Slake His Thirst (In Blood Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Slake His Thirst

  Titles by Setta Jay:

  Copyright:

  Disclaimer:

  Contributors:

  Acknowledgements:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  NEW RELEASES COMING SOON

  About the Author:

  Slake His Thirst

  Setta Jay

  An In Blood Story

  Titles by Setta Jay:

  The Guardians of the Realms Series:

  0.5) Hidden Ecstasy

  1) Ecstasy Unbound

  2) Ecstasy Claimed

  3) Denying Ecstasy

  4) Tempting Ecstasy

  5) Piercing Ecstasy

  6) Binding Ecstasy

  7) Searing Ecstasy

  8) Divine Ecstasy

  9) Storm of Ecstasy

  10) Eternal Ecstasy

  Mercenary Socialites Series:

  1) Mercenary Princess

  Descended of Guardians Series:

  0.5) Destined to Crave

  In Blood Series:

  0.5) Slake His Thirst

  Copyright:

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Slake His Thirst Copyright © 2020 Setta Jay, LLC

  All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines up to $25,000 for violation.

  Disclaimer:

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. The characters and places are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Warning: This title contains dirty talk, bad language and erotically charged scenes meant to scorch your eReader.

  Contributors:

  Editor: Red Adept Editing Services

  Proofreader: Red Adept Editing Services

  Acknowledgements:

  First, I’d like to thank Mel, Lea and Tessa at Read Me Romance for inviting me to participate in the podcast. Slake His Thirst might not have been born without you incredible ladies!

  Next, I need to send a huge shout out to Read Me Romance narrators Kit Swann and Curt Bonnem for their awesome work on the audio file.

  I can’t forget Kate Birdsall and Kim H at Red Adept for working their editing and proofreading magic. Your skills made this story the best it could be.

  Thank you to my husband for your constant love and support. I love you!

  I’d also like to send virtual hugs to those of you in the Setta’s Sexies Facebook and Goodreads fan groups. You make me smile every day! I love you all!

  And last, but definitely not least, a MASSIVE thank you to all of the readers out there. I wouldn’t be able to do what I love without your support.

  Chapter One

  Lucius

  Lucius gripped the stone balustrade as he sent his senses out to the jungle and down the sheer, jagged cliffs to the rough seas below his suite. The dense forest was bathed in silver moonlight, and nothing that shouldn’t have been there lurked in the shadows. Something had drawn him outside. Twin dots of crimson caught his eye, and the faint whisper of sulfur drifted in the breeze that brushed over his bare chest. The hellhound was close to his side of the resort, which meant a new guest had arrived. The beasts prowled the island until called to scan any new guests for malicious intent. No one was allowed entry to the exclusive resort without their inspection.

  He stalked to the other side of the balcony, where he could see the point where the jungle edged the secluded corner of the gothic-inspired resort.

  The horizon was a soft layer of blues and purples—the perfect time to impress a new arrival. He shifted his gaze from darkening skies to the stone terrace where guests were teleported in. He noted the sleek black blur of a hellhound bounding back into the tree line. A blonde stood with a single guard, who would have overseen the hound’s task. Lucius tilted his head and wondered who she was. She seemed to have arrived alone. The mortal guests who paid exorbitant fees for the pleasure of consorting with his kind usually brought an entourage. Even from a distance, he could see that the woman was beautiful. The soft waves of her long blond hair whipped around smooth skin, and her snug jeans and low-cut top clung to slight curves.

  Had she come there to live out some vampire fantasy? There were a lot of pleasurable rooms inside for just that. As a rule, Immortals were far more sexual than humans, so the carnal activities of mortals rarely raised an eyebrow for them.

  Immortal males had once been ruled by sex—they’d needed it to maintain their strength, which meant thousands of years of experience in experimentation. He thanked fuck that particular curse had lifted with all the divine power released to save the world over three decades ago.

  Until then, humans had been unaware of the existence of magic, so the fact that gods and creatures of their highly inaccurate myths were real had come as an even greater shock. Gods and warriors fought and saved the world, and their battles had streamed over mortal media. Some of mankind were adapting well to all the new magic, but others struggled, fearing what they didn’t understand.

  It would likely take another fifty years or more for them to come to terms with such a radical new existence. Until then, he and his brethren kept to themselves when in the mortal realm. The disparity between the populations of mortals and Immortals was too great to ignore. There were two gods and Immortals with numbers in the hundreds versus mortals, both humans and Mageia—mortals with inherited magical abilities—with populations in the billions. Immortals were stronger and more powerful, as well as ancient enough to see the value in balancing public relations while safeguarding their interactions with mortals. Lucius’s father had opened Slake resort mere years after the end, and the venue had gone a long way toward showing humans that Immortals weren’t the monsters under the bed.

  His race seemed to attract the most interest from mortals, but the similarities to “vampires” were superficial. They did have fangs as well as light sensitivity that came with excellent night vision, and they were skilled in telepathy. But Aletheia weren’t dead, they didn’t drink blood unless it was to gain someone’s memories, and they certainly didn’t sparkle.

  The woman looked up and directly at him at that moment, and he felt the air still for a single beat. He breathed in the salty air as if her scent would come to him. The wind shifted suddenly, blowing toward her. He tracked her movements until she disappeared from his line of sight, wondering why he was so drawn to her. The stone railing cracked before he realized he’d tightened his hold.

  Without even glancing at the security schematics he’d been drawing up, he stalked to his room and changed from the soft cotton pants he’d put on after his shower into jeans and a black T-shirt. In seconds, he moved back through his sitting area and out the door, unsure what he meant to do.

  Soft light bathed the hallway lined with antique tables and ancient tapestries. He nodded at the guards he passed on his way to the main floor. He wanted to see her.

  Before he made it to his destination, his sister turned down the corridor, heading in his direction. Some odd instinct said to keep going, but he hadn’t seen her yet—he’d gone straight to his suite when he’d returned from the Immortal Realm. He smiled as they met at the entrance to the security room. Kaia’s auburn hair was back in a ponytail, and she wore a sleek black suit that signaled she was on duty.

  “I thought you were with Father for the next week. Is he back too?” Her beautiful features were a mask of calm, but it was a lie.

  He eyed her cl
osely. “What are you up to, Kaia?” His little sister had never been able to hide things from him, so why was she attempting just that?

  Kaia’s eyes flashed, and he saw the hint of fang peek out over her bottom lip.

  His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile at the sign of frustration she hadn’t mastered masking in all the thousands of years she’d lived. A part of him hoped she never grew out of it. The odd compulsion to see the new guest hounded him, but it would have to wait. At the moment, he needed to see what trouble his sister had gotten into while she’d been in charge.

  “I hate when you do that.” There was a small growl in her tone. “Since you’ll dig until you figure it out, I’ll tell you. I authorized a visit from Calista’s sister.”

  He frowned. “The snake dancer?” He brought up a mental image of long, dark braids and chocolate skin. He was aware that his sister had formed a friendship with the female entertainer. A part of him wondered at the magic the Mageia wielded. Calista was able to enthrall an entire room full of deadly snakes while dancing.

  “Tell me about the sister,” he said as he stepped into the security room at Kaia’s side. Screens filled the walls with video surveillance of the entire resort, the clubs, the corridors and entrances, and the jungles beyond. He didn’t believe in overkill and had designed the security with both magic and technology.

  She didn’t reply.

  “What aren’t you saying?” He wasn’t in the mood to dig up the information himself, so he leaned back against a desk and pinned her with a look.

  “Calista’s sister used to be a bounty hunter. Used to be. She owns a bar in New Orleans now.” Mageia policed their own, as did Immortals and humans. He crossed his arms over his chest, taking a deep breath. There were defined no-entry parameters to protect their guests and themselves. Bounty hunters, ex or otherwise, should automatically have been denied access to the island.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t just authorize her entry. She’s already here,” he said with a hard stare.

  “Yes, and I’ve made arrangements to have her watched the entire time, even though Calista gave her word her sister wouldn’t cause any trouble.”

  “Are there any guests with a price on their head?” Background checks weeded out that kind of thing, so he doubted they had a problem there unless someone else authorized a special guest.

  “There are not. That’s why I didn’t see a problem.”

  Bounty hunters were damned mercurial, and he could only imagine what kind of trouble one could get into when they were surrounded by the rich and famous of their world. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Show me everything you have on the woman.”

  Chapter Two

  Sage

  A soft tremor slid over Sage’s nerve endings. She rubbed her bare arms even though the breeze was far from cold. Who is that man? Not just a man, he was a vampire, or Aletheia—she’d seen the metallic silver sheen to his eyes even though he’d been standing half naked on a balcony three stories up. Had she imagined a sexy masculine scent in the air? She didn’t have enhanced senses, so it was likely her mind toying with her.

  He’d held her in his gaze, or at least it had felt that way. Jesus. What would have happened if she’d been close enough to see everything? All she’d caught was the sheen of his eyes, his short dark hair, and tanned, tattooed skin.

  She wondered what the hell was wrong with her. She instinctually checked her mental wards, feeling as if her skin was suddenly too tight. He hadn’t gotten into her head—she would have felt the intrusion into her mind.

  She breathed a little easier once she and her mostly silent escort-slash-bellhop, Niko, rounded the corner and she gained her first look at the soaring towers of the castle before her. Giant stone gargoyles stood sentry on either side of the wide stone steps. The place was impressive, very vampire-esque but with incredible views of lush jungle and angry seas crashing along the rock cliffs. The place was gorgeous, dark, and so very full of magic. The grounds hummed with it.

  Two-story-high carved wooden doors swung wide, and Sage made out her sister’s silhouette. Tension she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying seemed to fall away.

  “Did you kiss the ground like I did after my first teleport?” Calista asked, humor sparkling in her golden eyes. Her sister was dark to Sage’s light. Calista’s skin was a smooth, dark chocolate, and her long mass of hair was in thick braids weaving down her bare shoulders and back. A jet-black king cobra comfortably settled beneath the braids. Lines of blue marked the scaled body running over one of her shoulders and twining over the long black dress Calista wore.

  “I considered it.” Not really. She’d been too busy trying not to vomit to kiss the ground. She was grateful her escort hadn’t called her out about it. He’d kindly allowed her to get herself together before calling the hell beast to scan her intent. The scent of sulfur hadn’t helped the nausea, but it had been over quickly.

  She pulled Calista into a hug. The tension that rolled off Niko was priceless. The man was likely worried about the deadly snake—how sweet.

  Sage wasn’t worried in the slightest. Jeff’s scales slithered over her cheek beneath the weight of her sister’s hair. She felt his hooded head loop around the back of her neck and knew from experience that his tongue was darting out around her hair. She smiled. Her sister smelled of spiced rum and home. Her braids slid over Sage’s cheek, and Sage took a moment for Calista’s warmth to filter into her.

  After breaking the hug and Jeff’s hold, they stood grinning at each other before Calista looped their arms together. “You obviously met Niko. He’s going to be keeping a close eye on you this week.” Her sister waggled her eyebrows playfully at the man in question, and he winked back.

  Sage had guessed he was more guard dog than fancy hotel greeter. A greeter would have actually spoken a word or two.

  He seemed to have found his voice. “Don’t cause trouble. I’d hate to send you home early.”

  Sage offered the sweetest, most innocent smile. “I promise to be good.” She’d been well versed in the rules of her stay—along with her luggage, he also held a million legal agreements she’d had to sign to get this far. Causing trouble was the last thing on her mind. Taking a real vacation, seeing her sister, and figuring out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life while drinking cocktails and possibly ending her dry spell were her sole intentions. It would be pointless to say it, though. They would still watch her every move.

  Niko made a noise that said he didn’t believe her. He was making her very interested in what all their background checks had uncovered.

  Her thoughts trailed off when they stepped onto polished marble and she caught sight of a three-story-high carved wood staircase that curved up to a view of painted ceilings. A crowd of beautiful people mingled with vampires. The glitz and glitter wowed.

  “Your stuff will be put in your room. And remember, you will be watched. Have a nice visit.”

  Wow, she warranted two warnings from a man who could probably gut her in the time it took her to blink. Oddly, it boosted her ego. The hellhound dismissing her so quickly had frankly been a little pride crushing.

  “It’s amazing, right? I was in with my boss when you got here. They extended my contract for an entire year.” Calista’s voice peaked at the end of the sentence. Excitement radiated from her sister. It was infectious enough to make Sage smile.

  Aletheia gave her and her sister appreciative glances, but as gorgeous as they were, no one caught her eye. She felt off. Her nerves were on edge. She breathed through it, trying to focus on Calista’s news. “Tell me everything.”

  “Let’s go to the conservatory. I know that’s what you really came to see.” There wasn’t any real pout in the words. Her sister was too busy riding the high of her good news to be unhappy about anything.

  “You’re right. I have absolutely no interest in your happiness. I’m only here for the plants,” she deadpanned. Her sister pinched her playfully.

  In minutes, Sage w
ould be standing in the rarest gardens in the world, and the thought sent a thrill through her bloodstream.

  Chapter Three

  Sage

  Walking through the interior of the castle-inspired resort had been a wild ride. Every detail was artistically placed to impress. Modern technology and luxuries hid beneath the beauty and magic as if she’d been transported into another time. She could get lost staring at the wall of glass separating guests from what looked like the bottom of the sea. Mermaids twined together in a seductive dance that showed off bare breasts and the iridescent blues and purples of their tails.

  Every step into the world Slake had mastered had been magical, but absolutely nothing compared to the sight before her.

  Magic slid over her skin, raising the fine hairs on her arms as she gawked at the sprawling indoor gardens. It was a forest of lush green with reds, pinks, blues, and yellows peeking from the shadows. Different plant species ranged for what felt like a mile, bathed in the silver moonlight streaking through glass ceilings. Some of the trees swayed nearly a hundred feet high. Fountains trickled around her, lit by streetlamps that trailed down stone paths. It called to her, drawing her forward into the beauty. Her heart rate accelerated with all the magic reaching for her. It was intense.

  “You love it, don’t you? We have the space to ourselves for the next couple of hours.” Her sister squeezed her arm a little as they walked.

  Sage closed her gaping mouth and grinned. “It’s amazing. They must really love you here for anyone to let me come for a visit. Does that mean your power to charm serpents has moved to sexy Immortals?”

  “They treat me like royalty and pay me almost as much. It makes doing shows six and seven days a week well worth it. They even give me private access to the conservatory for a couple hours a day to let the snakes stretch and explore. Just think, you could see this all the time if you were my assistant.”