Into The Wild ~ Book 3 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 8

Oasis was a dark party house that never closed. It catered to the vampire community with never-ending entertainment and no windows. A vampire could walk into this place and stumble out several days later with no money left and very little in the way of memories. Of course, they guaranteed that they would walk out with a smile on their faces.

Silas was determined to spend the evening talking to his liquid therapist. I sat with the same drink, pretending to drink it. Every time Silas topped it up, I threw the drink over my shoulder when he wasn't looking. Thankfully no one was in the booth behind me.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

He frowned at me, sliding closer. I couldn't shift away; I was already at the end of the seat.

"I doubt it."

"No," He slurred. "I definitely know you from somewhere."

"Perhaps it was earlier in the evening when I shot a tranquilizer dart into you."

Silas chuckled, wrapping his cuffed arm over my shoulders. I huffed, resting my hand against my body. Being tethered to a drunk man was not easy.

"You are a naughty creature."

"Something that we can agree on."

"Why aren't you drinking with me? This is a party."

"I'd rather not."

"Come on, just pull that rod out of your ass and let your hair down."

Picking up the drink, I drank all of it and then slammed the glass back onto the table.

"There, I drank. We need to leave; it's almost dawn."

"Nooo," He crooned. "We're partying until dawn but not this dawn."

Silas picked up the half-empty bottle and poured another drink for me. He'd already plowed through one bottle, my share of it was coated over the seat behind us.

"Bottoms up."

He offered the glass; I took it feigning reluctance. Honestly, I didn't mind kicking back and having a few drinks now and then but right now, it wasn't what I wanted.

Taking his own glass, clinking it against mine. He refused to look away, watching me, ensuring that I didn't do something ridiculous like throwing the drink away. I drank it slowly this time, grateful that his eyes turned with the change of floor show.

Yes, the can-can ladies were gone now, replaced with a burlesque show. Large feathery fans covered the woman in an artful display. It was certainly an interesting show but not my thing. If I wanted to see a show of flesh, then I wanted to see everything. If I wanted to see feathers, I'd go outside and look at a bird.

I glanced around the room, seeing the women serving drinks regularly. The constant flow of liquid kept the patrons here — sustenance given in a cup, amenities, and entertainment easily offered. As for rest, that could be found in the arms of the prostitute. I'm sure they wouldn't care if their customer slept in the bed for a few hours provided they paid for it. The more I looked around, the more I realized that this place catered to everything that the patrons wanted. They had no reason to leave.

I looked at the bottle on the table, wondering if it was just blood and vodka. There was a distinct possibility that it was laced with something that kept the vampires addicted.

I didn't believe that Silas was a man that was so callous towards his family. He'd raised Alaric and Nisha from newborn babies; there was no way he'd turn his back on them. Something was wrong, something was so dangerous, and I knew that this wasn't about getting him to call his family. No, it had changed.

Oasis, it was more like a nightmare.

With the thought that this place was nothing but a trap for cashed-up lonely men, I decided to turn things around. Knowing that I would be met with resistance if I went down the Nighthawk path, I changed how I was to Silas. I wanted to know if I could lure him out of this place, even if I had to lie and say that we'd go to another whorehouse.

I'd have to go for the con, pretend that I was just as hammered as what he was. I couldn't risk drinking whatever was in that bottle; I feared that I wouldn't want to leave this place. Taking a deep breath, I turned side on to face Silas.

Lifting the hand that was resting on my shoulder, I lowered it back to where it should be with one slight difference. My fingers walked up the line of buttons on his shirt.

"This place gives a girl thoughts."

Pulling his shirt closer, I leaned into his ear.

"Wicked thoughts."

A slight smirk crossed his face, Silas said nothing. Instead, he upended his drink.

"You're a shit liar."

"Dahlia."

Silas looked at me curiously.

"My name is Dahlia, and I'm not lying. I've bedded both genders before. Happily go again at any point in the future too."

Picking up my glass, I pretended to drink it while ignoring his shock.

"Though, I don't think the girls in this place want me here after that whole gun thing, right?"

Silas shrugged, I pushed it a little harder. Sliding in against him, I leaned against his body, smoothing my hand over his chest.

"Maybe we could find another place in this dull town."

"It's almost dawn." He murmured.

Tracing my finger over his jaw, I pouted.

"Well, okay. It's just," I sighed heavily. "All these pretty ladies, naked and eager to make people happy, it's just making me so,"

I bit my lip, looking at him with doe eyes.

"It's okay. I'll just go without."

"Well, that's not healthy."

"It's not like I have much of a choice. The girls won't entertain me, and we can't go anywhere else, it's almost dawn."

Stretching back, my free hand slid down his body while I shifted on the seat. My fake act of being drunk and struggling with staying upright was working, Silas grabbed me.

"Careful now. You don't drink much, do you?"

I giggled playfully, shaking my head. Glancing around the room, Silas turned back to me.

"We can find another place if we're quick."

Yay.

Stumbling up the stairs, we walked through the doors and into the cold morning that was bringing a fast approaching dawn.

"There's a bar at my hotel."

I dragged Silas to me; he staggered closer.

"What about appeasing that need?"

"You could do it for me."

That seemed quite enticing for him. I'd like to think that it was a little life-affirming, but the vampire was drunk, so I had to be realistic because honestly, he was only interested in one thing. It didn't matter. I was only after one thing too — him safe in my hotel room. There I could keep an eye on him until the sunset in the afternoon. No whorehouses that trapped the lonely, no getting drunk on spiked blood.

"We certainly changed our tune."

I began to walk backward, tugging his hands.

"I am a girl that wants many things."

"I know and you might think that you're going to win this battle, but I promise you that you're wrong. Let's find that bar before the sun turns us into dust."