward the club.

I narrowly caught her around the waist and pulled her back against my chest. “Slow down Eva,” I soothed into her ear.

To my surprise she did relax and her hands moved to clutch my arms around her.