Read The Darkening for Free Online Page B

if the only club I visit is Ricco's." She paused. "If you don't want to go with me, that's fine. I'll go by myself."
    Lexi rolled her eyes. While Mai might have the spirit of a werewolf, she was built like a pixie, and her magic wasn't much stronger. If there were trouble, Lexi would never forgive herself for letting her best friend walk into it alone.
    "All right," she agreed. "It's not like Ricco owns me. I guess I don't mind checking out a new place."
    "Great. It'll be fun," Mai promised. "And, Lexi-try to wear something sexy." Lexi opened her mouth to protest, but Mai cut her off. "No offense, honey, but you know how you are. You dress in those black leathers all the time and scare half the men away."
    "Fine," Lexi agreed, mentally searching her closet, hoping she owned something that would meet with Mai's approval. "I'll see what I can do."
    "Good. I'll see you in a bit."
    Almost as soon as Lexi hung up, she wished they were going to Ricco's club instead. Her energy levels were starting to get out of control. Ricco was the First Fang of the Bloods, the largest vampire gang in town. He was also the most in-demand male working the back rooms of his nightclub.
    Normally, they should never have been able to come together-Lexi a creature of living magic and Ricco one of death magic. But there had never been anything "normal" about their relationship. That first night, long ago, she'd shown up at his club desperate with need, and he'd insisted on being her partner. It had been rough, but she'd been beyond caring, and he'd shown that he could easily keep up with the vigorous appetite of a shifter.
    All he asked for in return was a little blood. Under the circumstances, the advantages far outweighed the slight discomfort of being that close to a death-magic creature.
    She liked Ricco, but she didn't love him. She hated herself for using him the way she did, but she didn't have a lot of options. And the situation seemed just fine with Ricco. Over time, they'd built a comfortable relationship. And tonight, she needed that just as much as the sex.
    When Mai arrived two hours later, Lexi had a pile of discarded clothes on her bed and was standing in front of her nearly empty closet, stark naked, wondering if anyone had invented a spell that could turn street-tough leathers into ballroom glitz.
    "I see you're ready to go," her friend joked as she let herself into the apartment and walked into the bedroom. She looked stunning as usual in an emerald-green column-style dress that hugged her curvy body.
    "I'm not going," Lexi told her.
    "Of course you are," Mai assured her, placing a previously unnoticed department-store shopping bag on the bed. Reaching inside, she pulled out what looked like three feet of Lycra tubing in a bright sapphire blue. "Okay, Cinderella-look what your nymph godmother brought you Lexi instantly saw the possibilities and pulled the dress on. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she adjusted the gathers of the material to show off her figure to its best advantage. It was tight, did nothing to hide any figure flaws-and she looked terrific in it.
    "You like?" Mai asked.
    Lexi smiled. "I like. Thanks."
    "Okay-grab some heels and let's go. With the full moon on the rise, every bitch in the city is likely to be out tonight-no offense. I don't want to be the one going home sexually frustrated."
    Lexi pulled her only pair of high heels-black, of course-out of the closet, grabbed her purse and left the apartment with Mai.
    Twenty minutes later, they were stepping through the front doors of the Crypt. It was only ten o'clock, but the place was crowded. At the far end of the room, on the other side of the dance floor, a disc jockey was spinning CDs in a lighted booth. A second-story landing ran around the perimeter of the room, with tables and booths set up for small parties to gather. Lexi glanced up and noticed that several tables were occupied-mostly with couples well on their way to needing one of the back