The Predator and His Prey

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The music in the club pounded against the walls, the bodies gyrating to the beat on Dominik's screen. He watched the screen intently, searching for her in the gathering of bodies, his eyes automatically searching for her. She stood behind the bar with Anya, she was getting good at bartending, a fast learner. All the pieces were falling into place, all the stars were aligning, his plans were working. But why did he feel none of the excitement he should have been feeling?

He was a predator, a planner, meticulously so. Everything was running like clockwork, everything was going according to plan. He should have been elated, finally after years of planning, of plotting he was so close to his victory. He could almost taste it on his tongue yet there was no joy in this. He felt no pleasure, no comfort, no excitement. He just felt, burden. He pulled out the file he kept, growing thick with each new entry he made. The thick black scrawl across it, labeling it for him.

Lujuria.

Lujuria. Lust in Spanish. He flipped open the folder and stared at the picture of the two blondes. They were young, in their early twenties, their ears and wrist shining with diamonds. Their bodies were toned, lean, sexually alluring. He could feel his heart racing at looking at them, they were the type he would have found a way to get into a bathroom stall in that club. Used them and then walked away, perhaps if they were into repeat performances, kept their number for when he wanted more of them.

But they were so much more than that, he flipped over the next page, notes upon notes of their habits, of everything he could find about them and that club. He read carefully, his heart racing as he did, he could feel the firm grip he had on the pen in his hand as he scribbled out more notes, more questions he needed answered. There was so much more still for him to learn, he felt like everything was falling into place. But then why was he feeling so unsure about his next move?

He looked up at the screen, his eyes searching for her instantly and knew the answer.

Jade.

Jade was his next move. He rubbed a hand roughly over his face and threw the file back into the drawer. She was always part of the plan, maybe not her exactly but a girl like her. Someone he could control just enough, trust just enough to obey him and follow through with his plan. Only Gina knew the full extent of the plan, of all it would entail, even Zander and Aidan didn't know everything.

He trusted Jade, she proved that she could be trusted. She had taken his words, his warnings to heart, never trying to escape again. He no longer had to watch her every move, he knew she wouldn't betray him, leave him. He could trust in that. She obeyed, again proving that to him with the way she listened to everything he said. She was the perfect chess piece. The perfect pawn for his game. But pawns, they got sacrificed. Pawns were the ones you were willing to lose in the game because in the end, they were a small piece of the bigger game, they didn't win the game.

I will not lose her!

The beast inside of him clawing in outrage at the idea. The beast had it bad, claiming her in no uncertain terms. But he was a fool, wild and unstable, emotional and a brute. He didn't think logically, his primal ways ruling over him. It was why Dominik could never let the beast in control during important moments, the beast would be too busy running around after every female in heat. Or ripping into someone and tasting their blood. No, the immoral creature could not be in control; the beast didn't have the calm to think logically. Jade was supposed to only be a pawn.

A beautiful, alluring, pawn. A pawn that fit into his arms as if she was molded just for his body and his body alone. A pawn that whimpered in the sweetest way when she laid under him, moaned with a need that only fueled his own. A pawn that made his heart race at just the sight of her, no matter what she was wearing or not wearing. A pawn that the mere thought of her being out of his sight made him impatient for her to return.