He hooked an index finger into the collar of his shirt and tugged as if to illustrate his point. Yeah, the big guy might look sexy in his fancy getup, but he did not look at ease. His shirt strained across his muscular torso, and the trousers hugged his ass like it was a peach. I’d climbed that mountain, and he was looking at me as if he was ready for me to take another hike. I guess my friendly smile hadn’t been enough, and that hot look he was giving me was melting my resolve.
Mack gently gripped my elbow, bringing me back to earth with a bump as he steered me away from Tay and Azren and into the queue forming at the entrance to the exclusive club.
“Wila can be my plus one,” he called over his shoulder. “You can bring Azren.”
Azren looked unfazed, but Taylem’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.
A red rope barrier had been set up, and two hulking males manned the doors—hair slicked back, fancy suits and boots, the works. They looked expensive and dangerous.
“You can’t go there again,” Mack said softly.
There was no need to ask what he was talking about. “I know. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
Mack winced. “Mistake probably isn’t the best word to use around him.”
Oh, crap. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. You guys have chemistry, I get that, but this is serious for Tay. You know how things work for us. There is no almost. It’s all or nothing.” He glanced over his shoulder. Tay and Azren were a few bodies back. “I’m not mad at you. I warned Tay. I saw the way he looked at you, and I warned him to be careful. You’re not one of us. You’re not governed by the same needs and instincts. Once we get hooked, it’s painful if the object of our affection doesn’t feel the same way; it’s why we usually stick to other troll bloods.”
I’d fucked up all right. I’d acted without thinking things through, and that just wasn’t a done thing when it came to my friends. I looked Mack straight in the eye. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
He nodded curtly. “Good.”
And then we were at the front of the queue and the mammoth bouncer glanced at Mack’s silver disc invitation and waved us through. Darkness swallowed us for a moment, total and absolute. Mack’s hand on the small of my back was the only grounding element, and then the world lit up with silvery light and a deep bass beat pummeled my eardrums. But the sound and the light from a thousand twinkling stars up ahead were nothing compared to the intricacy of the actual club itself. The whole structure was a labyrinth. Walkways floated above more walkways that shifted and moved, controlled by huge golden cogs. People above us, people below and in between, and suspended on moving circular platforms were golden cages, each housing a creature the likes of which I’d never seen before.
“You look like you’ve never seen an Other before,” a rough voice said in my ear.
I jerked away from the heat of the stranger’s mouth and ended up looking into the predatory eyes of a Lupin. God, I hated these fuckers. Hairy and hung and unable to take no for an answer, Eloise and I liked to call them. Although this Lupin wasn’t living up to the hung part. His pack closed in around me. Yeah, these fuckers liked to share, and where the heck was Mack?
I smiled tightly as my assessment of the exclusive club took a nosedive.
He inhaled. “You’re in heat, lady. Been a while, hasn’t it?” His tone was all coaxing and sympathetic.
Cue lash flutter and simper. “Oh, God. Sooo long.” I glanced deliberately down at his dick and winced. “But sorry, you’re gonna need more than that to get me off.”
One of the other Lupin made a strangled sound that sounded suspiciously like suppressed laughter, and little dick’s head whipped round to spear him with a snarl.
Time to make a quick exit.
“Wila.” Mack appeared at my side. “Where’d you go?”
“Where’d you go? I just got propositioned by a naked, hairy Lupin.”
Mack’s face drained of color. “Was he short and not as well-endowed as the average Lupin?”
“Yep, and I told him so ... And why do you look like you’re about to be sick?”
“That’s Justin, alpha of the Opal pack.”
“Just-in?”
He shook his head, his lips twitching. “Seriously, don’t. It’s not funny. Justin’s fucking crazy, like seriously insane, it’s the only reason he’s managed to hold on to alpha status for as long as he has. No Lupin in his pack will go up against him. The wolf is a maniac.”
“And this Lex Hunter invited them to be members of his exclusive club?”
“Politics, babe. Opal pack controls the import and export of goods and services between pockets that choose to do business with us. Justin runs the Arcana Opal pack, but there are several other Opal packs dotted around in neighboring pockets. Lex is just keeping them sweet. Shame he has to cozy up to Justin to do it, though.” He sighed. “Look, just try not to cross paths with him again for a while, okay. He doesn’t forget or forgive easily, and he’s particularly sensitive about his ... bits.”
“Yeah, well, if he’s gonna shove them in people’s faces, then ...”
“You know Lupin don’t do clothes.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them in the frozen aisle at the supermarket. Not pretty.”
Mack hooked an arm through mine and tugged me past a couple of silver-haired dudes. “You and your smart mouth.”
“Those creatures in the cages aren’t really Others, are they?”
“Yeah, I know. I was shocked when I first encountered them too. Not what I thought Others would look like.”
“It isn’t. I took one out the other day and trust me, he was not pretty. He had big, scary, tear-your-face-off teeth.”
“The Southside Hound?”
“You heard about that?”
“Everyone heard about that. It was all over Radio FFS, with Missy Honour reminding everyone not to generalize. I swear, that woman knows more than she’s letting on.”
God, yes. I’d caught some of that broadcast.
“I guess Others come in all shapes and sizes just like us nephs,” Mack said.
A shoulder nudge shoved me off balance, sending me hurtling toward the edge of the walkway. Mack grabbed my arm, hauling me back just in time.
Heart in my mouth, I clung to my friend. “These walkways are way too narrow.”
“Don’t worry, you can’t fall off. There’s some powerful enchantments holding this place together, not to mention some hardcore Kelter Enterprise technology.”
My brows shot up. Kelter tech was super expensive and extremely cutting-edge. Who the heck was this Lex guy? My gaze snagged on the cage closest to us where a doe-eyed female with peacock feathers for hair sat on a swing swaying gently while preening her plumage. Another cage to our left contained a male, slender and cat-eyed. He lay stretched out on plush fabric, his golden, naked body on display for the world to see, and damn, did people stop to stare. A neph female reached into the cage and ran her hand over the Other’s skin, her fingers grazing his manhood. He arched his back and purred, growing hard and making her shriek with delight.
“What the fuck, Mack?”
He looked sheepish. “It’s not my cup of tea, but the Northsiders love it.”
“And what about the Others in the cages? Do they love it?”
“They’re here willingly, or at least that’s what I’ve been told. Trust me, when we first came here we weren’t impressed and Tay made some enquiries. He spoke to Lex directly. The Others are here of their own free will. This is just a job for them.”
“And what do the Arcana Institute think of that? Do these Others have clearance to be on this side of the border? Have they been processed?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You’d need to speak to Lex about that, but trust me, if you want his help, you do not want to piss him off.”
Did the Institute even know this breed of Other existed? All the information on Others spoke of mindless beasts that lurked in the shadows. I’d taken out a few, and the patrol had picked up severa
l, but no one mentioned creatures like this. Did Fran even know about them?
Azren and Tay joined us a moment later. They looked good side by side, two powerful men dressed to impress in well-cut clothes, and although I knew Tay well enough to know he still wasn’t at ease, he was doing a damn good job of faking it. Azren, on the other hand, reminded me of a jaguar on the prowl, his eerie jade eyes sweeping the partygoers, looking for prey. The dagger at his waist peeked out from beneath his neatly cut jacket. Strange the bouncers hadn’t noticed that? Or had he glamoured it to get through the doors?
A male neph carrying a tray of drinks swept past. Taylem grabbed a glass and drained it. A woman sashayed past and ran a hand across Tay’s chest as if he were a statue on display.
“No,” Tay said shortly.
The woman shrugged, her gaze flicking to Azren enquiringly. The Shedim bared his teeth, and her face blanched. She backed up, spun on her heel, and slipped into the crowd. I guess she wasn’t looking to live on the dangerous side.
A snippet of conversation caught my ear, the female voice all breathless and eager.
“—should go underground. They say that’s where they hide. We could capture our own pretties.”
“Shut it, Dina. Even the fucking cogs have ears in here, and if Lex finds out ... just shut it.”
I turned to Tay. “What the fuck is this place?”
“A den for carnal exploits,” Azren said simply, sans wince at my curse word this time. “I can smell sex on the air.”
I glanced from Azren to Taylem. The troll neph’s lips turned down in distaste. “Things can happen here if you want them to. Most here are open to liaisons of the carnal kind.”
Of course, now it made sense why he hated this place. For him, carnal relations led to lifetime commitment. This must be so distasteful. Shame Lex hadn’t done his homework on the twins, unless this was just a political invite, like the one extended to the Opal pack. The Stephenson twins were pretty influential in the pleb community, with ties to the Northside decision-making council.
“We have places like this in Draconi,” Azren said. “Except we are more honest about their purpose. We do not dress them up in finery to delude ourselves into thinking they are anything more than dens of depravity. If we wish to fuck, then we fuck.”
“You go to those places?” The question just popped from my lips. “Not that I care, just curious.”
He glanced down at me, his gaze speculative.
“Never mind.” I held up a hand. “None of my business.”
“I fucking hate this place,” Tay said. “Do what you have to so we can get the fuck out.” He looked up and lifted his chin. “There’s Lex. Take the stairs as they swing past.”
“What?”
A set of metal steps moved into my line of vision to the right. I made a grab for them and missed. Azren’s arm slid around my waist, and my heels left the ground as he launched us into the air. The world was a momentary blur, and then he landed easily on the platform above. He held on to me for a beat longer, long enough for me to feel the thud of his heart through my palm and inhale his heady, unique aroma that reminded me of the world after a storm.
“You can fly?” My voice came out hoarse and raspy.
His gaze fell to my mouth. “No, but I can jump high.” The corner of his mouth quirked.
Had the stoic demon just made a joke?
“Now that’s what I call an entrance,” a gravelly voice said.
Azren carefully lowered me to the ground, then focused on the speaker. I touched his arm and took a step forward to face the imposing man. Slender, tall, with sharp, inquisitive features topped off with a neatly clipped goatee beard. Lex Hunter oozed power as if his body was heaving with it. The stench of magic was strong on him, and his blacker-than-obsidian irises had my pulse skipping several beats as those eyes set off a multitude of alarm bells. Then he blinked and the darkness was gone, leaving me staring into hazel flecked with gold.
What the heck? “Lex Hunter?”
The man arched a brow. “Miss Wilomena Bastion.”
“You know me?”
His lips curled in a half smile. “I make it my business to know all the players in Arcana City.”
“Players?”
His smile was covert. “Oh, come now, don’t be coy. A woman who can steal from the dragon liege and live should surely know her worth.”
The nephs within earshot began to murmur amongst themselves. Oh, great. The last thing I needed was this rumor getting back to Elora. The fact that a relative nobody could infiltrate her Keep and get to her hoard was just bad publicity. She’d have my head just to prove a point.
I winced. “Maybe don’t spread that little fact around?”
Lex cast a glance over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes. It seems I’ve set tongues wagging.” He held a hand to his mouth in an oops gesture. A diamond glinted at his ear, giving him a roguish air. “Come, let’s walk, it will make it harder for the flapping ears to keep track of what, I am certain, will be a most interesting conversation.” He set off, the heels of his boots clipping on the walkway. “So, what can I do for you, Miss Bastion?”
“If I’m one of the players, then how come I didn’t get an invite?” Okay, that wasn’t what I’d meant to ask, but now the question was out ...
He paused at a balcony and leaned up against it. His collar dipped, and I caught a flash of ink, dark and intricate, but then my gaze was pulled to a cage on a platform less than a meter from the balcony, and my breath caught at the sight of the creature inside. It was a male with beautifully androgynous features. His slender body was draped in silken fabric, and rainbow tresses cascaded down his back. He locked gazes with me for a moment and then opened his mouth and began to sing. My heart lurched up into my throat with a kind of twisted need that made me weak at the knees.
“Leopold,” Lex said. “He truly is a wonder. His voice can soothe the darkest of souls.”
The Others I’d tangled with had been nothing like these, not intelligent beings, not humanoid. They’d been beasts, intent only on consumption. “What is he? What are these Others?”
Lex’s smile was soft. “Butterflies, Miss Bastion. The ones in my employ are the butterflies of His divine creation, or so they have come to believe, and as perception shapes us, so has it shaped them.”
“Whose perception?”
Lex blinked across at me. “Why, everyone’s, of course. Trust me, Miss Bastion, in this city filled with wolfmen, bloodsuckers, and shadowy creatures, these Others are the least of our worries.” He canted his head. “There are different breeds of Others roaming the night, of course.” He smiled, showcasing even, white teeth. “You’ve tangled with them. The hungry ones. The lost ones. Driven to wreak chaos merely to survive. It’s hardly their fault they’ve been left with nowhere to call their own. You call them monsters, but it is us, the neph, who are the real monsters here.” He turned away from the cage. “Your VIP disc is being prepared as we speak. Your dragon coup has impressed me, Miss Bastion. I believe you may be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Patience for a little while longer. In the meantime, it’s a pleasure to have you with us as a regular. Although, if my enquiries are correct, I’m pretty certain you’re not here to use the facilities and—”
“You’re exploiting these Others,” Azren interrupted abruptly.
Lex’s attention cut to my companion, and his hazel eyes bled to black again. “And the Draconi and Shedim don’t?”
The emphasis on the word Shedim sent a bolt of apprehension up my spine. He knew what Azren was? How the heck?
Lex’s lip curled. “At least here these Others are given a roof above their heads and a fair wage for their efforts. At least here they’re asked for their consent. They only fuck if they want to.”
Azren tensed, ready to go off in defense of his precious dragon liege, but Lex was right. Draconi sucked, and if we wanted Lex’s help, then antagonizing him was not the key.
“Look, we didn’t come here to question your business practices.” I waved a dismissive hand. “I’m sure all the Others have been cleared by The Collective’s Others Immigration Office and—”
“No,” Lex said. “These Others are under my protection. I may not be able to save them all, but I’ll shelter as many as I can.”
Wait, the Others were here illegally? “Shelter? You do realize that they need to be quarantined and cleared of any diseases before they can be integrated into our society.”
“Like your pet Shedim here? Or the Draconi ambassadors? Do they get quarantined?”
Okay, he had a point, but … “There’s a process. The Collective is simply trying to help the immigrants and keep the existing neph on this side of the border safe.”
Lex’s eyes narrowed and then his chest heaved with a sigh. “Your exploits into Draconi territory have caused me to misjudge you. I believe I may have jumped the gun, as you call it. Don’t bother looking out for that VIP disc. It won’t be coming.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you’re walking around with your eyes shut, Miss Bastion, and until you open them, you won’t truly belong anywhere.”
“Oh, I have my eyes shut? What about all these Northsiders you’ve invited into your little club? How enlightened are they?”
His lips twisted in an ironic smile. “They don’t need to be enlightened, Miss Bastion. They’re merely here to fuck.” He turned away. “Come see me once you can actually see.”
What the heck had just happened? I looked to Azren, but his gaze was fixed on the dagger hilt strapped to his waist. Was it glowing? No, it had to be the lights reflecting off it.
Azren looked up, his jaw tight, and then he pushed past me, making a beeline for Lex’s back. “Where are they? Where are the rogue Shedim?”
Lex paused. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Shedim. I suggest you leave now before I have you thrown out. There is no place for your kind here. Your presence is an insult to the Others under my protection, and I’ve forced them to endure it long enough.”
Lex began to walk away, but Azren wasn’t done. He followed and grabbed the neph’s shoulder. The next few seconds were a blur as Lex whirled round and slammed a hand into Azren’s chest. But wait, no, had he made contact? That bit was fuzzy, but Azren flying across the walkway was pretty clear. He hit the ground but was up and barreling toward Lex in an instant. Someone screamed and the walkway erupted into chaos.
City of Demons (Chronicles of Arcana Book 1) Page 12
